Thank Havens!

Going into the fray of the US box office this upcoming weekend is the long delayed indie release, Haven. Not that the box office is very much of a fray at present. The Covenant: #1 postition with $9 million. Pathetic. And a big reminder that summer is over and that if a movie like Dead Man's Chest was a choice surloin cut of prime beef, then the September period would be the equivalent of the washing and sweeping of the abbatoir floor. Collecting all the unwanted, perhaps even partially putrid and rotten scraps of meat to be used in making dog food and sausage rolls. The Covenant looks like dog food. Cheap, gluggy and has about the same charm and lure appeal as the can it's served in. Hollywoodland looks like a sausage roll, the same grisly meat scraps that have fallen from a greater quality carcass, only seasoned with Oscar winners and wrapped in a deceptive sheet of pastry, making it not so shudder-worthy to the palette.
Believe it or not, I'm no precise connoisseur. Hell, I needed to spell check just to know how to spell it. But whether you like sausage rolls or not, there is no denying that September is a dumping ground for films that shouldn't have been made.

Which is why I'm so wary of this conundrum, Haven. Probably like you, I knew pretty much nothing about it until today, only that it starred Orlando Bloom and Bill Paxton and that it is scheduled for release in a matter of days. Now, it's no shock that an indie film has gone unnoticed for this long, I mean, there are just about a billion of them released every week. But I was in a 'I want to seem like a smart guy' mood, which basically means that I investigate independent movies.
And here's the thing. Even though Haven has been shelved for something like 2-3 years, even though it has two male leads I'm not particularly fond of, even though it has an interconnected storyline set against a background of racial tension in a foreign nation, even though it's being released in September!!!! I still think it looks kinda good.

Because the trailer is excellent. Great buildup, great presentation. Love the tagline ("Can love survive the fall of paradise?"). Orlando Bloom shows a different side to his whole 2-dimensions by putting himself in an unflattering role of a hideously scarred robber of some sort, although he is his usual self in most of the trailer. Bill Paxton doesn't show up too much, which is always a plus. Any trailer in which Bill Paxton doesn't show up in gets a point in my books. And as is expected from any independent movie worth the $10 ticket price, there is some significant style to the substance.
But perhaps what I loved most about the trailer was the use of sound. Cracking guns and booming percussion provide a real audial treat, I must say. Whether it be Orlando firing his 'piece' in the air, or some crime scum tossing a chair into to a floor-to-ceiling window, the bangs and thuds add to the ambience, and really excites you. Truly, I know it sounds like BS, but it excited me.
I don't like to pass so much judgement on iffy movies like this, but rest assured, it's got a dynamite trailer.

Haven - Haven Distribution
Antipation Level: Medium
Look out for: The great sound. And Orlando all mutant'd in his bandit/lepur hooded veil.
US Release date: 15th September, 2006.
Trailer Source