Movie trailers: giving 'em the old razzle-dazzle

Tags: Commentary, District 9, Movie Trailers, The Hurt Locker

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Zoe
Thu 08/20/09 1:15 AM

Worst trailer I’ve seen was for Bandslam.The movie was amazing but no one saw it because it was targeted at the younger audiences when in fact its more for the older teens & more mature audience.I think people should give it a chance and go watch it for themselves.It has amazing music & the acting is really great. I think it’s the best movie of the summer so far.

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Emma
Thu 08/20/09 2:35 AM

I saw District 9 based solely on the reviews of EW and it was AWFUL. Just as bad as the trailer. I guessed it would be but went against my better judgment and now I’m out 12.50 and two hours of my life.

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Kate
Thu 08/20/09 3:21 AM

You might want to read ‘Shutter Island”. It has quit the twist ending.The trailer is trying NOT to give that away. Great book and It appears to be a great movie.

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Jennie
Thu 08/20/09 5:50 AM

I’m 90% certain that I know the entire plot of Shutter Island after seeing the trailer once. And I haven’t read the book. I want to see the movie pretty much just to check to see if I’m right! But seriously, way to go, movie folks, for giving it all away. Sheesh.

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ibivi
Thu 08/20/09 6:50 AM

Usually they don’t. Take Inglorious Basterds-is it a farce, an homage to the Coen brothers, what? All we see is Pitt making silly faces. The trailers for animated movies (Pixar) are usually good.

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Susan
Thu 08/20/09 9:04 AM

I think that trailers try to appeal to what the studio thinks we’ll like (violence, sex, a fast pace)…it often isn’t a good indication as to the actual strength of the plot and/or the acting.

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Pj
Thu 08/20/09 9:42 AM

I wish the makers of movie trailers would trend to a more minimilast style. Just about every trailer gives away too much, in my opinion.
I’m thinking of Terminator 2, and the scene in the mall when the two robots converge on John Connor. The trailer told us who’s good and who’s bad in this movie, but how much more intense could that scene have been had we not known?
To movie buffs, this happens more often than not, and it sucks. The more movies you see, the better your chances of having a future release ruined to some extent.

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Sal
Thu 08/20/09 10:39 AM

What disappointed me about The Hurt Locker trailer was that the scene near the end of the trailer, you would think would be the climax of the film… and the scene happened about 20 minutes in, and was relatively anti-climactic.

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Felicia
Thu 08/20/09 11:19 AM

The only problems I have with trailors is when they mis-represent the movie or when the trailor is so much better than the movie.

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cobagibu
Thu 08/20/09 1:36 PM

the problem I have with trailers is that they either a. end up using the best bits in the movie (i.e. what lies beneath – the best scare in the whole movie was used in the trailer) or b. the studio creates so many different trailers that by the time the movie comes out you have basically seen the whole movie (i.e. Harry Potter)

Trailers do there job when the actually make a d- level movie look like an a-level star (i.e. drag me to hell)

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mickey
Thu 08/20/09 2:35 PM

Some trailer’s give the best parts of the movie other trailers make the movie look like it could suck when it really dosen’t. I think it’s stupid though not to see a movie because you didn’t like the trailer. You could be missing out on a good movie.

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Bryan
Thu 08/20/09 4:59 PM

Trailers give away too much. They are also classic bait and switch tactics. Go back and look at the District 9 trailer. An alien is being interviewed…saying he just wants to go home….can anyone tell me where that scene was in the movie? The answer is NO, it wasn’t in the movie. So, dispite the movie, I felt a little conned. If I’m paying 10 bucks for a movie I want a smart trailer that doesn’t show the whole movie. So many times I’m like, ‘Well who the hell needs to see the movie now, they just showed it all in the trailer’. Lameness…

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blackbutton
Thu 08/20/09 6:26 PM

READ THIS READ THIS READ THIS! Maybe for your next article you should write about the other completely awesome film to come out last friday: PONYO!

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Corey
Thu 08/20/09 11:20 PM

I saw the Shutter Island trailer before G I Joe started playing this weekend with a nearly sold out crowd and from what I gathered during that preview it had the complete attention of all in attendance with me. One of my friends even commented, ” We need to check that out when it comes out in October. Leonardo Di Caprio never gives a bad performance.” So, I think this movie will do great if only for the sole reason that people still associate Leonardo with great acting skills and great films.

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Ian Rohrer
Sun 08/30/09 7:38 PM

I was super excited about X-Men The Last Stand when I watched the trailer and TV spots for it. But when the movie came around I was dissappointed with how much of the movie I already saw from the previews.

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