Until I get the technical kinks ironed out and I can post the trailers on this site, here are New York Magazine’s trailer reviews from their June 12 issue. You can read the original article by Logan Hill at http://nymag.com/movies/features/17182/index.html
Superman Returns
Tagline: “You have great power.”
Translation: No more Mr. Nice Guy.
The Gist: The first teaser was too sweet. The newest are much darker and outline a new plot: Superman comes home after disappearing for years; Lois Lane has a kid and a fiancé; Lex Luthor harnesses the technology of the Fortress of Solitude and holds the world hostage. It all looks aggressively stylish—especially that bullet bouncing off Superman’s eye—and, more important, different from Smallville.
TrailerSpy verdict: See It. Epic action movies, if done well, are best seen on the big screen. (Official Site)
The Lake House
Tagline: “What if you found the one you were meant for, but you lived two years apart?”
Translation: Please bear with us while we explain.
The Gist: When Keanu Reeves repeats his famous Matrix line—“This is in-sane”—you know things are going to get trippy. And they do, but in a romantic way, as he and his Speed co-star Sandra Bullock become metaphysical pen pals living in the same home, separated by two years. The premise is spelled out neatly enough (and that’s impressive), but it’s still hard to swallow, even with Pulitzer winner David Auburn’s name (Proof) as the kicker.
TrailerSpy verdict: Rent It. I am a chick and a sucker for a good chick flick. The premise of The Lake House is original, a rariety in romances. (Official Site)
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Tagline: “It’s the age-old story . . . Boy Meets Girl . . . ”
Translation: Um, we had the whole marketing department working on this—and, well, they gave up.
The Gist: From the corny eighties Fine Young Cannibals song “She Drives Me Crazy” to the low-budget FX, this is a poor sell, in which the young co-stars Anna Faris and Rainn Wilson eclipse stars Luke Wilson (no relation) and Uma Thurman, his superheroine lover. Thurman’s costumes are the biggest disappointment: After the yellow jumpsuit of Kill Bill, these getups look store-bought.
TrailerSpy verdict: Rent It. My Super Ex-Girlfriend is a chick flick in disguise and a movie that guys will enjoy without feeling completely emasculated. (Official Site)
You, Me and Dupree
Tagline: “It was the perfect wedding . . . Until . . . ”
Translation: Wedding Crashers: The Sorta-Sequel.
The Gist: Shamelessly riding on the coattails of Crashers, this positions Owen Wilson as a loser who moves in with his best friend (Matt Dillon) and his buddy’s new bride (Kate Hudson). The gags rest on Wilson’s slouchy shoulders—and he carries them well. Universal is using the slogan “Wear Out Your Welcome” with confidence that Wilson won’t.
TrailerSpy verdict: Skip It. I’ll probably be in the minority in passing on You, Me, and Dupree, but I’m not sold from the trailer. I loved Wedding Crashers, but this looks like one of those painful movies with awkward incident after awkward incident.
Nacho Libre
Tagline: “When you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants.”
Translation: If you don’t think Jack Black looks funny in a tight wrestling outfit, we’ve lost you.
The Gist: The first trailer sold itself on the sight of Black alone—but a series of seventeen (and counting) slapdash iTunes “Confessional” podcasts will deflate expectations. Black seems exhausted, letting dead air stand for punch lines. Sometimes, more access can be a bad thing—especially if the star appears to have been forced to participate.
TrailerSpy verdict: See It, or at this point, Rent It. I literally laughed out loud every time I saw the trailer for Nacho Libre, and most of the audience was laughing with me. (Official Site)
Have you seen Nacho Libre, The Lake House, or Superman Returns? Did they live up to their trailers? Comment on whether you feel we should See It, Skip It, or Rent It.
