Box Office Prophets: Trailer Hitch for July 16, 2003

Trailer Hitch for July 16, 2003

By Zach Kolkin

I think she just told him she's leaving him for Bruce Willis.

10. Dream Warrior

Anyone else find it hysterical that Isaac Hayes plays a supporting role in this apocalyptic horror film? That was about the only redeeming feature I could find in this preview for the abysmal-looking movie that looks like it belongs on Showtime 6 at three in the morning. I have absolutely no clue what this movie is supposed to be about, or what exactly the title has to do with that premise. There does appear to be a lot of gratuitous T&A, which is another good sign that this one is heading straight for that 3 AM slot. One last indication of this movie's destiny? The director of the picture, Zachary Weintraub, was also at one time the director of America's Most Wanted. Need I say more?

9. Marci X

The racial fish-out-of-water comedy gets blond highlights with this new comedy starring Lisa Kudrow as the J.A.P. daughter of a record label executive who must take over her father's company and manage a controversial rap star. The preview was disappointingly unfunny; basically, there were all the same gags that were used in Bringing Down the House with the addition of some dumb blond jokes and an "oy vay" or two. It's strange to see Kudrow (who is Jewish) actually playing a Jewish character, and the tired jokes really don't help out her cause very much. Damon Wayans looks ridiculous as a gangsta rapper (though perhaps that's the point), and if Kudrow can't save this film, there's no chance for Wayans to do so. This certainly looks like a late summer comedy to skip; Kudrow deserves much better.

8. The Butterfly Effect

While the premise of The Butterfly Effect is mildly interesting, there was only one thing that came to mind while I watched this trailer: What the hell is Ashton Kutcher doing in this movie? Although Demi's boy-toy fits right into a flick like Dude, Where's My Car?, he couldn't seem more out of place than he does here. Like I said, the idea behind the film seems slightly intriguing, but it presentation here is absolutely abysmal; while I ascertained that Kutcher has a diary that gives him supernatural powers to rewrite history, I wasn't really clear on how this fit in with his real life, or for that matter, much of anything else. I think this movie would seem a lot better if it would stick to one genre. As it is, the supernatural aspects just don't mix with the romantic stuff. Add this to Kutcher's Razzie-worthy performance and we've got the makings of a big-time clunker on our hands.

7. The Magdalene Sisters

This small film based on the true story of several women wrongly condemned to servitude by the Catholic Church in 1960s Ireland has already created quite a bit of controversy due to the criticism it has gotten from officials of the faith. The preview was quite interesting, particularly in how unabashedly it depicted the Church as the "bad guy.” While it is nice to see the story depicted so honestly, I would imagine that a good number of more religious moviegoers might be extremely turned off by this. On the other hand, it is doubtful that these people would be interested in the film in the first place, so the trailer's approach is probably the most sensible one. The film looks like it would be interesting in any circumstance, although the current level of media coverage surrounding the controversies in the Catholic Church certainly won't hurt this movie's chances of success (or at least exposure).

6. The Haunted Mansion

Disney will continue to try and milk its winning theme-ride-to-movie formula with The Haunted Mansion, a spooky comedy starring Eddie Murphy. Although this film doesn't look quite as impressive as Pirates of the Caribbean (the movie this will inevitably be compared to ad nauseum) did in its first trailer, it is fairly humorous, and should seem even more so to younger, more forgiving viewers. The Haunted Mansion does appear to be a bit more family-friendly than PotC did, a factor which should certainly help given the movie's Thanksgiving release date. This is certainly a good first preview for the film, and I would imagine that with some more slapstick teasers following, this movie will have quite a number of moviegoers extremely interested come the holiday season.

5. Wonderland

Despite this movie's rather gruesome subject matter, this trailer for Wonderland depicts the film rather light-heartedly, treating the horrific real- life murders that inspired the story as simply an offshoot of the exuberant decadence of the early 1980s. Perhaps this is the route the movie itself takes as well, but nevertheless, I was surprised to see it here. Although I was expecting something different, I still very much liked what I saw here. Val Kilmer actually looks quite good in his role as porn star John Holmes, and the rest of the ensemble cast is extremely impressive. It will be interesting to see how the general public reacts to a film with such lurid subject matter, as well as the frivolous manner in which it is dealt with here.

4. Madame Sata

If there is one thing to be said about this preview, it is that it has some of the best use of music I've seen in a movie trailer in quite a while. The varying salsa tunes that accompany our introduction to 1930s Rio de Janeiro change with the shifting moods of the trailer. The film is based on the life of an African-Brazillian transvestite cabaret dancer named Madame Sata who was quite a famous personality at the time. Although I doubt most people have heard of him (I certainly hadn't), I do not think that will discourage too many from seeing this movie. The preview does an excellent job of providing a complete look at the film, and after watching it, I did not feel like I already knew the entire story line, leaving me even more curious about this quite intriguing movie.

3. The Housekeeper

I was quite pleasantly surprised by this look at this French film, which up until now I had not heard about. The movie tells the tale of a man who, after his wife leaves him, hires a beautiful young woman as a housekeeper, and eventually, despite the large age difference between them, the two fall in love. Although most of the trailer had me thinking this was mainly a dramatic piece, the trailer features a number of quotes from reviewers mentioning the film's comedy, which I found somewhat puzzling. One would think that, if these reviews were going to be used, a bit more humor would have been injected into the preview. Another point worth mentioning is that the trailer does not shy away from using subtitles, as many spots for foreign films do. In this case, the subtitles work quite well, and I found the movie's premise to be explained quite clearly and concisely, creating a very interesting and enjoyable preview.

2. The Passion

After seeing this first trailer for Mel Gibson's new film, it appears that the controversy surrounding it isn't going to die down any time soon. The spot is extremely graphic in its depiction of blood and gore, so much so that I would be surprised to see it ever screen in movie theaters. This is yet another instance of the power of the Internet; millions of people will see this ad, and not a single one of them will watch it in a movie theater. If you can get beyond the blood, this is actually a pretty powerful and intriguing clip. Even though I knew exactly what I would be seeing, the action onscreen was still quite fascinating. Although I was hoping that the question of the film's handling of subtitles would be answered in the preview, unfortunately it was not. Still, this preview is certain to get people talking about the movie even more than they already were, making this an extremely effective teaser.

1. Lost in Translation

Sofia Coppola follows up her extremely underrated The Virgin Suicides by directing this film, starring Bill Murray as an actor who is making a fortune doing whiskey ads in Japan but making himself absolutely miserable. Murray meets a young American girl and the two immediately hit it off, and the film chronicles their meeting and ensuing friendship. I was quite impressed with Murray's performance, from what was shown in the trailer; he looked fantastic playing the role of a man going through his mid-life crisis with a sense of humor. I had not actually heard of this film until I saw this preview, but I must say that it looks quite good, and is certainly one that I will keep an eye out for this fall.