Andreas here with a pair of trailers from beloved directors -- and both death-centric comedies, at that. First up, Richard Linklater's Bernie:
YES
- The most obvious reasons: Slacker, Dazed & Confused, Waking Life, etc., etc.
- Black and McConaughey both seem to be doing offbeat, atypical work here. I'm curious to see where their performances lead.
- And of course, the legendary Shirley MacLaine!
NO
- But judging from the trailer, her role looks awfully one-dimensional -- "shrill old lady who dies." Here's hoping it's more fun in the finished film.
- This isn't the movie's fault, but wow, that trailer goes for every musical and editing cliché in the book. I'm surprised they didn't use a record scratch instead of a gunshot.
More "Bernie" and Tim Burton's Frankenweenie trailer after the jump.
MAYBE SO
- The trailer divides its time between the cast's fictionalized antics and the "true story" talking heads. How will Linklater integrate the two?
I'm eager to find out, so I'll go a solid "yes" on this one.
YES
- Black and white. Stop-motion. Finally, some visual variety to our animation!
- Those suburban vistas are giving me Edward Scissorhands flashbacks, always a reassuring sign.
- Doggy! Sparky looks adorable; will he pick up where Uggie and Cosmo left off?
NO
- Some of the jokes come off as obligatory kids' movie stuff, riffing on Frankenstein iconography. Will the whole movie be dominated by easy punchlines?
- The original Frankenweenie is half an hour long, which makes me wary of filler and unnecessary subplots.
MAYBE SO
- Burton's really going back to his roots here -- both by remaking his own short film, and by diving back into horror pastiche. Will that be enough to get him creatively back on track?
- Another sign that he's returning to the distant past: this'll be his first movie without Johnny or Helena since Mars Attacks.
- This is out in October, and Dark Shadows arrives in May. By the end of 2012, will we be all Burton'd out?
If they're both good, I'd say not likely! I'm a nervous but optimistic "YES" on this one.
The trailers for your own yes, no, maybe so review...
- Are you dying to see either of these?
- Can Tim Burton's artistic vision be shocked back to life, or will he be down in Wonderland forever?