By Christopher Stipp
March 19, 2004
AND THAT’S A GOOD THING
I am reminded of Martha and her catchphrase she uttered with resounding conviction, before her conviction, when I see the early reviews coming in for DAWN OF THE DEAD. On top of that, getting an extended ten-minute preview on USA this week was all that was needed to seal the deal. I applaud Universal for not only taking the ballsy move to secure the time to show the first ten minutes of the film, but that they believe enough in the picture to even give a thought to doing something like this. Obviously, there are some drawbacks to showing an insight into the pacing, cadence, camera work and acting of those in the picture. One of the drawbacks is that some people could see that you made a crappy-ass movie and you could possibly lose what little support you could have garnered by simply sitting on that jive turkey until a nameless Wednesday comes across so you can drop that bomb like Billy Zane in a Memphis Belle.
Thankfully the suits at Universal felt safe in the knowledge that this looks like a solid horror hit. I realize there are purists out there who only reserve that moniker to the original HALLOWEEN series, the Chucky collection or even the various chapters of the CRITTERS saga, but this is horror in the new millennium. I would like to be scared, even jump a little in my seat, but if they can keep true to Romero’s larger themes of commercialization and what it says about the populace in general I will be happy enough to usher in this kind of gore.
Now, about what I thought would be my trailer of the week. I didn’t even give it a second thought. I knew it. I had it in mind even before I pushed the play button on my QuickTime player. I, ROBOT was going to be the trailer that would get people talking and buzzing. And then I watched it.
I am reminded of Michael Mann’s HEAT when Al Pacino is getting fed up with being dogged around by one of his informants. He walks away from the table they are speaking at and in disgust and rage he shouts out that his squealer shouldn’t waste his time in a tone and volume that I come back to what he said again and again, with the explicative attached, whenever I feel I’ve been jerked around. After watching the trailer I, too, had that very same thought as I backed away from my keyboard and wondered what the hell happened. Read on and find out what went wrong.
In a surprise that not even I anticipated until early this week, I found the trailer for a movie called SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Priceless. It’s by far the best thing I saw all week. With the trailer enabled for Flash players (a great way to see a trailer quick and easy) many of you should be able and see for yourselves why I picked this baddie for clip of the week. Surely, if you happen to disagree or want to guide me to some trailers I may not know about, send me an e-mail. I always enjoy hearing from the literate.
Director: Alex Proyas
Cast: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, Alan Tudyk
Release: July 16, 2004
Synopsis: Will Smith stars in this action thriller inspired by the classic short story collection by Isaac Asimov, and brought to the big screen by dynamic and visionary director Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow). In the year 2035, robots are an everyday household item, and everyone trusts them, except one, slightly paranoid detective (Smith) investigating what he alone believes is a crime perpetrated by a robot. The case leads him to discover a far more frightening threat to the human race. I, ROBOT uses a spectacular, state-of-the-art visual effects technique to bring a world of robots to life.
View Trailer:
* Small (QuickTime)
* Various (Windows Media, RealOne)
Progonosis: Negative.
I would like to say where I think this trailer went in the direction I had hoped it wouldn’t, but I won’t be glib and say it happens as soon as Will Smith enters the frame.
One of the first things that I noticed about this trailer, first of all, was the absence of Proyas’ cinematic thumbprint. GARAGE DAYS notwithstanding, I was excited to see him come back to the kind of gritty work that really made him a standout in DARK DAYS and THE CROW. Palpability or even a nuanced style is enough to make me notice in any director’s style, but Proyas had the ability of taking filmmaking elements and created worlds with them while giving an engaging, exciting story. The absence of all of that is was what alarmed me at first.
The acting starts as Will Smith does a little of the pensive/GQ/serious “I’ll be right there” in his best cop-like persona, rides along on a motorcycle, weaving through traffic, off to an investigation of something, but by this point I’m not that ornery. I’m actually appreciating what might come next. I start feeling the wheels fall of this motorcade of a spectacle, however, when after a little banter between cop Smith and one of his investigative leads ends with a little indirect homophobic humor which, if done right, read here: PLANES, TRANES AND AUTOMOBILES, can be amusing, but when Smith lets his comments fly I can see where it’s leading.
The trailer shows some very promising hope for life with Asimov’s Laws of Robotics as a backdrop, which, oddly enough, were crafted way back in the 1940s and provided a great basis for a flick when this project was first announced. When they scroll through the very same laws, and as Smith actually looks like he’s going to behave, an unseen robot defends his innocence under an interrogation. Up to this point I still believe there can be redemption. The sets look like they’re on loan from MINORITY REPORT, albeit in a very Styrofoam way.
And then it happens.
You get to see the face of the robot in question and there is a certain deflation of expectations after seeing the intricate posters that were made up showcasing these things leading up to this trailer’s arrival.
It’s about this time when Smith says out loud that he longed for the good ol’ days when, “people were killed by other people.” Huh? The factitiousness of the movies visuals with the plastic sheen that coats everything just continues this movie’s nosedive. There are, however, a few shots of some robots going monkey shine on the human population, some quick frames of action with glass shattering (forever a fan of that) and cars flipping over, but it is Smith’s mugging that irked me the most. The movie moves from being, what could be, a great realizing of Asimov’s principals with Proyas leading the attack, no less, but it just looks like another vehicle for Smith to be, well, Smith in his most splendid MEN IN BLACK routine. Wake me up if I’m wrong about this one.
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Cast: Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards, Sophia Myles, Brady Corbet, Soren Fulton, Vanessa Hudgens, Ben Kingsley
Release: August 6, 2004
Synopsis: When dangerous situations exceed the limitations of ordinary military and international security forces, the world calls upon the high-tech assistance of International Rescue-a mysterious band of fearless adventurers and their fleet of awesome, imaginatively engineered vehicles known as: Thunderbirds! Hidden from the world, Tracy Island, a lush patch of land situated in the remote waters of the South Pacific, is home to brilliant entrepreneur and former astronaut Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and his five sons. It is also the headquarters of Tracy’s top-secret organization, International Rescue – and it is under siege. Master criminal The Hood (Ben Kingsley) has breached island security, intent on commandeering International Rescue’s fleet of five highly advanced rescue vehicles, each designed to accomplish a specific task. Deploying Jeff and his four eldest sons on a mission, The Hood finds his plans obstructed by Jeff’s youngest son Alan (Brady Corbet), who will do anything to save the Tracy family and the Thunderbirds.
View Trailer:
* Large (QuickTime)
* Medium (QuickTime)
* Small (QuickTime)
With a cast like this I was feeling like I could get into a flick that I didn’t really care that much about. I had heard a little bit about it, had seen production designs for one of the cars that looked more suited for the Ambiguously Gay Duo and, frankly, I never even had an interest in the television series. This trailer, though, makes great use of camp in much the same way it wasn’t well used for the other blast from the past, LOST IN SPACE.
To be honest, I both loved the trailer for its eye candy that came in all different flavors and also feared it for the lack of any dialogue that would offer any sense of how the actors were going to play their parts. From what little I could tell, Bill Paxton is all cleaned up from his FRAILITY persona and is chipper enough to declare with a grin that, “Thunderbirds are go.” Joy. I couldn’t be happier, either.
The outfits the Thunderbirds wear are slightly odd looking along with their color coordinated ships/planes/Ambiguously gay flying machines. Just watching the trailer a few times had me queasy from motion sickness as the scenes cut from one moment to another in such a rapid fashion that, by the end, I had no idea what the hell was going on. That’s not to say, however, that is such a bad thing as when dealing with summer pictures you have to hit the attention deficient demographic with every last sensory blast you have, but it would be nice to know what is going on with the plot. So far, all I know is that this movie has Bill Paxton in it and there’s lots of explosions, smoke, a hot blonde chick with an English accent, and space ships that look like they’re exploding. That’s it.
Now, for the rest of the population who want to decide if forking over their loot is worth it the filmmakers need to come correct with a better trailer with at least one of the three things:
1. Some exposition. Please. Just give me a nugget, even a little somethin’ somethin’ with Sir Ben, which should tell me why I should patronize your summer popcorn love fest.
2. Dialogue. Even something from that one guy who does all the action voiceovers for all the action movies saying a few words about why I should care about a defunct television series that expired decades ago would be nice.
3. Show that hot blonde chick doing something ribald or tawdry with one of those space ship models and I will personally guarantee the highest opening weekend with males 12-24.
It’s always good to see brother Chet doing something new, not the least of which was CLUB DREAD which was woefully given little love, and I would like to see how his presence either elevates or shames the rest of the cast assembled around him.
THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND (2004)
Director: Matthew Ryan Hoge
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Don Cheadle, Chris Klein, Jena Malone, Lena Olin, Kevin Spacey, Michelle Williams, Martin Donovan, Ann Magnuson, Kerry Washington, Sherilyn Fenn, Maria Arcé, Michael Welch, Michael Pena
Release: April 2, 2004
Synopsis: Soft-spoken Leland Fitzgerald (Gosling) commits a crime that shocks the soul of his community. As the son of a world-renowned author (Spacey) and because his motive is a genuine mystery, the boy becomes a touchstone for controversy. In pursuing “the reason why”, aspiring writer Pearl Madison (Cheadle) see the chance for a career-making book. Leland’s haunting tale is, at once, deeply poignant and darkly funny, an investigation into the impenetrable secrets of the suburban American family. The film explores the resonance of a single violent act, showing how it affects the families of both the guilty and the innocent.
View Trailer:
* Small (QuickTime)
Progonosis: Positive.
There is something about a good movie with Don Cheadle that restores the notion that not everyone in Hollywood needs a paycheck that bad.
Sure, his work as a bloke with a hellacious accent in OCEAN’S ELEVEN made me scratch my head too, but that doesn’t come close to negating his work in TRAFFIC, BOOGIE NIGHTS, THE METEOR MAN or even as the guy at the fast food pick-up window in MOVING VIOLATIONS.
His last real project was OCEAN’S but he looks great in this trailer alongside Ryan Gosling. Gosling has a quiet ferociousness about himself, as evidenced in movies like THE SLAUGHTER RULE and THE BELIEVER, and that comes across as he effortlessly glides across the screen in the newest project from the man who brought us, well, nothing. A real first-time director in the eyes of most people, Hoge brings warmth and some slivers of inspired cinematography in this short trailer.
The trailer opens up with a soft, Ben Folds-esque piano solo and it works so well. While the music plays we get a little backstory about why young Leland is in the pokey but it’s not too clear of the specifics. We get a little bit of Cheadle, and even a little Chris Klein, who gets a moment to add something quietly to the picture this trailer paints. The trailer takes its time and that’s fine. It works.
Jenna Malone, who was showcased last week for SAVED!, pops up again as the love interest for Leland, and there is something very sweet that comes across when her and Gosling have their moments together. Kevin Spacey decides to make a landing in this bad boy and I am hoping he found his box full of acting tricks that he managed to lose sometime in late 1999. There are other smaller bits from established bards, but, overall, this movie looks great. Judging by the production company that has helped to get this thing made, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM being one of them, the hands that this movie is in are ones that aren’t necessarily out to bust box office records but out to simply create a well-crafted film.
Director: David Caffrey
Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Gabriel Macht, Marley Shelton, Christina Applegate, Michael Shannon, Robert Forster, Jim Cody Williams
Release: ?
Synopsis: There are times when it’s right and proper to simply bury the dead. This is not one of those times… Gram Parsons was one of the most influential musicians of his time; a bitter, brilliant, genius who knew Elvis, tripped with the Stones and fatally overdosed on morphine and tequila in 1973. And from his dying came a story. A story from deep within folklore; a story of friendship, honour and adventure; a story so extraordinary that if it didn’t really happen, no one would believe it. Two men, a hearse, a dead rock star, five gallons of petrol, and a promise. And the most extraordinary chase of modern times.
View Trailer:
* Small (Windows Media)
Progonosis: Positive Sometimes it’s all in how you define independent.
Is it by the budget or by the ideas behind the story or something else entirely? I didn’t expect much out of Johnny Knoxville as an actor but he really shines in the parts that are presented in this trailer. What’s refreshing, as well, is how the director for DIVORCING JACK (A movie that has a disturbingly creepy box cover that seems to follow my eyes whenever I see it at the local video mart) uses Knoxville so effectively. I’m not so sure, or convinced, of Knoxville’s accent in this film, but I am pleased to see him seem so comfortable in front of the camera.
As this trailer opens, the scroll letting us know this is based on a true story, there is a certain amount of emotional weight to Knoxville’s voiceover. The camera work is nice in how it eases us into the world these characters inhabit. As Knoxville encounters resistance to claiming Parson’s body at the hospital where it is being kept, in an effort to cremate it, it sets up the crux of the movie’s plot beautifully. Cut and dry. Pure and simple. All in less than fifteen seconds.
Christina Applegate, in an effort to recapture the magic she had with DON’T TELL MOM THE BABYSITTER’S DEAD, looks very pleasing and actually appears to add an ephemeral counter-balance to Knoxville’s scruffy, burnt-out character.
Another thing this movie has going for it is that this movie could have gone in two different directions. They could have made a tender story about a man who looks to fulfill a promise to a dead friend and have it a rather touching story of the bonds men share or they could have went down this route, throw in a dash of serious contemplation about the nature of friendship, and play down the more supercilious aspects to have Knoxville pump up the comedy a bit. The latter is what this trailer is selling and if it is any different I am not too sure it would really make that much a difference based on the clips provided here.
I made note of how the story is essentially told in the first few moments of the trailer and I think it is worth noting, again, because it does something very nice. It allows an individual to better observe what is happening on the screen and it frees someone from having to piece together a puzzle of a trailer that looks only to shock and awe. As well, someone can enjoy the performances from the actors on screen and really make an honest value judgment if they want to come spend their money. I wish more trailers could learn this lesson.
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Dylan Moran, Lucy Davis, Bill Nighy, Peter Serafinowicz, Penelope Wilton
Release: TBD
Synopsis: Gathered together at their local pub for a night of drinking and conversation, a group of friends find themselves thrown into a battle against hell-bent zombies.
View Trailer:
* Shockwave Flash
Progonosis: O Positive.
I’m a consummate Todd Phillips fan, but I had more laughs during this trailer than I did when I viewed the one cobbled together for STARSKY AND HUTCH.
One of the things about comedies is that you don’t quite know what’s going to be funny when it’s taken out of context and put into the kind of sound bites that make it into the trailer. I thought, simply based on the trailer, STARSKY was going to be a laugh a minute comedic journey. What I got, instead, was a short bus ride after seeing most every comedic moment of the film was used for the trailer. That’s why, with slight trepidation, I see SHAUN OF THE DEAD as one of the most anticipated comedies that I would like to see simply based on what’s presented here.
It’s great to see good satire when it’s done right and all the elements seem to be in place here. There’s a great false beginning to this trailer where a concerned television reporter tells the populace to be calm as video of walking zombies fill the picture screen. Just as the reporter says this two couch potatoes, who will be the movie’s titular characters, realize what the newsman is saying and in walks a zombie. Hilarity ensues. It’s hard to describe comedic elements without it sounding unfunny and it’s best explained if you see it for yourself. Again, subjectivity is the root of all comedy. What’s funny for one could be an excruciatingly miserable experience for another.
After the intro, there’s the voiceover from above that gives the basic rundown of how to escape a zombie invasion. The first way is to avoid detection and so cue cell phone; the second is to use weapons as the protagonists open a box of records to be used as vinyl instruments of death as the zombies come closer and they start debating which ones should be saved; and lastly, as the newscaster says it, “the attackers can be stopped by removing the head.” The physical humor just kicks up from there. The ending to this thing sees a zombie being knocked over by a car the characters are driving
There’s not really any better way to say it but this has to be one of the funniest trailers I’ve seen, so far, all year. Does that make me a shut-in who needs to get out more? Possibly. It’s all subjective.
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