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June 02, 2006
Trailers, Trophies and Piers: Another Thursday Night On the Town
On a night boasting no shortage of film-related things to do, The Reeler split its time meandering through the rain from the seventh annual Golden Trailer Awards to the opening night of Rooftop Films' 2006 season. Needless to say, my ride to Staten Island never came through, and underachiever that I am, NewFest's own opening gala was bumped off the itinerary around the time I woke up on the M23 bus and decided I should probably quit my rounds while I was ahead.
It sounded like a good idea at the time: Jim Gaffigan hosts the 2006 Golden Trailer Awards at the Directors Guild Theater (Photos: STV)
And I have to say: I was pretty far ahead, especially after the three surreal hours I spent at the Directors Guild Theater attending the Golden Trailer Awards. The event is exactly the type of cultural touchstone its name suggests, where trophies capped with small golden trailers are handed out to editors and marketers and other brains behind what celebrity judges (Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie and Penny Marshall among others, none of whom were actually there) rank as the best movie previews of the year. A pre-show party resulted in a good-sized fraction of the attendees being suitably wasted, which, I suppose, made comedian Jim Gaffigan's hosting job a little easier.
"I love watching the previews," he said in his introduction. "I love the previews in the theater, I should say. When I rent a DVD, seing those previews at home can be frustrating. Particularly some of them you can't fast forward through; it's like dealing with a Jehovah's Witnesss. 'I'm not interested. I'm not interested!' But have you ever not seen someone's favorite movie? They get furious! 'You haven't seen GoodFellas? What are you saying?' Apparently, I'm saying your sister's a whore."
And as I'm sure you can guess, things went downhill from there. Mission: Impossible III won four prizes including Best Trailer, while March of the Penguins snagged a pair as well (the triumph for Best Voiceover may be the last time I ever see a beaming copywriter trot off with a trophy). Some anonymous guy a few rows in front of me, acting on a bet or eight glasses of wine or both, accepted an award for a film he had no affiliation with. Many high-fives were exchanged upon his return to his seat.
Howard Stern regular Artie Lange literally stole the prize for Trashiest Trailer when the crew behind the actual winner (Three) did not arrive and the presenter decided to recognize Lange's upcoming Beer League instead. The incident resulted in Beer League's trailer squad finally storming the stage to take credit.
"What, did you guys win?" Lange asked.
"This is very exciting for Alchemy Entertainment--"
"Who won?" Lange asked again, looking around the stage "Who won the award?"
You did, Artie. You did. Anyway, I fled Midtown soon afterward to take in the first movie in Rooftop Films' long summer series of outdoor screenings. Geniuses that they are, Rooftop's organizers wrangled a covered spot at Pier 63 (right), allowing a few hundred viewers to watch a preview of Steve Collins' droll comedy Gretchen in relative dryness. The series's opening weekend continues tonight in Williamsburg with a collection of short films ostensibly about love and sex, concluding Sunday in Gowanus with Taggart Siegel's documentary The Real Dirt on Farmer John. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased ahead of time right here. Believe me: If I did not have to go see my beloved Giants get their asses handed to them tonight in Queens, I would probably join you in Brooklyn.
Posted by stvanairsdale at June 2, 2006 10:11 AM
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