What to look forward to (or not) as Louise-Afzal Faerkel casts her eye over the trailers for upcoming releases Immortals, Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Future... IMMORTALS 
Directed by Tarsem Singh.
Starring Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke and John Hurt.
I am not usually one for praise. Well, that is a bit of a lie. Let me rephrase: I enjoy ranting about films (and trailers) that do not fall in my taste and try to explain my way out of simply saying “I just didn’t like it”.
One reason I am so, is that I tend to be quite prejudice against certain types of genres, and thus their marketing and publicity methods. Generally speaking, they tend to totally under-whelm me, to the point of aggression and sadness. So it comes as a surprise that I genuinely enjoyed the trailer for
Immortals.
Could it be the unconventionally still and subtle imagery at the beginning? The first 30 seconds are captivating. Yes, there is an annoying voice over – by none other than Mickey Rourke – and you see Freida Pinto dressed as a sexy slave. Yes, the conventions are implemented here, even the old cut to a single beat that provides the soundtrack before exploding into the second part of the trailer.
Could it be that a woman gets beheaded in said introduction? I am not misogynistic, but there is something wonderfully entertaining about violence against women in film. It angers me and upsets me (no tears, I swear): essentially it moves me for whatever reason. The conventions work beautifully and capture the audience's attention instantly.
Could it just be that I am softening up? No, I reckon it could be the quality of what I am watching. The colours and effects of this trailer are pretty epic, in all senses of the word, and there has been genuine effort in the visual effects department.
Could it be the gorgeous, Renaissance-esque extreme slow-motion 38 seconds in, where battling soldiers are flying through the air as slowly and dramatically as a trailer like this one will allow it?
I will admit – it could be another
300. At the risk of losing some of my readers, this was an appalling piece that should never have been made. It looked nice, but it was a disaster: dull, superficial, mocking, filled with terrible acting and lines.
The seed for my fear is planted in my head 40 seconds in when the graphics come up. I am thankful there is no cheesy American voice over, but I cringe at the thought that while this may be a beautiful-looking piece, it may be so abominable in its full length that I would want to retract this review and bury my head in the sand with utter shame.
Oh but look, at 1 minute 9 seconds – it is
produced by the
300 gang. How ironic. I have given all hope now that there might be some substance to this film. I'll just indulge in the rest of this trailer and enjoy myself for once. (In a shimmer of hope, the montage as the end is not too much of an eye-fuck, which is a relief).
The editing – I should probably at least mention it – is smooth, well-paced and nicely executed. The slow-motion shots are frequent, distracting from the soundtrack, but they are worth it.
So my prejudice has not exactly changed, but perhaps bent a little. I promise to be more tolerant of the genres I usually dismiss and will try my best to take things for what they are (hmmm…). Let the last words of this long review be: I just frigging like this trailer, okay? 9/10
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
Directed by Sean Durkin.
Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson and John Hawkes.
I love talking about movie titles. Many instantly offer the avid film-gawker an idea of what type of flick they are in for. Others are plain silly – this one is both. But enough about the funny title that would make any stutterer puke at the mere sight of it – let's talk trailers.
The slow fade in sets the mood and the tone instantly. We're in for a heavy ride. A gentle musical pace sets the tone and makes the trailer eerie and compelling enough to keep watching. The lack of well-known faces is a plus as the story is incredibly delicate, and told accordingly.
One characteristic which makes the video stand out, is the many fades between shots, tiring the eye and almost distracting away from the beautifully framed clips.
The choice of shots and the delivery of the lines are slow, but not painfully so. It is a retrospective edit (i.e. it starts in the present, jumping back to the past in order to end at the present or just before – a style I have just made up I think, doubt this is the industry term) that makes sense and tells the story as it should. We don't know if the beginning of the trailer is indeed that of the film, but it makes it easy on the viewer to watch and comprehend.
The lines between what is told as past and what is told as present are a little feathered, but this is not an issue: the style lets us delve into the trailer as it is, without really asking questions. It is not one that demands much more than being watched and accepted as it is. It's an easy trailer, not necessarily so for it content, rather for its well-chosen style.
This trailer contains not just one, but three trailers, all as different as you and me.
The fact that the first montage is not exactly at the very end, just before the title card, is in line with the style of an indie trailer. It is steady and followed by a second mini-montage cut to single beats, about half a second each. This is only to end on a third montage, whose slow and delicate pictures end the trailer powerfully and without offering the viewer yet another typical trailer.
The attention of the viewer is thus held and the style is completed. 8/10.
THE FUTURE
Directed by Miranda July.
Starring Miranda July, Hamish Linklater and David Warshofsky.
I have watched this trailer about ten times by now. I honestly do not know what to say. The more I watch it, the fewer words I find to even begin describing it. The worst thing is that this is such a conventional indie-trailer and the shots selected are so wonderful that I honestly cannot write a review. My jaw has hit the floor, big time.
I ought to focus on speaking of the trailer itself, but it’s so well-paced and straight-down-the-line there really is nothing to comment on. I may have failed but I really want everyone to watch it and experience the loveliness of this little gem.
In other words: it is a trailer narrated by a cat. There you go. 10/10.
Louise-Afzal Faerkel
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