Top Trailers 100 (3/4)

Strike Back below!

by: Alex Keen Jan. 11, 2006

Welcome to part three of the 100 Best Trailers of 2005. This is the 5th Annual List dating back to 2001 and my first year bringing this list exclusively to JoBlo.com. Having spent the past nine months as Trailer Admin, you should know my tastes from your daily visits to the Trailers Page. Sit back and scan the list for your favorite trailer or movie of the year. Sometimes great trailers make great movies and other times they make you see awful movies.

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 for a trailer to break into the 100 Best is a great achievement. The selection of the 100 Best is entirely determined by me. This is not a survey, nor did anyone vote. Having seen nearly 2000 trailers since this list started in 2001, I've earned my keep and am a full fledged trailer enthusiast.

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.

This list will consist of four parts 100-61, 60-21, 20-1, and the 20 Worst Trailers. Previous Best of the Years Winners include: GARDEN STATE, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, FEMME FATALE, and 40 DAYS, 40 NIGHTS.

20. THE DYING GAUL

19. RUMOR HAS IT

18. MUNICH

17. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

16. GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

15. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH...

14. ROLL BOUNCE

13. STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH

12. MIAMI VICE

11. A SCANNER DARKLY

# 10 HUSTLE & FLOW Slipping in just under the wire is the trailer for HUSTLE & FLOW. Much like the RENT trailer after it, HUSTLE & FLOW did an excellent job of leaving a lyric to resonate in your brain. There's nothing more entertaining than walking out of a movie theater singing to yourself "It's hard out here for a pimp." The other strength of this trailer is Terrence Howard's sick ability to suck you into his brain. This year he had the dramatic chops to battle Bobby DeNiro even on his best day. One look from Howard draws you immediately to his character and keeps this trailer on a higher level because of it.

# 9 MARIE ANTOINETTE This is the newest trailer in the Top 10 and deserves it. For being a period drama, nothing about this trailer smells old and powdery. Director Sofia Coppola has consistently kept her trailers unique and entertaining, and this one is no different. The soundtrack is the strongest selling point and the trailer leaves audiences pondering what they've just seen. This should help Marie Antoinette re-emerge into the lexicon of young America.

# 8 SYRIANA It's not easy to market an ensemble drama about the oil business to the American public. SYRIANA is an excruciatingly complex movie that is dividing audiences into two camps: the converted and the confused. And yet these complexities gel together perfectly in the form of a movie trailer. The SYRIANA trailer emphasizes some great line delivery from Matt Damon to speak to the masses. While, at the same time, cutting in some riveting action sequences meant to keep you on the edge of your seat. Top it off with a great line from Tim Blake Nelson and a subtle soundtrack, this trailer will eat your SUV for breakfast. The playful text at the end is also a great touch.

# 7 THE ISLAND This trailer played on my computer more times than any other. The imagery of THE ISLAND was mind blowing, the edit was as tight as can be, and limited dialogue was penetrating. Every time Scarlett Johansson shouted "Run" I was once again sucked into this world. This trailer is incredibly smart and way above par for a mindless action movie. Despite the film's ultimate failure to find an audience, this trailer blew away most of its competition.

# 6 THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY I won't lie, I was disappointed by THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY once I actual saw it. The central cause of this was the great trailer campaign. Specifically, the trailer that really grabbed me was of course the trailer about trailers. Following in the footsteps of the classic trailer for COMEDIAN, this trailer is smartly self referential and a great showcase for a concept not easily accessible to most audiences. Reference to the movie voice guy was especially entertaining. Alan Rickman's performance as Marvin fills the gaps quite nicely, while the music and visual gags ram the fun into your brain. This internet trailer is a great example of how to market to the nerds, geeks, and sad denizens of the web. I was incredibly stoked after seeing this trailer.

# 5 MURDERBALL Easily the best trailer for a documentary in 2005, MURDERBALL takes all of the strengths of a great subject and amplifies it with intriguing one-liners and well chosen music. Without any foreknowledge of Mark Zupan, I was mesmerized by such a charismatic protagonist. Covered in bad ass tattoos and with a quick wit, Zupan is what Brad Pitt dreams to be. Music selection here is quite good, using "Light and Day" from The Polyphonic Spree. The song fit well into cult hit ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, and sets a great mood for MURDERBALL. Documentaries are hard to sell without ruining the story. This trailer is funny, dramatic, and intense, all without ruining the flick one iota.

# 4 THE FOUNTAIN Just squeaking in as the second best teaser of the year is Darren Aronofsky's epic, THE FOUNTAIN. The look of this movie reminds me whole hog of a Kubrick film and it has me drooling. Kubrick left us no heir apparent, but Aronofksy has potential. The costumes and photography look glorious, and the music sucked me right in. The simplicity of design hits me right in the gut, because I've always preferred minimalist marketing to over aggressive tactics. The edit is perfect and tight. The font supports the entire composition well, but appears slightly derivative of the FANTASTIC FOUR teaser. That's okay because I'm still far more stoked for THE FOUNTAIN than I ever was for FANTASTIC FOUR.

# 3 SUPERMAN RETURNS Okay kiddies, jot this down: I despise SUPERMAN. Clark Kent has always been my least favorite super hero, so consider me blown away by the best teaser of the year. Bryan Singer is a cinematic genius who understands comic nerds better than any other director in Hollywood. The use of Marlon Brando's voiceover gave me chills. The only other time that's happened was when Han Solo says "You're all clear kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home." The visuals are strong in this trailer, but not overwhelmingly so. The short length just leaves a taste in the audiences' mouth. Unfortunately, the full length trailer now has a lot to live up to.

# 2 CRASH There is no doubt that CRASH connected with the American conscious. Its Oscar chances, once impossible, now have become a reality. The magic that is in the trailer delivers everything that makes this movie such a word-of-mouth success story. Voiceover from Don Cheadle radiates from the intro, while delivery from Sandra Bullock immediately puts the emotional complexity on the map. The best trailers for dramatic films put the audience in the moment. CRASH not only captures that is injects the words directly into your blood stream.

# 1 JARHEAD It is no easy task figuring out what is the best trailer of the year. However, when JARHEAD first popped onto the 'net it was an obvious winner. This trailer masters the important connection between music and moving image. The use of Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" is bone chilling. Keep in mind that I was not a West fan prior to seeing this trailer. Time and time again, Sam Mendes visual masterpieces match well to trailer creation. All three of his directorial efforts have powerful trailers. The melding of imagery and soundtrack propelled a film with a rising star, a powder keg of a plot, and a divisive genre. While the overall box office for JARHEAD proved less than expected, the opening tally was impressive and indicative of the strength of this trailer.

With the Top 100 complete, don't forget to check back for the annual Worst Trailers of the Year. And don't be afraid to talk back below here. You're all opinionated and I can't wait to read your thoughts!

Source: JoBlo.com