| TRAILER: THE MOVIE! (Short) Rating   Director: Douglas Horn Producers: Paco Farias, Lisa Guzman, Douglas Horn Writer: Douglas Horn Director of Photography: Clay Westervelt Cast: Christopher Heltai, Paco Farias, Daniel Southworth, Emily English Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew: |
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Review by: Warren
Curry
10/06/02
"You can make anything look good for two minutes." This is the basic idea that provides the framework for writer/director Douglas Horn's amusing short Trailer: The Movie! If you're one of the many who has been duped too many times by a slick trailer slapped together by a movie studio's marketing department, then Horn's film is giving voice to your frustrations. While Trailer: The Movie's concept is sharp enough to warrant praise by itself, the film is also very well executed. Horn has obviously sat through more than his fair share of misleading trailers, and this film is his satirical missive aimed right at the heart of Hollywood (heart of Hollywood? Is that an oxymoron?).
With a running time of just over 8 minutes, Trailer centers on two young filmmakers (Christopher Heltai and Paco Farias) who realize that their soon-to-be-completed feature length film actually only contains a few worthwhile moments. Rather than throw in the towel, they decide to edit together the flashiest shots (in trendy rapid-fire style) from the movie, which highlight stylized martial arts fighting, a bit of gratuitous sex and, of course, the obligatory Motown song that fuels the always welcome dance number. All of this is intensely narrated by that familiar "trailer voice."
The film, shot in 35mm, is constructed as, basically, an extended trailer for itself, and despite its short length, the movie appears to have been quite an elaborate shoot. There are choreographed fight and dance scenes, a few sweeping camera moves and a couple of distinct locations. Horn directs with a great comic sense, mimicking trailers with a well-studied verisimilitude, and he also displays a flair for directorial showmanship. The filmmaker better watch it, or soon some studio suits will be hiring him to direct a film similar to one that serves as the butt of Trailer's joke.
The film understands the scope of its
concept and knows not to wear out its welcome. Trailer's humor
couldn't be more timely or on-target, and here's to hoping that
Horn will soon bring his comedic talents to the feature arena
(even if that means he has to break bread with the same people
he's currently lampooning). In the meantime, keep an eye peeled
for Trailer: The Movie at a film festival in your area.
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