Movie Trailer Music Madness: The LIT Region
The results of the first round match-ups from the ATMOSPHERIC region are in, and we’ll be breaking down the LIT region in this edition of Movie Trailer Music Madness
This story is the third part of a larger series. Make sure to read the first and second editions before continuing.
In what the judges described as one of the strongest regions overall going into the tournament’s opening weekend, the ATMOSPHERIC region offered up less thrills than fans of Movie Trailer Music Madness might have anticipated.
The potential for upsets was always there; the late-rising teaser for Ozark began making waves in early December, with many pundits labeling it as a potential Cinderella trailer which could advance deep into the tournament. But once again, an opening set of match-ups went straight chalk, with the results below.
#1 Logan vs. #8 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Logan — 5
Three Billboards — 0
#2 Avengers: Age of Ultron vs. #7 The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Avengers 2–-4
The Killing of a Sacred Deer — 1
#3 Stranger Things — S2 vs. #6 Ozark — S1
Stranger Things — 3
Ozark — 2
#4 Birdman vs. #5 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Birdman — 5
TGWTDT — 0
Once again, the chalk bracket sets up the second-round for some intriguing clashes between heavyweights from the ATMOSPHERIC region. Next up, we’ll be breaking down the LIT region. Confused as to the difference between LIT and HYPE? Stay in school, kids.
The LIT Region
1. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Look, tack on Kanye to a trailer, and you’ll always get a thumbs up from me (he might just be the Angela of trailer music). Back in 2013, the dust from Yeezus hadn’t even settled when Scorsese and Co. decided to include “Black Skinhead” in this tour de force. Those drums hit exactly the vibe The Wolf of Wall Street was going for — absolute, pure insanity. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better marriage of song and film.
2. Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation (2015)
“Ready or Not” by Fugees is a fine song, but how the hell they cut it to Tom Cruise doing crazy Tom Cruise action stunts, I have no idea. Either way, I was bought in for Rogue Nation from the get-go.
3. Vice (2018)
“Who’s the man with the plan? I’m the man.” Read you loud and clear Adam McKay. Dick Cheney was the man, even if the Vice Presidency is mostly just a symbolic job.
4. Black Mass (2015)
“Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh, till it’s gone.” And then bang, this trailer picks up all over again to the kinetic energy of Yelawolf’s “Til it’s Gone.” Why do criminals look so cool doing criminal things? It’s probably the banging music.
5. The Departed (2006)
More Boston! Points for the trailer going full out Southie and slamming us with “Shipping up to Boston” (the only song in history written from the viewpoint of a sailor’s pegleg). But if the marketing for The Departed had stuck to just the Dropkick Murphys, I’d think about seeding it a little bit higher. Just like any Scorsese film, if you weren’t expecting an ever-changing soundtrack, you were kidding yourself.
6. War Dogs (2016)
Todd Phillips had clearly seen The Wolf of Wall Street and decided he would make his own over-the-top “based on a true story” about ridiculous criminal things. Steve Aoki’s EDM trailer banger perfectly hits the delirious (get it?) tone Phillips hoped to achieve, even if Jonah Hill and company couldn’t quite recapture Scorsese’s magic in the actual film.
7. The Martian (2015)
“There must be some kind of way out of here” croons Jimi Hendrix as Mark Watney desperately tries to science his way off of the red planet. Intense and fun all at the same time, the legendary cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” fits nicely with the dire stakes but endless optimism of Matt Damon’s stranded astronaut.
8. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)
You’ve seen him hang at Langley. You’ve seen him hang in Australia. He even did it at the Vatican. But have you ever seen Tom Cruise hang off of the tallest building in the world? Set to the beat of one of Eminem’s catchier tunes, back when the rapper was at the height of his revival, this trailer blends a number of chaotic elements together to sell a damn good time at the movies. It’s also the start of an incredible trailer run by the M:I franchise.
Next time out, we’ll be reviewing the FUN region. What trailers do you think got snubbed from the LIT region? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter! Stay tuned for all the inevitable shocking upsets, close calls, and banging tunes in our subsequent editions of Movie Trailer Music Madness. 32 trailers enter the tournament, but only one will leave!
