THE FUTURE OF 9/11

A few posts back I gave my no-holds-barred review of "United 93," which even if understandably disliked by some, was a chilling and sincere experience for everyone who saw it, including those aforementioned some who just didn't appreciate it.

And as I said then, I wasn't sure what I would make of Oliver Stone's upcoming "World Trade Center." And so it turns out, neither does Paramount quite know what to do with its forthcoming film.

How, for certain, do I know that Viacom is having these second thoughts? Easy — they released the preview for German audiences before they made it available in the U.S. (It would be u0 on Apple's Trailers site right now... if they intended for English-language audiences to see it first.)

Obviously, they didn't want that. But if you would like to see the full trailer, featuring Nicolas Cage, dubbed into the language of Deutschland, well click here.

I can't say it'll be a good film, let alone a quality film, to say nothing of a memorable film, and I certainly don't want to weigh in based on nothing but a foreign-language trailer... but I am going to see this film.

I know it will be a different kind of film compared to "United 93," and Oliver Stone's recent track record notwithstanding, I am hoping that it actually will be a great film. I'll let you know if I know something before you do.

P.S. — Right now, I could care less about any other movie this summer, except for DeLillo's Game 6.

P.P.S. — Before anyone asks, yes, I am of course going to see Snakes on a Plane. But I'm going on record as predicting that movie's best days are right now, as a truly hilarious Internet meme, and not when the actual movie comes out. I'm sure Sam Jackson will ham it up enjoyably, but no way it'll be as funny as the tribute sites.

Update — As of the following morning, you'll notice the link goes to something other than the promised "World Trade Center" trailer. I've been reliably informed the availability was a mistake, and the trailer actually wasn't supposed to be available to anyone yet, regardless of your native tongue.

So, Apple is still the place to go. Or AICN or another fanboy site. I'm washing my hands of the whole thing.

Another update — By now you may well have seen the English-language spot, viewable in several sizes at Apple's Trailer page (of course). What do I think now? It's definitely better in German. Much cheesier when you can understand the words. And the words on the screen toward the end rub me the wrong way. I borrow this from another blog I read, and I'm paraphrasing, but where it says that some saw evil that day, but they (the police characters) saw "something else" ... shouldn't that be "something more"? Was 9/11 not actually a day of evil?

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posted by WWB at 12:04 AM |