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.
Sam: With the US presidential election less than three weeks away, HBO’s documentary 537 Votes offers a timely look back at the disaster that was the 2000 election, when Bush vs. Gore ended up in week-long vote recounts and legal battles. An torn and exhausted USA was finally given President Bush Jr and the rest, as they say, is history (a.k.a. 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Katrina, the 2007 world economic crisis). Most of all, 537 Votes appears to be a stark reminder that embattled election results might bring a country to the brink and that giving away power to reckless strategists might truly endanger future societies. With Trump threatening legal mayhem should he lose the election, HBO’s documentary might be both a nostalgic and a deeply worrying watch!
Matt: Two trailers from me this week, both connected by a common theme – can you guess it? The first, Wolfwalkers, is the new animated film by Cartoon Saloon, the makers of the wonderful The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea and The Breadwinner. Wolfwalkers looks like it returns to the celtic-infused earlier films, and it may borrow some somewhat worn character tropes, but I love the unique, very specific narrative voice and style that Cartoon Saloon bring to the animation world.
In spite of its lupine angle, the second film, The Wolf of Snow Hollow, is pretty far from family-friendly animation – but it looks like a welcome chance to see the late, great Robert Forster again, and the trailer gives off this vibe of a Coen Brothers-inspired take on snowbound horror. In my book, that’s already two pluses. If you want to put a little lycanthropy in your Halloween, this one might be worth checking out.
A Damn Fine Cup of Culture 