Preview Review III

Been to a couple movies lately. Henry's at an age where you can just have him along. If he gets upset, either you or your wife get up and take him to (worst case) the lobby or (best case) the entrance area of the theater and calm his baby ass down. People tell us to take advantage of this because it won't be long before he's too old/active to just view him as an accessory. Soon enough I won't even be able to watch my favorite television shows while he's awake. I shudder to think of it. But while that day may be fast approaching, it is not yet nigh. So I'll just put it out of mind for the time being.

Before I get to the trailers, let me tell you quickly about the two features. They were definitive proof of the 'it's best to go to a movie expecting it to be shit' theorem.

"Men Who Stare At Goats", which looked tremendously promising, was dull and self-conscious (yes, we get it, you used the word Jedi and Ewan MacGregor was in Star Wars). The highlight of the whole movie was when Rachel recognized that one of the guys was 'Ron' from 'Parks And Recreation'. Nice catch, honey! Speaking of which, that show is finding it's stride. Give it a second chance.

And tonight we went to the new installment of that "Twilight" thing, and while Edward might be the most fey hero in the history of motion pictures, the whole thing was entertaining enough. I think if I had not expected it to suck, I would have thought it did. But as I did, I didn't.

Now onto the previews. Scores are for the trailer's ability to conceal decent amounts of plot (Secret Score -- SS) and for whether it seems like the movie itself might be any good (Upside Score -- US). There's a bunch of 'em cause they're from two different trips to the cinema. I'll try to be brief.

Up In The Air -- George Clooney movies often look like they'll be great, and most of the time they end up being just kinda cute. The best ones are generally the ones where Clooney wears a suit (like 'Michael Clayton', and 'Good Night And Good Luck'). As he is frequently besuited throughout the trailer, I have high hopes. SS 5. US 8.

Avatar -- Man, that was a long trailer. Totally not my type of movie, but it does look epic. SS 3. US 6.

Extraordinary Measures -- Brendan Fraser is a Dad whose kids are sick. Harrison Ford is the eccentric genius who might have a cure. Honestly, I don't think there will be a scene in this thing you can't imagine right now if you think it through for a sec. Still, looks well-enough done, so if you're looking for tears of sadness followed by tears of joy, you're probably in luck. SS 4. US 3.

Valentine's Day -- All-star cast. One of those 'Love Actually' style things where seemingly unrelated stories have some kind of link (the girl from Story A is the guy from Story B's sister, and he dated the girl from Story C in College, and she works for the couple in Story D). This is the type of movie that's enjoyable and you like it but you never think of it for a minute before or after seeing it. And then later you meet somebody and they tell you it's their favorite movie of all time. And you are dumbfounded. You really just cannot fathom it. SS 5. US 5.

Invictus -- How did Clint Eastwood get so good? Honestly, he's probably the number one 'must see' director going right now. People forget how recently he was making crap (as an actor). What was that one where Jeff Bridges was the bad guy. Really? Jeff Bridges? But suddenly he can't make a misstep. This thing looks awesome (uh oh, high expectations). SS 5 US 9.

Leap Year -- Amy Adams is charming and fun but if this movie is as bad as it looks that's going to be two strikes (Julie & Julia being the first -- the movie wasn't that bad, just she was). She might want to get some help script reading or something. SS 3. US 2.

When In Rome -- Some actors with decent track records for being funny didn't come close to saving this trailer. Hopefully they do more for the actual movie. SS 2. US 1.

The Morgans -- Not sure about the whole title, something about the Morgans. Looks like it could be a career nadir for both Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant. Speaking of Sarah, remember her in LA Story? She looked like she was going to be a breakout star, and I guess she was, but really only because of Sex & The City (which, imo, is good in spite of her). SS 3. US 1.

Letters To Juliet -- This actually looks halfway decent, as far as movies for girls go, but it's the worst preview I've ever seen for giving away the whole damn thing. SS 1 US 5.

Remember Me -- The Twilight guy looking at least somewhat less fey, an edgy Pierce Brosnan (who can be good), and the always great Chris Cooper. Looks promising. SS 5. US 7.