The trailer for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is very careful not to give away any major plot points. But when the premise of your movie is the story of a man who ages backwards, I guess you don’t need to reveal too much to get people interested.

Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin, and Cate Blanchett is the woman he knew as a child, when he was an old man, who he falls in love with as an adult, when he’s a young man. Confusing, yes, but after seeing the bizarre old-man child in the trailer, I am indeed curious to see how Benjamin looks as a young-child old man. I’ll eventually RENT IT.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is not yet rated and opens December 19. (Official site)

The Coen brothers are back with a new movie that’s not meant to scare the living crap out of you. There’s probably not much I need to say to convince you to go SEE IT, so here’s just a few key elements for you to consider:

• Coen brothers
• Frances McDormand
• Comedy-Drama
• Brad Pitt
• Crime caper
• George Clooney

Convinced yet? OK, John Malkovich is in it, too. I’ll see you at the theater.

Burn After Reading is rated R and opens September 12. (Official site)

Every once in a while, we’ll get a nasty comment on this site from an obsessed movie fan who thinks that it’s unfair that we judge movies solely on their trailers, without seeing the actual films. However, it’s my personal opinion that a trailer speaks volumes about how a movie will turn out. Especially a bad trailer.

Take this trailer here for example.

When I first heard about The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford, I was rather intrigued. I think Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck are both good actors, and I liked the idea of them going against each other on the big screen. And the story itself seemed like an interesting twist on the Western genre: turn the bad guy into the good guy by pitting him against an even worse guy.

But then I watched this trailer, and I knew immediately that the movie was going to suck.

I’ve watched a lot of trailers in the past year that I’ve been writing for TrailerSpy, and this one definitely ranks among the worst that I’ve seen. It’s way too slow, the narrator makes me want to shoot myself, and there doesn’t seem to be a single second of real action in the entire film. I mean, how can I be expected to enjoy a two hour movie when I can barely make it through the trailer without falling asleep?

And this is exactly what I mean by learning a lot about a movie from its trailer. A trailer is a two and a half minute highlight of the best scenes from a two hour movie. Plus, they get to add whatever music and narration they want to help make the story seem more exciting. I mean, if you can’t make a movie seem worthwhile using those criteria, then the movie is simply not worth seeing.

I know this is a highly anticipated movie with bankable stars, but I for one am going to SKIP IT. It’s a risky endeavor to basically give away the movie’s ending in the title, and if you’re going to do that, you better offer the audience one helluva fun ride along the way. But unfortunately, this trailer just doesn’t convince me that the movie will deliver.

The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford is rated R and opens in limited release on September 21. (Official Site)

When I first saw the teaser for Ocean’s Thirteen, I could only think back to how disappointed I was in Ocean’s Twelve. From the teaser, it looked like Thirteen was going to be another lackluster movie from Clooney and the gang. But then, I saw the new trailer, and that good old feeling came back.

Guys, you’re forgiven for Ocean’s Twelve! Really! I’m sorry I doubted you, and I now can’t wait to see Ocean’s Thirteen!

Sheesh, what a difference a new trailer can make. Maybe the teaser just wasn’t long enough, but it didn’t show enough of the crackly dialogue, enough of the heist, enough of the comedy that I’ve come to expect from the Ocean’s franchise. Now that I know what Danny Ocean and his (yummy, delicious) gang are actually trying to pull off, I’m intrigued. Really, could I ever go wrong with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Scott Caan and Al Pacino? Maybe I just love the idea of Matt Damon playing the comedic role with his giant prosthetic nose.

Whatever the difference is, I am now counting the days until June 8. SEE IT!

Ocean’s Thirteen is rated PG-13 and opens on June 8. (Official site)

I’m having a really hard time being open minded about Ocean’s Thirteen. Steven Soderbergh’s remake of Ocean’s Eleven is one of my top ten favorite movies (and no, I haven’t seen the original with Frank Sinatra). The movie was such a slick, clever heist, and it owed much of its success to Ted Griffin’s taut script.

My expectations were high for Ocean’s Twelve, but the movie couldn’t live up to its predecessor. Even though it was only ten minutes longer, Twelve seemed to drag. Ted Griffin didn’t return to write the sequel and the difference was notable. There was none of the “aha!” element that made the first movie so great. I left the theatre wishing I could get those two hours back.

I am still bitter about Ocean’s Twelve, and that bitterness is carrying over to Ocean’s Thirteen. Sometimes, sequels are not a good idea. Could you imagine a sequel to Pulp Fiction or When Harry Met Sally? Those movies are not going to be improved upon, and their producers were wise to leave well enough alone. Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen were made simply because they are part of a successful franchise.

There is nothing compelling about the Ocean’s Thirteen trailer, with the possible exception of Al Pacino. Then again, this is still a movie that stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and the rest of the gang. Steven Soderbergh is back, though Ted Griffin is not. My expectations are low, but I will eventually see Ocean’s Thirteen. This time I’ll save my money and RENT IT.

Ocean’s Thirteen is not yet rated and opens on June 8. (Official site)