Movie trailers are an artform unto themselves, capsule-sized commercials of coming movies designed to get our anticipation centers churning. They also inspire us to lean over and offer up impulsive opinions to our companions on the film’s likely merits.
Here, we imagine what two friends – Thomas, a cynical curmudgeon, and Polly, a bright-eyed optimist – might say to each other in the theater upon seeing trailers for some randomly selected films coming to the Carmel International Film Festival.
BLEED FOR THIS
Synopsis: Based on a true story, Miles Teller stars as Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza, an underdog boxer who won two world titles before severing his spine in a car accident.
Polly: Miles was so intense in Whiplash. And co-star Aaron Eckhart is always good. This looks promising.
Thomas: Million Dollar Baby, Creed, The Fighter, Southpaw. No one watches boxing anymore, just boxing movies.
THE PEARL OF AFRICA
Synopsis: A documentary about Cleopatra Kambugu, a 28-year-old Ugandan transgender woman cast out by her family into a hostile country.
Thomas: Is there any good news coming out of Africa?
Polly: The film tells a critical story about maligned human beings struggling to assert their humanity, raises awareness among ignorant and cynical.
Thomas: Touché.
IMPERFECT SKY
Synopsis: A gritty drama about a young, college-bound teen who visits his estranged older brother in Los Angeles who is fighting drug addiction.
Polly: This reminds me of the down-but-not-out young people struggling with drugs in Drugstore Cowboy and Jesus’ Son.
Thomas: The trailer lost me with the shot of someone holding a handgun sideways.
REDISTRIBUTORS
Synopsis: A corporate public relations flack blows the whistle on the military supply company she works for, and seeks a rogue band of hacktivists for help.
Polly: This trailer makes me want to join underground cyber activists and fight for the people.
Thomas: When you do, can you fix my credit score?
RENTAL
Synopsis: A lonely clerk at a video rental store faces struggles to connect.
Thomas: It’s about a video store clerk, huh? Must be a period movie.
Polly: It’s an indie movie. They’re taking risks.
Thomas: I’m going to mitigate my risks and skip it.
THE TIGER HUNTER
Synopsis: A movie set in the 1970s about a young Indian man trying to fake it until he makes it in Chicago to win the hand of his childhood sweetheart.
Thomas: The lighter side of arranged marriages.
Polly: Arranged marriages have a far lower divorce rates than non-arranged.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Synopsis: A documentary in which the filmmaker turns the camera on his own family. His father: “I am the son of a mother who wears a mask. If you were to ask me what I want, it would be for her to remove the mask before she dies.”
Polly: This looks so fraught with twisted family dynamics. Like Capturing the Friedmans.
Thomas: This looks so boring. Why should I care?
Polly: Everyone has a family. Even you.
Thomas: Don’t remind me.
SUPER SEX
Synopsis: A short film directed by Matthew Modine in which two adult siblings (Kevin Nealon and Elizabeth Perkins) hire a prostitute (Ruby Modine) to dress up as Supergirl as a gift for their dad (Ed Asner).
Thomas: This is unsettling on a few levels. One: Matthew Modine directing his daughter as a prostitute.
Polly: They’re artists. I’m sure it’s done with the utmost integrity.
FLATBALL: A HISTORY OF ULTIMATE
Synopsis: A feature documentary about the origin and rise of a fast-growing sport of ultimate frisbee.
Polly: It’s an interesting look at the collision of the competitiveness of organized sports and the whimsy of a leisurely game.
Thomas: Uh. It’s ultimate frisbee.
THE SPACE BETWEEN
Synopsis: A feature film about a middle-aged man (Michael Cram) who embarks on a life-changing road trip and meets quirky characters along the way.
Thomas: It seems like every twee indie movie that’s bobbed up the wake of Juno and Little Miss Sunshine.
Polly: It’s a gentle movie about earnest people doing goofy stuff while trying to connect. I just watched part of a Trump speech. I’ll be glad to watch this.
Thomas: I’ll go with you.