MARVEL! DC! ALL THE FAMILIAR AND NEW FAVOURITES!
(that’s Sienna Miller in the photo btw. Though not appearing in any of these trailers..her sheer star power ensures at least one of the films under scrutiny is rendered pointless on arrival by her absence in it. Lovely, talented..sorry..oh yes..back to trailers..).
IT’S TRAILER TIME! OH YES!
Looking at the latest trailers as a batch so you don’t have to! Trailers are the last bastion of anything resembling ‘viral’ marketing. And even this art is somewhat compromised because a trailer = marketing and that = cost = something to reduce in downsized movie media era.
But I love trailers. They’re PART of the magic of cinema and commerce’s fusion to art. And I think they are worth preserving as events, praising /criticising and sharing.
So here we go..in no particular order..
THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK:
Looks great! Yes, much like JOKER, this uses an old IP to tell a new story which might otherwise have failed at winning funding but for the association with established fanbases. Yes, it’s another Scorsese tribute film? Yes, I dislike movie and real world mobsters unless they’re Michael Corleone. But there’s no denying the calibre here in cast, pitch, plot and execution. James Gandolfini would be proud! BUT WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO VERA FARMIGA?!
GHOSTBUSTERS:AFTERLIFE:
Shows some minor concession to viral media by tagging on interviews and promotion clips in each new trailer. That’s great. I am one of the few who actually loved the 2016 film, because it had heart. Always felt the original 1984 film was nasty, cynical and horrible, though enjoyed part 2. This latest effort works as both soft reboot and tribute to what made the original iterations so popular.
SHANG-CHI: This is a most promising new Marvel effort. Martial arts, mysticism, big action and Abomination. Looking forward to it!
HALLOWEEN KILLS:
This film had to happen, given the success of the 2019 rebooty/remakey thing. I loved that film but felt it one and done, self contained? By extending that mythology, you arguably defeat the object of cleaning the original sequel slate.
Where can you ‘go’ but kill off the Jamie-Lee character, again? How to maintain the menace when the villain is just a man and not some supernatural force of nature /ghost/alien etc? The thriller must become a full on horror slasher chiller. And that seems to be where things are headed here. But I am still curious and love the music , atmospherics and new possibilities.
THE SUICIDE SQUAD:
FUN! HILARIOUS! ACTION PACKED! A FIRST RATE CAST! What’s not to like? Well, nothing (double negative?). That said, we are still in the dark somewhat as to plot / pitch /main villain and that’s a bit silly, given it’s now a late stage in marketing and you need to bring in non fans and those deterred by the first film’s perceived failings (#AYERCUT will happen!).
SNAKE EYES: GI JOE:
I am not sold on this one. Fine trailer but it’s a rather obscure character /property to be touting as ‘event’ cinema, surely? Henry Golding is being promoted as a movie star with indecent haste, despite his not, necessarily, having ‘opened’ a box office hit on name alone yet. Perhaps he truly is the next big thing and I will be eating humble pie when this latest action spin off opens..perhaps not.
What annoys me is the obvious debt in evidence to every other super-hero /ninja movie ever made and the use of ‘Origins’ in a tag line which presumes GI JOE is an active film series when it’s been out of action for ten years? Uncalled for reboot. And without Sienna Miller, it’s already disappointing imho..
THAT’S ALL FOLKS. FOR NOW, ANYWAY. In a world..of trailers..one man..gets a coffee..and a blog..
