5 Film & TV Trailer Explanations From This Week: #8
Artemis Fowl, Welcome to Marwen, If Beale Street Could Talk, and more.
I can’t believe it’s been 8 weeks of writing this trailer round-up; when I first started, I was so worried that there wouldn’t be enough content to write about each week.
Well, I was wrong. I underestimated just how much new content is being generated for film and TV, and the number of films that come out each year. Netflix itself has announced over 700 shows and original movies, and Walt Disney, the behemoth, continues to drop trailers each week that makes the Internet go wild. Just like this first one below:
1. Artemis Fowl (2019)
What is this movie about?
If you don’t know who Artemis Fowl is, you’re probably not the target audience. The novel that this film is based on is the first in a series of eight, and was released in 2001. It’s a popular young adult novel, especially among the 90s kids (yes, that includes me).
A fantasy novel with a 12-year old protaganist called Artemis Fowl, it delved into the world of fairies with glee, but in a thoroughly unsettling way. The first novel, after all, revolves around his role as the head of a criminal empire, and his desire to kidnap a fairy for gold. He’s basically an antihero who’s a kid.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
It’s saying that Disneyfication has arrived and sprinkled this film with fairy dust.
The trailer speaks from the point of view of the fairy, who’s describing how they all went underground to hide from humans’ greed.
Instead of letting Artemis talk (yes, he doesn’t speak in the trailer), the trailer positions the movie as one where a young boy accidentally steps into the world of fairies. Yes, he does get to wield a huge gun and look stoic, but…it looks like a Disney movie that’s more on par with Ender’s Game (the shitty movie, not the great book), where the protagonist himself has no agency.
Why the hell should you care about this?
This film has been in development hell for years (it was first announced as a film-in-making back in 2003), so trust me when I say that a lot of people care about this movie.
Also, I grew up with the books, so I’m probably still going to watch it.
2. Welcome to Marwen (2018)
What is this movie about?
A dramatisation of an award-winning 2010 documentary, this film revolves around a man who constructs a doll-sized World War II village in his backyard, complete with characters and stories, to cope with a traumatic event.
And yes, the characters look just like the dolls.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
This is actually the third trailer (see the first two here and here), and compared to the first two, it’s…a lot more pushy. The first two trailers set up the curiosity of miniature dolls at the center, making the film seem like an interesting indie drama film starring Steve Carell.
This one, on the other hand, goes full Forrest Gump (which is easy, considering Robert Zemeckis is the director behind both films), with a voiceover that explicitly speaks about its heartbreaking yet heartwarming effect on critics. It’s showing its hand as a dramatic film that will tug at your heartstrings (and pocketstrings).
The last few lines that show on screen are
‘Welcome to Hope,
Welcome to Healing,
Welcome to Marwen’,
so…yeah.
Why the hell should you care about this?
The combination of live-action and animation is astonishing; it’s as if Barbie dolls are coming to life, but with the faces of the people in the film.
That technical feat is, quite honestly, more than enough to get me into the theatre.
3. State Like Sleep (2019)
What is this movie about?
Fresh off her appearance in Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Katherine Waterston headlines this noir thriller as a recent widow, trying to find out the answers to her husband’s death.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
The trailer focuses on Waterston’s character, as she deals with police inquiry and media after the apparent suicide of her celebrity husband (played by Michiel Huisman from Game Of Thrones).
She traces his steps to a gentleman’s club, where she meets characters, played by Luke Evans and Michael Shannon, whom she thinks holds the key to his death.
Of course, there’s the requisite steamy scenes between Waterston and her husband, and also, for some reason, the other two men…
Why the hell should you care about this?
The studio is obviously banking on Waterston’s current popularity as a member of the Potter universe, so it’ll be interesting to see if she can attract her own audience.
Also, did you hear me say that it has Luke Evans and Michael Shannon? *swoon*
4. Vox Lux (2018)
What is this movie about?
We’ve covered this before! This is the Natalie Portman Pop-Star movie that’s trying to rival A Star Is Born:
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
It’s saying that Sia can craft a hit song, which is…something we all knew.
However, it’s also saying that Natalie Portman can sing, which is much more interesting.
Honestly, this trailer doesn’t reveal much. It just shows Portman’s character Celeste singing a song that her teenage self also sings.
Why the hell should you care about this?
Natalie Portman sings.
5. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
What is this movie about?
If you know about the novel this film is based on, you’re definitely more culturally aware of American authors than me.
This film is based on the 1974 book by James Baldwin, and features a young woman in the 70s, who’s pregnant with her husband’s child. However, her husband is then falsely accused of rape and locked away. She then has to contend with her family’s reaction (and support), and the ensuing struggle of trying to get her husband freed.
What’s the trailer saying, if I can’t be bothered to watch it?
The trailer shows how beautifully shot and produced this film is; it’s soft and dreamy, focusing on the love between Tish (played by KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James).
Also, the song that accompanies this trailer is ‘Killing Me Softly’, and I swear I almost started crying while listening to it. So there’s that.
Why the hell should you care about this?
This film is directed by Barry Jenkins, who won a Best Picture Oscar for his last film (Moonlight), so you can bet that a ton of people care.
Also, it premiered at Toronto International Film Festival back in September, and has already been receiving rave reviews.
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!
