Last week, a friend of mine suggested stopping off for coffee on the way to a movie. But when I said I didn’t think we had enough time, her response floored me: "Who cares? We’re only going to miss the trailers." Only the trailers? Please. Any good movie fan knows that even if the feature presentation is hit or miss, the trailers never fail. A terrific preview provides the best kind of anticipatory thrill; a dreadful one gives you the pleasure of sneering and jeering, without having to shell out your hard-earned cash to see the whole thing.
In that peanut-throwing spirit, I’d like to present the first installment of PopWatch Previewer, where we’ll cover everything from the muck to the masterpieces, focusing on indies, documentaries, and occasional studio offerings (or at least the ones that my colleagues Susman, Bernardin, and Vary don’t snag in advance of my Thursday deadline). After the jump, check out previews for The Express (starring Dennis Quaid, left), Flash of Genius (with Greg Kinnear, right), Patti Smith – Dream of Life, and Sex Drive, then let us know if you’re going to catch them in the theater—or just chuck M&Ms at your computer screen.
THE EXPRESS
Oct. 3
Plot: Under the tutelage of a hard-nosed coach (Dennis Quaid), real-life football phenom Ernie Davis (Stop-Loss‘ Rob Brown) battles prejudice to become the first African American winner of the Heisman trophy.
Looks like: A sports epic straight out of the Remember the Titans playbook, with Dennis The Rookie Quaid filling in for Denzel.
Verdict: Rudy! Rudy!Oh, sorry. I guess I still have a Pavlovian reaction to slo-moscrimmages, period costumes, and swelling strings; they just send mestraight back to Notre Dame every time. This trailer catches some of Rudy’s rousing spirit, although it does seem oddly Quaid-heavy for amovie that’s subtitled "The Ernie Davis Story," no? Not that there’s anything wrong with Dennis Quaid.
FLASH OF GENIUS
Oct. 25
Plot:Based on a true story, a kooky inventor (Greg Kinnear) sues Ford in1978 after the auto giant rips off his design for the world’s firstintermittent windshield wiper.
Looks like: Tucker: The Man and His Dream, with plenty of Erin Brockovich-style "man vs The Man" conflict.
Verdict:The movie looks pretty cool, but honestly my attention during thistrailer was mostly focused on how awesome it would be to have GregKinnear and Lauren Graham as parents. I mean, I’d be the most charming,well-spoken person in the world. What’s that? Oh, come on. Stop. You’remaking me blush.
PATTI SMITH – DREAM OF LIFE
Aug. 6
Plot: A documentary about rocker Patti Smith.
Looks like: Truth or Dare, minus the Dare.
Verdict:It’s about time Smith got the rock doc treatment. The stringy-hairedgodmother of punk has been creating music—and poetry, and politicalstatements—for over 30 years. And apparently, during the last ten, shewas also shooting grainy b&w footage of her life for this intimatedocumentary. The trailer looks pretty stream-of-consciousness: Smithstrums her guitar, talks to her parents, hangs with Michael Stipe, andtakes to the stage. But as long as Patti’s there, I will be, too.
SEX DRIVE
Oct. 10
Plot: A geeky 18-year old (Kyle XY’sJosh Zuckerman) who moonlights as a giant mustachioed doughnut mascot(who hasn’t?) invents a he-man persona to meet girls online.
Looks like: Must Love Dogs meets American Pie, or The 18 Year-Old Virgin. Or maybe SuperNotSoBad. I can keep going…
Verdict:Nothing here makes me think Drive is going to break new ground in thehorny-teen genre, but Zuckerman gives off a cute JasonBiggs/Schwartzman vibe (that’s a good thing), and the goofy supportingparts—namely James Marsden as a high-kicking biker and Seth Green asa snarky Amish guy—should be good for some laughs. Also, kudos to thedesign dudes who came up with this movie’s wink-wink-nudge-nudgeposter: a close cousin to those brilliantly randy 40 Days and 40 Nights ads from a few years back.
So what do you think, PopWatchers? Does Sex Drive look set to stall? Are The Express and Flash of Genius hits-in-the-making or history lessons with nice lighting? And does Patti Smith’s doc look like a dream, or just a snooze?
Comments (1-18) of 18 Add your comment
I had to call my mom and tell her to read this posting because we feel the EXACT same way. Friends say that we are too nuerotic and get to movies too early, saying that if you are late you will “only miss the previews”. Um, excuse me. The previews are the best part of a movie! There is nothing that brings more joy to my heart than a good batch of movie trailers. Thank you for proving that there are more people like us.
I saw the trailer for Flash of Genius in the theater, and it really made me want to see the movie. As my sister said, with Lorelei Gilmore in it, it’s gotta be good. The description for Sex Drive didn’t make it sound terribly appealing, but the trailer was funny. And I like me some Dennis Quaid, but I’m more likely to rent The Express than see it in the theater.
I agree, eel8. The trailers are the best part. Even if I’m excited about seeing a movie, I can’t help but feel disappointed when I realize that the movie is about to start.
I want to see The Express, I’m a sucker for period football movies. Flash of Genius and Sex Drive actually both look pretty good. And though I helped Patti Smith finds books a couple of times at the Barnes & Noble I used to work at, I have no interest in seeing a documentary about her even though I like her music (I hate Rock-Docs).
I can’t wait to see Lauren Graham on the big screen again, Flash of Genius looks great. Yes I still miss my weekly Gilmore hit.
Unlike Kevin (below),I really like a good “rock doc” and have the good fortune to be seeing this Patti Smith documentary at weekend – yay!
the express preview looks pretty good, and it wasn’t as Quaid-heavy as you said.
i like this new part of popwatch!
I love the previews. Some people go to the bathroom during them – I make sure and go before. I saw the previews for the Dennis Quaid and Greg Kinnear movies before Mamma Mia! I got excited when I saw Lauren Graham too!
I also saw the trailers for The Express and Flash of Genius before Mamma Mia (both ended up being more entertaining than the movie). I’ll probably see both, but I’d most likely wait for a couple weeks into their respective runs, when they move into the smaller, “cozier” theaters… they seem more that type of film. As for Sex Drive- well, I emailed the trailer to my teenage brother.
Friends who are okay with missing the trailers get crossed off the movie-buddy list. They are definitely my favorite part of the whole movie-going experience. I have to admit that I got misty-eyed during the Express trailer (I love good sports cliches) and squealed with delight at the thought of a movie about windshield wipers. But “yay trailers” all around.
Nobody outside the US wants to see The Express. Dennis Quaid looks constipated yet again.
Previews are often nothing like the actual movie.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see Lauren Graham as the lead in a movie and not playing the wife of the lead? That’s what really bugged me about the preview for Flash of Genius. That and the fact that it appears to be a movie about windshield wipers.
Well actually….Greg and Lauren are my parents. Its not as great as you think, all they do is fight…I hate hollywood couples!
I’m totally going to see “Sex Drive”. That looks hilarious. The others, uh…I don’t know…probably not. Maybe the Greg Kinnear one on DVD.
While The Express looks really inspiring, I’ve seen it a million times before, sometimes with basketball, and it was best done by Remembering the Titans. Sex Drive, however, was surprisingly hilarious.
well, shoot. i just can’t help it…i got goosebumps watching the express trailer. and the windshield wiper movie looks darn cute. love me some trailers.
you’re seriously mistaken if you think the express is anything close to rudy. given the circumstances of ernie davis’s life, it’s a much more of an inspiring story than rudy could ever hope to be.
I agree with Mel Aug 1. Lauren should definitely have the lead in a movie. How about Amy Sherman-Palladino write a movie on the life of Dorothy Parker and have Lauren play the lead. I am sure Amy would have vast knowledge on Dorothy Parker’s life. Dorothy was witty and delivered agile one liners. Amy has proven she can write in this style and Lauren can deliver. As we know, Lauren is an exceptional actress.