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| Justin Long |
Welcome to the weekly column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. Coming every Sunday (it's called Trailing Off for a reason), I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.
Trailer in Discussion:
Directed By: Kevin Smith
Written By: Kevin Smith
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Justin Long
Plot: When his best friend and podcast co-host goes missing in the backwoods of Canada, a young guy joins forces with his friend's girlfriend to search for him.
- Preamble -
This past weekend marked the annual San Diego Comic Con in which hoards of fans congregated to the San Diego Convention Center to find out the latest in comic books, TV, and film culture. Among them is the reliable icons of nerd culture, including director/writer/podcaster Kevin Smith. For close to 20 years now, he has remained an iconic figure to the events and has even managed to turn rouge marketing into some success with his previous film Red State. He is a provocateur who occasionally makes news for bashing critics and producing an uncontrollable amount of content. He is a busybody and a self-made empire that fits well with the Comic Con crowd. Even his films, such as Mallrats and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are filled with pop culture references and crossover work that is fascinating in a pre-Marvel Studios universe. Most of all, he was often hilarious in finding new insight into comic books and movies.
Which is why his transition to horror does seem baffling. Where he used to tell tales of the common man via his Jersey Trilogy, he now makes films that are tonally and even verbally different. There are still some crass jokes, but he clearly has some fascination with his outings into horror. With Red State dealing with religion and cults, it at least seemed like a creepy, if uneven result. While it is audacious to try something new, it seems strange that the man who once defined Comic Con humor in the cinematic world is now making films that are entirely different. It makes no sense, especially considering everything else he has done with his time.
Yes, many could argue that Cop Out left a strange and damaging appeal to him. He not only stopped making comedies, but threatened to quit directing films. He was considered to be washed up. That didn't stop him however from doing countless podcasts under the banner of SModcast Networks. With his free form dedication to all things pop culture and juvenile humor, he has been rather successful in making a career out of talking. Some consider his work too redundant and that he panders too much to his audience. However, the fact that his network has six shows currently in the iTunes Comedy Top 100 proves that he is appealing to someone with shows like Fat Man on Batman and Hollywood Babble-On. He knows his audience and he appeals to them.
Which makes his latest film Tusk a little baffling. Consider that he debuted the trailer at Comic Con. While he has a built-in audience, it does feel like he has lost the plot with audience. Yes, horror films will be talked about at this event. However, it does often seem like a desperate attempt to get the work noticed. Where is the man who used to make comedy movies? He clearly has applied that to his podcasts, which have even bled into his films. He clearly is passionate, but let's just say that this new direction is a little peculiar.
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| Michael Parks |
I have had a strange relationship with Smith ever since Cop Out. While I have been very lenient with his work up through and including Zack and Miri Make a Porno, I felt a snag when it came to Red State. I admired his new direction of making a truly independent film. However, I was also taken aback by its middle finger to the critics feel and the fact that Smith had come to embrace a stoner personality that was full of "Silent Bob can't stop talking" cliches. He had grown thin in my book of endearing charm, if just for a few years.
As time went on, I have come back around to his work and while I cannot condone Red State, I feel like he is getting somewhere interesting with his new approach. For starters, Tusk is the first part of the planned True North Trilogy. He basically wants to make three films set specifically in Canada. A noble feat, given his love for hockey and his insistence on wearing jerseys to almost every event. He is a fan of the country and it does seem noble to have his own dedication. Of course, it all depends on if it will be anywhere near as successful as the attempt to get Clerks III to be a real thing. He is a teaser, choosing to use it as a MacGuffin for his life on several occasions.
If there is only one real conflict that is to be had with Tusk, it is the sudden embrace of the podcast medium. Yes, I adore the medium and even review Maron with regularity. It is something that has given strength to a lot of today's modern voices. There's argument that it has improved and ruined Smith for better or worse. He gives his audience a lot, but maybe almost too much. With Justin Long playing an unnamed podcaster who interviews creepy scientist Howard Howe, things quickly go awry. For those who watch the trailer, the initial thought is that of "Oh, it's The Human Centipede." However, it is based off of an episode of SModcast. In a sense, it almost felt necessary to tell a story from a podcast featuring a podcaster (Haley Joel Osment also stars as one). It works almost as a podcast ex-machina for logic.
Even then, I do enjoy that film is starting to embrace the medium, even if this film is likely to not do as well as anything else in Smith's catalog. Yes, he'll reach his base, but it seems too perverse to actually make a theatrical run (nor does Smith care). In fact, the trailer hits all of the actual beats necessary to make a horror film trailer tell the gist of the story. For many, Tusk is a film of some anticipation with many waiting its completion. This is a big moment. Considering that Red State still managed to reach his audience, there's a chance that this will too.
We have Long driving to Canada and having to deal with disaffected Canadians. There are plenty of tropes here that feel like they will be played for comedic beats. Then there is Parks, who once again plays the villainous role. It is essentially the same set-up as Red State in terms of trailer. Parks plays a weirdo, and weird things happen. We don't know what, but the trailer does its share of intriguing us. It's dark and has faint moments of humor. We get a glimpse into the cast and in the end, it feels highly competent. Depending on if you can overlook its somewhat similarity to The Human Centipede, then you'll likely find plenty to appreciate. It isn't immediately accessible, but it feels like it is leaps ahead of Red State.
- One Sentence Sell -
Director Kevin Smith returns to horror with a film that embraces Canadian stereotypes and hints at grotesque operations in ways that manage to intrigue without giving away too many of the key shots.
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| Left to right: Long and Michael Parks |
- Trove or Trash -
TROVE
Despite my better judgment, I am slightly intrigued by this trailer in ways that I wasn't expecting. Yes, I do not care for Red State all that much, but there looks to be something here. I probably will never like Kevin Smith's horror as much as his comedy, but I cannot help but feel like he has to produce something of value with this new approach. The trailer may not make me think of this as anything more than an enjoyable low rent indie, but there's traces of personality that make me hold out hope. Michael Parks looks like he is more fitted to the role this time and the supporting cast may have room to grow. In terms of whether or not this sold me, it didn't do more than persuade me to give it some attention. Let's hope it pays off this time.
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