You know how you can tell summer has officially bought the farm? Trailer Tuesday. Bombastic musical beats and explosions are gone. Angst-filled yelling and tears and dramatics are the new hotness in pursuit of accolades and the palm logos adorned with “Winner of”. Take Andy’s Precious pick for example: harsh and bleak with a touch of hope. Or Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans*. Harsh and bleak… with a touch of CRAZY.

A sequel/remake (but don’t call it a sequel or a remake) of the 1992 Harvey Kietel naughty cop drama Bad Lieutenant, this time the good cop goes bad in New Orleans after a series of events lead to bad choice after bad choice. It’s an age old story, really– first you’re rescuing drowning felons and the next thing you know you’re taking blow, cavorting with drug dealers and shacking up with street hussies.

Nicholas Cage plays the bad lieutenant with his usual attempts and marble-mouthed ventriloquism, but looks like he’s returning to “pre-action man” form which, let’s be honest, is good for everyone. The film is directed by the famed and revered Werner Herzog, a true film-maker (Rescue Dawn)/documentarian (Grizzly Man) who knows his stuff and seemingly always delivers in one form or another. Throw in a petulant but always interesting Val Kilmer and from where I’m sitting, this sucker looks juicy.

Bad Lieutenant: POCNO won all kinds of accolades in Venice and is currently enjoying a flawless rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s been dating the film festival circuit, but plans on sowing its oats (ie- Limited release) November 20.

*Frustrated at studio insistence that his film share the same title as the ’92 drama, director Werner Herzog fought for a name change to differentiate his version, which is why the title is so befuddlingly mucky.