SECRETARIAT
Secretariat (2010) is the story of a woman (Diane Lane) who gets the chance to save her husband’s ranch from bankruptcy by training race horses. Great. Another one of those wannabe feminist flicks, where you know the main point is that woman can and should be allowed to work (did I mention this takes place in the 1950’s America?).
Well, not exactly. It certainly doesn’t want to be one of those, but does present itself that way. The trailer starts off very nicely, horses galloping away on the tracks. It feels magical, adventurous, soulful. Then we’re greeted with the actual plot.
We are expected to blindly root for poor Diane when her husband tells her : “[Horse training] needs a certain touch. And you’re a housewife”. Even though there is nothing to suggest that DL’s character actually has the know-how for the job. Perhaps I am cynical and misinterpreting the film, but it bothers me that the increasing number of women’s roles in Hollywood are about as profound and deep as a doorknob.
Then halfway through the trailer, John Malkovich enters like a breath of fresh air. He plays an eccentric and (literally) colourful horse trainer, hired to help DL in her endeavour. And he is by far the most interesting character.
All in all, the trailer doesn’t exactly sell the film to me. I yearn for creativity and original structure at the very least in the trailer. The sappy drama music by Nick Glennie-Smith works anything but wonders in this context. The dip to colour transitions are too easy and create drama in the least challenging way.
Brace yourselves for Seabiscuit II: The Son Returns.
JONAH HEX
Jonah Hex (2010) is based on a DC comic book character played Josh Brolin, a bounty hunter whose house and family get burned down by terrorist Turnbull (John Malkovich). Hex gets the chance to wipe the price tag off his own head by hunting down Turnbull for the US military.
Simple, short, sweet and with ample space for the actors to show off their straight-shooting, ass-kicking fighting skills. The trailer does a lot to sell the film. The grade is marvellous, the sound design sharp and the sets well accomplished. The powerful and awesome (read: handsome and well-paid) cast instantly capture your attention. But the whole experience is reversed once the voice over kicks in.
Granted, this man has a God-sent voice but Warner and Legendary would have been better off using someone with less bass, so I would actually pay attention to what he says, rather than focus on the heavy dubstep-like bassline ringing in my ears.
In addition to this, I am scared this may turn out to be another Daredevil (2003). All the signs are there: a high-paid well known cast, a plot few can relate to, and Megan Fox (= Colin Farrell = useless). I know what to expect, and that’s never good.
Also: I am not a huge comic book fan, nor am I completely ignorant of them, but I haven’t heard of Jonah Hex. I am not confident people will be attracted to the story (this is the age of remakes, sequels and popular adaptations after all).
All the best to them though, let’s see how it goes.
SUPER 8
Now, Super 8 (2010) is not a documentary about cameras or a film shot in the 1960’s or anything of the sort. It’s a film I don’t really want to write about. Not because it’s bad, namely because it looks absolutely amazing: I don’t want to spoil it for you.
Think about it: it’s a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams. Ergo, it’s going to be incredible. I won’t reveal the plot – to be fair, the trailer doesn’t reveal a whole lot so I can’t (it’s about aliens coming to Earth, that’s safe to say!). This movie, at least the trailer, is visually stunning. The sound is astounding. Everything looks perfect.
The trailer itself is subtle, a little unoriginal in its layout of the premise; the graphics are tremendous and chilling. The mood it generates made me creep out of my own skin and elevate to a near-out-of-body experience. I actually forgot where I was while I was watching it (at work). It’s undoubtedly efficient and spell-binding.
The trailer reveals almost nothing about any aspect of the movie and yet manages to build up my expectations for it. I hope it doesn’t disappoint.
Watch the trailer. Now.
THE SCIENTIST
The first time I saw the trailer, two words came to mind: unnecessarily pretentious. Dr Marcus Ryan (Bill Sage) explains how he believes humans never really die. His voice rolls over shots of various technical gear and photos of the main character’s (presumably) dead family: he wants to bring back his family by constructing an energy generator. The machinery affects Dr Ryan and his surroundings and takes him to another level of consciousness.
The plot might be intriguing, but the trailer shows it off as yet another The Machinist (2004) or The Fountain (2006). I.e. hollow, ostentatious and far from popular. Personally I loved both films, but I know why people tend to dislike them: directors’ personal projects rarely sit well with anyone but their hardcore fans.
The second viewing surprised me though. It looks like this movie actually has potential. It could go very well or very wrong. It has a very intriguing plot, however the presentation of the trailer (“I’m-gonna-show-random-clips-from-the-film-with-a-pseudo-philosophical-voice-over-by-the-lead-and-thus-not-really-tell-you-what-it’s-about”) is poor and mocking to the public. It would have hit a total homerun had it instead of being condescending, exposed the plot in the way thrillers are: high-pace, fast editing, intense soundtrack. All these elements would have made the story more appealing to the viewers.
But it’s still shot beautifully, it uses a barely known cast which is pleasant and the more I think about it, the more enticed I get.
Louise-Afzal Faerkel
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