5 Film & TV Trailer Explanations From This Week: #3
Vox Lux, Outlaw King, How to Train Your Dragon 3, and more.
The nearer to the December holidays (at least in Singapore), the more releases there are in cinemas.
This means new trailers, new Netflix shows, and all the movies that were premiered at the film festivals in the last few months. So, here’s my top five of the week:
1. Vox Lux
What is this movie about?
If you thought A Star Is Born would be the only musical film of the season, prepare to be surprised. Critics have been comparing Vox Lux to the former, due to the surface similarities; both feature a woman’s rise to singing stardom, both deal with the effects of fame, and both are anchored by strong performances by their lead actresses.
In this film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival back in September to stellar reviews, Natalie Portman takes on the lead role as Celeste, a singer who rises to fame through tragic circumstances. It has two parts to it: the first half, with a young Celeste (played by Raffey Cassidy, from 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer) going through her ‘origin story’, and the second half, with Portman as the troubled grown-up version.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
It’s telling you to expect early-Gaga era costumes (ironic, I know), with a singer who might be suffering from the self-esteem and self-harm issues that many stars have gone through. Will she make it through? We don’t know.
There are snippets of Natalie Portman performing, avoiding her manager, (played by Jude Law), and speaking to her daughter, also played by Cassidy, in a full Staten Island accent. We don’t hear her actually performing a full song, so we won’t be able to judge her singing capabilities yet, but the trailer indicates that the film won’t be as down-to-earth as A Star Is Born; this film is going to give you a show full of dramatics.
Why the hell should you care about this?
The music is bound to be spectacular since Sia (and Scott Walker) are crafting it, and the arc of this film reminds me of Black Swan (2010), which was also a standout in Portman’s repertoire of troubled performers.
Also, don’t you want to see Portman sing?
2. Bird Box
What is this movie about?
Everyone has been comparing Bird Box to A Quiet Place, and it’s hard not to see the similarities: they both involve one of the five senses, and they both feature families dealing with it.
In this case, though, Bird Box is about sight, not sound; this post-apocalyptic film is based on a 2014 novel by Josh Malerman, where people go mad and kill themselves violently when they see…something.
To avoid this, survivors take to wearing blindfolds, and this film features Sandra Bullock as a mother trying to get her children to safety, across a river and foreign territory while essentially being blind.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
It starts with bells, which is what Bullock and her children use to communicate their position. When her child wanders off, Bullock then has to look for him, without, well, looking…
It then flashes back to the day it all started, and how the ‘creature’ somehow takes on the form of your worst nightmare, causing people to smash their heads into glass and crash their cars. The latter is what Sarah Paulson’s character, the sister of Bullock’s character, seems to do, with blood coming out of her eyes.
Survivors hide out in a safehouse, but of course there’s a ‘safe haven’ somewhere that people have tried to get to. However, when you’re unexpectedly blind, and navigating the world, there are more things to worry about besides these creatures. Wild animals, for example.
Cue Bullock blindfolding her children and telling them to keep the blindfolds on, no matter what.
Why the hell should you care about this?
A Quiet Place was a surprise hit when it was released, and it should be interesting to see if Bird Box manages to replicate that level of tension to the same amount of success.
After all, sound makes you hold your breath in the cinema, but sight…how can they show what happens without breaking that level of tension in the audience?
3. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 2)
What is this show about?
If you haven’t heard of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, you’re missing out.
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, of Gilmore Girls fame, this Amazon series focuses on an upper-middle class housewife in the 1950s, who discovers her knack for stand-up comedy during a time when women comedians were, to say the least, not common.
After a standout first season where Midge, played by Rachel Brosnahan, discovers her talent for the art of stand-up, and a slew of awards (2 Golden Globes and 5 Emmys), season two is back, and ready for Midge to take over the comedy world.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
The first season was about the ‘Why’: Midge got into stand-up comedy after her husband dumps her.
The second season is going to be focused firmly on the ‘How’: How is Midge, as a female comic in the 1950s, going to be able to get on a bigger stage?
In this trailer, we see Midge, with the help of her wise-cracking manager Susie (played by Alex Borstein), using her endless optimism and drive to get on bigger stages. Of course, there are obstacles along the way, including sexism, her ex-husband, and more…
Why the hell should you care about this?
As mentioned, the first season garnered a ton of awards for both the performances and the writing, so it isn’t a huge leap to assume that the second season might be good too.
Plus, I do love stand-up comedy.
4. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
What is this movie about?
The third and final film in the How To Train Your Dragon series, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World continues off from HTTYD 2, where Hiccup ends up as the chieftain of Berk.
In the original childrens’ books by Cressida Cowell, the final book ends with dragons becoming a ‘myth’, so it’ll remain to be seen if this film ends that way too.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
This film is going to go out with a bang, with Toothless falling in love, Hiccup and Toothless leaving Berk to find a lost world full of dragons, and more.
It’s pretty darn cute.
Why the hell should you care about this?
TOOTHLESS IS BACK AND HE FALLS IN LOVE. THE END.
5. Outlaw King
What is this movie about?
Chris Pine plays Robert the Bruce, or ‘King of the Scots’ as he is known. A famed historical figure, the Scotsman was a nobleman who went to war in the 14th century for Scottish Independence against the English.
Filmed for Netflix, it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and was later trimmed by 20 minutes (down to slightly over 100 minutes) for pacing purposes.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
Basically, expect a bloody war film, with epic action scenes.
The trailer talks about the lead character’s rise from a nobleman to a warrior, and particularly focuses on a battle, where the Scottish are heavily outnumbered by the English. There are war cries, inspirational speeches, his wife speaking about her loyalty to him, and more.
Why the hell should you care about this?
Apparently, Chris Pine drops trou and is full-frontal in this. Just saying.
Oh, also, I want to see how well he pulls off the Scottish accent.
This is a weekly round-up of film and TV trailers. If you’d like to keep up, please feel free to subscribe to One Reel At A Time!
