If you thought that Paul Schrader and the team behind "The Canyons" might be a bit cagey about the crowd-sourced nature of his indie film, guess again. Not only have they been playful (see the grindhouse style teaser), they are now fully embracing their outsider status with this new B-movie-style trailer for the film, which promises lots of pulp. And no studio involvement.
Starring the unlikely duo of Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen (being "introduced" here, though if you've glanced at XXX material any time recently you've likely seen his face or…other parts) the film is a contemporary L.A. noir, exploring the dangers of sexual obsession and ambition, both personally and professionally, among a group of young people in their 20s. One chance meeting connected to the past unravels all of their lives, resulting in deceit, paranoia, and ultimately violence. The spots so far are certainly throwing back to a specific era, but whether or not the final result will bear that influence out remains to be seen.
No release date yet, but "The Canyons" is expected to go the digital route. Though with Sundance coming up, we're curious if the film will make an appearance there. Anyway, give it a look below, and no, you're not mistaken, Gus Van Sant is indeed in this.
I don't think I've ever seen a trailer vacillate so heavily between utter brilliance and complete dog shit. Hopefully this'll be the first major production to prove the "Kickstarter Curse" wrong…
These trailers sure have accomplished one thing: expectations could not get any lower.