10. Marriage Story | Official Trailer
I mean if Laura Dern asked me how I’m doing, I’d probably break down in tears too. When he’s firing on all cylinders Noah Baumbach hits an affectingly close-to-home sweet spot. By all accounts, he’s hit a vein with Marriage Story, and if the trailer is to be believed, it’s sure to be one of the year’s big contenders. Tender and funny, the trailer sells a graceful and powerfully performed portrait of a separation. All in all, it appears to be a painful and rewarding ride.
What it’s selling: Emotional gut punches, dialogue like a knife, and killer performances from its two leads.
Best moment: Ray Liotta yelling about settlement bargaining strategies.
9. Cats | Official Trailer
CATS is the story of a bunch of cats introducing themselves until one of them gets permission to die. Tom Hooper has decided to manifest this famously banana pants musical about a death cult for kitties in an appropriately nightmarish fashion, leaping headlong into the uncanny valley without a parachute. It may be a mindfuck, but I’ll take this experimental fuckery over boring-ass photorealism any day.
What it’s selling: Digital fur technology.
Best moment: Impossible to choose. But slinky, trenchcoat Idris Elba has been seared into my mind’s eye so let’s go with that.
8. Us | Official Trailer
When it dropped, the Us trailer took the world by storm. Everyone was hyped as hell for Jordan Peele’s Get Out follow up, and this high concept trailer scratched an itch. Full of “oh damn” visuals, catchy Bernard Herrmann-esque strings, and glimpses of Lupita Nyong’o’s batshit performance, the Us trailer was inescapable and enticingly bonkers.
What it’s selling: Doppelganger shenanigans, running with scissors, and bunnies.
Best moment: Luniz’ “I Got 5 On It” distorting into the trailer’s main theme.
7. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Official Trailer
Where to begin? Brad Pitt chomping Bugs Bunny-like on a piece of celery? Fried sauerkraut? Whatever divinely goofy twist shuffle Leonardo Decaprio is doing? The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood trailer is a veritable bounty of riches; a gift that keeps on giving and an energetic sales pitch for Quentin Tarantino’s latest.
What it’s selling: Set design for days, Hollywood charm, and nightcap margaritas.
Best moment: “Embarrassed yourself like that in front of all those GODDAMN people.”
6. Honey Boy | Official Trailer
The Honey Boy trailer’s only crime is how much it makes it look like Lucas Hedges is in the movie. Chaotic and calm, surreal and grounded, Honey Boy’s trailer presents a mesmerizing vision none of us were expecting when we first heard the words “Shia LaBeouf is playing his own dad in a movie about his childhood.”
What it’s selling: An intimate self-portrait, a fantastic child performance, and charm to spare.
Best moment: Hollywood’s tiny Daniel Day-Lewis, Noah Jupe, getting pie’d.
Related Topics: 2019 Rewind
