I knew the whole red-band fad would come to this: Fox Searchlight is promoting the latest trailer for its Sundance-pickup Choke as “the raunchiest red-band trailer EVER.” Well, I don’t know if I agree with the statement — maybe if Fox hadn’t censored the sex scenes with “Big Screen Only” banners — but something about this latest spot makes me more interested in the film. Could it be the nudity? Or the swearing? Or maybe it’s simply the greater exposure to the coarseness we’ve come to expect from Sam Rockwell. And here he appears more depraved than usual.
On the film’s adults-only website (also available to kids who know how to pick the age-restriction locks), there are also four new promotional videos featuring strippers reading passages from Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, on which the movie is based. They’re pretty funny if you’re still into the dumb stripper stereotype (I prefer the smart MENSA strippers/porn stars like Asia Carrera, of course). Also on the site, you can kinda learn how to do the Heimlich Maneuver.
Choke won a Special Jury Prize for its ensemble cast (including my current celebrity crush, Kelly Macdonald) at Sundance this past January. It opens in theaters nationwide September 26.
These things are funny: drunk basketball; guns pointed at crotches; and orgies. These words are funny: fuck; dick; blowjobs; and cock (as in “suck my cock; I’ll murder your family!”). What do they all have in common? They can be shown and heard in the red-band trailer for Semi-Pro, the new Will Ferrell movie opening in February. Why are they so funny? Because they can only be shown and heard in a red-band trailer, duh.
When I was growing up, I learned that swearing was a sign of a lack of creativity. When I was in high school and taking creative writing classes, I learned that swearing was a sign of realism. Now that I’m old, I’m learning that swearing is a sign that something is hilarious. I’m not sure exactly why curse words and other offensive dialogue and subject matter is considered necessary for comedy these days, but between all the red-band trailers and unrated DVD versions, it’s apparent that nothing is at its funniest until it’s allowed to let loose with the F and C words.
