Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Notes on the Trailer for Saved!
Ah, what do I say about trailers? I imagine everyone, at some point, has an experience with a trailer that just blows them away. It makes you want to see the movie, sure. But occasionally the trailer itself is just so brilliant that it can stand on its own. One that springs to mind for me is the original trailer for The Ring, a wordless montage of bizarre, irrationally disturbing images. Thankfully, the movie wound up being just as good, delivering everything the trailer promised. Similarly, the trailer for Dark City was also in this category (the music written for the trailer was so good, it made the soundtrack).
That is the height of trailers. Unfortunately, that sort of thing is unbelievably rare. Aside from the average, forgettable crap you usually see before your movies (the miserable), you also get a fair bit of the horrible. Trailers that spoil the freaking movie (Cast Away, The Sum of All Fears). Trailers that attempt to conceal the fact that the film is not in English (any foreign film).
And then there's trailers that manage to completely sell the movie as being a totally different type of movie. The trailer for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind managed to make the movie seem all fun and happy, when really it was depressing and dark. However, it was also completely brilliant, so this seems a minor offense.
On the other hand, there's the trailer for Saved. This trailer is brilliant (I give it an A+), because it managed to fully conceal the fact that the main character, a 16 year old girl at a very Christian high school, gets pregnant. If you watched the trailer, or any of the ads for this movie, you'd be pleased by how funny the first ten minutes are. The rest of the movie is stressful as all hell, and yet it plods along, thinking it can still be a comedy in all this misery. But don't worry, it's also got a very important message it wants to give you.
The trailer didn't conceal the fact that Macaulay Culkin is in the movie, and everyone wants to know: how is he? He's fine. He still stumbles over his lips when he talks, but not as much. Also, he's almost 24, but can convincingly play someone still in high school. Just think, when he's 31, he'll still be able to play college-aged characters. That's got to take a lot of acting ability.
That is the height of trailers. Unfortunately, that sort of thing is unbelievably rare. Aside from the average, forgettable crap you usually see before your movies (the miserable), you also get a fair bit of the horrible. Trailers that spoil the freaking movie (Cast Away, The Sum of All Fears). Trailers that attempt to conceal the fact that the film is not in English (any foreign film).
And then there's trailers that manage to completely sell the movie as being a totally different type of movie. The trailer for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind managed to make the movie seem all fun and happy, when really it was depressing and dark. However, it was also completely brilliant, so this seems a minor offense.
On the other hand, there's the trailer for Saved. This trailer is brilliant (I give it an A+), because it managed to fully conceal the fact that the main character, a 16 year old girl at a very Christian high school, gets pregnant. If you watched the trailer, or any of the ads for this movie, you'd be pleased by how funny the first ten minutes are. The rest of the movie is stressful as all hell, and yet it plods along, thinking it can still be a comedy in all this misery. But don't worry, it's also got a very important message it wants to give you.
The trailer didn't conceal the fact that Macaulay Culkin is in the movie, and everyone wants to know: how is he? He's fine. He still stumbles over his lips when he talks, but not as much. Also, he's almost 24, but can convincingly play someone still in high school. Just think, when he's 31, he'll still be able to play college-aged characters. That's got to take a lot of acting ability.
Comments:
That's a funny reaction. I remember seeing *a* trailer for The Ring (not sure if it's the same one you're talking about), and I actually laughed out loud about how lame it was. I usually don't laugh out loud at movies at all, either.
Just the idea seemed dumb [ominous voice] "there's a video tape... where if you see it... you *die* seven days later," shows a clip of a mother running in slow-motion to stop a child from putting the tape in.
I'm curious about Shyamalan's new movie.
Just the idea seemed dumb [ominous voice] "there's a video tape... where if you see it... you *die* seven days later," shows a clip of a mother running in slow-motion to stop a child from putting the tape in.
I'm curious about Shyamalan's new movie.
there was some other trailer that ran just before i saw eternal sunshine that lacked dialogue that was powerfully moving.
unfortunately eternal sunshine blew me away so much that i forgot what film the trailer before it was advertising. somde indie film, it had a long shot of a kid staring at the camera while sitting on his bed.
the trailer for titanic was also pretty impressive. it lead you into thinking cameron might have actually had something there.
the depressing thing is that supposedly culkin is going out with mila kunis from that 70's show. somehow, that just seems wrong.
i thought he was more jacko's type anyways.
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unfortunately eternal sunshine blew me away so much that i forgot what film the trailer before it was advertising. somde indie film, it had a long shot of a kid staring at the camera while sitting on his bed.
the trailer for titanic was also pretty impressive. it lead you into thinking cameron might have actually had something there.
the depressing thing is that supposedly culkin is going out with mila kunis from that 70's show. somehow, that just seems wrong.
i thought he was more jacko's type anyways.
