Capone here again. Our friends of at TrailerAddict got a hold of Michael Moore's new teaser trailer. Here it is!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
So I get a note floated to me from someone representing Overture Films the other day saying they would like me to come to a special sneak peek at what I suppose could be called a teaser trailer for Michael Moore's still-untitled documentary, set for release October 2. I know as much as anybody what the film is about. According to a release from Overture and Paramount Vantage, Moore's new film examines "the root causes of the global economic meltdown and takes a comical look at the corporate and political shenanigans that culminated in what Moore has described as 'the biggest robbery in the history of this country'--the massive transfer of U.S. taxpayer money to private financial institutions."
I guess the real question is, Are Americans or any citizen of the world ready to laugh at a meltdown that we're still in the midst of? I'm more intrigued by the "corporate and political shenanigans" aspect of this film. This is what Moore does best--he goes after these chairmen, CEOs, and elected officials and makes them talk to him whether they want to or not. It's been 20 years since ROGER & ME introduced us to Moore's brand of documentary filmmaking--aggressive, opinionated, antagonistic, informative, and, yes, biased. So let me tell you about what I saw this evening…
The Overture folks actually bought me a ticket for PELHAM 1 2 3. After telling them there was no way in hell I was sitting through that movie again, they told me that for this one showing only in Chicago (as well as showing in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.), they were attaching this teaser trailer/special message for Moore's new movie. The clip is just Moore addressing the audience directly. The funny thing is that as part of the trailer/commercial package before the leading up to Moore's piece, we saw one of those Will Rogers Institute PSAs, and Moore's plea struck a very similar tone. He begins, "Hi, I'm Michael Moore. Instead of using this time to tell you about my new movie, I'd like to take a moment and ask you to join me in helping our fellow Americans."
He goes on to talk about how the down economy has hurt so may people, and how there are folks relying on government assistance who never have before. He ends by asking the audience to reach into our pockets to lend a hand. While he's talking, the camera is slowly pulling back from just a head-and-shoulders shot to reveal Moore holding a white collection can with the words, "Save Our CEOs" printed on it. "Ushers will be coming down the aisles to collect your donations for Citibank, Bank of America, AIG, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and a host of other needy banks and corporations," he continues. "Now, I know what you're thinking, 'I already gave at the bailout," and I know you did." Eventually Moore tells us that we should give some more because it'll make us feel good. At this point in the theater, the lights came up, and, sure enough, people in "Save Our CEOs" t-shirts with collection cans started marching up and down the aisles rattling their nearly empty vessels.
The spot ends with four title cards: Michael Moore; The New Movie; Coming Soon; and This time it's personal.
I'm not sure what the plans are to roll this teaser out, but if Moore is still undecided about a title, I actually love SAVE OUR CEOs. Obviously, I have no idea what the exact thrust of his film will be, but the audacity of such a title would be right in step with the stories we're hearing about millions of dollars in bailout money being used for executive bonuses or retreats. Anyway, it's a wickedly funny spot that hopefully you'll get a chance to see very soon.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
