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NEW “Shame” Trailer
I know that I said I would have my new Oscar predictions up, and I am working on that. However, this is something that any self-respecting movie aficionado should not miss. It’s almost a plain and simple fact that no film has been more talked about on the festival circuits then Steve McQueen’s visceral and provocative “Shame.” Michael Fassbender took home the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and the film had to have come close to taking down the grand prize both at Venice and Toronto. When Fox Searchlight picked up the distributing rights for the film, it was going to be very curious as to how they would go about marketing it. It seems that they have hit the nail on the head.
For those that don’t know, the film tells the story of Brandon (Michael Fassbender) a rising New York City businessman who has an insatiable and unwavering addiction to having sex. Things become more complicated when his needy sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in with him and attempts to help fight his situation. The film has been heralded as a masterpiece, while also cited for its unrelenting sexuality. It will indefinitely receive an NC-17 rating, with little doubt of a fight from its maverick director. Usually, this would potentially injure an independent film quite badly in its fight for viewers. However, if Searchlight continues to pump out incredible trailers like the one below, they should have no problem building up a cult army of box office supporters. All this is making a Best Actor nomination for Michael Fassbender more and more likely.
I will definitely be first in line when it is released. In the mean time, I think I’ll watch this trailer again. Enjoy.
“Contagion” Billboard is LITERALLY “Viral”
So, now I have now seen “Contagion” and all the cards are on the table. I thought it was decent, but frankly, quite underwhelming. However, I have to give props for this brilliant marketing tool. After all, who needs a regular billboard when you can have a billboard made completely out of bacteria?
To gain publicity at the Toronto Film Festival, Warner Bros. tapped the Canadian advertising company Lowe Roche to design a form of marketing acute to the disturbing plot of Steven Soderbergh’s film. The artists used fungi and bacteria to illustrate some posters. When first hung up, they appeared like simple, blank billboards. However, after some time passed, onlookers were excited and horrified to see that the substances had rotted and evolved in a way that beautifully (and, at the same time, disgustingly) advertised the movie.
I must say that in the past decade or so of viral marketing, this is the first advertisement to take that phrase to a whole new level. Well done to the “Contagion” marketing team for really using the creative side of their brains.
Check out the awesome making-of video, below:
“The Raid” Red Band Trailer Pulls No Punches
Wow. Not gonna lie, I haven’t had a trailer knock me flat and leave my jaw hanging as close to the ground as this one just did in quite some time. This is a red band trailer that truly lives up to that distinction. “The Raid” is an Indonesian film directed by Gareth Evans debuting at the Toronto Film Festival this week. While the film is probably not poised to take home many prizes, it will definitely create a bit of stir.
The plot is sweet and simple. A team of twenty SWAT officers engage in a raid on a building ran by a drug overlord and infested with criminals of every kind. The operation was meant to go smoothly, but the building’s tenants are alerted to the cops’ presence and the officers must choose to risk their lives to complete the mission or attempt escape and survive.
Many insiders are claiming the film is one of the most cut-and-dry action films since John Woo’s “Hard-Boiled”, while echoing the newer styles of movies like “Old Boy.” To me, it looks like a whole lot of unadulterated, shamelessly violent fun. Can’t wait for a US release.
Warning: This movie and its trailer have got some brutality in them.
The Edge of the Frame 