Trailer Hitch
By Jim Van Nest
September 19, 2005
Welcome to Trailer Hitch, your weekly look at the latest movie trailers to hit the Internet. It was a pretty good week for trailers. I've got the new films from Roman Polanski, Ang Lee and Rob Marshall. I've also got John Leguizamo, Anthony Hopkins and George McGovern. What more could you ask for?
Can you ever just be, like, whelmed?
Brokeback Mountain
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger star in the newest Ang Lee film, Brokeback Mountain. The first thing I thought watching this trailer is that I have to go back to Young Guns to find a couple of guys that look as awkward as cowboys. As the trailer moves on, we learn the two men have a secret. Flash forward several years later and their paths cross again and it would seem their secret is that they are in love with each other. As a rule, I like Ang Lee (yes, I even liked Hulk). With regards to Gyllenhaal, October Sky is one of the most underrated films in recent memory; however, no matter how hard I try, I can't get into Heath Ledger. This seems like a new twist on the tearjerker love story to me. And frankly, that's a genre I just don't really care for.
OK, I'm intrigued
The World's Fastest Indian
"Based on one hell of a true story" is The World's Fastest Indian, starring Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins plays Burt Monro, a New Zealander who makes his way to Utah in hopes of setting the land-speed world record. The trailer blends a nice mixture of Munro learning the ways of the US in the '70s with his struggle to make the perfect machine. Throw in several shots of guys driving things really fast and my inner speed demon is intrigued. I've always liked Hopkins and he looks perfectly suited to play this role. Additionally, the bit where Hopkins is stopped for speeding looks to be pretty funny.
One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern
I'll admit it. I know next to nothing about George McGovern. And the best compliment I can give this trailer is that after viewing it, I really want to learn more about him. Featuring interviews with Gore Vidal, Gloria Steinem, Dick Gregory, Warren Beatty and George McGovern, One Bright Shining Moment follows the former presidential candidate through his 1972 presidential campaign. The trailer shows pieces of several of his speeches where he promises an end to the conflict in Vietnam and where he pleas for racism to end. Given the political climate today, having a chance to see what could have been might be the best way to change what will be.
I love this British stuff.
Kinky Boots
From the folks that brought us Calendar Girls comes Kinky Boots. If the trailer is any indication, this one will be hilarious. The story is about a man named Charlie who's taking over the family's shoe factory. For generations they've made straightforward, boring men's shoes. Then along comes Lola. Lola's a transvestite cabaret star in need of some new boots. Charlie sees this as an opportunity to change the direction of the factory. This looks like it will follow in the footsteps of Calendar Girls and The Full Monty. You know, weird sex stuff showing up in an otherwise stuffy British world. Some of the bits in the trailer had me laughing out loud at my computer and that's a rarity.
Oliver Twist
If you were to go to the IMDb and search for Oliver Twist, you'd get over 20 hits on that search. Of those 20 hits, I've seen exactly zero. That number is about to increase by one. It looks like Roman Polanski has done it again. The follow-up to the Oscar winning The Pianist looks to be of equal quality. The story, for those who don't know, is boy who leaves his orphanage and befriends a pickpocket on the streets of London. He is then taken to household where boys are taught to steal. Ben Kingsley lands the role of Fagin, the leader of this band of young thieves. Ben Kingsley is one of those actors that you can count on to always be good. Even in a bad movie, you know he'll be good. The track record of Polanski and Kingsley are enough to make me finally catch an adaptation of this Dickens classic.
I'm already counting down the days.
Sueño
Okay, I'm now excited to see Sueño. First off, I think John Leguizamo is brilliant. His presence alone will get me intrigued by a film. In Sueño, he plays a wannabe musician who simply refuses to give up his dream. He moves to LA to pursue his music career and stumbles upon a woman who gave up her dream years ago. Based on the trailer, this film looks to be one of overcoming odds and holding onto your dreams no matter what gets thrown your way. If I'm being honest, this is a pretty overused cliché but Leguizamo's presence makes this a must-see for me.
Memoirs of a Geisha (Trailer of the Week)
It's so wild to finally see a trailer for this movie. It's been an on-again, off-again project for so long, it seemed as though it would never actually be made. And I must say, it looks as though it will be worth the wait. The last time we checked in with Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang they were beating the hell out of each other in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This time around, Yeoh is coaching Zhang on how to be a Geisha. Rob Marshall's vision seems to be spot on, just like it was with Chicago in 2002. The visuals are stunning and the music sounds fantastic. Based on this trailer, I expect Geisha to be every bit as good as Chicago.
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