This Week In Trailers: Wolfman’s Got Nards, New York Asian Film Festival, Daddy Issues, We The Animals, Moss

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising?

This week we visit an Asian film festival, revisit Monster Squad, visit three brothers from another mother, look deep inside ourselves in a small town, and get our freak on.

Wolfman’s Got Nards

Just when you thought you had heard everything there is to hear about Monster Squad, a seminal film for many budding cineastes, director Andre Gower is here to give you a little more. Even though Gower was in front of the camera for the original, what you can see in this trailer is someone who has reverence and love for a movie that just will not die. For those of us who revere this box-office bomb, which was written by Shane Black for those who need reminding, this is the kind of trailer that plays like visual comfort food. It’s not out to solve the world’s problems, but it’s nice to see the closing of a loop for what was a hallmark film for so many little geeks out there.

New York Asian Film Festival

Running from June 29th through July 15th, the New York Asian Film Festival churns out some of the best trailers to try and entice you to show up. Even though I’m about 1,500 miles away from the event, these trailers for movies coming out of Hong Kong and Japan are just incredible. Giving credit where credit’s due, the team who constructed these could not have done a better job in selling a host of movies all at the same time while having an eye, and ear, for proper flow. There hasn’t been a more effective film festival trailer put together this year than you’ll see here. Every year the NYAF puts together a damn fine trailer and this year is no exception.

Moss

As you enter director Daniel Peddle’s world, it’s the cicadas that make me feel like we’re peering into a world bound by reality. You can feel the mugginess, the camera languidly moving at a pace that fits the vibe it’s trying to set. It’s poetic, narratively ambiguous, and has a style that is uniquely its own. Sometimes I appreciate the construction of a trailer just because of how well it presents itself, and for a medium that’s supposed be about selling something, this isn’t a hard sell. It’s just asking for your attention. It got mine.

We The Animals

Director Jeremiah Zagar comes from a documentary background, and it shows here. What is so heart-piercing about this trailer is just how it nails that small nuance of what it’s like to have an intense relationship with your siblings when you are a child. The colors initially feel muted, but there are explosions of different hues that intensify the emotional resonance on the screen. I’m at a loss to say why, precisely, this trailer penetrates the soul, but the deeper you get into it, the more you latch onto these characters. It becomes a movie you need to see after only having met it two minutes, thirty seconds ago. It’s magically delicious.

Daddy Issues

I am not sure where to even begin with this trailer, but director Amara Cash inspires hope for the capabilities of new independent filmmakers looking to tell their story. Clocking in at just a minute, it will be the fastest rush of images you’ll see this week. I won’t even attempt to try and attempt to guess the plot, but the official synopsis isn’t much of a help:

Maya, a 19 year old queer pixie, gets romantically involved with her sexually fluid insta-crush and unknowingly becomes part of a twisted love triangle.

Whatever might be at play here I am happy to be a part of as there seems to be real talent squeezing through every frame in this trailer. It’s hypnotic, a little dirty, a little flirty, but a complete win when it comes to wondering whether it sticks the landing.

Nota bene: If you have any suggestions of trailers for possible inclusion in this column, even have a trailer of your own to pitch, please let me know by sending me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com or look me up via Twitter at @Stipp

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