Every once in a while, a trailer comes along that makes me giddy with delight. A huge grin spreads across my face as I clap like a four-year-old on Christmas morning. The trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is one of these trailers, a trailer that reminds me why I love going to the movies.

Prince Caspian, like its predecessor The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is a faithful adaptation of the saga written by C.S. Lewis. I read The Chronicles of Narnia annually during my dorky childhood, and so far the movies are even better than I had ever imagined in the books. In this installment, the Pevensie kids return to Narnia one year later to find that an eon has passed and their kingdom is in turmoil. The battle scenes alone will be worth my $11.

Prince Caspian is unmissable. For everyone who loves an epic adventure on the big screen, SEE IT. For everyone who wishes there could be another installment of Lord of the Rings, SEE IT. For all you Harry Potter fans in withdrawal, SEE IT. For all the fellow dweebs who still hope to find Narnia waiting behind the next door, SEE IT.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is not yet rated and opens May 16. (official site)

P.S. This installment comes to you from Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. Check Globestompers.com for the latest on my trip around the world.

Feel free to comment on Julie’s post here.

Remember that great old computer game, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? I loved tracking Carmen and her henchmen all over the world. This isn´t a post about a movie based on the game (that would definitely be a SEE IT for me.) But if you´ve been wondering where my byline has been, here is the answer.

I´ve always dreamed of seeing the world, and now my guy and I are doing just that. For the past month we have been traveling throughout Ecuador and Peru. This is the beginning of a year-long adventure in which we hope to also visit Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, China, India, Kenya, and Tanzania. If you want to follow our adventures, stop by our trip blog, Globestompers.

Ok, I’ve watched the trailer for 27 Dresses four times now, and the only thing I can think of is “meh.” That’s not a good sign, but 27 Dresses looks better than the drivel that studios usually release in the depths of January.

Katherine Heigl (in her first attempt to open a movie on her own) plays a woman who has been a bridesmaid 27 times, and now she is about to watch her younger sister marry the man she’s in love with. Throw in Rupert Everett, and you’ve got the sequel to My Best Friend’s Wedding.

With a title like 27 Dresses, this couldn’t be more of a chick flick. But here I am, a member of the movie’s target demographic, and I’m on the fence. Why is that? Well, any woman who would subject herself to being a bridesmaid 27 times is just crazy, I tell you. And even though I loved Knocked Up, something about Katherine Heigl just rubs me the wrong way. (Sorry.) Then again, Edward Burns gets some screen time, and that’s never a bad thing. James Marsden isn’t so hard on the eyes either.

When January 11 rolls around, if I’m itching to get out of the house and there’s nothing else at the movies, I may just break down and see 27 Dresses. But somehow I highly doubt it. RENT IT.

Superbad opens tomorrow; buy your tickets now before they sell out. Rachel said RENT IT based on the R-rated trailer, but after attending an advance screening, I’m saying run and SEE IT.

Crude laughs abound in this story of two uber-geeks who are trying to lose their virginity before heading to college. If this plot sounds familiar, don’t fret, Superbad is fresh and hilarious. Somehow this has become the summer of Jonah Hill (Knocked Up and Evan Almighty) and he is in top form as a swearing ball of hormones. I fell a little bit in love with Michael Cera (George-Michael Bluth from Arrested Development) who plays the straight man but gets the biggest laughs. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote this when they were 13 just to see if they could; now that Rogen is too old to play the lead, he gets some hilarious scenes as the world’s worst cop. But it’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell (a.k.a. McLovin!!!!) who steals the show.

Superbad is one of those movies (like Borat) that you’ll want to see as soon as possible before everyone ruins the jokes for you. Trust me, everyone will start quoting the movie immediately after the credits start rolling. (In fact, I’m tempted to see the movie again just to remember some of the better lines.) If you’re wondering why all your friends are screaming “McLovin!!”, blame Superbad.

For me, National Treasure was a pleasant surprise. Despite my reservations that it would be two hours of Nicolas Cage’s typical shlock, one night it was the best choice at our local cinema, so I saw it. National Treasure was total brain candy: action with a good dose of comedy. I loved every second of it.

Disney smells a franchise. Ed Harris and Helen Mirren join Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, and Harvey Keitel for the sequel. (This is Mirren’s first post-Oscar role, and why not? At this point in her career, she can do whatever she wants.) The stakes are greater this time around; Cage must clear allegations that his ancestor was involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. My only gripe about this trailer is that it doesn’t show enough of the hilarious one-liners that made the first movie so enjoyable. Still, I am going to SEE IT with a big bucket of popcorn.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets is not yet rated and opens on December 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)

One of my favorite things about writing on TrailerSpy is the opportunity to give more attention to small but deserving movies that might otherwise pass you by. Charlie Bartlett is one of those movies, and I hope it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle of the summer blockbusters.

In the dog days of summer, I long for a movie with three-dimensional characters, witty dialogue, and an intelligent story. From the trailer, it looks like Charlie Bartlett will more than fill the void left by spiders, pirates, and robots.

See it for Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, and Anton Yelchin holding his own in the title role. See it for all the small, smart movies that fade into the background. SEE IT so that studios will realize that we’re still aching for good movies.

Charlie Bartlett is rated R and opens on August 3. (official site)

Remember all the hubbub about the new J.J. Abrams production, where Manhattan is mysteriously attacked by some ominous roar? Supposedly it had a fake working title of Cloverfield, but Vulture is now reporting that the movie is (most likely) named Monstrous. Grainy camera-phone pictures show the title on posters for the movie, and Paramount has bought the domain TheMonstrousMovie.com.

Monstrous? That’s the best they could do? Really? Well, I guess Chtulu would be a little hard to pronounce. Judging by all the excitement this movie has already generated, the movie could be called Reading From the Dictionary and it would be a hit.

Previously:
Transformers Comes With a Mystery “Cloverfield” 1-18-08 Trailer
Comments From a Cloverfield Insider

We here at TrailerSpy are big fans of the movie Waitress. It’s a great movie about a woman who realizes she is trapped in a miserable life and aches to get out. Unfortunately, Waitress will always be associated with the murder of its creator and co-star, Adrienne Shelly. Shortly after her death, Shelly’s husband Andy Ostroy created the Adrienne Shelly Foundation to provide grants and scholarships for female actors, writers, and directors.

Women are still under-represented in the Writers’ Guild and Directors’ Guild (just think of those categories at the Oscars–usually all men). The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a great cause that will support female filmmakers while honoring the legacy of a talented artist.

Please visit their website to make a donation or learn more about their goal.

I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night at a sold-out, opening night screening. While this isn’t the best Potter film yet (that honor belongs to the fourth, The Goblet of Fire), the Order of the Phoenix will satisfy die-hard fans like me and entertain casual fans. Although the movie is very fast-paced, there are still two more movies left in the saga, and at times story lines feel incomplete.

New cast additions Imelda Staunton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Evanna Lynch turn in excellent performances as Dolores Umbridge, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Luna Lovegood, respectively. The three young leads have all matured into talented actors, though Emma Watson constantly looks and sounds breathless.

Rated PG-13, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix isn’t a kids movie, but an action-filled drama starring teenagers. SEE IT!