The Nose is off this week. In its place, a look at movie trailers.
Maybe you wonder what a movie critic thinks of trailers. Actually, critics don’t see as many as you do because they often go to special screenings. Colin asked America’s Greatest Living Film Critic, David Edelstein, about trailers. Here’s what AGLFC said:
“Actually, I avoid them like the plague. I don’t watch them online, and when I see movies in theaters, I often whip out my Kindle and plug my ears. If I’m on the aisle, I leave and get a Diet Coke. Trailers give away everything. They give away jokes. More than that, they orient you to the narrative in a way I don’t like being oriented. (Of course, I have the luxury of going into a movie not knowing what it’s even about because I get paid to do so, but that’s my preferred way to work — to be left in the hands of the storyteller.) As for as awful ones I have seen… I remember Nebraska in particular as being terrible because the pace and tone of that movie are antithetical to the way mainstream trailers work. It said quirky. Offbeat. Lovable. Among the best, I recall Batman Returns as being so great. I thought the movie itself was an overrated shambles — a really terrible piece of storytelling — but even Tim Burton’s worst movies have so many good images and set-pieces that they really read in trailers.”
For the rest of us, trailers are either a pain or a pleasure.
Some stuff that happened this week, give or take:
- Claes Oldenburg Dies at 93; Pop Artist Made the Everyday Monumental Taking ordinary objects like hamburgers and household items, he sculpted them in unfamiliar, often imposing dimensions — what he called his “Colossal Monuments.”
- Janeane Garofalo Never Sold Out. What a Relief. That concept might be the reason her trailblazing stand-up career has been overshadowed; it may also be the reason she’s still so sharp, our critic argues.
- Read this: How fake accounts and a powder-keg fandom helped Zack Snyder restore his Justice League It might be hard to believe, but the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement was even weirder than we thought
- Jennifer Lopez Becomes Jennifer Affleck, Now Please Sign Up for Her Newsletter And other reflections on her recent wedding.
- Raving for Shrek, the Swamp Comes to Brooklyn A party in East Williamsburg invited fans of the 2001 film to translate into reality their online obsessions with the titular ogre.
- Can’t Talk, I’m Busy Being Hot A social media movement inspired by the rapper Megan Thee Stallion strikes back at the gatekeepers of beauty.
- The 50 Greatest Fictional Deaths of All Time The most tearjerking, hilarious, satisfying, and shocking death scenes in 2,500 years of culture.
- Ethan Hawke: I’m at ‘the Beginning of My Last Act’ as an Actor In an extensive conversation with IndieWire, the actor explained the impulse behind his new docuseries “The Last Movie Stars” and his uneasy relationship to fame.
- Amazon Is Giving Prime Video Its Biggest Redesign In Years New navigation, a top 10 list, and a very familiar look and feel
- How Did Yellowstone, America’s Most Popular Show, Get Totally Ignored by the Emmys? Taylor Sheridan’s universe of shows is a juggernaut, but awards still go to “stuff that appeals to the coastal elite.”
- Quidditch rebrands as quadball and further distances itself from Harry Potter author
- ‘The Bear’ Is Why We Must End The Reign Of TV’s Vibes Cartel
- Celebrities Continue to Be Richer Than You
- TVs Are Too Good Now Why does Home Alone look better than the latest Marvel fare on the most advanced displays?
- America’s Most Misunderstood Marsupial The opossum might be snarly and a little bit scraggly, but she deserves our admiration.
GUESTS:
- Allan Arkush: Contributor to Trailers from Hell; he worked in the trailer department for Roger Corman
- Stephen Garrett: Founder of Jump Cut
- Sam Hatch: Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on WWUH
- Kevin O’Toole: Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on WWUH
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
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Colin McEnroe, Lydia Brown, John Dankosky, Greg Hill, Tucker Ives, Harriet Jones, Betsy Kaplan, Patrick Skahill, Catie Talarski, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired July 2, 2014.
