Trailer Hitch
By Zach Kolkin
June 6, 2005
Welcome to Trailer Hitch, your weekly look at the latest movie trailers to hit the internet. This week we look at a number of big summer releases, as well as some smaller films that you may not yet know about. Read on to find out which of this week’s seven entries is our Trailer of the Week.
Can you ever just be, like, whelmed?
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
Sign #38 that you are watching a dull movie trailer: the most exciting part is when you say to yourself, “Hey, isn’t that Elisabeth Shue?!” Beyond that fleeting moment of nostalgic recognition, there wasn’t much for me to get too excited about. From the injured horse making a miraculous comeback, to the father reconnecting with his daughter, to the lame country-pop song playing in the background, to that really creepy smile that is always plastered on Dakota Fanning’s face, there is nothing about this film that doesn’t scream formulaic, feel-good, comfort-food movie. As if all this wasn’t schmaltzy enough, the film even takes “Inspired by a True Story” as its subtitle. Clearly, there are enough people in the world who can’t get enough of warm and fuzzy movies like this one that Hollywood finds it prudent to keep churning them out. If nothing else, I can at least take solace in the fact that I’m not one of those people.
The Island
I really want to be excited for this movie. It has a great cast, and it looks like it could be fun. Sure, the Matrix-esque plot looks a bit stale, but add in a few more satisfyingly mind-numbing explosions, and who cares? Still, I just can’t get too enthused here. Maybe part of the problem is that I feel like I’ve already seen the entire movie. We know that The Island isn’t real. We know that the characters are being tricked by Big Brother into thinking The Island is real. We know that Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson are going to try and escape from imprisonment. So what is there left to find out? On a brighter note, I have to say that between this film and Episode III, I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of wink-wink campiness that Ewan McGregor has been bringing to his roles. Like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, McGregor’s performance in Revenge of the Sith really made the picture a lot more fun to watch. I will continue to hold out hope that he can do the same here.
Yes
“It’s really good, trust us!” That seems to be the predominant message in this trailer for Yes, a film starring Joan Allen, Simon Abkarian, and Sam Neill. I certainly don’t have any clear idea of what the movie is about. The trailer starts by featuring a number of glowing quotes from critics, and then proceeds to show several quick scenes that don’t do anything to alleviate the viewer’s confusion. Apparently, Yes is about love, faith, and war – or at least that’s what the big red captions tell us in between the cryptic snippets of film. Then again, what movie isn’t about love, faith, and war? I’m all for provocative films telling their story in unique ways, but I have to be intrigued by the film before I’m willing to go see it. This trailer, unfortunately, is just a bit too abstruse for me.
Pride and Prejudice
Ask any English major to name a few of the best movie adaptations of a book, and it’s almost a guarantee that one of the first titles mentioned will be the 1995 BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth. If there was ever to be a definitive film version of Jane Austen’s masterpiece, that production was certainly it. It is thus with a good deal of trepidation that I watch the trailer for this latest version of Pride & Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley. Admittedly, this film has a very good cast, including Judi Dench and Brenda Blethyn; however, judging by this trailer, it certainly doesn’t appear that this picture will approach the story in a particularly new or unique way (as, for instance, Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice did). Adaptations of 19th century British lit only have so much of an audience, and presumably anyone intrigued by this film will have seen the old miniseries as well. Although this movie may very well be an enjoyable adaptation, I, along with other Austen fans, cannot help but wonder if it’s really necessary.
OK, I'm intrigued
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
As unnecessary as I felt this film to be when it was first announced, I have to say that the movie’s previews have warmed my opinion of the remake considerably. From the trailer, it seems that this is an extremely faithful adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel, perhaps even more so than the Gene Wilder version. Johnny Depp is, of course, cast perfectly here. It’s impossible to imagine any other current actor fitting in to this extremely quirky role. What’s really important here is that the audience see how Tim Burton has imagined the world of the Wonka Factory, and it certainly looks marvelous here. While I’m fairly certain that a good number of adults will be attracted to this picture, children are obviously the primary target audience here, and in that regard, the trailer displays just the right amount of goofiness. Without a Pixar or Shrek release this summer, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory seems to be the season’s best bet for a family film that will appeal to adults as well.
Happy Endings
Edgy indie sex comedies are at this point a well-established sub-genre of film, and consequently, it takes an original idea and some good advertising to convince people that your edgy indie sex comedy is in fact edgy and indie, and not just a boring retread of a story that has already been done a thousand times. Therein lies the problem with this preview for Happy Endings. While I’d really love to be dying to see this film, given its fantastic cast, there’s just not that much in the trailer that looks all that funny. A trailer like this should have at least one killer line that gets everyone in the audience laughing. Unfortunately, that hook is nowhere to be found here. Still, the movie does have a couple of smirk-worthy moments, with Lisa Kudrow standing out particularly brightly. For that reason, I’ll definitely keep this movie on my radar (though I wish I could get really excited about it).
War of the Worlds (Theatrical Trailer) (Trailer of the Week)
Hey, this might not suck after all! The latest trailer for War of the Worlds is actually pretty darn good. I’m really impressed that the previews have so far managed not to blow their proverbial wad and show us the aliens. It somehow seems quite fitting, given the famous stories surrounding the original WotW and its radio broadcast. Even Tom Cruise looks palatable here, although is anyone really buying him as blue-collar, working-class schlub? I think not. With all the absurd press that Tom Cruise has been getting over his relationship with Katie Holmes, the fact that Cruise actually has a decent-looking summer blockbuster coming out this month seems to have been forgotten. Paramount would do well, in my opinion, to get this clip even more airtime, and remind people that War of the Worlds might actually be a pretty good movie. Amongst a rather weak group of candidates, this clip gets the nod as Trailer of the Week.
Print this column
