Trailers!

I love good movie trailers! I just watched two really good ones, and I have this uncontrollable happiness within me.

The first, and best, is for "It's Kind of a Funny Story." It's about a boy who admits himself into a mental hospital because he's depressed. In there, he meets Zach Galifinakis, a father who thinks his daughter is better off without him, and Emma Roberts, a girl who presents herself with a bitchy facade as a shield, at least I'm assuming. But what gets me is the music. If a trailer has a good song, it creates the best type of atmosphere. Let me explain.

Several years ago, a film came out called "Sunshine Cleaning." The movie itself seemed decent at best, relying on the fact that it was produced by the same people who did "Little Miss Sunshine." But in the trailer, the song "Crane Wife 3" by the Decemberists was used. And it was beautiful. To date, that is probably my favorite trailer, because the music perfectly fuses with the scenes presented to make an almost infinite moment. I love that trailer.

And with "Funny Story," I got the same type of feeling I get when I watch the "Sunshine Cleaning" trailer. The song used is called "Oh My God" by Ida Maria, and the upbeat, optimistic, memento mori-type atmosphere is created once again. Plus, there's a shot of the protagonist and Emma Roberts running through the hospital, which is automatically a plus, because I love it in films when people run because they are happy. I don't know why, I just do. So, great trailer find #1.





The second film doesn't have a great trailer, but the film itself will probably be great. The film is called "Somewhere," and Sofia Coppola directed it. I respect her work and look forward to her films more than most directors. Even in the trailer, I can sense the feeling of distance, of lostness, the same type of feeling that was throughout "Lost in Translation." Coppola is sublime in how she creates that feeling, but she does it extraordinarily. Plus, this is the second film she has used a Strokes' song in the trailer (this time it's a stripped-down version of "You Only Live Once" that I had never heard before).




I found these trailers through my favorite distribution company's website, Focus Features. That company selects the best films.