This made me think about my favorite trailers, and why each of them appealed to me. Why I still remember them to this day, and the way I felt when I first laid eyes on them. Good trailers are like high school crushes; the movie doesn't always turn out the way you wanted it to, but the story of the Beginning - all that angst and excitement and anticipation - that's what you remember most of all.
Here's my current list of favorite trailers - in no particular order - and why I love them so:
"There's one thing you should know about me. I specialize in a very specific type of security..."
Inception has one of the best, most suspenseful soundtracks in movie history, and it is utilized well in this trailer. As far as sci-fi goes, the best trailers are the ones that leave the audience dying to go see the movie, but still not even sure what it's about. Inception delivers that. By the end of this trailer, I had no effing clue what this movie was about, but I knew I needed it in my life.
The Pariah trailer made me swoon. The lead actress, Adepero Oduye...just the way her voice cracks with perseverance...takes us on a journey with her heartbreaking recital of a pivotal poem from the film. There are just enough scenes alluding to a climactic confrontation in the girls' family, but it's just a peek. And by the end, we understand that someone is an outcast, and someone is getting the eff out. And we want to sign up to see that journey, no matter how painful it is.
I, unabashedly, love every damn thing about this movie. I love the movie AND the trailer, and that doesn't happen often. Good sci-fi gets audiences to suspend belief for two hours. Great sci-fi is able to create a world, without tons of CGI, that audiences will believe could exist even after the movie is over. Another Earth achieves this. And when people talk about wanting to see more compelling roles for women, this is what they're talking about. I can't say I've ever seen a character quite like the one Britt Marling has created, on film. Also, the sound track is surprising and perfect at the same time.
I had no interest in seeing V for Vendetta. All I remember is being completely disarmed by the use of Cat Power's song, "I Found a Reason" in the trailer. That, along with a slow montage of bombs blowing up left and right...that's like a lovely 2-minute tribute to John Woo.
So, I don't like scary movies, especially ones that are borderline supernatural, which this one sort of could be, from the trailer. I wanted to see "The Strangers" after this trailer. In the vain of the "Rosemary's Baby" trailer, this leaves you with so many questions. And the music is just mesmerizing. Are you scared yet?
Honorable mention is the trailer for the movie "End of Days", which I sadly can't find the version of the trailer I remember online. Yes, I said "End of Days", starring former Govna' of my home state, Arnold Swarzenegger. There were a few trailers for this movie; I'm talking about the extended version one using the song Angel, by Massive Attack.
I will never forget when I first saw it, flipping through albums at a record store in Lower East Side Manhattan. This trailer came on the TV screen hanging in the corner. I looked up and was completely transported by it. When the commercial came to a close, I looked around and saw that everyone in the store had been watching it. Mesmerized. Now, that's good storytelling.
Any trailer faves of your own?
