One of my most recently discovered YouTube treasures is recut movie trailers. Ever wonder what The Silence of the Lambs would be like as a romantic comedy (and honestly who hasn't?) or Toy Story as a horror movie? The great people on YouTube have already done it for you - edits, music, voiceover and all. Sure, some users go a little too crazy with the text/graphics, but it's not hard to find some absolute masterpieces.
A few of these reimagined films just need to be shared with the world, so I've gathered 5 of YouTube's best recuts for your viewing pleasure. I pre-apologize if I instill an irrational fear of any childhood icons, or a newfound fondness for certain cinematic psychopaths.
1. Mary Poppins
This was one of the first recuts I watched, and is still one of the best I've seen. (I have to give credit to my friend and Scene It? rival Adam for showing me it.) Making Mary Poppins, or just Julie Andrews, scary is not easy. Yet I'm terrified of that ever-cheerful woman each time I watch this. Really makes you wonder what else she was hiding in that bottomless bag of hers...
2. The Shining
Credit must also go to Adam for finding this fake trailer. In it, we see Stanley Kubrick's sadly unrealized potential in romantic comedies. Whoever made this has a gift, because he or she managed to turn some of the movie's creepiest scenes into cute, harmless family moments. (Be sure to watch who Jack Nicholson is kissing.) The song selection of "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel is also excellent, even if that man's continued presence in romantic comedies has always puzzled me. I mean, it's only his music cropping up in John Cusack movies, but he's pretty strange. (Exhibit A)
Sorry for the random tangent. Here you go.
3. Sleepless in Seattle
A lonely single woman tries desperately to contact a widower after merely hearing his son speak on a radio show. Sounds like the perfect set-up to a stalker thriller, right? That's what the maker(s) of this video thought, even if most people saw it as one of the greatest romances of all time. Here, Meg Ryan, the essential romantic comedy heroine, has eerily morphed into Glenn Close, circa Fatal Attraction. Tom Hanks already had reason to be scared (I know I'd be a little wary of her often irritating "charm"), but in this context, he oughta be running for his life to the nearest Zoltar machine, deserted island or Polar Express train.
4. Taxi Driver
Like The Shining's Jack Torrance, Travis Bickle is not the most well-adjusted guy. While that might be the understatement of the century, it's worth noting because, through the wonders of this recut's editing, he appears to be the Prince Charming of Manhattan. I mean, just look at that freeze frame! Also like my previous pick, this trailer features hysterical music choices and more cheerful readings of some of the film's darkest moments. Now if only they could've revamped Jodie Foster as the couple's wild, yet endearing, foster child...
Like The Shining's Jack Torrance, Travis Bickle is not the most well-adjusted guy. While that might be the understatement of the century, it's worth noting because, through the wonders of this recut's editing, he appears to be the Prince Charming of Manhattan. I mean, just look at that freeze frame! Also like my previous pick, this trailer features hysterical music choices and more cheerful readings of some of the film's darkest moments. Now if only they could've revamped Jodie Foster as the couple's wild, yet endearing, foster child...
5. The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski doesn't have much of a middle ground: most people love its quirky humor or hate its downright bizarre story. But we can probably all agree that it's a little out there. It's all the more impressive, then, that someone made it into a surprisingly convincing tearjerker trailer (and with a brief appearance by John Turturro's Jesus Quintana, nonetheless). I will warn anyone who has yet to see the movie that there's a bit of a spoiler, but for those that have seen it (or could care less about the story), enjoy:
If you're craving more, be sure to check out these fantastic recuts that just barely missed the list: The Usual Suspects, Dumb and Dumber, Office Space, Rain Man and The Matrix. Oh and don't forget the Toy Story and Silence of the Lambs trailers I mentioned in the intro.
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