The trailer for Michel Gondry's next film, Be Kind, Rewind, has just been posted...

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809761737/video/3631941/

And here's the synopsis:

I have every confidence that this will end up being great, but only because of Gondry's involvement. Otherwise, it really sounds like a dozen pitches I heard every semester in film school. And the trailer doesn't really make it look any better.

I had the same reaction. And added to that is the fact that I'm not a huge fan of Jack Black. But I am a huge fan of Gondry and because he's behind it, I am pretty excited about it. I think that this kind of story line will fair well in his hands.

Just wondering if anyone has seen this yet. There was a preview in town a few weeks ago, but it doesn't open until January 25, so mum's the word and all that. But I'm just curious as to whether it has been sneak-peeked in any other towns yet.

Instant Nostalgia? Let's Go to the Videotape
"BE KIND REWIND," Michel Gondry's latest adventure in high-concept whimsy, appears to take place in a parallel universe without Netflix, TiVo or iTunes. When the entire VHS inventory of an old-school video store is demagnetized, the clerks respond to the disaster not by upgrading to DVD, but by enlisting the customers to remake the films with a VHS camcorder. Not far beneath the slapstick humor and communitarian spirit of Mr. Gondry's movie (which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last week and is set to open Feb. 22) lies a strong nostalgia for a technology that revolutionized home viewing but now seems destined for the dustbin of history. . . .
Since they function as elegies for a departed medium, "Be Kind Rewind" and "Son of Rambow" differ substantially in tone from most other movies that have prominently featured videotapes and video technology. During its lifetime VHS often symbolized alienation and malevolence, perhaps because video quickly became the medium of choice for pornography and surveillance. . . .
New York Times, January 27

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I have to say -- and this is NOT a comment on the film itself in any way, shape or form -- but the sight of all those videotapes, and of all those thick, bulky tapes and the card sleeves into which they fit, KIND of made me nostalgic (I was a video-store clerk in the late '80s), but my overwhelming response was one of relief that we now have DVDs instead.

Be Kind, Rewind has several "sweded films" contests going on. Here is the YouTube UK version, intro'd by Jack Black, that is being judged by director Michael Gondry himself.

My favorite, so far...

The reviews at RT are wildly mixed at the moment. I saw the film last night, not knowing much about it, and not considering myself a big fan of Gondry's.

This film is utterly weird, but when it's "on," it's hysterically funny. Maybe I'm being too generous toward the film, but I recommend seeing it opening weekend, with a crowd. The laughter was contagious, although I couldn't help but notice that several people in the packed theater weren't laughing at all, and the teenage boy who sat in the press row with his mom kept leaning forward and putting his hands on his forehead. He was obviously bored.

It takes a while for the movie to settle into its story, and then it becomes wacky before throwing in some Cinema Paradiso-style pathos. The mash worked, I thought, but there were times, early in the film, that I was convinced a disaster was unfolding before my eyes.

My review. Somehow the film's title reads "Be King Rewind" in the final paragraph, but I've asked that the spelling be corrected.

Hey, the movie has crawled back to 63% at RT and is now "fresh." I was encouraged to open the Washington Post this morning and see Ann Hornaday's positive review.

My review. (Decent Films link, truncated until tomorrow.)

Count me also among the film's appreciators.

FWIW, there's no comma in the title -- someone should correct.

I thought the movie was a lot of fun. It had a goofy charm that wins you over in spite of its inherent absurdity. It's a tribute to cheesy action movies and DIY creativity. And also it shows a respect for the history of industrial urban communities that have been left behind by suburban sprawl, and the working-class people who live there. Kind of like the outdated VHS technology in the video store.

I liked how the film reminded us that creativity in movies comes from people, not just a bunch of CGI work that's done on computers.

It's also pretty cool that they highlight a jazz legend like Fats Waller, too.

I sortof enjoyed Be Kind Rewind but I do feel that the actual premise for the movie is better than the movie itself (when you think of it, how could it not be?).. And in some way, I couldve used more of Gondry's touch.. it's just not as bold as Eternal Sunshine or Science of Sleep worlds.

What a nice, refreshing little film. I appreciated the way Gondry allows the film to be choppy and episodic, letting a bit of the gleeful amateurity of the Sweded films leak back into his own finished product. But the final scene makes the film worthwhile. Little known fact: Andre Bazin actually used to secretly screen films in occupied-Parisian attics by hanging a sheet in the middle of an attic and having people sit on either side of it to maximize the small space available to him. I love that image of people huddled around the screen, seeing it from every angle possible. I do wonder now if Gondry has read the same Bazin biography the rest of us have.

Yes indeedy. That one scene almost bumps it up another half-star in my book.

The story about Bazin's cinematic cultural resistance reminds me of the young Karol Wojtyla's founding role in the underground Rhapsodic Theater, rehearsing and performing in secret in homes and when necessary reciting lines over the dissonance of blaring Nazi loudspeakers or sirens in the streets.

Watched this again two nights ago. It will definitely be among my 2008 Top 10, maybe among the Top 5.