Of late I’ve had trouble watching TV. There are three movies out now whose commercials put me in such rage that I probably lose a year of my life. These movies are: “See Spot Run” (anything with David Arquette makes me wanna climb up into a belltower with a sniper rifle, but this is by far the worst yet), “Just Visiting,” and “Spy Kids.” These odious movies come out every so often, (thus spawn their commercials) but three at one time is just too much. Anyone agree/disagree? What movies do this or have done this to you?
god bless my remote control and my terrible memory
I get most upset when they give away things that don’t occur until half-way through the film. Why spoil that much?
The other one is where they feature the one scene that is not like the rest of the movie, like the romantic kiss in an action movie.
Two things annoy me in TV trailers, and I usually miss one of those until I get the tape and watch again the trailer (if included) :
- The music on the trailer has no connection with the movie (ex. in Three Kings, you do not hear Buffalo Springfield, yet their For What It’s Worth is what’s playing during the commercial).
- The commercial shown on the air has scenes that do not appear in the final movie
- Allo Opale
When the trailers show critical scenes. It takes the suspense out of it when you see it coming. And my biggest pet peeve of all: Who gives a shit what the soundtrack is? The biggest clue for me that a movie will royally suck is when the soundtrack is touted as a major reason to come and see it.
“Dude, Where’s My Car?”
J.E.T.
I’m not a big fan of previews that give away major developments late in the movie. As discussed on this board, director Robert Zemeckis is a prime offender on this score. Both What Lies Beneath and Cast Away had trailers that basically spoiled developments in the last half hour of the movies. Zemeckis defends this by citing the commodification of film, that he believes the mainstream audience goes to movies the way they eat at McDonalds: It’s an easy, comfortable choice because they know exactly what they’re getting ahead of time. I disagree, but I do think Zemeckis has a point.
I do have to take issue with the two “bad” movies mentioned, though. Spy Kids is the newest movie from Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, From Dusk Till Dawn, etc.). He also made the only watchable “chapter” in the otherwise turd-encrusted Four Rooms, the one about the two kids left alone in the hotel room who find a nasty secret in their mattress. While many times these offbeat “kid-oriented” movies are painful to sit through (e.g. Inspector Gadget), I must observe that there are a handful of movies in this genre that are not just tolerable for adults, they’re magical for all ages (e.g. Time Bandits). Obviously, I haven’t seen the movie yet, and you’re free to feel however you like, but I wouldn’t be willing to pre-judge the movie just yet.
Just Visiting looks slapsticky and dumb, yes, but it’s based on a very, very popular French original (Les Visiteurs, and stars the same two actors with the original’s director. French comedy can certainly be obnoxious, as can the remakes (the brain-dead and borderline racist Little Indian, Big City was turned into the even worse Jungle 2 Jungle, for example), but this remake has been getting pretty good test-screening reports that indicate the movie might play pretty well to a particular audience. We shall see.
I will say, though, in reference to the OP, I have a severe allergic reaction to trailers for movies starring Freddie Prinze Jr.