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Welcome to Trailer Hitch, BOP's look at the latest movie trailers to hit the Internet. This week: Meg Ryan ties up her man meat, Jackie Chan babysits some kiddies and Mel Gibson pops a cap.

The Missing Person – Opens November 27th

Count me in. The excellent Michael Shannon – who wowed me last year in Revolutionary Road (and in my opinion would have claimed Oscar's prize had Heath Ledger not elected to play The Joker in The Dark Knight) – returns here as a leading man in The Missing Person. His character, John Rosow, is a private investigator (and part-time alcoholic) who lands the case of his life. Also in this one are Amy Ryan (known for playing Beadie on The Wire and Michael's clone with female parts, Holly Flax, on The Office) and Merritt Wever, who I was introduced to earlier this year as the loveable intern Zoey Barkow on Showtime's Nurse Jackie.
The trailer doesn't sell much story. Instead, it introduces (rather successfully I might add) its noir-like aesthetic. The Missing Person isn't a period piece by any means (it's set after the events of 9/11), yet it certainly invokes that type of quality with its tailored suits, stiff drinks (a la Mad Men) and beautiful cinematography. I like it.

Grade: A-

Serious Moonlight – Opens December 4th

Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton star in a rather generic looking Hollywood comedy about the lengths one woman will go to prove to her husband that they've still "got it." When Ryan's character finds out that Hutton has been cheating on her with a young woman (Kristin Bell – a solid choice), Ryan literally ties Hutton up in a small room using duct tape. (Until, of course, Hutton comes to his senses). Based on what we get in the trailer, I'll go ahead and assume he remains there for a majority of the flick. Better yet, maybe Ryan's character goes all Jigsaw on her lover and demands that for sexual freedom, Hutton must escape one of her playful, yet deadly games. Consider it Saw Lite.

Silly is what Serious Moonlight's obviously going for, and that's exactly what's spit back to us in the trailer. If you can without hesitation suspend common sense for a couple of hours, then you'll likely have no problem digesting the movie, which marks the directorial debut of Cheryl Hines. Otherwise, you're in for a long day at the theater.

Grade: D+

The Spy Next Door – Opens January 15th, 2010

Oh, another Jackie Chan comedy? IGNORE! What is about Jackie that everyone – save for me and maybe three other people – finds so hilarious? Hypothetical: If he, for whatever reason, hosted a free stand-up special in town, would you bother to go? And real life example: Did you see when Jackie hosted SNL back in 2000? Do you think it a coincidence that the dude hasn't been invited back? OK then.

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