Join us every week for a trip into the weird and wonderful world of trailers. Whether it’s the first teaser for the latest instalment 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.
This is not your ordinary Journey to the West: for this week’s Six Damn Fine Degrees, which fittingly coincided with Valentine’s Day, Melanie introduced us to A Korean Odyssey (or, in the original, Hwayugi), a Korean adaptation of the classic Chinese novel from the 16th century – set in the present day, and turning the story into a… modern-day fantasy rom-com?
This was followed by the release of our February espresso podcast, which was a particular pleasure for Julie and Matt, who had an opportunity to talk to British film historian Pamela Hutchinson. Pamela, who regularly contributes to the Guardian and to Sight & Sound, talked to them about the Lady with the Torch: Columbia Pictures, who in their heyday produced classics such as the screwball comedy Twentieth Century and the noir drama In a Lonely Place.
So what to finish this week’s trailer post on, after those stone-cold classics? Why not a trailer for a stage adaptation of a stone-cold classic?
Matt: I generally roll my eyes when I hear about yet another stage adaptation of a successful film, because more often than not these adaptation seem to be about one thing: brand recognition. Come and see the stage musical version of Shrek or Billy Elliot or Back to the Future! But the National Theatre’s adaptation of Kubrick’s iconic Dr. Strangelove has one thing going for it that none of those other stage productions have, and that’s Armando Iannucci of Death of Stalin and The Thick of It fame behind the wheel, together with co-adaptor Sean Foley. The stage version of Dr. Strangelove premiered last autumn, but the National Theatre is now bringing it to cinemas – and while I don’t think it’ll make it to Switzerland, who knows? It may just be available for streaming before long. Pretty please, National Theatre Live?
A Damn Fine Cup of Culture 