Saturday, January 1, 2011 at 7:15AM The Best Trailers of 2010
You know what they say about first impressions, you only get one. And, that my friends, is why there are few things in the film industry more powerful than a trailer. Trailers can make terrible films look incredible (I'm looking at you M. Night) and in the worst of times can cause incredible films to lose an audience (colon, frowny face Scott Pilgrim).
Hit the jump to check out my top 10 of 2010. Some of my choices even surprised me.
TOP 10 TRAILERS OF 2010:
10. Buried
If a film's official trailer is that all important first impression, then its teaser is like that first time you lock eyes with someone you could be sexually interested in. You either get that "tingling" sensation, or you don't. Ryan Reynolds, in the dark, trapped in a wooden box definitely gave me that sensation... Wait, that came out wrong!
Okay, I caught a lot of shit for saying I didn't like this teaser when it was first released. So then I watched it again. And guess what, I still didn't like it. I must've watched it over a dozen times, trying to see what was so appealing, but I just couldn't get it. Until a few nights ago when I sat down to put this list together. I decided to watch it again and, like an epiphany, it hit me. It's just f'in cool. And that song is truly bone chilling.
8. Super 8
If there is one thing that's certain in the film industry it's that J.J. Abrams is God when it comes to turning out a teaser trailer. I almost wore out my laptop watching the Cloverfield teaser as many times as I did a few years ago. Well, the man has done it again. Nobody still knows what this film is about, but everyone knows they want to see it. And that is what makes the ultimate teaser trailer.
7. True Grit
The first half of this trailer is good. It's funny, it's harsh, it's a Coen Brothers western. But, the last half of this trailer is what makes it great. At 1:20 Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" kicks in and takes this trailer to the next level. This song over the Coen's imagery is nothing but awesome.
6. Black Swan
A lot of trailers these days try to make a film look like something it's not. But this trailer isn't one of those. It presents Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller as just that. After seeing the film, then rewatching this trailer, it's just as tense, sexy, and cerebral as the film itself.
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The end is here, ladies and gentlemen. And, it is EPIC. Granted, a lot of the images from this trailer come from the action packed finale of next year, but the trailer itself is from 2010 so who cares. I dare you not to get chills when Alexandre Desplat cranks the score up to 11.
4. 127 Hours
This trailer is so simple, yet it has so much going for it. Danny Boyle's incredible imagery, check. A performance from James Franco we've all been waiting for, check. A 'Band of Horses' song in a trailer, check. And how 'bout that shift in tone half way through? Another trailer that perfectly represents the film.
3. Inception
If this film's teaser trailer would have been released this year it would have easily been number 1. That teaser was PERFECT in every way. But that was so 2009. What this theatrical trailer does have going for it though is the same tone and sense of intrigue as the teaser. It does give away a little too much plot for my liking (thank you studio execs who think all audiences are as dumb as the Kardashians), but that hallway fight can get away with murder, so really who cares.
2. Sucker Punch
Giants and dragons and hot chicks in leather, oh my! I shouldn't have to say anything else to justify this spot, but I will. Zack Snyder is a magician in the cutting room. His trailers are just insane. And it's such a simple formula... Speed Ramping + Awesome Music = Best Trailers Ever. I can't wait to see Superman flying around in slow-mo to the latest 'Muse' track.
I can't see how this choice could surprise anyone. I mean virtually any of the film's trailers could have been put in this number 1 slot. But, the combination of images over the choral version of 'Creep' here was what really cemented this movie in people's minds as something more than "that Facebook movie."
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Not a huge Terrence Malick fan, but the incredible imagery here was too hard to ignore. If it weren't for that bit of pretension that comes with any of Malick's films, it definitely would've cracked the top 10.
After seeing this trailer, you know exactly what you're getting from this film. And it's heartbreaking. I really thought those crazy kids were gonna make it.
It's Zack Snyder: Speed Ramping Owls + '30 Seconds to Mars' = Best Kids Trailer Ever
It's been a REALLY long time since a trailer for a horror movie has scared me. As a horror buff who was watching Halloween on VHS with my mom when all my friends were going to the theaters to see Aladdin, the fact that it's been so long is kind of sad. And then this little beauty came along. If you watch this trailer in a pitch black room and your heart doesn't start pounding, you're probably dead.
Raw, visceral, utterly disturbing. And that's only describing the first 75 seconds of footage we've seen from Kevin Smith's next foray into horror. Red State tops my list of the films I cannot wait for in 2011, and after this I cannot wait for another trailer.
So there it is, my favorite trailers of there year. Did I leave any of yours off the list? Let me know. Oh yeah, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Reader Comments (5)
Wow, great job on this Mike!
I wholeheartedly agree with your number one choice! A great list there as well.
Great list. The tough thing about trailers is that they usually always show the best parts of the movie, so you can't use the movie to rate the trailer. That being said, I was impressed with every trailer on here.
The Tree of Life trailer is so artistic and beautiful. Terrence Malick never ceases to amaze me.
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