The Trailer Man has written in with a look at many of the new trailers coming in this weekend and ya know... Cool. But the one trailer I'm curious about is THE GREEN MILE. When is Warner gonna start pushing this. I've seen the poster... It looks nice, but when is the trailer gonna hit? Inquiring minds like mine wanna know! Here's Trailer Man
It never occurred to me that your readers would have an interest in trailers, which I can tell you there are about 62 currently active for theatrical exhibition. And many wonder why they're watching 5 or 6 prior to a film......a lot of studios/producers want their pending film exposed during this very hot boxoffice season (there will be more films to pass the 100 million mark this Summer than ever before you just watch). So while there are butts-in-seats, studios want to expose future releases and capitalize on the huge numbers to increase awareness. Trailers are still the number one tool in marketing virtually any given film, and as evidenced by the frequency of opinion in TALK BACK, solicited or not, is a passionate subject.
New one's to look for this weekend:
THREE KINGS (WB) If anyone wants a lesson in how a trailer can be reworked to convey infinitely more depth and deliver far more compelling results check out the difference of the version that went with (yikes) WILD WILD WEST and this newer version now available for placements on other films. Seemingly running the same length, sure the irreverence a la "MASH in Desert Storm", cocky American brio, and "why are we here" is about the same, but timing of dialogue is noticeably better (ie Clooney's "No this isn't the bouillon you make with chicken soup" actually has a punch rather than flaccidly dropped in the first version), far more shots of large production scale, but the main thing is a fully realized subtext of humanity and compassion with regard to the price of any war (ok police action). Night and day difference and now it looks like an off -kilter, fresh offering for Fall line up.
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (INDEPENDENT) The trippiest, most far-fetched, head scratching concept film starring a hapless John Cusack who stumbles somehow on a small hallway that leads into John Malkovich's brain. This trailer spins as well as can be imagined in two mins, this bizarre premise and seemingly make it accessible to more that the specialty/art crowd. Of course an individual is going to know instantly, whether this floats his boat or not.....kudos though for going out on a limb, and having confidence that there are moviegoers who want more that just mindless fluff.
AMERICAN BEAUTY (DREAMWORKS) I think there was a big push for this trailer to be on prints of RUNAWAY BRIDE so there in lies a serious conundrum for the "I won't ever go see Gere " crowd. Nevertheless, this is the longest trailer in current field inventory at 3:00 minutes and it flies by. Simply introducing with a series of establishing shots of suburban life a title card then pops up that reads (and voiced over) "look closer". Next scenes with Kevin Spacey challenging his boss during a one-on-one office meeting about what down sizing really means to junior level employees, shots of his daughter flirting with boy next door, mom (Annette Benning) being pro active with her daughter at school and then again "look closer" pops up. Ok a lengthy trailer but so very successfully conveys initially a "perfect American family" in the first minute or so. Then the dysfunction of Spacey's family and married life is alluded to quickly in montage, as well as allusion to a handgun tragedy. The "all is not what it seems approach" works as the drama. crisis, pitch, and curious dark humor is played out to quite an impact. American Beauty is a type of rose and to that end a fantasy sequence with the daughter flailing in these red rose petals in quick MTV like shots is juxtaposed with many other intriguing The one-sheet is that of a young woman's torso with a long stemmed American Beauty rose set vertically along side the naval. Smart incorporation of these elements, metaphors I suspect that create a continuity from trailer... to one sheet.. to title thus easier for recall for moviegoers. Sophisticated fare, most likely a turnoff for average moviegoers but certainly different, therefore intriguing for the more discriminating taste.
SUPERSTAR (Paramount) is like a hybrid of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, SHE'S ALL THAT and a too long Saturday Night Live skit of a dweeb in high school fantasizing of being a music sensation, getting the best looking jock on campus and other cliched high school priorities. uh...ouch..no.
STORY OF US (Universal) exactly as described in this weeks report by CallerFromLa's review and the others attending same screening. As a marketing tool the trailer smoothly conveys the plot of 15 years of marriage slowly disintegrating, did not appear as shrill or whiny as some had countered, more like Harry And Sally 12 Years Later . Definitely for the tweed and deck shoe crowd trickling down to the mid thirties demo......the ONE FINE DAY audience with hopefully a dash more star power with Willis especially if he weathers SIXTH SENSE detractors and it becomes a medium sized hit.
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (PARAMOUNT) Take the Will Smith subplot of posing as Sidney Poitier's son in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION then slowly turn up the suspense/creepy quotient and that begins to convey what was a very surprising and effective trailer for this movie by the director of THE ENGLISH PATIENT. Matt Damon is clearly shown to be hustling and scamming his way at a luxury coastal resort by pretending to be an old school buddy from Princeton of Jude Law who is with Gwynnith Paltrow on holiday. Of course he has no recall, but Damon is persistent and fast on his feet with recollections since he has some personal effects from an actual classmate. Damon, begins (convincingly) to show a darker side, Law and Paltrow freaking, and trailer ends with a really effective reflection of Damon sitting in a hotel room in front of mirrored doors that slowly close causing his reflection to disappear leaving an arresting side shot of him that is quite menacing. Trailer really drops in the Academy Award pedigrees that when it hit Cate Blanchette as a nominee it almost detracted still and all compelling.
Others out there are JAKOB THE LIAR (SONY), so similar in feel to Roberto Begnini's LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL where Robin Williams is a bearer of hope in a concentration camp to the emotionally wrought and terrified by relaying information from outside the barricades allegedly through radio ( I think) but all fabricated to ease the horrors. (presumably, kids with cancer and a clown nose did not fully realize his martyrdom). MUSIC OF THE HEART (Miramax) Used to be "50 Violins" with Madonna set to star but now a full out performance by Meryl Streep as the trailer builds a Mr. Hollands Opus like scenario of a recently separated and disillusioned woman who moves to the tough neighborhoods in NYC to teach inner city kids the violin and then take on the school system when budget cuts eviscerated her music programs. Has Gloria Estefan as a mother of one of her students (passable line readings) and Angela Bassett as a well meaning and tough superintendent. Well then shots of tough rallies and "where gonna take this to the top and of course the last shot looks to be a concert in Carnegie Hall so hello, did I just see the whole movie? Ready......Wes Craven directs. THE BONE COLLECTOR based on a best seller (it says so) and stars Denzel Washington who is shown to be a tough detective then oops a paraplegic but still on a case for a viscious serial killer by enlisting a curvaceous co-star as his legs, hands and eyes through audio/video transmissions to his bed where he coaches her through the terrors. Slick trailer but its still IRONSIDE no?
