Box Office Prophets: Trailer Hitch for February 19, 2003

Trailer Hitch for February 19, 2003

By Zach Kolkin

Wax Museum Rumble.

9. Lockdown

Although the story of wrongly-accused prisoners surviving their jail terms is one that has been done many times before, Lockdown revisits the subject by making the protagonists three black men whose friendship is strained during their time in prison. Overall, I wasn't too impressed or interested in the film by the trailer, as it does not really look to add too much to this plotline which has indeed been used quite frequently over the years. Furthermore, any movie with Master P immediately loses some credibility in my book. Perhaps there is more to this film than they give away in the trailer, but there is simply nothing in this preview that inspires me at all to see the movie.

8. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

I was expecting to be pretty impressed by this trailer. After all, who doesn't love a cool comic book movie, especially when Sean Connery is involved? Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed by this preview for one of the many blockbusters of the summer of 2003. "LXG", as the spot would have you call the film, was most notable to me for the impressive special effects that were showcased. We really didn't see much of the acting, though this doesn't seem too surprising, as I'm sure this movie isn't planning on being nominated for any Oscars. I was also surprised by the fact that beyond Connery, there were absolutely no recognizable faces. It's pretty rare that a big summer blockbuster won't feature at least a few big names in its credits. Although the trailer really didn't show that much of the movie, what it did show certainly didn't blow me away, or even leave me wanting more. Consequently, the high level of interest I had in this movie going in has been somewhat lowered by this mediocre preview.

7. 28 Days Later

This spot is quite similar to the trailer I reviewed back in October in the Trailer Hitch, though there are some differences. Back then, I said my favorite part of the preview was the opening sequence where the effects of an epidemic are shown over the 28 days. This part remains here, although after that the preview is much less violent than it was originally. Now, we simply see the mysterious survivor come out of hiding to find the entire city of London empty. This scene reminded me very much of Vanilla Sky's dream sequence with Tom Cruise in an empty Times Square, though I don't know if that was an intended resemblance or not. I was pretty harsh on this preview the first time around, and this time I don't see it quite so negatively - the movie certainly has some potential to be a thought-provoking movie, considering its lineage. Hopefully, it can live up to expectations.

6. The Lizzie McGuire Movie

The pre-teen girl movie series continues with this film version of the popular Disney television show. The story centers around Lizzie, who goes to Rome over her summer vacation, and meets a cute boy who just happens to also be a huge Italian pop music sensation (could it really happen any other way?).

The plot of this film looks to be about as predictable as every other film like this one that has come out in the past couple years. Fortunately for Disney, though, I don't think this matters too much to the movie's target audience. Whether it's the Olsen twins, Amanda Bynes, or Hilary Duff, all that matters to the girls who will go nuts for this movie is that there is a dreamy boy, a lot of shopping, and plenty of cute outfits to match.

5. House of Fools

It is always difficult to advertise a film that has a particular "message" - though quite often the movie itself is quite powerful, oftentimes the trailer will seem to be extremely over-the-top and preachy. Such is the case with this film, set during the Chechen war, which tells the story of a young woman who is a patient in an asylum that is cut off from the rest of the world due to the battle raging outside. I have no doubt that this movie is excellent; after all, it was picked as Russia's selection for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. However, the trailer strikes me as quite blatantly trying to smack the viewer over the head and scream, "I'm a powerful film! Listen to me!" Obviously, this movie is not going to appeal to a very wide audience, and those to whom it does appeal will be much more influenced by the critical praise lavished on this film than this trailer.

4. Gaudi Afternoon

To say that this comedy about an American woman who moves to Barcelona and gets caught up in a bizarre web of intrigue looked a little odd would be a huge understatement. Although there weren't any scenes that had me laughing out loud, the whole thing looked pretty funny (though of course in a quirky kind of way). I was quite impressed with the cast as well, as the movie features a good number of actors and actresses who, while critically acclaimed, are not quite as well known to the public. This film certainly looks like it could be quite funny and enjoyable, though I would imagine that it will be a little too strange for most of the general public to handle.

3. Holes

This adaptation of the award-winning children's book "Holes" is coming to theaters in April, and overall this first preview for the film was surprisingly impressive. Often, what makes a family film like this one memorable is simply having a good story. Obviously, this movie doesn't have to worry about that, and one can only hope that Disney did not stray too far from the novel's plotline in making the film. I liked the way this trailer was put together, starting with a basic premise for the film, and then showcasing each one of the boys around whom the story centers. I think this movie will be quite appealing to children, as well as seeming to parents like a good alternative to much of the trashy children's fare that appears in theaters nowadays.

2. Ned Kelly

I looked at this film's teaser several weeks ago, and this week, it receives a full-length trailer as well. As I stated in my review of the first spot, I think this movie looks quite good. The action looks very impressive, and this preview is put together quite well, making the movie look very intriguing. Furthermore, the cast is full of actors and actresses whose star is rising in Hollywood, namely Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, and Naomi Watts. Though Bloom and Watts have gained a huge amount of popularity recently, I can see this film being the one that puts Ledger over the edge to stardom in the United States. All in all, I am quite impressed with this ad, and think the film has a great chance for success (as well as being a pretty good flick) when it is released.

1. Head of State

After the disappointing Bad Company, Chris Rock looks to return to form in this comedy, where he is chosen to run for president after the untimely death of a senator. The film looks quite funny, especially the interplay between Rock and his co-star, Bernie Mac. The bit at the end with "The roof is on fire" was quite funny as well, although I do have one plea to filmmakers - PLEASE realize it isn't funny anymore to have a white person speaking like a black one. This joke got old.oh, about ten years ago. Despite this gaffe, though, I was still quite impressed with this preview, and I think the movie looks like it will be quite funny. When Chris Rock is good, he is one of the funniest people I have ever seen, so hopefully this film will give him some good material to work with.