3/30/04:
         Between DVD supplements and Turner Classic Movies, one is able to see what movie trailers (or previews or whatever you may call them) used to be like.  Many of them are vague, boring and/or rely on star power alone, but they were effective without giving too much away. 
        It well known that today with rare exception you can witness whole storylines in the trailers and, well, it seems the people like it that way.  They want to be safe in their expensive moviegoing and they can be with the knowledge that the plot doesn't deviate and the jokes will be funny (at least those already exposed to are).  But the safety in such living leaves little excitement and a barren experience which isn't even entertainment; its comfortainment. 
         So just show up a little late for a movie (unless its The Passion of the Christ or any film at Fairfield Cinemas in Fairfield, CT) and don't watch the trailers, right?  Unfortunately for many people - those who like the safety as well as those who desire the premature enjoyment of future releases in short film form (and I don't mean in the same way as Bottle Rocket or Slingblade) for instance - the trailers are one of the best things about going to the movies.  Even I still get excited about trailer, though one of the worst things about this website for me is that I have to watch all of them in order to make my prejudice expectations.  Not that it should matter - any film that gives away everything in the trailer doesn't deserve a recommendation and critics should be aware of all dirty tricks played by Hollywood with the intention of exposing them to their readers. 
          The recent teaser for The Spongebob Squarepants Movie is an ingenious separation from the usual giveaways before a film.  Because it is in theaters so far in advance (the animated feature won't be released until November), and therefore features no footage from the finished product, the trailer is what the industry calls a teaser trailer.  An appropriate label, sure, but shouldn't all trailers be teasers?  Everything else should be referred to as naked trailers because they leave little to the imagination. 
        This particular teaser features a montage of clips from submarine movies of the past (The Hunt For Red October; Das Boot; U-571) cut so well together that those unfamiliar with them won't even realize the compilation.  Finally it becomes clear that this live-action is occuring inside the cartoon toy sub of Spongebob as he plays in the bathtub.  The transition to animation is abrupt yet fluent and though some children may be confused by the inclusion of the archived footage following the awareness of the trailer's product, but the setup and sell is there.  Audiences know that a Spongebob movie is on its way to theaters and those who are fans need know nothing more. 
           I have no plans to see The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.  I'm not familiar with the show let alone a fan.  If I do decide to let my curiosity get the better of me, it is in no part other than my respect for the trailer.  It can be expected, however, that in a few months a naked trailer will arrive in theaters and the redundancy of such may deter me.  Either way, I hope some other studios can learn from Paramount (yes my least favorite of all studios!).  In addition to this trailer, I applaud their teaser for The Stepford Wives as well despite it being comparatively more common example of that category of trailer. 

3/6/04:
          I really despise television.  As a boy I watched a lot of it.  Actually, I watched more than a lot of it.  Looking back I could have been doing so much more with my time without friends.  I could have been reading great literature and building a stronger vocabulary so that this blog could be better for you to read.     
          I continually believe that, at least in the US, television is dumping ground for writers with little creativity.  Arguably, there have been some greats who wrote for TV (look at the crop who came out of Sid Caesar's Show of Shows) and there have also been some good shows, but particularly with sitcoms, plots are like the town whore: sooner or later they show up in everyone's bed.  I continually have low expectations for those films either based on TV shows or written by TV writers attempting to break through.  These movies almost never show me something new. 
          This weekend I'm really annoyed with television adaptations because of my disappointment with Starsky & Hutch.  Sure much of it is hilarious but I can't help feeling the restriction that Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong's script had with its basis.  The plot is so generic that many jokes are forced flat into the structure almost as if so expected they're necessary.  I state this as a huge fan of Old School which literally plays in my house at least 3 times a week. 
          Now Phillips is set to direct The Six Million Dollar Man starring Jim Carrey.  Why?  Couldn't he just do another stupid college comedy?  That is what he's good for.  He is a good director as I'll continually point out with the kidnap montage from Old School.  In addition, Starsky & Hutch's co-writer John O'Brien has been tapped for The Dukes of Hazzard.  I'm sure there are many others in development. 
          This is only one of my peeves which warrant low expectations.  When all there is to choose from at the theaters are television adaptations, comic book adaptations, classic literature adaptations and redos, remakes, and sequels, the world will just implode.  It is the duty of filmmakers to churn out original or at least interesting work so that cinephiles like myself won't sink further into cinecism.