Preview: Buried (2010)

Synopsis:

Trapped six feet under in a coffin, a man desparately seeks answers and a way to escape.

• Poster: B+; C; B; B

Review:

I have to give credit. While there isn't much at all going on here, there doesn't have to be. It's simplicity is a strength and the imagery is perfectly captivating.

An exasperating change from the lovely, simple poster from before (conspicuously missing again, but thankfully located and will be replaced as soon as possible). The Hitchcockian theme just doesn't seem to fit the genre in my mind, but maybe the new trailer will support the design.

Like the first poster, but still lacking the simplicity, this one is much larger on the buried man, but is notably missing a viable visage. So, is Ryan Reynolds not a popular selling point? Or are audiences more interested in looking at a scratched-up image reminiscent of the Saw films?

A much more pleasurable view than the Vertigo style of the second poster. It's significantly more creative while presenting the same sense of spiraling out of control.

• Trailer: B; B+

Review:

You don't get a lot out of the trailer. A brief glimpse of the inside of the coffin and mostly blackness with a track of dialogue over it. Certainly just a scene from the film, it's effective enough to make the movie look quite interesting and worth catching.

I know I complain about other trailers being overly abusive of art design, but sometimes it works better than I imagined. Using only still images and dialogue from the film, the trailer manages to create a sense of tension and borrows heavily on the artistic motifs that sometimes accompanied Hitchcock thrillers. It's a surprisingly good trailer for being what it is.

Oscar Prospects:

None.

Release Date:

• September 24, 2010

Full Review Synopsis:

I have not seen this film.

-Wesley Lovell (May 2, 2010) Original

-Wesley Lovell (July 22, 2010) New Trailer; New Posters

-Wesley Lovell (August 20, 2010) New Poster