August Previews Roundup
Once a month or so, I enjoy dropping by the Apple trailers page and sampling their impressive selection of movie previews.
Some months, I am bowled over by how many bad movies are coming to the big screen. Other months, I’m impressed by just how many good movies are being made.
This one was a good month. Below are a few of my favorites.
The trailer for The Prestige (no release date yet) is a model of “good trailerness.” Its anatomy of a magic trick is especially effective, drawing us into the craft and telling us just enough about the movie’s premise to sink a hook into our head.
Then there’s the fact that the movie stars Christian Bail, Hugh Jackman, and Scarlett Johansson. Looks like it will be a truly spellbinding movie. I’ve watched the trailer three times already.
Infamous (coming Oct 13) tells the story of gay writer and New York socialite Truman Capote, and his obsession with solving a murder case. I like how the trailer begins lightly, turns dark, and then turns back to the light (beginning with Gwyneth Paltrow’s version of “What Is This Thing Called Love”). Unfortunately I suspect the movie is more of a one-way street.
The featurette for We Are Marshall (coming Dec 22) suggests the movie may be incredibly meaningful from a psychological standpoint, telling the true story of how a football-centric West Virginia town recovers its identity and sense of hope following a plane crash that killed its entire college football team.
My top pick during this round, however, is The Pursuit of Happyness (coming Dec 15), starring Will Smith as a single father who struggles to support himself and his son while changing careers. Unabashedly sentimental and inspiring. Looks like a movie I’ll want to own and re-watch regularly.
PS. If you haven’t already seen it, don’t miss Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille. The animation is beautiful, and the writing looks excellent, too.
Joshua,
The best part about “The Pursuit of Happyness” is that it is based on a true story, that of a man by the name of Chris Gardner. I saw him and his son on CNBC recently and Fortune wrote an article on him.