Posts Tagged ‘Vladimir Mashkov’
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers?
Violent Blue Trailer
Consider this my Christmas present to all of you.
A lot of times I present movies that appeal to me on some level and try to explain, through run-on sentences that seem to go on forever and ever, why I like a trailer. Sometimes it appeals to some part of me or it feels like an echo of a movie I’ve seen before. I really to try and understand what it is that is being sold to me because, obviously, filmmaking is not for the most part a non-profit endeavor. We’re constantly pitched on this or that idea and I just love picking apart these things to understand what it is that’s going on.
I have no clue, no idea, no inkling, no indication, no reasonable amount of logic to explain what in the hell this is.
I mean, obviously, it’s a movie. There are actors, there is dialogue, but there isn’t any cohesive narrative that I can understand. Oddly, though, I would love to see this thing end to end. I don’t know why but it’s weirdness is only rivaled by its annoyance, like a hangnail that bothers you, yet you can’t stop playing with it, only settling for it being completely ripped from your body before immense pain and relief sets in. I am not familiar with director/writer Gregory Hatanaka’s previous effort, Mad Cowgirl, but this movie looks like it fits right into his aesthetic if that film’s trailer is any indication.
The screaming at the start of this is brilliant for the sole reason that it spells out, like a warning sign, of what’s coming. The yelling has no context, no explanation. The Art Film Pretension Meter is clicking so loud I don’t know if this is a movie or if I’m standing next to a burnt out, smoking husk of a nuclear reactor with a Geiger counter.
There is a moment, however, where a man talks a little bit about obsession at some length but it’s so out of place I won’t even try to help put it in some kind of cohesive light. There is a nude man standing in the dark wearing a motorcycle helmet (?) talking about becoming Electra Glide in Blue (double “?”) , and we get more people screaming for reasons unknown. It’s so strange that I feel like it’s visual LSD just for observing it with a sober eye.
Throw in the Gimp from Pulp Fiction, a pack of women writhing on the ground, giving each other human steamrollers with all their clothes on, a woman trapped in a human birdcage, and what you have is a family fun night at the movies.
This really isn’t my thing but it’s a movie that I not only want to see all of but the trailer is actually delightful in the way in which it’s artfully constructed.
The Ghost (Domovoy) Trailer
Every country deserves its own escapist fun.
What I see in this trailer is something that’s part action movie, part silliness, and a little bit of a thriller all wrapped in one. Hot on the heels of his presence in the trailer I talked about a few weeks ago, Kandahar, actor Vladimir Mashkov, besides having a name I wish I could posses, goes from sympathetic hostage to homicidal killer.
The thing that distinguishes this trailer from many of the others I’ve seen this week is that this one really gets back to the rudimentary theory of taking an ordinary person and putting them in an absolutely extraordinary situation. Our Average Joe is a crime writer and then gets involved with an actual hitman. Yeah, nothing really extraordinary going on here but the funny thing is that the trailer opens with the proclamation this movie was a Toronto Film Festival selection. I don’t usually fall into that trap of being sold on the many festivals a film has played at but it does buy this trailer some time in establishing why I ought to spend more time with it.
I appreciate, however, the expediency of it all. The trailer doesn’t spend a lot of time with a lot of needless exposition, instead opting for the quickest way between two points: action. Guy writes book about crime, another guy likes to kill people, the two meet, and killing starts to go down in mass quantities. The writer-following-murder film is something we’ve already seen in a movie like Kalifornia but here there seems to be less of a dependence on the weirdo factor than there is here of a good popcorn adventure. I mean how on earth can you go wrong with a line like, “If he’s not careful, his next masterpiece could be his obituary”? Please.
Guns, cops, running, explosions, cars crashing into one another all combine into a delicious mix. What appears to be afoot here is something more than your usual brainless fare in that the trailer makes it seem that the relationship between hoity author and killer goes south. What I am hoping happens, as this thing promises, the two go against one another. The production values look rather good for a shoot ‘em up and I am still intrigued by the idea that this one was solid enough for Toronto.
I may be all about the movies that look to inspire but this appears to be one movie that can bridge the cultural divide quite nicely.
Portrait of a Zombie - Teaser from Portrait of a Zombie on Vimeo.
Portrait of a Zombie Trailer
There was a writing exercise, I remember, that was given out as part of a class assignment by American novelist, and all around great professor, Ron Carlson. The task was to write a short story involving changing a tire. That’s it. Interpret it any which way you’d like. The variations on that one constant varied widely as the responses were all over the map.
Zombie movies are the modern cinematic equivalent of this exercise.
I like that other people from around the world want to fashion their own yarn around an idea that seems tired, busted, and ought to be left to rot in a shallow grave. Somehow, though, I enjoy seeing what other people want to do with this subject in a way I don’t feel for other kinds of films. This trailer makes me think that there is still some life in this undead genre and this one is coming to us from Ireland, hotbed of film production.
Not since Once have I been so interested in the filmic output of a land that spawned my ancestors and I have to say, without question, the premise is fascinating: a kid (Billy) becomes a zombie, his parents elect to take care of the kid at home, a documentary film crew (of course) wants to tape the family, and then we watch the havoc unfold.
The trailer opens very strangely: a group of people take to the streets to protest something. It’s in slow motion, there’s no voice over, and we’re left wondering what it is they’re protesting against. We have some person getting swarmed by a pack of zombies, a woman lets us know the whole country is “shite,” a guy gets his hand cut off with a meat cleaver, and then we meet Billy. Treated more like a rabid dog than human I am impressed with the idea of where this is going.
Slow-mo shots of zombies running around, of people evading certain death, and then a mom trying to console a thrashing Billy who is bound up in a straight jacket and muzzle all the while with a minimalist touch. This feels intimate, claustrophobic.
The final seconds of this trailer are an especially nice touch considering what we’re dealing with: a first time director/writer, Bing Bailey, who obviously doesn’t have Hollywood funds but is trying to make it look like it. The execution is grand and really taps into that sense of terror that so many other, highly polished zombie films can’t match.
Tony Trailer
There is still gold to be mined from the metaphorical caverns for ideas that utilize serial killers and this looks like quite a find.
While I’m not as impressed with a work like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, I do appreciate the examination of what it’s like to follow these individuals around. Trying to get a fictional representation of how someone can come off the rails, delving into sociopathic or deranged behavior, is much different and more interesting than just seeing someone be “pushed to the edge” like you see in a film like Falling Down. Here, then, is a trailer that will instill a sense of dread, of making you feel uncomfortable as you watch it unfold.
When we meet Tony, he almost seems like someone who’s related to Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys, and seems like a bit of a goof. The musical bed is a bit generic, its manufactured tension almost screams at us to wait for the punch, but actor Peter Ferdinando sells the hell out of this guy appearing as nothing but inept. I mean, we go to almost the minute mark and there’s nothing to indicate the ratcheted instrumental bed that plays in the background deserves to be there.
If you were to take the music out, you would almost feel sorry for the man. He seems lost, awkward, and absolutely seems like someone who just needs some help in life. Getting smacked around, intimated, yelled at, put down, and pushed obviously takes it toll when he smacks his roommate in the head with a hammer. That’s when things get a little quiet. The act is committed but he doesn’t stop at one.
The trailer picks up a lot of steam on the down slope as the music comes back, earning the right to be there this time, and we see Tony just start going to town on people. Bags over the head, disposing of evidence in a river, strangulation, asphyxiation, Tony likes to kill. The way we’re shown how well Tony takes to this new occupation is one thing, but the other thing this trailer does well is show how gritty the moments are, a testament to director/writer Gerard Johnson’s vision for a film that helps blur that line between real life and a polished film. There’s a great final couple seconds of this trailer that encapsulate what you wish Tony would do but the restraint shown throughout the trailer honestly feels like a masterstroke.
There is just enough here to not only warrant another viewing but it ought to be one you keep track of whenever it becomes available here to watch.
Snabba Cash Trailer
There’s a lot to be said about a Kids in the Hall sketch about a bad doctor.
The doctor talks about how he just happened to fall into the profession of medicine after a lifetime of coasting by, simply getting handouts based on charm; bad as he may be, and as funny as the sketch is, he is a charismatic, inept, doctor who explains about what can happen if you mistake style for substance. I was reminded of this moment in Kids history when I saw this trailer for a slickly titled film, Snabba Cash.
Just the name slips off the tongue like a wet lozenge.
The trailer brims with the style and eye-popping color usually reserved for a Guy Ritchie crime film but here it is indeed something special in that even though you may not understand a word of the trailer it doesn’t matter when you think of looking at this as an artistic piece.
The providence of this movie is pretty damn illustrious when you do a little digging. Starting out as a wildly successful novel in Sweden, and ushering a new genre of fiction, Stockholm noir, what you have is a story that I can distill in one snapshot: three guys come together to sell coke and bad things start to go down. Seems simple enough, but the product here defies any need for translation. Of course it would help, but what you see here is absolutely what you get.
Starting out with the easiest of inferences, a young, svelte social hipster who obviously has connections to the good life and drug life sets his sights on something more than his life is giving him. We meet Jorge, a guy who breaks out of prison in the middle of the day. Next, Mrado. Besides needing a few more consonants and vowels in his name, he looks like he plays the heavy. These three somehow come together after a trip where our skinny blonde gets blindfolded, to a cocaine repository no less, as things go all sorts of bad. Gunfire erupts and there’s a lot of speaking where you just have to wait for the moment that comes through absolutely clear. The elevator scene that I am speaking of is expertly transitioned from as I think the groundwork for this partnership is laid quite nicely and visually and, again, no translation needed.
I mean, as soon as that techno starts, the talking goes away and you are thrust into a world of imagery so wicked and so daring that I think those of you who see what I do should make you ache that we’re not going to see how this all goes. The trailer pulsates with beauty and it ought to be one that brings director Daniel Espinosa some acclaim if even half of this trailer lives up to what’s on display.
In case you missed them, here are the other trailers we covered at /Film this week:
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers?
Kandahar Trailer
We all have our own narratives.
It’s interesting to see how we deal with the processing of cultural watersheds in our timelines and this movie looks like it’s one that’s important enough to Russians that it warrants a film. Forget about the stories, as Americans, we all know about, Chernobyl, Afghanistan, the nuclear arms race, this is something that doesn’t sound familiar and for good reason. What films like this are able to do is make real the moments none of us know about, as experiencing the drama that other countries go through make real the notion that we all suffer at the hands of those who want to inflict harm on people who didn’t ask for it. Call me silly, but this trailer conveys the weight of what happened to seven Russian pilots who were imprisoned for more than a year before they all overpowered their captors to eventually find their way to freedom.
What’s more, and what’s particularly compelling to me, is that this is set up like an action film with fighting and explosions. Knowing what this movie is about, though, helps to see that this isn’t your average movie-of-the-week. It’s smart in that we see a man we all can recognize as a pilot, some of these things really do transcend borders, with his epaulets and uniform are all mussed, he looks tired. The actor, who I found out was the baddie in the absolutely enjoyable popcorn feature Behind Enemy Lines, Vladimir Mashkov, exudes the right kind of suaveness and with a forlorn expression on his face. It’s a straight on camera shot and it is a moment that informs not only what kind of movie this is going to be but that this is going to utilize the video camera found footage trick along with action style filmmaking which not only feels like a device we’ve been exposed to a lot lately but the ‘asplosions make up for it.
I am further jazzed by this trailer’s editing. Where once we are bearing witness to these pilots’ plight as they seem to be interviewed in their captivity there are additional scenes woven in of pure violence. Walls are being shattered, planes are streaking across the sky, there is rioting in the cramped streets of what, ostensibly, is Kandahar, and these fellas look like they’re on their way of escaping a permanent detainment.
It all crescendos really well in one big moment and I tell you, for my money, this looks like one import I wouldn’t mind getting over here simply to see a good escape film. This movie looks like it has it in spades. Sometimes language gets in the way of what’s happening but this is a trailer where I found myself chomping at the bit in anticipation for how this was going to end. Thankfully, we’re not sure and not told.
The Slammin’ Salmon Trailer
I guess comedy really is subjective.
I liked Super Troopers, I kind of liked Beerfest, but this doesn’t look like the sly humored beast I have come to expect from the guys who really are hit or miss with their theatrical offerings.
Don’t get me wrong, however, as it starts wonderfully as I thought it would set up the kind of funny we’re in for. Not only that, but it’s pretty bold to just start a trailer with zero set up, just letting Michael Clarke Duncan do his thing as he confuses a young man’s Grecian last name for the phonetically correct Meat Drapes. It’s funny, I suppose, and Clarke really sells the joke well but as the joke goes away and the trailer meanders on the premise feels like we’ve been here with Waiting, years ago in fact.
And things just slide right downhill. We get a lame bit with everyone eating some bad fish, you have Duncan punching out a thrashing swordfish inside his own kitchen for reasons that aren’t really funny, we’re introduced to a character named Nuts for reasons that aren’t very amusing, and we’re given a premise for that seems about as contrived as anything I’d see on an episode on Friends as a hackneyed reason to have “outrageous” things happen.
It’s not that the idea of a wait staff competition is lame but for a whole movie to be based on this feels like a warmed up leftover a la Employee of the Month. Strangely, you’ve got Nuts trying to shove a two foot hoagie down some customer’s mouth, Duncan hitting him squarely in the rib cage, and then we pan to someone in the distance puking on his plate. I am not sure in what kingdom this is valued for comedy gold but it isn’t.
The rest of the trailer is much of the same kind of thing. I am holding out hope that this could be because I’m seeing these jokes mid-delivery but the issue I have, and why it’s included this week, is because I don’t think it sells itself well if it really is a raucous night at the movies. If, at best, it’s a dollar bin rental then I’d say we’ve seen all we need to of this movie.
I can’t imagine what else they’re holding back on if it’s supposed to be funnier but I know I’m already on to the next trailer, this one forgotten.
Jump Trailer
Stephen Chow produced, you say?
I am used to seeing films like this tinged with a lot of machismo and a metric ton of violence, legs, arms, funny, fists, and choreography. What this film seems to have, however, is a lot of former and latter but without the anger. In fact, this seems downright exciting. A movie that doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, Kitty Zhang Yuqi is bringing over the same bubbly vibe she brought to CJ7 and here she is being leaned on to bring out the real heart of a movie that seems strange but, wait for it, poignant. Yuqi’s father is a Kung Fu master but instead of continuing on her family’s martial artistry she yearns to be a dancer. I read the rest of the synopsis but the trailer is much more focused than the plot twists and turns would have you to believe.
The opening sequence is done well. In no short order, we get introduced to our protagonist, her ambitions, her essence, and the village she lives in. It looks like one fraught with poverty as a local manufacturer looks to hire some yokels to help man the line, as it were, and plays musical chairs to determine the winner. It’s amusing and provides enough context in 30 seconds to warrant further investigation of what is afoot here.
It absolutely is an answer to what a romantic comedy should look like to a younger set living in Asia. There isn’t swordplay and there certainly isn’t the requisite level of aggro many of those who espouse loving Asian cinema to appeal to that kind of audience but, to me, this is absolutely the kind of movie that looks like it could be a worthy entry into a line of films that don’t get exposed much in this kind of forum. Yes, guns are awesome and so is Kung Fu kickery as people get their noggin crushed in with a sandaled foot to the face.
Sometimes, however, a movie wants to jump on the cultural zeitgeist for the moment, here we’re talking about hip hop dancing, and it just happens to be shepherded by one of the more influential men in Asia movie making today, Stephen Chow. You’ve got to at least see this trailer’s glossy exterior and appreciate what it’s trying to do. The very last scene of this trailer blends martial arts and street dancing in a way that seems tantalizing once you think about how both of these forms of bodily expression compare to one another.
My Tehran For Sale Trailer
I have to recommend a book called The Ayatollah Begs to Differ by Hooman Majd for one of the most insightful and sharp examinations of the current Iranian state. Not only does it give a layperson like myself a guide to what helped brought this country to its current incarnation, it absolutely has informed the way I saw this trailer.
Whereas before, thinking that the thought police would try and squelch any remnant of personal liberties is de rigueur, understanding that there is an odd acceptance of western ideas such as consumerism and fashion and music assists in seeing that modern Iran is going through a transitory period in its history. The opening sequence of this trailer, showing a young woman riding in the back of a car with what looks like a swarthy suitor who’s looking at her kind of uncomfortably, rolling through the streets of Iran is one that evokes what we think of this country: old fashioned, still not accepting of a woman’s right to dress the way she’d like and having to suffer the indignities of having to cloister her sense of self behind a socially regulated garment.
But the trailer surprises you.
The scratchy radio that plays as they drive past tenements with colored portraits of popular Iranian figures echoes out into a club beat. It pulsates as women dance around without their robes, they are socially mixing with young men as they drink and smoke and cavort with one another. An interstitial comes up and tells us that a generation is living double lives. I’m jamming out, enjoying this mini rebellion of sorts, and that’s when the thought police arrive. Literally. Cut to these ladies back to wearing their mandated attire, at a detention station, the sounds of a whipping, a beating, as a woman cries out in pain beyond our eyes.
A young woman looks like she has made up her mind to escape her country and start a new life for herself in Australia. We’re not really told if she successfully leaves her past literally behind her but the movie has me hooked on thinking this could be a real portrait of the Iranian experience as told through the eyes of one of its younger generation. What an opportunity to see what is really happening here and how we get to where we’re going and I am just thrilled at the hint that we might get a view into this side of life we don’t normally get to see.
Assassins and Bodyguards Trailer
How many films is Donnie Yen going to be in this year?
I know, he has only been in three this year but I’ve only but recently discovered Yip Man, learned he was doing Yip Man 2, and then saw he was doing this movie, one that has a seriously good premise. I’ll start by saying the movie 16 Blocks wasn’t that good. Bruce Willis was good, Richard Donner’s directing was OK, and Mos Def was mediocre but it was the premise that probably sold some suit with a checkbook. The movie fell short of the promise it held within it but this film looks like it will hopefully bring out the best of having a compressed timeline with an uncertain outcome in a confined space. The film deals with Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a man who is actually eluded to being the father of modern China. A revolutionary, a threat to the established order, you can only imagine that this a story that will be fraught with tension, of building up this man’s importance, and of conveying the dire situation he finds himself in. This trailer delivers on all of it.
This man, this figure, has to survive a singular five hour period where hundreds of assassins descend on him across thirteen blocks. It sounds like something completely outrageous but the trailer eases you into what we’re seeing. Thankfully, it starts slow, controlled and we’re not rushed into much. It literally is a quiet opening, we’re told this is Hong Kong 103 years ago. The sense of time, of place, is captured quite well. A voiceover starts to talk about revolution and what it can do for millions as a guy literally gets pummeled in slow motion right before our eyes. It’s an unforgiving beating and it stands in stark contrast to the words being spoken. The voiceover continues as some people wail for what is being done to this poor guy who eventually gets up and stares unflinchingly to the camera, all battered and cut open.
Then the guy gets all Malcolm X on us and talks about a revolution that is paved with blood and sacrifice as we’re told that this man, the guy speaking of revolution, is a prime target for assassination. Unexpectedly, a dead body falls into a crowded marketplace for reasons unknown.
Things just erupt in violence as the old regime tries to quell this uprising. And what a quell it is as this military/ninja force starts shooting arrows at these people, guys fall out of the roof and douse the rabble-rousers in acid, buildings blow up, and I suppose it does come down to one hour for reasons I am unsure of.
None of that matters, though, as this looks like a historical epic to end all historical epics and I couldn’t be more curious to see how this all shakes out.
In case you missed them, here are the other trailers we covered at /Film this week:
- Remember Me Trailer - I am absolutely of the forgiving spirit when I say that while New Moon was absolutely abhorrent I am mildly interested in seeing what Robert Pattinson is able to do here. The trailer feels fresh and is hopefully a great showcase for what this guy can do.
- Percey Jackson and The Lightning Thief Trailer #3 - I don’t really see the attraction in films like Harry Potter but to those who like to swim in that lake of make believe this looks exactly like more of the same. The effects look decent, the story seems cheeky, and I am sure young boys and girls will love a new franchise to get attached to.
- The First Gun International Trailer - This is a film where the less you know, the better you’re off. An amalgam of color, theatrics, and craziness puts this as one of the most entertaining trailers I’ve seen this week.
- Far Cry Trailer - I couldn’t tell you what I think of this trailer as it’s like gnat that you’re trying to swat with a newspaper: it doesn’t stop long enough for you to kill it. I nearly got motion sickness just watching it and I can’t imagine I would fare any better watching the whole thing so I think I’ll skip this one for health reasons.
- The Last Song Trailer - I’m pretty sure I’m not the target demo for this. While I may have downloaded Party in the U.S.A. (don’t you dare judge me) I cannot recommend this film, but I will say that it is probably the perfect film for any young lass looking for love at the multiplex next spring.
- Kick Ass Trailer With Commentary By Matthew Vaughn - This is more like the 90 second version of Hollywood Minute as it’s got nothing to do with the trailer. He’s being interviewed and his trailer just happens to be playing underneath it. I thought it might be a mini-commentary but, gotcha, it isn’t.
- Slayers Trailer - I have to agree with Russ Fischer on this one. The premise sounds good on paper but what we have here looks like something I would catch on the Disney Channel around Halloween, not something I would want on a big screen.
- Across The Hall Trailer - I agree with the sentiment that this could be a rather by-the-numbers thriller. What sells it for me, though, is that I am on edge throughout this whole trailer and am now curious to see if it can carry me through the whole thing.
- Unmade Beds Trailer - I am fascinated by this one. A mix of having a good vision, an interesting plot, and a wholly unique way of communicating the film’s contents makes a solid trailer that gets me excited for a film I didn’t know existed before pressing Play.
- Crazy Heart Trailer - I literally felt my heart ache watching this thing and am now expecting greatness after seeing this trailer. Either it is one of the best con jobs in trailer creation this year or this really is, as it proclaims generically for anyone doing any kind of Oscar bait film, the performance of a lifetime.
- Leaves of Grass Trailer - The fact that I love Norton more sporing a mullet and a country twang than I do his straight laced doppelganger shows how much creativity went into creating the twin. I am not so sure, however, how long I’ll be able to take the back and forth and whether it can be more than just a witty premise.
- Black Devil Doll Trailer - I might as well kill myself if this is what passes muster at studios looking for quality material for their A-list talent. “What did you just say? Mistaken identity? Parents? Marky Mark without his shirt on? The parents turning into a latter-day crime fighting team? Sold!”
- Gone With The Pope Trailer - I can say that when seen in a theater this is a trailer that will make anyone with a uterus poke their significant other with their elbow and whisper definitively, “We’re seeing that.” For me, it looks manipulative and has pretty much shown me the entire film by the end of it. Way to go.
- Altitude Trailer - Thanks, a perfectly common and uninteresting trailer filled with all the treacle that will make my wife go “Squee!” thus ensuring I’ll have to see this piece of throwaway Harlequin romance on a screen. From the jaunty piano music to the way too upbeat voiceover guy I already hate this movie as I know I’ll be asked/required to buy two tickets when it comes out. I hate life.
- The Lovely Bones International Trailer - I think at one time this movie could have spoke to my sensibility as a movie lover but then I grew up and stopped being amused at simpletons who share strange proclivities. The trailer doesn’t flatter this film at all but, honestly, and thankfully, these movies aren’t made for me.
