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February 4, 2006 6:17 AM Subscribe
Meh... am I the only one who thinks this whole remixed trailer thing has already jumped the shark? It's the law of diminishing returns.
posted by attaboy at 6:56 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by attaboy at 6:56 AM on February 4, 2006
I liked Top Gun 2: Brokeback Squadron better (although they should have included the quotes "You two are really cowboys" and "This gives me a hard on" for added effect.
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:59 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:59 AM on February 4, 2006
Don't know about that... saw a remix of "Sleepless in Seattle" that turned it (with appropriate editing and music) into what looked like one hell of a horror flick.
Now, taking something like "Nighmare on Elm Street" and remixing the trailer so it looks like a chick flick, THAT would be a challenge.
I like the subgenre as a whole as a fine example of creativity (and warped thinking).
posted by JB71 at 7:02 AM on February 4, 2006
Now, taking something like "Nighmare on Elm Street" and remixing the trailer so it looks like a chick flick, THAT would be a challenge.
I like the subgenre as a whole as a fine example of creativity (and warped thinking).
posted by JB71 at 7:02 AM on February 4, 2006
JB71, there's a remixed "Cabin Fever" trailer that makes it look like a chick flick... but it's really not as good/funny as the other ones.
posted by rxrfrx at 7:18 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by rxrfrx at 7:18 AM on February 4, 2006
I can't figure out if they jumped the shark or if nothing other than the Shining trailer was good. Too many of these rely on a formula: change the music, use short clips so that lines are easily out of context, and add intertitles. The meaning changes. What made the Shining so good was the surprise (even if you have seen Can Dialiectics Break Bricks and What's Up Tiger Lily), the use of longer ambiguous clips so there was more continuity, and (as I recall) a narrator with an excellent made-for-trailers voice.
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 7:43 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 7:43 AM on February 4, 2006
It was that the Shining trailer was so good.
It's like when you read a terrific novel, and you find out it's the first of a series and you get all excited and read the rest only to discover it was only the first one that was any good. This was the best of the also-rans, though.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:49 AM on February 4, 2006
It's like when you read a terrific novel, and you find out it's the first of a series and you get all excited and read the rest only to discover it was only the first one that was any good. This was the best of the also-rans, though.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:49 AM on February 4, 2006
Bah. "Jumped the shark" has jumped the shark. I though this was quite clever and funny. So there.
posted by VulcanMike at 7:51 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by VulcanMike at 7:51 AM on February 4, 2006
People like the remix of "The Shining" partly because it was the first one they saw. Now the genre isn't a fresh joke and it's up to each remix to be funny on its own.
Meh... am I the only one who thinks this whole remixed trailer thing has already jumped the shark? It's the law of diminishing returns.
Repetitiveness is not always horrible. Your comment, for example, is a set of 5 boilerplate phrases stuck together in standard order:
"Meh" (6,060,000 google hits)
+ "am I the only one who thinks" (204,000 google hits)
+ "this whole [X] thing" (I don't know how to google that, but it would be pretty big)
+ "has already jumped the shark?" (435, or 60,200 without "already")
+ "It's the law of diminishing returns." (1,220, or 178,000 without "It's")
The success or failure of a statement (or a joke) depends on what you do with the standard forms. I like "the whole remixed trailer thing" because, besides sometimes being funny, these things mock Hollywood previews (trailers don't trail anything, do they?) and Hollywood films in general, because they are great illustrations of how music and editing change the mood and tempo of a piece, and because they help people to see the cliches they might otherwise miss.
posted by pracowity at 7:51 AM on February 4, 2006
Meh... am I the only one who thinks this whole remixed trailer thing has already jumped the shark? It's the law of diminishing returns.
Repetitiveness is not always horrible. Your comment, for example, is a set of 5 boilerplate phrases stuck together in standard order:
"Meh" (6,060,000 google hits)
+ "am I the only one who thinks" (204,000 google hits)
+ "this whole [X] thing" (I don't know how to google that, but it would be pretty big)
+ "has already jumped the shark?" (435, or 60,200 without "already")
+ "It's the law of diminishing returns." (1,220, or 178,000 without "It's")
The success or failure of a statement (or a joke) depends on what you do with the standard forms. I like "the whole remixed trailer thing" because, besides sometimes being funny, these things mock Hollywood previews (trailers don't trail anything, do they?) and Hollywood films in general, because they are great illustrations of how music and editing change the mood and tempo of a piece, and because they help people to see the cliches they might otherwise miss.
posted by pracowity at 7:51 AM on February 4, 2006
I'm so sick of Brokeback parodies. Please make the creators repeat the eighth grade and stop interfering with my computing pleasure. Thanx.
posted by moonbird at 8:34 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by moonbird at 8:34 AM on February 4, 2006
Browsing the web is computing to the extent that lighting your farts is rocketry.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:41 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:41 AM on February 4, 2006
Haha, pracowity!
attaboy you done been pnwed!
Oh... uh... yeah, 963,000 Google hits
posted by hal9k at 8:44 AM on February 4, 2006
attaboy you done been pnwed!
Oh... uh... yeah, 963,000 Google hits
posted by hal9k at 8:44 AM on February 4, 2006
I'm all for exposing the Hollywood trailer as the formulaic and hackneyed production that it is, but I didn't think this satire was very fabulous, and I didn't like the Sleepless in Seattle one either. Hence my general apathy. Let me take back my clichés though — I was wrong to suggest that the genre is already dead. Instead I suggest that the genre is only worth its weight when it hits the target.
Kingfisher is right in a way — the Shining remix was so good that subsequent remixes seem less inspired. That's not just because it was the first one though, but rather because it was unusually clever — it really did make what we all know as "The Shining" look like a completely different movie. It was unrecognizable. These other trailers simply haven't done that; they're too transparently mocking. "Brokeback to the Future" gets most of its jollies from the idea of a goofy homosexual encounter between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, and the re-edited clips just don't come close to pulling it off.
The Shining remix was a brilliant commentary on how you can use editing and music to tell any story you'd like. In a way, it was a defence of the trailer's power, not a satire of it.
Having said all that, I'll full knocks for my overuse of cliché. It's just so easy to get locked into it when it's so much of what makes mefi so... well, mefiesque.
posted by attaboy at 8:45 AM on February 4, 2006
Kingfisher is right in a way — the Shining remix was so good that subsequent remixes seem less inspired. That's not just because it was the first one though, but rather because it was unusually clever — it really did make what we all know as "The Shining" look like a completely different movie. It was unrecognizable. These other trailers simply haven't done that; they're too transparently mocking. "Brokeback to the Future" gets most of its jollies from the idea of a goofy homosexual encounter between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, and the re-edited clips just don't come close to pulling it off.
The Shining remix was a brilliant commentary on how you can use editing and music to tell any story you'd like. In a way, it was a defence of the trailer's power, not a satire of it.
Having said all that, I'll full knocks for my overuse of cliché. It's just so easy to get locked into it when it's so much of what makes mefi so... well, mefiesque.
posted by attaboy at 8:45 AM on February 4, 2006
For those wondering about the Shining trailer, it's here.
posted by heydanno at 8:56 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by heydanno at 8:56 AM on February 4, 2006
I think that Brokeback to the Future might be the best trailer parody since The Shining.
posted by Ber at 9:28 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by Ber at 9:28 AM on February 4, 2006
Yeah, I dunno. That one tried a little too hard. I'm with attaboy on his analysis of this one, as well as his take on the Shining trailer (which was genius).
I think the Top Gun one gets honorable mention, but only because it wasn't a satire. That could have been an actual trailer for a movie that had extremely obvious homoerotic overtones without having to edit clips and present them out of context. The Top Gun scenes were arguably all presented IN context.
posted by psmealey at 9:29 AM on February 4, 2006
I think the Top Gun one gets honorable mention, but only because it wasn't a satire. That could have been an actual trailer for a movie that had extremely obvious homoerotic overtones without having to edit clips and present them out of context. The Top Gun scenes were arguably all presented IN context.
posted by psmealey at 9:29 AM on February 4, 2006
I was just lukewarm on this for two reasons. One, they didn't limit themselves to footage from only one movie, which would have proven much harder. Second, I feel like too much of the joke was "ha ha, what if Marty and Doc were teh GAY!!! LOLZ." In fact, that kind of joke has been a recurring theme in quite a few of these remixed trailers, and it kind bothers me.
posted by piratebowling at 9:33 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by piratebowling at 9:33 AM on February 4, 2006
Whenever I now hear that Brokeback Mountain guitar riff, I now feel immediate dread... that music now makes me think "really stupid trailer parody". (It actually ruined the movie a bit whenever I heard that music.)
I hope this particular remix meme dies soon. :)
Someone needs to do a trailer parody of trailer parodies:
The scene: A guy sitting at his PC remixing every movie he can think of into a "gay love story via Brokeback Mountain music and editing". His screen flickers through every movie scene he can think of, cutting in the Brokeback Mountain guitar theme into shots of famous characters:
Guitar riff... Luke and Han. Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Michael and Fredo. Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam. (natch) Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Michael Moore and George Bush. Gay lovers.
On and on, the sad trailer editor simply can't help himself. His wife angrily asks him what he's been doing all those weekends away with his Final Cut Pro. He snaps: "You don't have any idea what I've been doing!".
The final scene: The editor, weeping at his keyboard:
"I wish I knew how to quit remixing you."
posted by jca at 9:55 AM on February 4, 2006
I hope this particular remix meme dies soon. :)
Someone needs to do a trailer parody of trailer parodies:
The scene: A guy sitting at his PC remixing every movie he can think of into a "gay love story via Brokeback Mountain music and editing". His screen flickers through every movie scene he can think of, cutting in the Brokeback Mountain guitar theme into shots of famous characters:
Guitar riff... Luke and Han. Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Michael and Fredo. Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam. (natch) Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Michael Moore and George Bush. Gay lovers.
On and on, the sad trailer editor simply can't help himself. His wife angrily asks him what he's been doing all those weekends away with his Final Cut Pro. He snaps: "You don't have any idea what I've been doing!".
The final scene: The editor, weeping at his keyboard:
"I wish I knew how to quit remixing you."
posted by jca at 9:55 AM on February 4, 2006
The Shining remix was a brilliant commentary on how you can use editing and music to tell any story you'd like. In a way, it was a defence of the trailer's power, not a satire of it. -attaboy
Great point and I agree absolutely. That said, I still laugh at the parodies...well sometimes. I thought this was funny, but not hilarious. Thanks for posting. :)
posted by freudianslipper at 9:55 AM on February 4, 2006
Great point and I agree absolutely. That said, I still laugh at the parodies...well sometimes. I thought this was funny, but not hilarious. Thanks for posting. :)
posted by freudianslipper at 9:55 AM on February 4, 2006
And then, if you want to up the geek factor a notch or two further: Broke Mac Mountain.
posted by spilon at 9:56 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by spilon at 9:56 AM on February 4, 2006
Christopher Lloyd deserves an oscar for this. Thanks for the hearty laugh.
posted by Skygazer at 10:10 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by Skygazer at 10:10 AM on February 4, 2006
I dunno, that trailer kinda played like a parody of the other trailers. This one actually went so far as to tell you what to expect, whereas the Shining was just a feel-good trailer for a scary movie.
posted by Eideteker at 10:31 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by Eideteker at 10:31 AM on February 4, 2006
Your comment, for example, is a set of 5 boilerplate phrases stuck together in standard order...
This is why I love Metafilter.
posted by killdevil at 10:51 AM on February 4, 2006
This is why I love Metafilter.
posted by killdevil at 10:51 AM on February 4, 2006
Metafilter: A set of boilerplate phrases stuck together in standard order.
posted by JekPorkins at 11:51 AM on February 4, 2006
posted by JekPorkins at 11:51 AM on February 4, 2006
The scene: A guy sitting at his PC remixing every movie he can think of into a "gay love story via Brokeback Mountain music and editing". His screen flickers through every movie scene he can think of, cutting in the Brokeback Mountain guitar theme into shots of famous characters:
Guitar riff... Luke and Han. Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Michael and Fredo. Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam. (natch) Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Michael Moore and George Bush. Gay lovers.
On and on, the sad trailer editor simply can't help himself. His wife angrily asks him what he's been doing all those weekends away with his Final Cut Pro. He snaps: "You don't have any idea what I've been doing!".
The final scene: The editor, weeping at his keyboard:
"I wish I knew how to quit remixing you."
*applauds*
posted by jokeefe at 12:16 PM on February 4, 2006
Guitar riff... Luke and Han. Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Michael and Fredo. Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam. (natch) Gay lovers.
Guitar riff... Michael Moore and George Bush. Gay lovers.
On and on, the sad trailer editor simply can't help himself. His wife angrily asks him what he's been doing all those weekends away with his Final Cut Pro. He snaps: "You don't have any idea what I've been doing!".
The final scene: The editor, weeping at his keyboard:
"I wish I knew how to quit remixing you."
*applauds*
posted by jokeefe at 12:16 PM on February 4, 2006
No, no. Bilbo and Fredo, gay lovers. C'mon, somebody can do it.
That's just [sic].
Seriously I agree with attaboy. The Shining (remember, that's what they called it instead) trailer was a brilliant meta-commentary on the process of making a trailer sell a movie, even if the movie doesn't provide you the material to sell the story you need to. (For instance, lots of disconnected clips under a Peter Gabriel song.)
These others are not going to be as good for a variety of reasons -- they're just larks, really, and using as piratebowling notes mostly the whole That's just WRONG factor. I really think, for instance, that a little more footage-mining work would have made the same basic material much funnier.
This genre of parody, though, is gonna continue. We don't know how to quit it.
posted by dhartung at 1:23 PM on February 4, 2006
That's just [sic].
Seriously I agree with attaboy. The Shining (remember, that's what they called it instead) trailer was a brilliant meta-commentary on the process of making a trailer sell a movie, even if the movie doesn't provide you the material to sell the story you need to. (For instance, lots of disconnected clips under a Peter Gabriel song.)
These others are not going to be as good for a variety of reasons -- they're just larks, really, and using as piratebowling notes mostly the whole That's just WRONG factor. I really think, for instance, that a little more footage-mining work would have made the same basic material much funnier.
This genre of parody, though, is gonna continue. We don't know how to quit it.
posted by dhartung at 1:23 PM on February 4, 2006
"I wish I knew how to quit remixing you."
what a great line that would be...
if it was actually funny
posted by Hat Maui at 1:45 PM on February 4, 2006
what a great line that would be...
if it was actually funny
posted by Hat Maui at 1:45 PM on February 4, 2006
Jesus Christ, you guys think too much.
I laughed even though my laughter wasn't warranted because Metafilter officially thinks this thing isn't as funny as other similar things.
posted by kevspace at 4:03 PM on February 4, 2006
I laughed even though my laughter wasn't warranted because Metafilter officially thinks this thing isn't as funny as other similar things.
posted by kevspace at 4:03 PM on February 4, 2006
dhartung inadvertently (if we believe that's a typo and not a clever reference, given where s/he put the italics) suggests another possible mashup:
I know it was you, Frodo. You broke my heart! You broke my heart!
posted by stevil at 4:42 PM on February 4, 2006
I know it was you, Frodo. You broke my heart! You broke my heart!
posted by stevil at 4:42 PM on February 4, 2006
The Broke Mac Mountain one was pretty lame, although I give it a few bonus points for the "I wish I could quit you" line.
I will say that, at the very least, I prefer Brokeback Mountain trailer re-cut spoofs to the awful Lazy Sunday fan spoofs that were showing up for a few weeks.
On a slightly tangential note, I highly recommend the music of Brokeback Mountain composer (and guitarist) Gustavo Santaolalla. Some of his other movie scores include The Motorcycle Diaries and 21 Grams. Check out his masterpiece album Ronroco on iTunes.
posted by FlunkedFlank at 8:27 PM on February 4, 2006
I will say that, at the very least, I prefer Brokeback Mountain trailer re-cut spoofs to the awful Lazy Sunday fan spoofs that were showing up for a few weeks.
On a slightly tangential note, I highly recommend the music of Brokeback Mountain composer (and guitarist) Gustavo Santaolalla. Some of his other movie scores include The Motorcycle Diaries and 21 Grams. Check out his masterpiece album Ronroco on iTunes.
posted by FlunkedFlank at 8:27 PM on February 4, 2006
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Thanks.
posted by disillusioned at 6:54 AM on February 4, 2006