Best 2008: Trailers Pt. 2

Welcome to the 100 Best Trailers of 2008. This is the 8th Annual List dating back to 2001 and my fourth year bringing it exclusively to JoBlo.com. If you visit the Trailers Page frequently, you should know my tastes quite well.

The 100 Best Trailers are listed in order from worst to first. Bear in mind that each year over 400 hundred trailers are released and not every trailer can fit on this list. The selection of the 100 Best is not compiled by the site as a whole, nor is it based on reader feedback. This is not a survey, nor did anyone vote. Just one Schmo's opinion on things.

Selection of the 100 Best depends on a multitude of criteria. Paramount to making a great trailer, previews must excel in edit, music selection, character and story development, and originality. There are standard types of trailers that movie audiences are accustomed to seeing; this list intends to encourage filmmakers and marketing firms to break those molds. Each movie is only allowed one entry on the list. The power of the movie trailer is not in the safe and secure track, but the exploration of new ways to grab the audience's attention. Trailers that were released last year (like some of the trailers for THE DARK KNIGHT) are not qualified for this list.

This list will consist of two parts 100-26 and 25-1. I will feature the Worst Trailer of the year on my personal MYJOBLO Profile. Previous Best of the Years Winners include: FUNNY GAMES, 300, JARHEAD, GARDEN STATE, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, FEMME FATALE, and 40 DAYS, 40 NIGHTS.

25. CHOKE 24. THE SOLOIST 23. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL 22. CHE 21. ZACK & MIRI MAKE A PORNO 20. GIVE 'EM HELL, MALONE 19. QUANTUM OF SOLACE 18. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN 17. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE 16. THE UNBORN 15. ADORATION 14. FRIDAY THE 13TH 13. SEX DRIVE 12. STAR TREK 11. IRON MAN

Before I delve into my explanations of the Top 10 Trailers, realize this - almost all of the trailers on this list are excellent. Granted, some of the movies wound up high on the refuse pile. Nevertheless, it is becoming more and more apparent that trailer editing is exceeding filmmaking in quality. Look at TROPIC THUNDER. The trailer for THE FATTIES: FART 2 was the funniest part of that movie. For the most part when I go to the movie theater I am expecting to see great trailers and hoping the movie afterward might entertain me. Anyway, here's my list of the 10 Best Trailers of 2008. Disagree? Feel free to throw snotballs at me in the Strike Back section.

# 10 TERMINATOR: SALVATION After three TERMINATORS and four different John Connors, I was about ready to call it a day. Another attempt at this series and with Christian Baletah boot just seemed like pure folly. Then I watched this amazing trailer. Full of reveals to cheer for "Who are you? JOHN CONNOR!" and a dry as helldystopia, this is one of those trailers that makes a die hard movie buff cry in his Sour Patch Kids.

# 9 WALTZ WITH BASHIR Hopefully you caught this one on my list of 10 Trailers You May Have Missed! With this movie picking up Oscar steam it may wind up being more than a blip on your radar. This animated import is gorgeous to look at and will expand your horizons. WALTZ WITH BASHIR looks like one of those movies you take a risk to see and then never regret it.

# 8 BURN AFTER READING A good trailer for a Coen Brothers movie is like a fat kid in dodgeball. A really mean fat kid in dodgeball. You know, like the one you knock out and then he sits on you until you say "uncle." He's that kid that even when he loses the game he still winds up as the winner. Clooney, Pitt, Malkovich, and McDormand are priceless here. And, the selection of "Grounds For Divorce" by Elbow is spot on.

# 7 W. Yet another trailer with fantastic music selection. This Talking Heads works perfectly with the edit and makes Oliver Stone's fantastical vision not appear to be as strange. Although the movie didn't live up to any of the hype, this trailer had my interest piqued for long enough to imagine a world where Oliver Stone returned to form.

# 6 WALL-E Not since E.T. has a character brought as magic to the silver screen as WALL-E. The little engine that could charmed the pants off of every man, woman, and child (even super-polluters like Montgomery Burns had to love the bot). The International Trailer found here was the cream of the crop thanks to some great music and an epic voice-over.

# 5 TAKEN It has been a while since this International Trailer hit the interwebs. It has taken almost a year for the hype to push this movie into American movie theaters. And now, as fanboys froth and foment over bootleg DVD Rips, TAKEN is at its peak in the US. This trailer brings us a kick ass LiamNeeson that we all wish was in STAR WARS. It presents what we wish RANSOM was. A kick ass dude unwilling to let kidnappers get away with taking his hot daughter. If you haven't seen this trailer take a look.

# 4 WATCHMEN Talk about hype, WATCHMEN couldn't be more hyped at this point. Zach Snyder's last two movies delivered the goods and this time out he's risked it all on an the novel that they said could never be adapted. Almost all of the characters looks like a perfect match (I have my issues with the dude from GREY'S ANATOMY as The Comedian) and the visuals look straight out of the graphic novel. At first I was very hesitant about the silly Smashing Pumpkins song. However, over the months it has grown on me and so has this trailer.

# 3 STEP BROTHERS Call me a sucker for Daryl Hall and John Oates. Do it, I dare you. This trailer is funny. This 2 and 1/2 minute clip is funnier than the entirety of TALLADEGA NIGHTS. And, seeing John C. Reilly weeping in his own grave is worth the price of admission. The inclusion of "North American Scum" by LCD Soundsystem was yet another genius decision by the committee that edited this trailer.

# 2 THE DARK KNIGHT THE JOKER The Jokerized trailer for THE DARK KNIGHT was the peak of a marketing campaign that swarmed the Internet. It epitomizes a film studio understanding how to stroke their fan-base into hysteria (akin to John Lennon saying he was bigger than Jesus). This trailer was originally awarded to a select few die hard ARG masters that found it on a 35mm reel of film. It luckily made its on the Internet and was just crappy enough looking to light up the 'net. This was a feet of marketing genius and won't be duplicated again.

# 1 PINEAPPLE EXPRESS This trailer not only launched a blockbuster hit movie it catapulted the featured soundtrack to hit status as well. While some people might be annoyed by the melding of movie trailers and music videos, I personally love the two like peanut butter and chocolate. And in this case it was like chomping down on a tasty Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. "Paper Planes" was a decent alternative radio hit prior to this trailer. Now it reigns supreme as the crossover song of the summer. Did I mention that this trailer is funny? Flat out funny. I must have watched it 5 times alone and then shown it to another 20 friends. James Franco is a phenomenal stoner and his partnership with Seth Rogen is incomparable. PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is one of those trailers that lets you have fun in the theater. It's more of a movie short than a coming attraction. It epitomizes when a movie trailer transcends marketing and becomes entertainment.

Okay kiddos, that's my list. Care to offer something else as the Best Trailer of 2008. Post away in the Strike Back section below!

Source: JoBlo Trailers