This Week In Trailers: Clash, Abortion: Stories Women Tell, Casting JonBenet, Maurizio Cattelan Be Right Back, Rupture
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: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week we talk about a little known topic called abortion, compare notes about what a totalitarian state looks like abroad while looking at ourselves, wonder aloud who did kill JonBenet Ramsey, revel in the playfulness of a seriously gifted artist and get more Stormare in my life.Casting JonBenet Trailer
Chilling.
It's not often when I'm unsettled by something as benign as a trailer but here we are. Director Kitty Green, who directed the fascinating Ukraine Is Not a Brothel documentary from 2013, moves from confronting one societal ill to showcasing another and that's our collective fascination for high-profile, true crime stories. This is just a flat out well-made trailer that hits the right beats and lets things steep when necessary in order to punch up the drama. There is no doubt this is now on my must-see-TV list.
Abortion: Stories Women Tell Trailer
It's tough.
There's never going to be an end to this conversation and even though I've brought up director Tracy Droz Tragos' documentary before, it looks like it's going to make landfall on HBO in just a little bit. What I see in this story are the plights for many different women who are trying to make the best of their lives and having to do what is, and will be, the hardest decision they will have to make. No judgments, just listening.
Maurizio Cattelan Be Right Back Trailer
Yes, you've seen this before but this is a new trailer and it looks just as solid.
Taking another lap around This Looks Interesting street, this is my second installment to tell you about first time director Maura Axelrod's ode to a guy who many should like if they find Banksy's work whimsical and a good commentary on pop culture. This trailer takes a deeper look at the artist himself and by focusing so much time on Cattelan's depiction of Pinocchio as a way into this guy's process we get something truly meaty to chew on here.
Rupture Trailer
I don't know how you go from directing a documentary about Diane Arbus a decade ago, not directing since then, and coming back with this but well-done.
Director Steven Shainberg certainly knows how to make something I wouldn't mind putting on after a long night of drinking and eating pizza. I'm still not sure what in the world is happening here but it's got Noomi Rapace and Peter Stormare so I'm all eyes and ears. Honestly, it gets so strange I'm almost giggling but it's solidly engrossing to watch all the way through so I just had to include it this week to see if anyone else is intrigued by what they see on display here.
Clash TrailerTom Hanks gives a pull-quote.
One of the most fascinating things about director Mohamed Diab's movie is just how relevant the premise is. To wit:
Set entirely in an 8m police truck, a number of detainees from different political and social backgrounds are brought together by their inevitable fate, during the turmoil that followed the ousting of former president Morsi from power
I love how cramped this is, I love how claustrophobic it makes me feel, but I'm intrigued about how much this feels like a play with how strong the performances are going to have to be. I'm not sure if Hanks' comment is being generous but the editing on this is nothing short of intense. The music, the visuals, it's an incredible ride until the very end. People from different perspectives and backgrounds being forced in a small iron cage under extreme duress? Let's get it on.
Nota bene: If you have any suggestions of trailers to possibly be included in this column, even have a trailer of your own to pitch, please let me know by sending me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com or look me up via Twitter at @Stipp
In case you missed them, here are the other trailers we covered at /Film this week: