Movie Trailer Mondays - 2008 Year in Review

So 2008 is coming to an end, and it's been an interesting year in film to say the least. While some say the volume of "high quality" movies was lacking, I beg to differ. I actually think it's been a really cool year in that there were quite a number of big budget films that had real substance to them AND we got several smaller pictures like "Man on Wire" and "The Wrestler." This year we've seen the biggest box office in history since Titanic in the way of "The Dark Knight", AND the comebacks of badass actors such as Robert Downey Jr and Mickey Rourke. Since I figure there are a million sites out there that will be sharing their favorite movies of the year, I figure I'd share my favorite TRAILERS of the year in no particular order. Keep in mind that a few of these trailers came out in '08 but the films they represent won't be out until next year.







WATCHMEN
Teaser/Trailer # 1
Click here to Watch


The unexpectedly cool use of the Smashing Pumpkins song featured in this trailer really sets the tone in a very powerful manner. The graphic novel that Watchmen is based on is not only one of the greatest graphic novels ever written, but many critics consider it to be amongst the top 100 novels of the 20th Century. I'm excited for this one in 2009- Unfortunately Warner Bros and Fox are currently disputing who owns the rights to it, so don't be surprised if the release date gets pushed out!

THE WRESTLER
Trailer
Click here to Watch

This particular trailer was kinda interesting for me because I actually managed to catch the film at the AFI fest before the trailer was even released. Regardless, the trailer really captures the essence of the film- The movie and Mickey Rourke's performance BOTH delivered, and it was a truly awesome depiction of a broken man's inner turmoil.








QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Teaser/Trailer #1
Click here to Watch



Bond was back in a big way this year following up on the success of 2006's "Casino Royale." "Quantum of Solace," this year's sequel with the uber bizarre name went on to have the biggest Bond opening ever out of all 22 007 films. This trailer defintely helped in achieving this feat, though unlike the first two films mentioned on this list, I have to say I ended up liking the trailer to the movie better than the actual film. Don't get me wrong though, "Quantum" was fun- It just didn't live up to all the grittiness and great dialogue of its predecessor.

STAR TREK
Trailer #1
Click here to Watch

Now here's a film I never thought I'd feature in any sort of top picks of the year list. The trailer to JJ Abrams' upcoming Star Trek franchise reboot suceeded in doing exactly what the film is hoping to do- to expose the Star Trek brand to a new and non-geeky crowd. This trailer played at the screening of 007 Quantum of Solace I attended and everyone in the crowd seemed to be stoked by it... defintely excited for this one in '09.








DEFIANCE
Trailer #1
Click here to Watch



"Defiance" is a film that I've been stoked to checkout ever since I saw the first trailer to it back in February this year. Due to what I'm assuming is an awards season strategy, the film has just recently been released to the public. I managed to catch the film on a screener copy recently and I'm happy to say it totally delivered- If nothing else, the film was totally photographed in an absolutely gorgeous style, and I think that this and "The Dark Knight" are the two top contenders for the '09 Oscar for Cinematography.

IRON MAN
Final Trailer
Click here to Watch

"Iron Man" was a movie that really caught me off guard this year- I was truly expecting a cheesy typical superhero movie when I first heard about it, but the trailers just kept getting better and better. I've gotten pretty good at being able to spot a potentially bad film from how the trailer looks and this one actually seemed to be looking better and better as the trailers kept coming out. Long story short, this film now has it's place in big budget comic book movie history thanks mostly to a badass comeback performance by Robert Downey Jr.









CHANGELING
Trailer
Click here to Watch


The trailer to Changeling kinda wigged me out when I first saw it- The concept/real life story seemed far fetched yet totally intriguing at the same time. The film seemed like it was shot beautifully and the performances looked like they would deliver. Lucky for all of us it delivered on both counts. It was great to see Angelina Jolie in a meaty role that let her get back to her strong acting roots, and as he does every year during awards season, Clint Eastwood delivered another Oscar worthy film.

MAN ON WIRE
Trailer
Click here to Watch

Wow. What can I possibly say about this one? Just go out and see it if you haven't! If you have even the slightest sense of adventure in your blood, this film is just what you need. Having seen the trailer now before AND after watching this fantastic documentary, I've got to say that the trailer does a great job of highlighting the essence of the film without giving away the best parts of it. This film definitely deserves the best documentary Oscar for '09 (which it is for the most part, yes it did.








ROCK'N'ROLLA
Trailer
Click here to Watch



The "RockNRolla" trailer caught my eye since it seemed to be a return-to-form for director Guy Ritchie who gave us the totally grimey/funny British crime caper films "Lock Stock" and "Snatch." His most recent films have been pretty awful to say the least and this one looked to make up for them. So, DID "RockNRolla" end up delivering? The good new is for the most part yes it did. The end result was a bit of the typical formulaic Ritchie syle, but as most people would say, "if it ain't broken, why fix it?..." **BONUS TANGENT STORY- My friend Morgan and I sat next to the strangest and most boisterous solo moviegoer ever during our showing of the film and he definetly added a gloroius Cockney soundtrack element to our evening.

TROPIC THUNDER
Trailer
Click here to Watch

Ok so I mentioned earlier that this list was in no particular order, but I do have to admit that these two final entries were amongst my VERY favorite movies of the year. "Tropic Thunder," the high concept war spoof delivered on it's equally high concept trailer. The film featured ANOTHER comeback and standout performance by Robert Downey Jr (as the Dude playing a Dude disguised as another Dude), and an equally hilarious comeback performance by Tom Cruise (both of whom have been nominated for Golden Globes for their performances). I definitely think that Tropic Thunder is destined to be 2008's bizarre Zoolander-like cult sensation of the year.

And now, here is the....

TRAILER OF THE YEAR!:


" THE DARK KNIGHT"
Trailer #1 AND #2
Click here to Watch

Honestly, what can you say about this film that hasn't already been said? Look, I know I'm a big Batman nerd, and quite frankly I don't care- this was the most hyped movie I can remember in a LONG time, and unlike most hyped-up movies it delivered on every account. "The Dark Knight" managed to move beyond the tragic legacy of Heath Ledger's passing and really get people talking on many levels. The film is likely to be nominated for several Oscars and take home several as well. Talk about a perfectly executed marketing strategy- The trailers for this project were epic (a word I try never to use) and grandiose in nature.


As we look forward to 2009 take another look all of the trailers here and hope that we have this much to talk to next year as well- here's to another good year of trailers AND more importantly, good films.

** My favorite Film SOURCES from this past year- Cinematical, Deadline Hollywood Daily, In Contention, Superhero Hype, Coming Soon, Defamer, Empire, Apple Trailers, Box Office Mojo, and of course, IMDB.