Box Office Prophets: Trailer Hitch for July 9, 2003

Trailer Hitch for July 9, 2003

By Zach Kolkin

Don't be afraid - that's not Jennifer Love Hewitt and this isn't a Tuxedo sequel.

6. The Fighting Temptations

This thoroughly dull preview showcases Beyonce Knowles' latest attempt to translate her immense popularity in the music world to a film career. She co-stars with Cuba Gooding Jr in this story of a New York executive who goes back home to collect an inheritance and discovers that, in order to do so, he must first manage a gospel choir. Although Knowles is apparently working on her acting skills, you wouldn't know it from the trailer; she only has one line in the entire clip. The rest of her on-screen time is (perhaps wisely) devoted to selling her voice and her beauty. Unfortunately, the lack of Beyonce means more Cuba, which is certainly not a good thing. Gooding is his usual irritating self, and while I assume that the romance between the two leads is a big part of the film, there is absolutely zero chemistry between the two seen here. Beyonce Knowles may be hoping to one day be as big an actress as she is a singer, but this does not look like the movie that will do it for her.

5. This Thing of Ours

Although the title sounds suspiciously like that of a romantic comedy, this film is actually a gangster flick directed by a man with real-life ties to the mob named Danny Provenzano. The trailer does not draw attention to this fact and instead focuses on the film's main themes. The movie seems primarily concerned with the differences between generations, a story told here through a high-tech heist that some of the younger gangsters attempt to pull. Unfortunately, the movie really doesn't seem to veer into any new territory in the Mafia genre; although the picture's real-life connections are somewhat intriguing, the film itself seems rather bland and uninteresting.

4. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

This film, though featuring the "Dirty Dancing" title, is actually more of a retelling of the story, which is this time set in 1950s Cuba. While one would expect such a remake to be completely overdone and cheesy, this first teaser actually does a pretty good job of convincing its audience otherwise. There is no dialogue or voiceover; instead, salsa music plays in the background while captions are displayed on screen. It is only at the very end that the ad goes over the top, with the line "Rediscover the Time of Your Life." This bit of levity actually works well, reassuring those who were fans of the original that this film will also be fun and entertaining, and also that it will not take itself too seriously. Although it remains to be seen whether or not this film will be any good, its trailer certainly does a good job of appealing to those who loved the original (clearly this film's key audience).

3. The Medallion

Jackie Chan's latest is thankfully free of distractions such as Jennifer Love Hewitt and instead focuses on what made the man so popular in the first place -- ridiculously cool action sequences. Obviously, the premise is completely ludicrous (apparently some medallion gives him superhuman powers; think The Tuxedo but with more leeway for costume changes), but isn't that half the fun? The trailer smartly realizes what the crowd wants to see from a Jackie Chan movie, and consequently the clip is filled with various stunts designed to leave viewers wowed. I have to say that, from what I saw here, the sequences actually looked a bit more exciting than what we've seen from Chan recently, and hopefully this will turn out to be one the martial arts master's better efforts.

2. The Holy Land

"An Orthodox Jew walks into a strip club." While this may sound like the first line of a joke, it is in fact the premise of this film, the feature film debut of director Eitan Gorlin. The story centers on a young rabbinical student named Mendy who travels to Tel Aviv for school and meets there a prostitute whom he ultimately falls in love with. While the falling in love with a stripper story is nothing new, tackling it from a deeply religious perspective is, and this unique viewpoint is what makes the film look intriguing. The trailer certainly does a good job of introducing the movie's story and themes, While I believe that the preview could have been just as effective with less voiceover, it still serves as a good introduction to what should be a very interesting film.

1. The Last Road Trip: Paris to Dakar

This documentary is starting its advertising campaign surprisingly early, seeing as the film is not being released until next summer and in fact has not even been shot yet. The film follows a 6,000 mile off-road car race that takes place every year across northern Africa. The trailer has an inspiring soundtrack that fits the movie's mood perfectly and complements the spectacular footage of the vehicles racing across an endless sea of sand. The movie is selling itself as an intense and action-packed look at one of the world's most exotic competitions, and with such an intriguing and appealing trailer, it is sure to attract the attention of many moviegoers.