Volume 16: Snow White vs. Snow White
Snow White and the Huntsman
Dir: Rupert Sanders – Planned release date: June 1, 2012
If there is one thing you will learn as you go through this edition of Trailer Trash, it’s that 2012 is looking like it’s going to be the year of the female protagonist. And of all the female protagonists in the history of fiction, it seems Hollywood has truly taken a liking to the tale of Snow White. So much so that two different versions of the story are getting their theatrical release just three months apart. Both films sent their first trailers out into the Internet this week, and while neither seems like a revelatory piece of cinema, Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and the Huntsman is certainly winning the battle so far. (We’ll get to Tarsem’s Mirror Mirror momentarily.) In all likelihood, this will just be another attempt to take a familiar property and give it a “dark and gritty” reboot, but this trailer had enough striking images to mildly pique my interest.
One of the most impressive aspects of Snow White and the Huntsman is that it seems to actually have been shot outdoors, on location, and in actual places. The pressure must have been high to film it on sets with a ton of CGI, but I give credit to Sanders to go for more of a Lord of the Rings-type atmosphere as opposed to what we’ve seen out of most recent movies. Plus, anything with a villainous Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth can’t be all bad. This may even be the film that teaches me to wholly embrace Kristen Stewart. I still can’t say I’m over the moon with this trailer—I think I’ve had enough of this wannabe Inception music that every preview is using these days—but compared to the other Snow White movie coming out it looks like it’s going to be a downright masterpiece.
Speaking of which…
Mirror Mirror
Dir: Tarsem Singh – Planned release date: March 16, 2012
Here’s one of my rules: if your idea of a clever pop culture reference is the “Say hello to my little friend” line from Scarface, I’m immediately going to be less inclined to like your film. Unfortunately for the Mirror Mirror trailer, this reference came after two minutes of excruciatingly broad comedy that includes Armie Hammer asking Julia Roberts to rub his tummy. As if this whole project wasn’t baffling enough, Mirror Mirror was directed by Tarsem Singh, who just made the ultra-violent Immortals (review forthcoming). He has the potential to be one of the most exciting filmmakers in Hollywood, but now he has chosen to direct what amounts to little more than a live-action Shrek sequel. Mirror Mirror certainly seems to boast Tarsem’s typically extravagant set and costume design, but everything else here seems distressingly out of place. It’s entirely possible the people who cut the trailer together have done the film a disservice, but with another (more financially viable) Snow White film coming out, Mirror Mirror just seems like a colossal waste of resources.
The Hunger Games
Dir: Gary Ross – Planned release date: March 23, 2012
As I post this, movie theaters across the country are packed for the world premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, which (unfortunately for studios) begins the end of yet another literary-to-film young adult sensation. The Harry Potter series is over. The Twilight films are on their way out. What can possibly fill this Robert Pattinson-sized hole in our hearts? Why, The Hunger Games, of course, a critically-acclaimed and top-selling series of books by Suzanne Collins. Now we have a new trailer for the film adaptation—starring Jennifer Lawrence and directed by Gary Ross—and you know what? This actually looks pretty darn cool. I have not read the books yet, but I’ve heard relatively good things about the material. This trailer does several things well: it teases the premise, doesn’t spoil any obvious detail, and introduces many of the key players.
One thing this trailer accomplishes that the earlier teaser didn’t is that it doesn’t assume the audience’s familiarity with the material. I didn’t connect with the teaser because I didn’t particularly know or care about what was going on. This trailer pulled me in from the beginning. Plus, the final portion with the countdown? That is some pretty cool stuff. Much like Snow White and the Huntsman, the trailer for The Hunger Games changed my attitude from relative indifference to genuine interest. This is a step in the right direction.
Brave
Dir: Mark Andrews – Planned release date: June 22, 2012
Still angry about Cars 2? Well, here’s the trailer for Brave, which should get you in a much better mood. (If nothing else, there’s a heavy dose of Billy Connolly voiceover for you to cozy up with.) It may all seem a little Mulan-esque, and I’m not sure Kelly Macdonald is my top choice as a voice artist, but anything that crams in all these gorgeous visuals can’t be all bad. We still don’t know much in the way of plot, but you can’t deny this looks like a return to form for all our Pixar buddies after a rare misstep. If you for a moment doubted the mad scientists working over there, this trailer for Brave should go a long way toward reassuring you.
Shame
Dir: Steve McQueen – Planned release date: December 2
After four trailers about women kicking butt, allow me to transition to a movie about a guy who likes women’s’ butts. Also, allow me to apologize for the worst segue of all time. Shame tells the tale of a sex addict played by Michael Fassbender and how he goes through his troubled life while living in New York City. Oh, and his sister (Carey Mulligan) stops by to make sure things get extra icky. The second film by Steve McQueen, Shame has garnered quite a bit of critical praise in its festival runs, and many have been claiming that Fassbender—among others—has a legitimate shot come award season. It just goes to prove that taking your clothes off and crying goes a long way toward attracting the attention of the Academy.
Shame is also notable in that it has been rated NC-17, and Fox Searchlight has boldly decided not to appeal the rating or cut any undesirable sequences out. This is going to be a real test for the rating in general; does an NC-17 film have a financial prayer? Will theaters show it and the awards pay attention to it? Not since Showgirls has an NC-17 film attracted so much attention, but the main difference is that Shame is supposed to be good. I pray for its success, as a victory for NC-17 would mean the MPAA—a profoundly flawed system—would no longer have the power to hand out death sentences to movies like this. Go, Shame, go!
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