SkimIt
Cosmopolis (release date TBA)
The Details: Following the success of the atypical period piece A Dangerous Method, writer/director David Cronenberg premiered his latest film at the Cannes Film Festival. The twisty trailer for Cosmopolis (not yet rated, but certainly at least an R given the flashes of casual nudity in the adults-only red-band trailer) feels much more Cronenbergian to this longtime fan. Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, the film follows young billionaire financier Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) on a trip through Manhattan in his impossibly luxurious limousine while his poor decisions cause his clients to lose all their money and, possibly, touch off a citywide riot. Jay Baruchel, Samantha Morton, Juliette Binoche and Paul Giamatti co-star.
The Trailer: What I meant by Cronenbergian is that the trailer starts calmly, almost deliberately, but then things start to fragment. Fast cuts tease scenes of sex and violence as an overwhelming sense of dread and collapse starts to suffuse the mise en scene and ... DUDE, did that guy just shoot a pistol at someone through his own hand? (Answer: Yes. Yes, he did.).
The Buzz: A lot of DeLillo fans consider Cosmopolis one of his weaker novels; many flat out don't like it, in fact. But Cronenberg has a knack for bringing difficult material to the screen, and the casting of teen heartthrob Pattinson in a seriously dark role is brave on both sides. But Cronenberg is a master of unusual casting decisions that turn out to work brilliantly: remember, he got a remarkable lead performance out of porn star Marilyn Chambers in 1977's Rabid. If nothing else, this looks like a must for Cronenberg fans, and it may give some of Pattinson's most ardent fanbase an idea of the world outside Twilight.
