No, I have not seen the movie, obviously. I watched the trailer a while ago set to the phenomenal song “Wild is the Wind” by Nina Simone. I think that song made that trailer, because no matter what you think, trailers do affect whether we see films or not.
I can’t even put a number on the times I have closed a trailer 10 seconds into it because of inane music, awkward nonsense, embarrassing Hollywood action hero close-ups (I’m talking to you Marky “Max Payne” Mark, and of course unintentional plot spoilers. They do the latter with romantic comedies all the time! For some reason they will show a series of “funny” introductions to both characters, show them bickering and crying and staring at each other longingly, and then during a terrible music montage, they show the characters making out against an elevator or something! What? Isn’t the point of a trailer to make us want to see the film to find out what happens? But hey with Hollywood these days, who doesn’t foresee the overpaid blank stars hooking up in a badly written romance? Yes I said blank, not minimalistic, blank. I’m sorry but there is a difference before Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Keanu Reeves. Moot point.
And back from my ramble, Revolutionary Road! Wow, I remember reading this book. I read it in conjuction with watching Into the Wild. Horrid combination. I came out feeling horribly depressed about the state of my life living in plastic white boxes, and watching poetry pass by as I read my calculus book. Lovely feeling. But listen, I loved reading Revolutionary Road and I loved Into the Wild (though in hindsight…Christopher McCandless could have been a tad bit practical).
Revolutionary Road was written by Richard Yates in 1961, where two vastly different generations were pit against each other in this world. You can practically understand where Yates is coming from, his general distaste (I’m assuming) for the suburbs popping up everywhere like a disease, and the loss of originality and passion in this trite era. And the final grudging acceptance of something that cannot be prevented. All this sounds like a pile of bullshit, but that’s because it’s coming from me. Go read that book. You’ll understand the distress he and his characters go through trying to live their live to the standards they had once set for themselves in such a suppressing environment. It’s depressing, and yet poetically written. I find that funny that a book about monotony can be so poetic. It’s a testament to Yate’s subtlety and genius.
And the trailer has put me into high hopes. Though I occasionally regret that we can’t have some new unknowns helm this film, I think the casting was well done. And from the 3 minutes that I have seen, Sam Mendes seems to have injected that melancholy into this film. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio will reunite and play the strained couple, Frank and April Wheeler. Kathy Bates is on for the ride as the superficial Helen Givings. I’m a bit skeptical about that, but what I am fascinated most by is Michael Shannon being cast as the crazy but brilliant John Givings. I hope he does that complex character justice, the film couldn’t possibly be complete without some good acting on Shannon’s part. They didn’t show his part, but I hope to see his character isn’t cut down too significantly in the film. Honestly, the trailer showing mainly DiCaprio and Winslet was probably a marketing move to get people excited. You know, the whole “Titanic Part 2, this time without Celine Dion” deal going on with them reuniting.
Anyways, I think I’ve dissected a simple trailer more than is necessary. I’m off, enjoy your day and take it for what it’s worth.
-me
The Scheme Scam 