Land of Mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GafFkkl0xt0
Brynne: I am so intrigued by this trailer. This may just be my bias for historical dramas, but this film looks like it’s going to have many of the qualities good films have: an untold story, an important message, and interesting cinematography. The film also looks like it’s going to occasionally cut out the background noise for tension’s sake, a technique which I’ve found to be effective when not overused, so here’s hoping it’s not. The one thing that turns me off about this trailer is the bit at the end when the “hardass-turned-soft” trope rears its ugly head. As long as that is only a small part of the film, not a pillar on which all of the drama rests, which doesn’t seem to be the case, I’ll take it. As someone with a huge interest in German history, I’m thrilled about a film which will show the underrepresented hardships that Germans suffered as a result of World War 2.
Amy: I agree that the trailer’s cinematography is its strength; I can see every shine of sweat, every smear of blood, and every sand-encrusted hand. (That cut from a boy belly-to-the-ground defusing a mine to the black intertitle is a gut punch to the throat.) If it wasn’t covered with 45,000 mines, that beach would be a lovely, serene place to hang out; so blue and pristine and isolated. There’s no doubt that this trailer is competently made. That being said, it doesn’t grab me. Maybe it’s because there are no famous faces like Eman mentioned; maybe it’s because I like my life-or-death situations a little more dramatic than deliberately defusing land mines. Either way, it’s definitely a me problem and I’m confident that more cultured history buffs like Brynne and Eman will enjoy Land of Mine (what a pun!) while I rewatch the Beauty and Beast trailer.
Transformers: The Last Knight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AntcyqJ6brc
Brynne: I’ve never seen Transformers before, but now that I’ve seen this trailer, that is about to change. This film looks like it will be a step above some of Bay’s mindless action films filled with cliché tropes. Wahlberg is sure to deliver a good performance as he always does, and the special effects this film is showing off here in the trailer are impressive even on a tiny screen. It doesn’t look like it will have a flimsy side romance plot, the explosions are buttressed by sufficient plot development, and the conflict isn’t devoid of a reason for it. If there’s anything to say against this film is that narration is annoying and that the trailer certainly would have been better off without it, allowing the opening shots of the trailer to speak for themselves.
Amy: To preface, I am probably the furthest person possible from the Transformers franchise’s key demographic. Michael Bay’s hyperreal universe of talking robots and intimidatingly muscular men and Megan Fox just doesn’t do it for me. I know the robot with the searing, plaintive blue eyes at :40 is supposed to make me feel empathy, but all I feel is depressed that Hollywood decided to gift us this instead of a movie starring Aziz Ansari. Again, this is obviously a me problem so I’ll stop hating on it now and get to some actual analysis. (One more thing: Optimus Prime floating into space like George Clooney in Gravity is priceless, and not in the way Bay wants it to be.) I do appreciate the trailer’s slow, haunting pace (a mood helped along by an eerie song) in the first half juxtaposed against the second half’s more action-y vibe. And I’ll counter Brynne when I say I like the narration; I think for this specific trailer it works. Finally, I’ll admit the last shot got me; I don’t want Marky Mark to be stabbed with that robot’s sharp fingernail!
From Nowhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfR3IlHQcEA
Brynne: There was nothing about this trailer that got me excited or even really interested. The film will humanize and give stories to individuals struggling to live in the United States, but it doesn’t seem like it will do anything but that: it won’t make you care for the characters, it won’t be relatable to the lives of most viewers, and it will, therefore, be forgettable. It is, however, refreshing to see new faces being introduced here, and to hear that the music will be diverse. What made me decide that I wasn’t going to see this film was the clichés: the saintly teacher who dedicates herself entirely, the cold, out of touch lawyer, and the kids who have seen hard times but who just might make it out alright in the end.
Amy: I really struck out with this week’s trailers. I agree with Brynne and Eman; the subject is compelling in theory and definitely relevant, but this trailer failed to wow me with its rambling messages and too many shots of people walking. Diverse storytelling should be a priority, but films like this usually only make a difference in the zeitgeist if they are well done.
This post has been updated to reflect the removal of a contributor.
