YNMS: "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk"
Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 5:00PM 
Not to be outdone by all the Cannes buzz starting this week, we have our first teaser trailer for Oscar hopeful Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. Ang Lee follows up his Oscar winning Life of Pi with this film about a young veteran's Victory Tour after fighting in Iraq. Like Pi, his new work blends a flashback narrative with technical wizardry: Lee utilized a high frame rate to create hyperreal action, aiming to create unprecidentally real 3D.
Backed by a massive ensemble including Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Garrett Hedlund, Chris Tucker, Ben Platt, and Steve Martin, the master director looks to be back in the Oscar hunt once again.
Let's break down the highs, lows and inbetweens of the first look:
YES
- No one handles the balance between human intimacy and big canvas themes like Ang Lee. When he takes stylistic risks, they usually pay off (if you forget that Hulk happened).
- This ensemble! It's hard to tell from this first look who could be a potential Supporting nominee, and many players here could be working in tiny roles. But with this large crew, surely someone will stand out.
- For all of the emotional beats that the trailer touches on, I couldn't tell you the film's narrative trajectory and nothing feels spoiled in this first teaser. Always welcome in trailers these days!
- The source novel already has its fair share of prizes, and we all know Lee's track record with literary adaptations.
- Newcomer Joe Alwyn is already emotionally compelling with little dialogue in the trailer. The potential for a major breakthrough actor looks solid.
NO
- The high frame rate experience bombed hard with audiences for The Hobbit and a few shots here are outright garish.
- While a 3D war film feels like an inevitability, are we really ready to experience a recent war in a new dimension?
- Steve Martin has got to stop trying new accents.
- Another whispery cover of a pop song used for emotional effect.
- The risky approach is enticing, but is there much new narrative ground to explore on this war that has inspired so many films already?
MAYBE SO
- While the visual daring of Life of Pi is present, Halftime looks to have the emotional resonance that that many found missing in that film.
- How deep will Lee examine the capitalism satire that the visuals flirt with?
- Both Steve Martin and Kristen Stewart could have "overdue" narratives that lead to nominations they should've received for past work.
- If frame rates and 3D are truly going to be the future, isn't it exciting that Lee is packing them into a drama aimed at adults rather than a franchise?
I'm straddling the maybe so / yes line. Where are you?
Reader Comments (26)
First thought: the poster references that iconic fireworks image from Brokeback Mountain.
Second thought: this is the first Ang Lee movie since Brokeback Mountain that I want to see.
Third thought: Am I the only person who kind of likes his Hulk movie?
I'm also straddling the yes/maybe so line. Also: Based on what this trailer shows off? I'd guess Kristen Stewart and, surprisingly, Vin Diesel are the most likely for Oscar nominations.
Corey: Count me in that club of kind of liking Ang Lee's Hulk. It's definitely not great, but it's coherent enough and so admirable on an overall aesthetic level that I can't HATE it. The actual great Hulk movie is probably somewhere between the Letterier and Lee approaches. Based on his filmography, I'd say Joe Carnahan is probably the best chance of pulling that off.
Stewart looks baity as hell. Won't be surprised if this is the third year in a row I'd nominate her in Supporting Actress.
eurocheese: It's like she's the anti-Daniel Radcliffe. Opposite gender, opposite quality of franchise, opposite result of the franchise ending.
Lee's Hulk is still a lot better than the Leterrier version.
TR: Better? Yes. A lot better? No. "A lot better" would be if it were a B+ vs a C+, when it's actually more like a low B vs a high C+.
Wow - I got to see this! Great cinematic trailer.
I swear, if Stewart gets an overdue narrative, I'll punch someone or something. I think she's gifted, clever and talented, but let's hold off on the overdue narrative just yet!
This looks amazing, it hope it captures the heart as much as it captures spectacle and technical wizardry... Ang Lee can do both - he just needs to bring them into the same film together.
We still can't have Ang Lee's name on the poster?
i loved the book and i love ang lee - 100% yes
I don't know. I love Ang Lee but... I'm not so sure about this. I don't like films that are heavy-handed with messages.
I haven't seen Hulk or Ride with the Devil. Otherwise, there is no Ang Lee film I haven't at least really liked. Taking Woodstock ranks lowest on that list, but it's still good. I'm definitely there, but I sense that Martin needs to back away from weird accents too. Stewart, btw, should have maybe won last year's Supporting Actress Oscar and I never thought I'd say that. I think the case for It's Time for Her First Nomination is definitely present this year.
Will Ang Lee round out his bittersweet Americana flirtation (The Ice Storm, Brokeback Mountain, now this)? Will Kristen Stewart and Steve Martin finally blow off the doors to Oscar noms? And will Vin Diesel get his revenge and actually star in the year's Best Picture winner that he inexplicably claimed Furious 7 ought to have been? God, I hope...so?
I read the book, but I wasn't too enamored with it. I think I may go back and revisit before the film comes out. The trailer looks good, but what's really piquing my interest is Ang Lee. He hasn't made a bad film, "Hulk" included.
Also, I'll sheepishly bring up the topic of Asian-Americans in Hollywood again. I have never seen nor heard of Joe Alwyn until this trailer yet here he is carrying a big budget Hollywood film. I'm sure he's a terrific actor and very talented, but this is the kind of opportunity Asian-Americans would like. I'm not saying an Asian-American should have been cast as Billy Lynn, but that Asian-Americans should be given a chance to carry a film the way Alwyn is being asked as a newcomer.
Lee is one of my very favorite working directors, so of course I'll see this, but there's almost nothing about this trailer that I liked.
@Raul
Since the newcomer is a white male Hollywood as a machine is already designed to welcome him to a full career. Where an Asian newcomer would need very special circumstances for a studio to green lit a project starring them. Sometimes opportunity to work in something substantial is not the problem. It is not having something to fall into like your white peers that kills some many nonwhite hopefuls off before they had a chance to make a name for themselves.
Loved the book. Trailer packed a surprising punch.
Wow, that last line by Stewart is quite something.
This looks like it could be embarrassing or extraordinary. I trust Ang Lee more than anyone with that sort of material (although I wish they'd included Brokeback Mountain alongside Life as Pi just to kinda play with audiences thinking "a patriotic war movie? fuck yeah!".
This will be a no for me.
Now THAT's a good teaser. It's a definite yes for me. Joe Alwyn looks to have screen presence in spades.
Did I see Kellie Pickler? And Destiny's Child?
I'm beginning to watch this trailer on a loop.
We all know Steve Martin is an (inter)national treasure that should win a competitive Oscar before he retires. In my book, he should've been nom'd (at least) for acting in "Little Shop of Horrors", "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", "Leap of Faith" and as a writer for "L.A. Story" and "Bowfinger". But heck, I'm a fan. Huge fan.
I got a bad feeling about this.