First off, is this a cruel joke? This “Taking Woodstock” “trailer” (which we have to put in quotes, “trailer”) looks like a Demetri Martin film, not a picture directed by the venerable Ang Lee. Honestly, about halfway into the trailer and we’re thinking, is this “Dazed and Confused” light? Is Ang Lee working on a project very atypical for him?
Or maybe this film is much more of a comedy/ light dramedy than we ever expected because it just seems to get campier and cornier. Liev Schreiber in drag makes us laugh, Emile Hirsch looks like he’s about to laugh mid-sentence deliver. Perhaps that’s the point, but man, this is not what we were expecting at all! It’s got a weird, episodic sit-com tone and a goofy, “That ’70s Show”-like tone. Very odd.
Doesn’t the music in the trailer at the beginning sound like something Mark Mothersbaugh wrote for “The Royal Tenenbaums,” but not quite? The score is actually being composed by Danny Elfman. Strange. “Taking Woodstock” hits theaters on August 14 in limited release.
This trailer and intro were built specifically to be shown during last night’s episode of “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” which explains both the intro and heavy on Demetri cut.
It remains to be seen how a theatrical/mass market trailer will look for the film, but hitting Demetri Martin fans with a targeted trailer seems like a good idea, no?
Totally good idea. Drake if you can confirm the above, i’ll adjust the piece accordingly. I mean, I’m sure you’re right, but…
Without seeming like I’m backpedaling too much here (whee!) I guess the only sure/100% confirmation I can give is that it indeed premiered last night during Important Things with Demetri Martin.
And that word from the screenings last month was the film was more a historical drama w/ a few parts that were funny, like you’d expect from Lee.
Oooh yeah, that was a Mark piece from The Royal Tenenbaums. It was either “Sparkplug’s Minuet” or “I Always Wanted To Be A Tenenbaum”. I always get the two mixed up.
Anyway, the trailer didn’t seem like an Ang Lee film at all. Also didn’t seem like anything I thought it’d be. I was expecting more drama than anything else, especially since the photograph of Emile in black and white. It seemed to have a more sophisticated feel about it. Unfortunately, as you said, it seems more sitcom-y.
We’ll see. I’m hoping it turns out alright. Danny Elfman’s my favorite composer, so I was happy to see that he was doing the score, no matter how odd the decision is.
Danny Elfman sucks.
Even if there’s just a little bit of comedy in the film, I’m sure the trailers will play that up. Trailers always focus on the most commercially viable part of a film. I’m sure the film will feel different than this.