Madeleine's Film Labs: Trailer Experiment #1

For those of you who, like myself, get disgusted when a movie doesn’t live up to its trailer (or when it reveals too much), I thought it might be fun to conduct a little experiment. Who knows? Maybe a movie studio exec or director will stumble across our likes/dislikes, observations and recommendations and consider them when creating future trailers. I invite you to play along….

I’ve chosen four trailers of movies I plan to see in the next few weeks, three of which I’d like to see and the fourth because I believe a lot of moviegoers will see it. Plus, I’m curious to see how this franchise pans out. Here are the trailers I’ve chosen and their expected wide release dates:

Rocky Balboa (trailer 1) – in theaters now

Children of Men – January 5

Pan’s Labyrinth – January 19

Fast Track – January 19

Okay, here’s how this will work. Click on the links above to view the trailers then make your predictions in the Comments section below. After watching the movies, post your actual ratings and compare them to your predictions. (Don't feel you have to see all four to participate.) We can use my regular rating scale (see My Rating System) for simplicity sake.

Based on their trailers, here are my predictions:

For Rocky Balboa, Madeleine predicts: Matinee. Although the trailer gives us a good idea about the concept, I’m left to wonder how the filmmakers have made this story fresh, interesting and unpredictable.

For Children of Men, Madeleine predicts: I’d pay to see it twice! When I first saw this trailer, I nearly jumped out of my stadium seat with joy. This movie is right up my alley. The trailer tantalizes the audience with its premise in a concise, organized manner.

For Pan’s Labyrinth, Madeleine predicts: Worth full price. While this also appears to be “a Madeleine movie,” its trailer is the perfect example of a big pet peeve of mine – quick cuts from various scenes that match the voiceover dialogue I’m not paying attention to because I’m too busy trying to figure out the storyline from the massive jumble of quick-cuts being flashed before me. Which makes me think the storyline might have some problems. If it weren’t for the mesmerizing art direction and incredible CGI effects, I might not have predicted such a high rating.

For Fast Track, Madeleine predicts: Matinee. I’m a big Zach Braff fan, but this movie looks to be a tad predictable, and I’m afraid all of the funny scenes are in the trailer.

So, those are my predictions. I hope you’ll play along! Click the Comments link below to post your predictions. Let’s see how we do….

Comments

[Romie]

Rocky Balboa - like trailer but have to "hope" it lives up to the expectations (overshadowed by the unbelief that they are making another one).

Children of Men - well I love Clive Owen so I can't help but be optimistic - looks great to me.

Pan's Labyrinth - trailer looks okay - but I think the fantasy work is going to be overboard based off the trailer.

Fast Track - looks silly and very slapstick - if you like that thing you might like it.