Join us every week for a trip into the weird and wonderful world of trailers. Whether it’s the first teaser for the latest installment in your favourite franchise, an obscure preview for a strange indie darling, whether it’s good, bad, ugly or just plain weird – your favourite pop culture baristas are there to tell you what they think.
Julie: When the trailer for The Comey Rule crossed my timeline, I wondered: do we really need more Trump in our lives? I’ve read Comey’s book, and as someone who has never set foot in that world and doesn’t know the FBI’s culture and loyalties, I found it pretty alienating. One thing comes through loud and clear though. It is scarcely possible to imagine two men with such distinctly different ethics, loyalties or agendas than these two Republicans. If I can stomach to hear that voice for the duration, it’s certainly a compelling enough proposition to give it a go.
Eric: Another day, another show about apocalypses and AI. This time, it’s executive produced by Ridley Scott, professional purveyor of psychotic murderbots, so you know there’s going to be either some homicidal androids, or androidal homicides. So: the trailer gives away the game almost at the start – a three little pigs metaphor! At least the wolf in sheep’s clothing metaphor is merely visual? Clearly, this isn’t going to be prime sci-fi for anyone seeking depth or deft storytelling, but at least we have Scott’s artistic eye steering the show’s visual direction. Which, to be fair, has all the temperament and precision one would expect – from striplit white corridors smeared with blood, to docking lights reflecting off a shuttle’s impossibly smooth hull, to twisted android chassis hanging from a ceiling like gutted corpses in a meat locker. Let’s hope the story’s just a bit more inspired than the hamfisted and hogknuckled re-resurrection of the Alien franchise.
Mege: Sibyl features Virginie Efira, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Sandra Hüller; any single name would be enough to make me go and see the movie. Looks like this one is not too far off from Marc Forster’s underrated Stay (2015), or something François Ozon might have come up with, or maybe also Patrice Leconte right around the time he made Intimate Strangers (2004).
Matt: For me, the MTV of my teen years was a channel that wasn’t afraid to be avantgarde and subversive. I’m sure my memory is highly selective – frankly, it’s not like I ever watched all that much MTV – but I remember the weird short films and animations, the freaky stuff. Stop-motion animation by the Brothers Quay – and the strange cartoons by Bill Plympton. I hope that today’s kids and teenagers get a regular dose of the bizarre and surreal somewhere!
A Damn Fine Cup of Culture 