7.26.10 My Top Ten RIGHT NOW

In my latest stint of movie-going, I’ve noticed a distinct greater excitement at previews, sometimes more than the main feature.  Multiple flicks, edited down into three minute bite size bits is often so far more exciting that by the time the opening credits roll, I’ve forgotten why I stepped inside the theater in the first place.  So in honor of the craptastic summer movie slate, here’s some stuff to look forward to.  To view these previews and more, click here.

1. The Social Network

The first teaser trailer, just audio clips, pixels and large fonts, was intriguing.  The full preview that played before Inception on the other hand was enthralling.  It moved from a social indictment of our modern online society to a thrilling corporate espionage flick filled with excellent potential both from the plot as well as the stellar cast.  I simply cannot wait till it his theaters at the beginning of November… A

2. A Film Unfinished

As many know, propaganda, both printed and filmic, and especially that which was created by the Nazis, fascinates me.  So here comes a documentary that brings to light the forgotten film created specifically to “show” life in the Jewish ghetto.  I have major hopes for this being more than the standard Holocaust piece, thanks to the inclusion of interviews with the actual filmmakers who constructed these false narratives and their claim to have no concept of what the work was being used for.  In a word, fascinating… A

3. Buried

Oh my god does this teaser make me uncomfortable by making me realize one of my greatest fears in life.  I will not explain more other than to say watch it, and be thankful you’re watching it in the comfort of your own home as opposed to on a massive theater screen where my heart pretty much wanted to stop… A

4. Louis

A true silent film, complete with Chaplin-esque hilarity?  Set to live music of New Orleans Jazz as played by Wynton Marsalis?  Designed to look at bit too much like the failed Outkast musical Idlewild, this touring event seems too good to be true, if only for attempting something different with both film and performance combined, much like last years intriguing Brand Upon the Brain.  I’m already looking for my tickets to the NYC screening at the Apollo Theater…A-

5. Rango

An odd little Wild West animated bit with a mariachi band of owls is decently hilarious, looking like something out of a backwards children’s book.  And of course, with Johnny Depp lending his voice to the title character, one can only be hopeful for something interesting to result.  The fact that the same people behind Pirates of the Caribbean direct it?  Well, that inspires some hope and maybe just a bit more trepidation… B+

6. Devil

Probably one of the better previews for a movie that I have minor interest in seeing, thanks to the well shot upside-down cityscapes that, when seen on the big screen, are crazily disorienting.  The rest of the preview is fairly standard freak out material of people stuck in an elevator where bad things are happening.  Hopefully this piece from the brain of M. Night Shyamalan will prove more interesting than the past couple things his mind has so unfortunately given us… B

7. Waiting for Superman

Most of my excitement for this film is to answer a big question as to the talent of Davis Guggenheim to craft a documentary after An Inconvenient Truth.  The preview itself is thought provoking, mostly through amazing and tragic statistics. Stringing together bits of kids getting into better schools through a true lottery system is a horrifying cliffhanger.  Extra points for the excellent use of Green Day’s “American Idiot”… B

8. Eat Pray Love

I might like this trailer only because of the song choice.  Scored to the breaking through Florence + The Machine track “Dog Days Are Over,” this preview reminds us all of the desire to run away to find ourselves, to travel to exotic places with reckless abandon in the hopes of eternal truth, all the things that we simply can’t do in our day to day working lives.  So, much like the book, it’s a fantasy, and much like the preview, I start most of my days listening to “Dog Days” as a wakeup call to the rest of my life… B-

9. Tron: Legacy

There are two things about this preview that make me almost like it.  The first is that it’s Tron!  I have a very lovely and strong memory of the original and all the joy that it brought with visuals that seemed impossible then.  The second is awesome special effects that seem to actually honor the original cult artistry.  The problem is, I’m not seeing much else beyond that.  What little bit of story we’re given seems so hopelessly hokey that I fear I wont be able to sit through it… C

10. The Town

This preview committed the cardinal sin of previews by making me feel like I’ve already seen the entire film. I was fascinated enough by Gone Baby Gone to think that Ben Affleck might actually be able to pull together an interesting tale.  And this one is filled with intriguing actors like Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner and Blake Lively as a hooker.  But I’m pretty sure all the major twists have been exposed to the point that I’m not sure what else a two-hour viewing could really offer.  Too bad… F