It's not just you. The gap between the release of a trailer and whatever it's promoting has gotten awfully brief, especially in the case of streaming content. I'm regularly seeing trailers show up a scant few weeks ahead of release dates, and you really do have to keep an eye out to avoid things falling through the cracks. It's been a long time since my last trailers post, and I was spurred to finally write up this one because I saw a few really good, attention grabbing trailers this past month that I wanted to give their due. Theatrical movies only, for this post.
The Phoenician Scheme - Wes Anderson has a formula for trailers, and it works, so why change anything? The creators know that we're here to see which faces are new, and which regulars are returning. There's a heavy emphasis on the slapstick that probably won't carry over to the actual film, and that's fine. There are plenty of hints of the more melancholy parts of the film amidst all the chaos. The credits roll is quicker than it has been in trailers past, with several of the cast members grouped together, but otherwise this is Anderson in familiar territory.
Him - This is the reason I wrote this post. The switch from the imagery and editing style of a typical Nike commercial to the stomach-drop realization that this is a horror promo was so much fun to see play out on the big screen before "Sinners." The guy who made "Kicks" is back for "Him," backed by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions. This was on the 2022 Black List as "GOAT," and will be potentially giving Marlon Wayans his best dramatic role in years. I'll be avoiding any further ads until I see "Him" in full, which brings us to…
Weapons - I'm linking the teaser for the latest Zach Cregger movie because it's more effective than the full trailer that came a few days later. The imagery is so startling, and the scant information offered by the initial promo is so unsettling that I don't think you need anything else. I'll just say that apparently New Line actually sent some film journalists alarm clocks set to go off at 2:17 AM as promo items, which is right up there with NEON's busload of decapitated cheerleaders promoting "The Monkey" earlier this year on the WTF meter.
The Long Walk - At last. It's always good to see a long-gestating project claw its way free from development hell. That's Mark Hamill playing the Major, and Roman Griffin Davis from "Jojo Rabbit" as the first guy down. While I don't think that the adaptation is going to be as faithful to the original Stephen King short story as its fans want, I think it's a good thing that this is being made in 2025, post "Squid Game," and not any earlier. Audiences are a lot less squeamish about the level of violence in YA death games than they used to be.
Honey Don't! - Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke return with their follow-up to "Drive Away Dolls," which I liked better than most. Margaret Qualley and Aubrey Plaza are always going to get my attention in any circumstances, and I'm definitely up for a neo-noir with Qualley as a lesbian PI named Honey O'Donahue. I also support Chris Evans' ongoing attempt to rebrand himself as the go-to actor for smug assholes. He's really very good at it. Apparently this is the second of Ethan Coen's planned "lesbian B-movie" trilogy. Still no word on what Joel's been up to.
The Roses - "The Roses" is remaking one of my favorite '80s black comedies, "The War of the Roses," with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as a feuding couple. No word on who's playing the Danny DeVito role. Apparently the action has been moved to the San Francisco Bay area, and I don't know what accent Ncuti Gatwa thinks he's doing, but it needs some help. Director Jay Roach has a very mixed track record, but I'm hopeful that the Tony McNamara script and the high calibre cast will add up to good things. Fingers crossed.
Eddington - Here's an eye-catching teaser, something that definitely got my attention without saying too much. This is Ari Aster's neo-western, and emphasis on the neo with the use of social media scrolling to reveal this is taking place during the pandemic, and introducing Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Watson, and Austin Butler's characters. It's Interesting how A24 is the first thing we see onscreen, which is another indicator of how much they've become a brand over the past few years. Aster and Phoenix pair well together, so I expect great things.
Tron: Ares - Finally, I'm not sure what to do with this teaser. It is doing its best to look as un-nerdy as possible, and thereby does not appeal to me at all. We're really not bringing anybody back from "Tron: Legacy" except Jeff Bridges? Jared Leto is the lead? The filmmakers have a few more chances to impress me, but we've definitely gotten off on the wrong foot here.
—
No comments:
Post a Comment