Why I Love A Good Movie Trailer. Part I

After watching the Dark Knight Rises Trailer for the 100^th time. I began thinking, what are the best movie trailers of all time. Without blabbering on and on, lets just get into it. Here is part one of the best movie trailers ever.

30. Watchmen 2009

One of the most anticipated graphic novel to film adaptations of all time, the Watchmen trailer was a piece of art, with fabulous music (thank you Smashing Pumpkins) and beautiful visuals, the trailer left anyone who saw it in great anticipation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4blSrZvPhU&feature=player_embedded#!

 29. Eyes Wide Shut 1999

Stanly Kubrick’s last film is quite disturbing but it doesn’t take away from the riveting and eye popping trailer. With Chris Isaak’s “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” in the background, the trailer exudes more sexuality and provocativeness than many films can dream of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NIAneEiWEJ4

28. Face/Off 1997

This is one of my favorite movies and trailers. The second half of the trailer isn’t great but the first part as we see Travolta transform into Cage is awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vlg-VRc6TbY#!

27. Spiderman 2001

One of the highest grossing movies of all time drew in audiences with this fabulous trailer, reintroducing us to the webbed masked man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdOOTQnuvk&feature=related

26. The Matrix 1999

One of the smartest movies ever made, The Matrix impressed movie goers with this awesome trailer revealing some of the most amazing digital effects ever, many of which changes movies forever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UM5yepZ21pI#!

25. Speed 1994

OH Keanu. You make insanely awkward one liners but they are so 90’s action film that  I eat them all up. Pop quiz hotshot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRmhneo5A48&feature=player_embedded

24. Unbreakable

This trailer is so simple and so eerie that it gives you chills. A simple set up is beautifully created and executed in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=R_f1uCWKZQs#!

23. Pyscho 1960

The horror films of all horror films is beautifully presented to us in this classic trailer from Alfred Hitchcock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG3-GlvKPcg&feature=fvwrel

22. Cloverfield 2008

With this very underrated film, a genius trailer brings the movie, shot in hand held cameras to an amazing realism. Ending with the statue of liberty’s head lying in the middle of the street, even better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7fCPoF6o5wA

21. The Blair Witch Project 1999

This film revolutionized its generation and it all began with the trailer. Honestly you felt like you were watching a news report; freaky!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Hw4bAUj8A

20. The Shining 1980

There are few trailers that can truly express the true nature of a film. This one did just that. In the quick 2 minute trailer, I promise you will get a true feel for the film; whether or not that is a good thing, I don’t know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cb3ik6zP2I

19. Ted 2011

Seth McFarline’s first feature film may have produced the greatest and funniest trailers ever. All I have to say is the Thunder Song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wtOKVfB1lk

18. The Social Network 2010

As anticipation for the controversial and award winning film was building, this simple and elegant trailer came out. Sometimes you don’t need to be fancy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB95KLmpLR4&feature=player_embedded#!

17. The Boondock Saints 1999

What a movie! What a trailer. The trailer does a great job balances the humor and drama and sickness of this film. Amazing all around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Mt5yDqngM

16. Inglorious Basterds 2009

Quentin Tarantino is amazing and his trailer for this sick yet amazing film was no exception. “And boys, I want my scalps.” Arguably no trailer in the last 20 years drew so much talk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Mt5yDqngM

15. Lord of the Rings The Two Towers 2002

The Lord of the Rings is arguably the greatest and most successful trilogy of all time. The second film is really awesome and the trailer sets the stage for one of the best battles ever filmed on screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wek5UClasY8

Why NY Does Awesome Rivalries.

As the Rangers and Devils continue their path into the Eastern Conference finals, it had me thinking of the best all-NY playoff series. NY is arguably the best sports city in the world. Right there with Boston, Chicago and LA, New York City sports are that much better due to the fact that there are at least 2 teams in every major sport. While it’s hard to argue that state-state rivalries are not the most dramatic and riveting sports rivalries out there, there is something special about in-state rivalries. Living in the same city as other fans of teams that you despise brings such a drama to your every day live. No one wants to go to work and get ripped on by their friend whose team just beat yours; especially when it’s a playoff series. So let’s take a look at the best All-NY sports rivalries.

Devils vs Rangers

As both teams began their rise in the NHL in the mid-90s, the Rangers and Devils met often and drama ensued. While the Devils were the more successful franchise in the late 90s and early 2000s, the rivalry grew every year. The main source of this rivalry has to be the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. In one of the more dramatic NHL playoff series ever, the Rangers won the series in game 7 overtime after Mark Messier’s guaranteed victory in game 6. Almost 20 years later, the Rangers and Devils are adding fuel to the fire in this tri-state battle.

Giants vs Jets

Though they play in opposite conferences, the two NY NFL teams play in the same stadium, share a geographical fan base and have a heated on and off the field rivalry. The chat between the franchises is constant and always owning the headlines. The regular season game this past season was quite intense and had some serious applications. The thought of a Super Bowl between these teams is just scary. Heck, their fighting over the backpage of the NY Post alone is a battle for the ages.

Yankees vs Mets

America’s past time in America’s city. NY is split between being a football and baseball city. We love our baseball. The Yankees and Mets have massive fan bases of passionate and loyal fans. Though the Yankees have dominated the success column, this rivalry is always great. Every interleague game is an event. The “subway series” has always been intense but reached a focal point in the 2000 World Series when the Mike Pizza led Mets faced off with the Yankees in the Fall Classic. The series was great and had its memorable moments, perhaps none more than Clemens throwing a broken bat in the direction of Pizza. This rivalry will live forever.

Why The Dictator Was Better Than I Expected.

Sacha Baron Cohen is a comedic genius. From his early days on the Ali G show to his blockbuster and controversial Borat and Bruno, SBC has made a name for himself in Hollywood. Unafraid to touch any subject, SBC goes places that very few comics will go today. Growing up an orthodox Jew and a minority, SBC has no hesitation making fun of anything and everything. The Dictator is SBC’s newest politically incorrect film about a fictional middle eastern dictator name Supreme Leader Admiral General Aladeen. Admiral General Aladeen is a suppressing and anti-civil rights Dictator who rules his country like we can all imagine the current dictators of the world can do.

The film is split into two parts. The first half of the film focuses on dictatorship of the Admiral General and just how ridiculous his regime is. Without revealing more than the trailers do, the film gets a change of scenery when Admiral General Aladeen loses his power and is stranded as a homeless man in New York City.

The film is flat out funny. Entering the film, I was worried that I had already seen the best moments of the film. Very often, the producers of a film will include every funny moment in the trailers, while striving to bring in larger audiences. A big part of me was worried that I had seen the best SBC had to offer in this film. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised at how funny the film was from start to finish. While definitely over the top, SBC is a master at situation humor and absolutely nails the genre’s humor. He really touches on every humorous aspect of a dictatorship. While some of the best moments of the film are already included in the trailers, there is still plenty of fresh humor in the film. I also have to commend SBC for not dragging the film out. At an hour and 23 minutes, the film is concise and never has a dull few minutes.

Of course, SBC goes over the top and gets that shock factor that he has built his career on. From the brief male nudity to a very disturbing birth scene, SBC wants to and is successful in shocking the audience. SBC makes fun of every race, sexual orientation, and minority and I am embarrassed to say I laughed every step of the way.

Sex: Very brief male nudity and very crude humor, as inappropriate as they come           

Violence: Little violence, a severed head is shown

Language: Strong Language

Drugs: None

Rated: R

Run time: 83 minutes

Grade: 3.5 Stars

Why The Grey Will Leave You Emotionally Charged.

Once more into the fray.

Into the last good fight I'll ever know.

Live and die on this day.

Live and die on this day.

Though this is months and months overdue, I finally got around to watching The Grey, the action packed thriller with Liam Neeson.  The film was amazingly entertaining and quite riveting. Beautifully directed, the film is startling, thrilling, horrifying, and breath taking all at the same time. I thought it was visually beautiful as well. The film revolves around a bunch of Alaskan oil-rig workers who must survive the Alaskan wilderness after their plane crashes on their trip home. The group of survivors is led by John Ottway (Neeson), a trained killer who worked on the rig to protect the crew from cavernous wolves. When the plane goes down, the survivors must face the brutal conditions of the wilderness, try to maintain their sanity and must escape the pack of wolves that his hunting them down.

This is a true survival story if there ever was one. The group of survivors are broken down and stripped to their very core as they are tested physically and mentally. I thought the film was quite shocking in a good way. Auditory and visual aspects to the film are amazing. Every sound, growl, and snowflake hit you and pulls on your emotions.  Here are a few thoughts on the film.

1)      The film is one of the best survival films in ages. There is a great balance of the emotional and physical aspects of going through something like this. Liam Neeson and the rest of the cast are great and you really see them going through all the stages of emotions from despair, to hope, to grief, and finally submission to the inevitable.

2)      The film is quite graphic. Essentially, you are watching a pack of wolves hunt down this group of survivors one by one. There are numerous attack sequences and yes, all the gore you can imagine. Director Joe Carnahan doesn’t shy away at all from showing the brutality of both the plane crash and the wolf killings. If you cant stomach gore, this film is not for you.

3)      This film is falsely advertised. Without taking anything away from the film, the awesome Neeson vs Wolves trailer we all saw is not the actual film. The film is more a survivalist thriller than action packed kick *ss film. For those of you expecting an entire film of Neeson beating the crap out of some wolves you will be very disappointed.

So again, I loved this film. It was beautiful and stunning. The film is a story about courage, bravery, death and the acceptance of what our lives really mean. This is a must see for anyone who can stomach it.

Sex: None

Violence: Very Violent and Very Gory (you see everything)

Language: Brief Strong Language

Drugs: None

Rated: R

Run time: 78 minutes

Grade: 4 Stars

Why You Should Head to The Movies This Summer.

1.       The Dark Knight Rises

Eight years after Batman took the fall for Two Face's crimes, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy. The final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy is sure to break box office records and is a guaranteed hit. The most anticipated film in years.

2.       Prometheus

Ridley Scott returns to his roots after a nearly 30 year break. Set in the Alien series universe, a team of explorers discovers a clue to the origins of mankind on earth. This sends them on a horrific journey into the scary world that Scott created over 30 years ago. Remember, “In space, no one can hear you scream.”

3.       The Avengers

See Last Weeks Post

4.       Brave

Pixar returns with their first heroin as a young red headed Scottish princess named Merida must defy some customs to save her people. Brave is sure to be a hit at the box office and there will be little girls all over the country loving this film.

5.       Lawless

With a cast like Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, and Jessica Chastain, this is sure to be a good movie. Set in the Depression-Era, a bunch of bootlegging, moon shining brothers start a revolt against a new authority in their small town. Hardy shooting and beating people up. It’s going to be a hit. 

6.       Snow White and the Huntsman

You might say to yourself that there is a already Mirror Mirror out there. Don’t worry, Rupert Sanders’ film is a much darker, action packed film. With the likes of Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, people will be packed in to see this one.

7.       The Expendables 2

Don’t underestimate the power of having every single action star of all time in one film. The second installment of Stallone’s life’s work, will surely earn big bucks in the post office. While predictable, the first film was thoroughly entertaining and I expect the second to be the same. Did I mention Chuck Norris is in this film. If you don’t go see it, Chuck Norris will high kick you in the face.

8.       Ted

In his first feature film, Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane plays a real life teddy  bear who has to deal with his long time best friend and roommate growing up. Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Giovanni Ribisi participate I the film. I sincerely believe this may be the funniest movie of 2012. Go watch the trailer right now.

9.       The Amazing Spider-Man

One of the best selling franchises of all time returns in this reboot starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Watson. In the re-installment, Peter Parker finds a clue as to what happened to his parents and a new twist will bring the super hero to life. This film may outperform its predecessor as it appears the film is taking a darker look at the life of Spider-Man.

10.   The Bourne Legacy

The best selling and blockbuster hit is back in a reboot of the franchise. Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) replaces Damon as the rouge Agent who operates in the same world as the original Bourne films. The first set of films were amazing and with a strong Renner as the replacement, I am expecting only good things.