This Week In Trailers: The Florida Project, Zero Weeks, 100 Years Of Olympic Films, Wexford Plaza, Quest, A$$holes
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 I ask you to support The Florida Project, watch people who are much more fit, skilled, and talented than I'll ever be, wonder where we went left when it comes to parental leave, follow a real life slice of life drama, revisit a fascinating slice of life drama, and get in with some pervs who have a very specific fetish. The Florida Project Featurette
I'm going to assume there's at least 10 of you reading this right now. To those 10 people I am asking you to either buy a ticket to see this movie or buy a ticket to see this movie to support something that is genuinely precious. I have not been so affected by performances, across the board, as I have with this movie and so as this movie looks to catch fire I'm hoping this is a little bit of burning tinder to help the cause. I hate/loathe hyping any movie as I know someone will see it and not agree but I want to do my part to get the word out about Sean Baker's latest opus that honestly delivers.
100 Years of Olympic Films Trailer
The only physical media that I own that focuses solely on the Olympics is Criterion's 1965's Tokyo Olympiad. The documentary itself is a bit of a revelation as it captures the genuine physicality of competing in these games with being incredibly cinematic by capturing the moment in an honest way, not prepackaged and edited as we get now with NBC's version of what an Olympics should look like. The package here is an impressive one and as it just feels and looks epic. I mean, it's incredible how they manage to sell the idea that, yes, these are sports but, more than that, there's the very real sense that you have people who are pushing their body to the limits whether they're pole vaulting or ice skating. Just a fantastic testament to what should be an honorable event.
Wexford Plaza Trailer
Something worth seeing, I hope.
I talked about director Joyce Wong's movie earlier this year when the first trailer dropped but after seeing this I'm even more convinced that this is the kind of movie that could serve as a gentle digestif to the virulence that is plaguing our everyday lives as of late. Movies help to act like an escape and no other escape looks as inviting as this story right now. It feels genuinely tiny, with characters who suffer from being less than perfect, and completely contained in this compact world. The trailer glides on its charm, its judicious use of pull-quotes, and simply being overall appealing.
Quest Trailer
Long shoots.
One thing I admire about the length some filmmakers take in shooting their movies like Michael Winterbottom's Everyday and Linklater 's Boyhood is seeing just how it affects the narrative when you put so much time between shooting. In a fictional world you can keep the course and make sure where you end up is where you intended to but in a non-fiction world life isn't as kind. Someone like director Jonathan Olshefski who shot this documentary over 10 years was bound to end up in a different place than where he started. To me, that's exciting, as it's not knowing what lies beyond that next phone call, that next birthday, and with this subject matter and focus it looks like we've got something and someone to not only follow but root for as they navigate a social environment that grows needlessly more treacherous.
Zero Weeks Trailer
Question for the group: Do any of you work full-time and, follow-up, what's your time-off expectation when you have a kid? If you're like a lot of people, you'll be like me, in the hospital on a Thursday afternoon and expected to be back on Friday to finish the payroll.
Yup, many more of you have it all figured out in using your vacation/sick days or work for an enlightened employer who benevolently allows you a week or two at no cost. I didn't have that luxury with my second child and this trailer sucker punched me hard. Ky Dickens comes right out of the gate swinging and with good reason. These are the kinds of situations people find themselves in every single day and even though there is an obvious bias for there being something for all people to help care and tend to their progeny it doesn't make the argument any less true. The narratives that flow from this trailer should be enough for anyone to empathize with the plight many are struggling with but it's only through constantly reminding those who haven't been affected, or yet been affected, will there be any meaningful change.
And for those of you without kids, never planning on having kids, way too young to even think about kids, or you have a phenomenal job in place I imagine you'll pass right by this trailer but keep this trailer in mind should you ever hear of someone close to you having a child on a Friday and needing to be back at work on a Monday.
A$$holes Trailer (NSFW)
This is the cinematic equivalent of getting a face tattoo.
Sure, no one is going to stop you from trying to earn a living but there might be some who are skittish about wanting you to serve the general public. That said, I'm completely behind director Peter Vack's completely gonzo vision. It's absolutely original in telling a story about these very different individuals and I don't even think I have enough insight into what is actually happening before my eyes to draw any complete picture of what is going on. I'm not sure I really want to know what has brought us here with this story but, for sure, there wasn't any distraction out there wild enough that could have made me look away. I just could not look away. Side note: I once used the word "scatological" to someone, at someone, who I was meaning to say could "riff" extemporaneously real well, improv through their use of the written word. You know, like scat and jazz. I failed to use that word properly then and I apologize. However, I am now using that word, properly, to describe the experience of sitting through this trailer.
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: