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)

I wasn’t that excited about this film at first, but with every new piece of footage I see, I’m quickly coming around. I have to admit, these new international trailers look pretty damn cool. Those Wachowski brothers sure do know what they’re doing.

International Trailer #1:

International Trailer #2:

Is it possible to have absolutely no desire to see a movie and yet, at the same time, be very excited to see that same movie? Well, I suppose it is possible, because that’s exactly how I feel about this new Speed Racer flick.

When I first heard that they were making a Speed Racer movie earlier this year, I recall feeling very nauseous. Granted, I had recently eaten some bad sushi, but I’m sure the Speed Racer thing didn’t help. Maybe I’m alone on this one, but I personally think it’s a horrible idea to make a movie off of the Speed Racer cartoon. Not that the cartoon wasn’t entertaining, but I don’t remember the episodes being all interesting or the plots that engaging. All I remember is some fun animation and a catchy song. Plus, I’m still not convinced that cartoons make for good live-action movies (Scooby-Doo comes to mind).

Of course, then I heard that the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix, V for Vendetta) were writing and directing this film, and my nausea started to subside a bit (then again, I hadn’t eaten any sushi in a while). And then I heard that Emile Hirsh was playing the starring role, and that again made me feel a little better (have you seen Into the Wild yet????). And then I finally saw this trailer, which does look pretty cool, so now I suddenly find myself very excited about seeing this film.

Except that I still have absolutely no desire to see a movie based on Speed Racer!!!

As you can see, I’m still fairly confused about this one. But I guess when I really think about it, I know I’m going to SEE IT in the theaters. And that’s really for only one reason: the Wachowski brothers. Those guys are geniuses, and I know that this movie will be great because of them. But I still wish that they would have chosen a different vehicle (pun intended) with which to display their genius.

Speed Racer is not yet rated (though it’s rumored to be rated G) and opens May 9 (Official Site)

I don’t envy the jobs of those who cut together movie trailers. After going through a movie several times to find the pieces to use, they must reach a point where they say, “F*** this movie, f*** this trailer, I don’t give a f*** anymore!” Apparently, whoever put together the trailer for Fool’s Gold reached his breaking point sooner than most of his colleagues, because it’s a mess.

Attempting to become the next Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks onscreen power couple, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days costars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey team up again for another romantic comedy. Or at least I think it’s a romantic comedy, but it may be an adventure movie (there’s something about sunken treasure going on). Kate and Matt are unhappily married and on the way to divorce. Kate wants to sell her boat and go back to school, so Matt blows up Kate’s boat. Matt is an amateur treasure hunter, and while on one of his hunts, he finds his way into the good graces of a wealthy daddy/daughter duo. But then Kate is working on their yacht as a waitress or something, and it none too pleased to see Matt dining with them. Then they hear about some sunken treasure, and the squabbling divorcees-to-be decide to team up and find it. Then they get it on in a cave. Oh, and Donald Sutherland is there, too. Confused yet? Good, because so am I.

So is this a romantic chick flick, or an action/adventure movie? Or some sort of combo meal? And why is Kate complaining about how stupid and lazy Matt is, yet implies that he’s the one with all the money in the relationship? And why would two people who supposedly hate each other (though we know they don’t) agree to go treasure hunting together? And why do I still plan to RENT IT, despite not knowing what the f*** is going on? Damn you Hudson and McConaughey, and your charming ways that compel me to watch your mess of a movie!

Fool’s Gold is rated PG-13 and opens February 8. (Official site)

It’s such a strange world that we’re living in right now. There are wars going on in the middle east, and genocide in Africa, and yet, I feel so removed from all of it. I mean, I watch the news, and I know the issues, but none of it seems to hit me on a deeper level.

And here’s the saddest part: the only way that I feel like I can connect to it all is by watching movies about it.

I’m not saying this to make a point or to bring everyone down. I’m just stating a fact. The only reason most people are conscious about Global Warming now is because of An Inconvenient Truth. And the only reason most people are conscious about genocide in Africa now is because of Hotel Rwanda.

It’s a shame that people need movies to get them outraged about the things that they should just inherently be outraged about, but I guess that’s the world we’re living in now. And with that in mind, I say we should start making a whole lot more movies about the shitty things that are happening around the globe. If that’s the only thing that can move people anymore, then filmmakers have a responsibility to move as many people as possible about as many important causes as possible.

Darfur Now is probably the biggest movie to date about the genocide going on in Darfur, and hopefully it will have the same effect on people that An Inconvenient Truth had. And if nothing else, hopefully it will at least give people like me a way to connect to something that I should already be deeply connected to, but for some reason am not.

That’s why Darfur Now is a SEE IT for me. I need to care more than I do, and $11 is a small price for a much needed kick in the ass.

Darfur Now is rated PG and opens November 2. (MySpace Page)

If, like me, you were wondering what was up with Jack Nicholson’s bald head at last year’s Academy Awards, the answer is The Bucket List; where he plays a cancer patient who buddies up with Morgan Freeman. Both men are terminal cancer patients sharing a hospital room and behaving like typically grumpy old men, until Freeman introduces his “bucket list”: a list of things he wants to do before he kicks the bucket. “Cutesy,” is Nicholson’s snide reply, and I’m inclined to agree.

The two men decide to do the bucket list, which includes such madcap adventures as skydiving, racing cars, and riding a motorcycle on top of The Great Wall of China. Then things take a somber turn when they discover what should actually be on the bucket list: reconnecting with their estranged loved ones. Nicholson eventually gets angry at Freeman for butting into his life; Freeman calms him down with his gentle, no-nonsense demeanor (how I wish he’d tell Nicholson to “get busy living, or get busy dying”, but I don’t see that happening). I would imagine they then kiss (or at least buddy hug) and make up, then eventually die.

So the feeling I’m left with from the trailer for The Bucket List is how I feel about most Rob Reiner films: that I’ll wait for it to show up on TNT or TBS one Sunday afternoon and I’ll watch it then. But since there is no “wait for TV” option here at Trailer Spy, I’ll say RENT IT, out of respect for film veterans Nicholson and Freeman. This movie with any lesser actors would be an automatic skip it for me.

The Bucket List is rated PG-13 and opens December 25. (Official site)

Perhaps I’m just having one of my ‘slow’ days, but I find the trailer for Funny Games to be a bit confusing. Is it a suspense thriller, or a dark comedy? Let’s play a game of Funny/Not Funny.

Seeing a pair of slimy yuppies in tennis whites hold a family hostage in their summer cabin, where they threaten to torture and eventually kill said family.

Not Funny.

Setting these scenes to a piece of upbeat classical music most recognized from Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Funny?

I’m really not sure what to think, but I am reminded of the trailer for A Clockwork Orange, which was set to “The William Tell Overture”. And if there’s a more confusing suspense thriller/dark comedy/funny/not funny movie than A Clockwork Orange, please tell me, I’m willing to learn. Funny Games is apparently a remake of a 1997 movie of the same name (with the same writer/director) that I haven’t seen. Perhaps someone who has seen it can enlighten us all as to what to expect.

Confusion aside, I am intrigued enough to RENT IT. I’m also intrigued as to why a writer/director would feel the need to remake one of his films a mere 10 years after the original was released, so I may actually rent the original as well.

Funny Games is rated R and opens in limited release February 15.

Riddle me this: Why is it that a trailer featuring a young couple in love, whose time together is cut short by his death, leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling?

No, it’s not because of my schadenfreudic nature, but rather from a rather eclectic and promising cast. There’s Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler as the young couple in question (you know him from 300, I know him from The Phantom of the Opera. Let’s just agree to disagree). He’s a goofy Irishman, she’s a somewhat uptight American; naturally they’re going to make an adorable pair. Then, after he’s dead, a series of letters he prearranged are delivered to her that instruct her to go on crazy adventures, thus helping her to start her life anew without him. (Methinks this means he was aware of his imminent doom for awhile, though the trailer makes no indication of what sort of tragedy ended his short life.)

And who better to grieve and have crazy adventures with than Gina Gershon and Phoebe, I mean, Lisa Kudrow? And what better eye candy to make you get over your dead husband than Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny!) and Harry Connick, Jr.? And the icing on the cake: your mom is Kathy Bates!

P.S., I Love You is definitely not going to shake the foundation of modern cinema, but it certainly looks charming enough for my Netflix queue, so I’m going to RENT IT.

P.S., I Love You is rated PG-13 and opens December 21. (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)

Video games sure have gotten better graphics since the days when I played Legend of Zelda on my 8-bit Nintendo. The trailer for the new Harry Potter video game made me want to run out and buy the game and a system to play it on. While movies make great video games, do I really want to see a movie that looks like it should come with a game controller?

Beowulf, the new movie from director Robert Zemeckis, is completely animated and it looks like a video game. Zemeckis is known for his work with special effects and animation (The Polar Express, Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Contact), but this time he may have gone too far. It’s obvious that Angelina Jolie is in the movie, but can you spot John Malkovich? Animation this realistic works in video games and in children’s movies such as The Polar Express, but here it is just too jarring. Plus, does anyone really want to see a movie based on a book that no one bothered reading in high school? SKIP IT.

Beowulf is not yet rated and opens on November 16. (official site)