I can’t make any sense of the trailer for A Single Man. There’s a dead dude. Colin Firth may have killed him. The dead man may have been Colin Firth’s lover. Colin Firth is definitely AC/DC. Julliane Moore is in it, and so is Ginnifer Goodwin. And there’s also a naked dude in the water.
I’ll say this much, however: It sure is pretty. It should be, I suppose, as it comes from debut writer/director Tom Ford, a fashion designer responsible for the turnaround of Gucci (he pulled it back from the brink of bankruptcy). It looks lush and gorgeous.It’s like a soft-focus wet dream — the kind of movie one might expect from a fashion designer. Aside from the visuals, however, who knows if it’s any damn good?
The movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival won the Queer Lion Award (Don’t mess with the queer lions — they will fuck you up). Firth was also given the award for best actor.
Keep an eye out for Nicholas Hoult, the kid from About a Boy. He’s not a kid anymore (which I suspect fans of “Skins” already know). He’s a pretty boy.
This looks pretentious and weird. But the trailer was worth it for a glimpse of Lee Pace.
Posted by: Julie at September 15, 2009 10:39 AM
I definitely spotted my beloved Piemaker at the 45 second mark. Tom Ford ,you just earned yourself a pass for the next time you make a completely obtuse trailer. Is the header photo from Firth's Pride and Prejudice days? Tasty.
Posted by: Aratweth at September 15, 2009 10:43 AM
I'll watch it on DVD for Colin Firth and out of curiosity to see what Tom Ford does with a movie camera. Is it supposed to be some kind of Talented Mr Ripley thing?
Also, the "Queer Lion Award"? Come on, are you making this stuff up? I can't tell sometimes if you are just making stuff up.
:Googels:
Hmmm. What a time to be alive.
Posted by: Yossarian at September 15, 2009 10:47 AM
Pretty men: check
Lovely clothes: check
Beuatiful settings: check
Colin Fith not wasting himself in a rom-com: check
I'm in.
Posted by: PaddyDog at September 15, 2009 10:59 AM
Judging by all the close-ups of eyes, this movie is about a successful optomitrist who has a gay fling then consideres shooting a little girl who is obviously evil. Then he goes dancing, falls in a pool and drowns under the weight of his own success.
Annoying damned music. Not terribly provocative. Too much hair and make-up Julianne. I love you Gennifer, but you look like a little girl playing dress-up. Colin Firth's win makes it mildly intriguing. Not sure.
Posted by: Cindy at September 15, 2009 11:04 AM
Aratweth:
Yes, that's from the visit to Pemberly when he comes home early, plunges into the lake and Elizabeth runs into him as she leaves the house Probably the second sexiest scene in the series.
Posted by: PaddyDog at September 15, 2009 11:10 AM
I'm totally into this, even though I am also oblivious as to what the story is supposed to be about. There was a lot of hot gay hotness in that there trailer.
Posted by: The Wandering Parakeet at September 15, 2009 11:17 AM
I’ve never understood the term AC/DC, does it mean Accepts Cock/Decline Cock? Because if it does pencil me in as Declining Cock.
Posted by: Guess Who! at September 15, 2009 11:18 AM
The film is based on a book by Christopher Isherwood. LA. 1960's. Story of love and loss, etc. The movie looks stunning.
Posted by: Sassy Rouge at September 15, 2009 11:18 AM
Guess Who! AC/DC refers to electricity. AC = alternating current. DC = direct current. You can wire something up AC or DC, but not both. If a person is AC/DC then they have electricity (so to speak) both ways.
That music is damned annoying. I turned it off.
Why, oh why, does Colin Firth keep playing AC/DC characters?
Mama Mia? Gay.
Where the Truth Lies? Gay.
A Single Man? Gay.
It's no wonder I keep re-renting Pride and Prejudice. I like my men straight and wet.
Posted by: BWeaves at September 15, 2009 11:29 AM
I'm here to concur with all the enthusiasm for the prettiness of the people in this. As far as I'm aware, it's a fairly standard film about a man's sense of loss after the death of his lover. Count this as another ludicrously over-egged trailer. I wish they wouldn't try and make everything look like an action murder mystery. Why not just show us two minutes of Lee Pace and Nicholas Hoult making out, instead?
BWeaves, Colin Firth is playing those characters for me. Do you understand? Me.
Posted by: The Wandering Parakeet at September 15, 2009 11:39 AM
BWeaves:
I read an interview with Firth a couple of years ago where he was talking about starting off as a character actor and then the P&P role launched him as the wet dream of most warm-blooded women (pauses here for the obligatory objection from the lobotomized people out there who don't "get" Darcy). So then he was offered leading man rom-com roles and he went down that lucrative road, but it gets sort of boring after a while (and probably downright embarrassing if he ever looked at the final cut of Love Actually) so he wanted to get back into character acting.
I assume there's no better way to shrug off the leading man persona than to take somewhat twisted roles with a little gay thrown in for good measure.
Posted by: PaddyDog at September 15, 2009 11:39 AM
The fashion crowd did alright with sci-fi action (Fifth Element), I don't see why they couldn't handle this. A poncy, not-so-ambiguously-gay thriller involving lots of elegant laying about seems like it should be right in the old wheelhouse.
Posted by: Eep at September 15, 2009 12:04 PM
Thanks BWeaves but I already know about the currents and shit. I just thought that the term AC/DC had a particular meaning in the homosexual underworld.
Posted by: Guess Who! at September 15, 2009 12:09 PM
Pictures of wet Mr. Darcy are composed of warm sweater hugs on a fluffy-snow day and puppy dogs. It is because of this composition that said pictures will always make me ecstatic and any news after that will be considered wondrous and amazing.
Keep that in mind next time you wanna ruin the blood flow to my brain by mentioning that forsaken centipede movie.
Being an Ommetaphile, I'm at about half-staff right now and can't wait to rub one out in the theater.
Posted by: PissBoy at September 15, 2009 12:19 PM
Why not just show us two minutes of Lee Pace and Nicholas Hoult making out, instead?
Posted by: Caspar at September 15, 2009 11:32 AM
Caspar is a wise wise man.
Posted by: Julie at September 15, 2009 12:25 PM
No, AC/DC is no abbreviation....
It´s clear that this film is made by a gay man and designed for gay men. And maybe women....And I´m gonna watch this, because it looks fancy and I like fancy movies. It´s like a detective-story-themed photoshoot. The story is an excuse to make beautiful shots of beautiful people in beautiful clothes....
Posted by: Zean-Chris at September 15, 2009 12:25 PM
Ummm...anyone else think this trailer looks like a perfume commercial? I expected some sultry voice at the end to say, "Intrigue...fragrance for men....and women who like to scream and stare a lot..."
Posted by: Lindsay at September 15, 2009 12:35 PM
Firth?
Sold.
Bunk.
Why not just show us two minutes of Lee Pace and Nicholas Hoult making out, instead?
Oh please dear Casper tell me this actually happens in this film.
Are you telling me that this fucking Tom Ford….hold on….just one second…..so Kanye shitted on your moment, get over it honey, if you never sing another song in your life you’ll still make obscene amounts of money, see honey the world just loves themselves some young white woman that done got frazzled by the crazy black guy, they eat that shit up. Anyway where was I, oh ok, Tom Ford need to keep his motherfucking ass away from the movie making business.
Posted by: Guess Who! at September 15, 2009 12:56 PM
See, this is my kind of trashy. I'll leave the Twilight franchise to the 16-year-old girls; give me Colin Firth in a trashy romantic intrigue movie any day. I'm going to watch this in the comfort of my own home with a bottle of red wine by my side.
And how have I not seen Pride & Prejudice yet? I need to rectify that.
Be very clear on this: You need to see the multiple episode A&E movie "Pride and Prejudice", not the "major-motion-picture-starring-Keira-Knightly-abridged-to-the-point-that-it bears-little-resemblance-to-the-original-material-and- marketed-to-14-year-olds" version. Sorry if that is old news for you, but I wouldn't want to have you led terribly astray.
Just looking out for you.
Also:
AvB!
Send those boys over to my bunk when you get done with them.
MMMM, pretty.
Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at September 15, 2009 3:29 PM
Thanks, Lindsey with an 'e'. I didn't know there was more than one version. I'd have been pissed if I had been ambushed by Keira Knightley sans Colin Firth. You have quite possibly saved 2 hours of my life and a few blood pressure points.
Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at September 15, 2009 3:43 PM
Lindsay, you took the words out of my AC-mouth. Wanted to ask since when does Colin Firth do commercials. Cause really the way he looks now he couldn't sell a shit to me, not even Pemberley.
But, oh, Boy, were my feelings quite the opposite back then.
Now I have another question: wouldn't AC suffice? Alternating current, changing poles... this should already mean bi.
And, PaddyDog, what was the sexist scene to you? Cause I would NEED to rewatch it if you consider it to be any better than this.
Posted by: The Gemeinderat at September 15, 2009 4:31 PM
I am all over this movie. It looks mod, it has all the aforementioned cast, but also Matthew Goode and Lee Pace, so yeah. I'm totally seeing this.
Posted by: Saint Saturn Sunshine at September 15, 2009 4:51 PM
The Gemeinderat, AC/DC is basically short hand for "goes both ways", see? And AC is kind of already an abbreviation for air conditioning.
Posted by: Christina at September 15, 2009 5:43 PM
Yeah the trailer was pretty, but more so, it did not reveal every single detail of the movie. Hence it is a pretty awesome trailer in my book!
To all my fellow Darcy lovers, please check out the miniseries Lost in Austen. It has a somewhat hilarious premise and once you let go of your 'BBC miniseries-loving' prejudices - I am certain you'll adore it.
By far the sexiest scene is when Darcy is watching Elizabeth from the window at Netherfield. She is strolling around the grounds and he is just out of the bath, staring lustfully wishing to God cold showers had been invented. It is so hot. Firth completely nails it. Back when we only had VCRs, I wore out my video copy rewinding that part. And now a change of underwear is in order.
Posted by: PaddyDog at September 15, 2009 6:51 PM
Mona:
Lost in Austen is hilarious. They twist things in a really clever way that pays homage to the book instead of shitting all over it (*scowls* I'm looking at you Bridget Jones).
Posted by: PaddyDog at September 15, 2009 6:59 PM
PaddyDog:
The whole thing was like a giant fanfic...I loved this version of the Bennet family, the lead was really fun and I caught myself rooting for her. The scene I posted before cracked me up because it was so real. Isn't that THE scene every fan of Firth's Darcy would recreate? *sigh*
Posted by: Mona at September 15, 2009 7:21 PM
Out of curiosity, why is this labeled as a film review if it's only a trailer?
Posted by: SaBrina at September 15, 2009 9:17 PM
I am most ashamed. Let me silently leave the room, looking for the bathtube scene.
Posted by: The Gemeinderat at September 15, 2009 9:32 PM
It's said more and more celebrities have their profiles on a great millionaire dating site____W e a l t h y S o c i a l . C O M_______ . The best club for seeking the rich singles, sexy beauties and even hot celebs...You should check it out!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prepare for style over substance and a thinly veiled plot in which Tom, I mean COLIN's character, lives out a fantasy sex life in which he is absolved of all guilt from 'the tragic accident' because of his profound feelings of loss and commitment to personal genius-ness requiring that he move on with life. And Juliette has a great hair day and two scenes.
Perhaps that is unfair, but he is an extraordinary talent...and he really thinks so too. Memember Ozymandias from Watchmen? SO that.
Posted by: replica at September 15, 2009 10:37 PM
I had a comment, but Lee Pace was there so I can't remember.
Anywhoo, Tom Ford dated one of my friends from high school. He was an awesome boy toy, got taken to Paris, etc. He has the pictures to prove it on Facebook.
Also, turns out facebook isn't a real word as it keeps being underlined in red, gah!
Posted by: kilmo at September 15, 2009 11:39 PM
I am sort of shocked that no one has managed to make a Gay Pride joke about the Queer Lion award. Anyhoo, even if the movie did not have good buzz coming out of the festival circuit, it had me at Lee Pace.
Posted by: Fatboyinawagon at September 16, 2009 2:13 AM
Lindsey, I'm with you. The Kiera Knightly version of P&P was a steaming pile of horse shit. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book EVER, and as I watched the film version, I kep thinking "Who the fuck is that supposed to be?" The A&E version, on the other hand, is comfort food for the soul. If I've had a particularly brutal week, I will watch it on Saturday afternoon and it never fails to chill me out.
Colin Firth is magnificent.
Posted by: Carolina Girl at September 16, 2009 8:38 AM
Colin Firth was gay and creepy the first time I saw him; way back in Apartment Zero.
Posted by: imk at September 16, 2009 5:02 PM
That sound you just heard was my brain exploding. From all the pretty. So. much. pretty.
This looks pretentious and weird. But the trailer was worth it for a glimpse of Lee Pace.