For the next three posts, AD, Mert, and I will be picking some trailers from the past year (the glorious 2006) and talking about them at length, with footnotes and rich formatting (bold, italic, etc.). This is not necessarily the best trailers, but these are a few trailers that caught our attention for whatever reason, and that now, on the verge of awesome 2007, have remained in mind.
In the style of the late Penny-Arcade "We're Right Awards" - I present to you a number of categories that I will make up on the spot, and some trailers that fit in those.
The "I Saw More Than Enough Of This Movie In The Trailer, But Said Trailer Was Quite Excellent" Award
Sometimes trailers are great, and after watching the trailer you just have no desire at all to see the movie. In the case of most movies it's because they gave away what seem to be the best parts, but every now and then a few movies show you just enough in the trailer that you feel like you've seen the movie - and then the desire to see the movie leaves you. I guess that's not really just enough, is it? That's more like way, way too much. Either way I enjoy those trailers and never see the movie, and if my reaction is not unique, maybe some douche bag trailer maker gets fired.
This year the movie most gulty of this is Babel. Babel advertises a movie that is going to be hard to watch, and they seem to have filtered down each story into its base (miserable) components. I have no desire to see the movie, because I feel like I've seen each part. Brad has a breakdown when Kate dies, or nearly dies. The Japanese girl has a miserable time in Tokyo (how is that possible? I can't imagine.) The kids get stopped at the border, the husband gets thrown into some immigrations interrogation where people are really mean, and then some poor Moroccan kid is probably beaten, and his father is probably killed in front of him. I like that trailer, but I don't need much more. Life is misery, people get screwed over, two minutes and thirty seconds later - check please.
Winner: Babel
Runners up: Drawing Restraint 9, Art School Confidential
The "This Trailer Is So Damn Good It Gives Me Goosebumps" Award
A good trailer gives me goosebumps. The first time I ever remember this happening was with the trailer for The Matrix, but it happened much more memorably for the unbelievable Two Towers trailer (which is astonishingly difficult to locate online!). This year was a good one for chills-inducing trailers, and so picking the best one is difficult. There are your fantasy and sci-fi epics, basically anything with big CG shots, slow motion, and good music. There are a few big dramas that will probably be good, and there is one dark horse that came out of nowhere.
The winner is not a sure-fire goosebumper - in fact, it might not provoke the reaction in you at all - but out of all of them, maybe out of all the trailers this year, this one is the best. This is a great piece of short filmmaking that just happens to be advertising a movie. This is something that I bet the trailer maker felt pretty damn good about after it was made, and I bet that doesn't happen very often. We never talked about it on this blog, and I don't think we really have to. All you have to do is watch it.
Winner: Little Children
Runners Up: Pan's Labyrinth, V for Vendetta, The Namesake, Jarhead (Teaser Trailer)
The "I Like This Trailer (And Movie) Too Much To Talk About It So I Should Probably Mention Here That This Is My Top Trailer This Year In The Title Because I Am Not Going To Write Anything Else Down Below, Just A Link To The Trailer" Award.
Winner: Children Of Men
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1 comment:
Dude, Little Children was dope. You should really see it, or read the book, or both, at the same time, while having an awful time in Tokyo.
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