Great Film Trailers

Film trailers (or previews) are usually interesting. Generally you can tell if you want to see a film or not based on a 30/60 sec tease. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes you get burned. What got me thinking about trailers was a visceral experience a had watching the preview for "Where the Wild things Are." Somehow the music, the editing and the visuals hit me on an emotional level I wasn't prepared for and made me long to be ten-year-old again. It was powerful enough that I was still thinking about it long after the feature (Harry Potter 6). Directed by Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich & Adaptation) the film promises to be interesting to saw the least. The question seems to be whether a short children's book can be made into a feature-length film.

see the trailer here

This also had me trying to remember the best trailers I'd ever seen, ones that really grabbed my attention and said to me, "You cannot miss this film for any reason. You have to make sure you don't die in the next three months so your life's journey will be complete upon seeing this movie."

My favorite has to be the trailer I saw before "Footloose" in the early spring of 1984. It starred actors who were in some of my favorite movies and from Saturday Night Live. The trailer promised cool effects, a catchy tune and some hilarious lines. Best of all it was about a bunch of guys fighting ghosts. I'm sure I wore out my friend's ears talking about what I saw repeatedly on the playground for the rest of the school year. Of course that summer it all paid off when "Ghostbusters" came out.

See the original trailer for "Ghostbusters" here.

Can you recall the trailers that grabbed your attention and made you want to see the film at any cost?

Dvd pick of the week-out April 20

Crazy Heart


It isn't perfect and it isn't wholly original in terms of narrative, but the film has a warm heart and a performance by, in an Oscar-winning turn, Jeff Bridges that makes it deserving of recommendation. Maggie Gyllenhaal is reliable as always as a single mother who has made poor choices in men and now finds herself falling for an aging country singer named Bad.

Put your reviews here

If you want to talk about a film you've just seen - old or new - put it in a comment here!

Great Links

I put links to favorite film sites under "awesome film links" on the top page.

Internet Movie Database (IMDB) is the place to go to find out "what other movie was she in?" or "Who played Nick on Family Ties and what was that stupid devil romance movie was he in?" (Scott Valentine - My Demon Lover).

Films101 - ranks just about every film made using a formula that only Mr. Boley could understand (maybe Mr. White). See where your fav film is. (Lebowski is 1397 - Fascists!)

Greatest Films w/ Tim Dirks - Mr. Dirks's site is chock full o' info about film. Several greatest lists & extensive information on beloved, well-regarded movies.

Rotten Tomatoes - Harvests reviews for films from all over the internets and ranks them on the "Tomameter." Will the new Transformers flick be fresh (no) or rotten (yes)? I go here before I see any film.

Filmspotting Podcast & site - Two guys from Chicago have been puttin' out the best film podcast for over three years. The podcast is professionally produced, entertaining, intelligent w/out being snobby and must-listening for any budding film student or film enthusiast. Each show ends with a top five list (check out previous top 5 lists on the site - facinating)

Please share any great film sites that you use!

Start posting!

Welcome to what I hope will be an excellent place for Affton students, staff and alumni to discuss film. It doesn't matter if you've taken a film class or not, all opinions about film are appreciated. I'm still getting this off the ground so I'll be adding stuff (links, featured films, calenders, etc.) in the near future. For now I'm just looking for participation. I'll start by posting my top five films that I can pop in at any time and enjoy - not necessarily what I think are the best films, but ones I can watch over and over again.

5. Anchorman (Cannonball!)
4. Boogie Nights (PT Anderson's film about family values... set in the adult film industry)
3. Out of Sight (J-Lo could act at one time - Clooney is excellent)
2. Rushmore (Wes Anderson hits his stride & Bill Murry reinvents himself)
1. The Big Lebowski (must watch it 3x before one can appreciate the amazing genius of The Dude)

Please post your own list or feel free to comment about mine or others!
(Make sure you sign in as a follower of the blog - it's painless)