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Ok Disney, enough already, we get it!

post #1 of 30
1/1/05 at 10:51am
Thread Starter 
So I went to see national treasure last night and I really was not bothered by it problems it had a lot of fun moments (Is it me or is this a thinly veiled re-write of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade? Certain scenes are almost carbon copies.).

What bothered me were the three trailers that preceded the movie: The Pacifier,Chicken Little and The Hitcher's Guide to the Galaxy.

At the beginning of every trailer they are supposed to be Fooling us into thinking that each film is gonna be a big budget Action film in the vein of ID4 or a Jerry Brukheimer production. When it is reveled that the pacifier is going to be Kindergarten Cop, Guarding Tess, True Lies etc... part 2, I guess we are all supposed to say "Ahhhh,,, OH OH UH, Uhhh HO HO HO HO ha hahahaah, why this... this is not a big action movie at all it is just another delightfull comedy. Bravo!"

Chicken Little does the same thing with its opener and to a lesser extent Hitchhiker does too.

Do they expect us to be relieved that the movie is not going to be a big budget poorly made action film and instead a big Bidget poorly made comedy?

Disney is taking all the fun out of Irony and I wish they would stop it. If they keep it up they might bring sentiment and pride back to the big screen once everyone is sick to death of the hackneyed execution at sarcasm.

Thank you for listening to my pointless rant, I apologize for waisting your time but I needed to get it off my chest and my wife just doesn't understand LOL.
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post #2 of 30
1/1/05 at 11:33am
They tried to make The Hitcher's Guide to the Galaxy look like a big budget Action film in the vein of ID4 or a Jerry Brukheimer production?

...ohhh boy.....YES THEY DID DIDN'T THEY?
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post #3 of 30
1/1/05 at 1:04pm
Haven't seen the trailers for The Pacifier or Chicken Little, but I did think the H2G2 trailer was absolutely brilliant.
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post #4 of 30
1/1/05 at 1:31pm
I liked the chicken little trailer I saw, thought it was somewhat amusing though I might have just been in an overly good mood when I saw it simply because I was about to see the Incredibles. The Hitchikers trailer I really liked, I don't know many big budget action movies that would have that particular song in the trailer. Haven't seen the pacifier trailer.
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post #5 of 30
1/1/05 at 2:11pm
I don't know, using a peaceful song such as "what a beautiful world" right before exploding the world and turning up the "action" music seems pretty commonplace for an "action" oriented film trailer to me. HGTTG as a book(s) is exiting but I wouldn't say that it is an "action" story....more of a satire of...well...everything.
Also being distinctly British in it's view I wonder how they have altered the storyline to fit the american crowds they want to play to....hopefully not much, I am looking forward to it but I try to keep my expectations on a low burner these days because the "hollywood" formula has a way of creeping into the best "adaptations" out there...I am still going to see it with as much of an open mind as I can.
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post #6 of 30
1/1/05 at 2:47pm
"Thank you for listening to my pointless rant, I apologize for waisting your time but I needed to get it off my chest and my wife just doesn't understand LOL."

Much wisdom your wife has...

...but then again, we're all allowed our pet peeves. You've simply found a new one, and an extremely specialized one, at that.
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post #7 of 30
1/1/05 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
My point is that every single trailer had the same "clever" premise to it.

I don't know about you guys but if some guy came up to me and told me the same "guy walks into a bar" joke three times only changing the names of the characters, I'd punch him in the face.

It is sad that marketers working for the same company could not come up with something more original for there trailers (like I said the Hitchhiker to a much lesser extent).

Yes and Mr. Rister who plagues board after board with his "specialized" rant about Robin Hood. What do you do at Christmas time, go around making sure kids know Santa is not real?
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post #8 of 30
1/1/05 at 4:25pm
Are we talking about the Hitchhiker's Guide teaser trailer?
The one where they play What A Wonderful World as we see the world, and then the world explodes?
I don't understand your problem with that one.

The entire film is based around the destruction of the world in the opening minutes of the film. The use of What A Wonderful World was a relief to me, given the use of the song in the radio series and TV series. The use of the words Don't Panic was again perfect for the material. Didn't really think much of the film's tagline, but the appearance of the number 42 in the stars was again wonderful. As a HHGTTG fan, I thought the teaser was almost perfect for the material it was advertising.
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post #9 of 30
1/2/05 at 4:59am
At least they kept HHGTTG teaser as simply that - a teaser. I am much more upset at teasers that show clips shot specifically for the teaser but are never used in the film. If it's going to be a teaser, just make it a dramatic announcement, nothing more. HHGTTG did a great job at that.

You're original comment is absolutely right on.
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post #10 of 30
1/2/05 at 8:01am
This is like the standard "jump" or "scare" at the end of so many trailers. The first one may have gotten me, maybe even the second one.....but after 1356 of them, it loses its effect.
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post #11 of 30
1/2/05 at 11:59am
So is your problem that disney is using this technique in those 3 trailers or is your problem that you saw them use the technique in 3 trailers in a row.

In other words, had you seen the 3 different ones spaced out over a period of timi instead of back to back to back, would you have had less of an issue with the way they went about it...or is it just something you find lame to begin with?

I don't mean to attack, and I hope it doesn't come off that way I'm just trying to understand which of those 2 things is your main complaint.
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post #12 of 30
1/2/05 at 1:19pm
While I do think the Hitchhikers trailer does play up the "action" music a bit I think (and I may be totally wrong) that his complaint is the whole "attack the audience with pumped up sound to draw-em-in!!" type of trailer philosophy that is bleeding into trailers for films that don't necessarily fit that type of genera.....it's been going on for ever of course but personally I get a bit sick of being shoved back in my seat by these type of trailers and wonder if the ringing in my ears was really necessary for a film like On Golden Pond 2: the Beginning!

But that's me....BryanV probably has an entirely different intent in his comments.
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post #13 of 30
1/2/05 at 2:23pm
Thread Starter 
There was a tread a while back about movie cliches and I think we can start a whole new category for trailer cliches. Since Andy Warhol's soup cans even elitist can recognize art in advertising and it saddens me when they can not come up with an original idea. Remember the trailer for Toys, it was better than the movie itself and they even lampooned it on The Simpsons. I just watched Anatomy of a Murder today. It is one of those must see movies that you some how have stumbled through life not seeing. To make it worse it has been in cellophane on my DVD shelf for over a year. After going to see National Treasure and Meet the Fockers (not to say I did not enjoy them both) I needed to cleanse my pallet. The film was great and so was the trailer in the special features section. The trailer for Anatomy was off beat, funny and maybe as controversial as the movie at the time it was shown. As another poster stated the extra bump at the end of the scary movie promo is tiresome as well, it is to the point that when The Ring 2 trailer came on in front of Meet the Fockers not one person was affected by the last bit of loud noise and flashing light that was meant to make us all jump. We all new it was coming.

Now that this tread is a few days old I have started to wonder what the point is of complaining about formulaic trailers for movies that will probably be just as formulaic (fan boys don't get your backs up as you can excuse Hitchhiker from the list OK).

I am not able to go to the movies often and I have noticed lately that they have reduced the number of soda pop commercials etc. but we are still a captive audience for the trailers so it would not hurt if the people making them tried something more original once and a while.

Think Hitchcock's Psycho trailer for inspiration.
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post #14 of 30
1/2/05 at 2:50pm
OK, I get what you're saying now.

The Psycho trailer is one of the best trailers I have ever seen.
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post #15 of 30
1/2/05 at 3:25pm
"Yes and Mr. Rister who plagues board after board with his "specialized" rant about Robin Hood. What do you do at Christmas time, go around making sure kids know Santa is not real?"

Santa isn't real?
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post #16 of 30
1/2/05 at 3:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Santa isn't real?


Touche Monsieur Pussy Cat
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post #17 of 30
1/2/05 at 3:36pm
Quote:
There was a tread a while back about movie cliches and I think we can start a whole new category for trailer cliches.


That was done in a prior thread too ...

the one that hit home for me (and others) was

"In a world ......."
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post #18 of 30
1/2/05 at 3:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
"In a world ......."


One man will face the greatest test of his life and One man will do anthything to stop him.

DUM DUM DA DA DUMMMMMMM.
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post #19 of 30
1/2/05 at 5:02pm
Owww...I Feel Good! The way that I should now.....I Feeeeel Good.... Rob Schneider is The Carrot!

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Just a little semi-relevant humor from SNL & South Park...
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post #20 of 30
1/2/05 at 6:38pm
Quote:
At least they kept HHGTTG teaser as simply that - a teaser. I am much more upset at teasers that show clips shot specifically for the teaser but are never used in the film.


And how does the HHGTTG teaser differ from that? None of that is going to be used in the actual film either...

Jason
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post #21 of 30
1/2/05 at 7:00pm
Quote:
the one that hit home for me (and others) was
"In a world ......."
Just in case you haven't seen it, you'll love the trailer for the Jerry Seinfeld film Comedian from a couple of years ago.

Funniest trailer ever. Here it is.
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post #22 of 30
1/2/05 at 8:05pm
Bryan, I think this probably is a bit more peeve than problem.

1) The Pacifier is clearly a Kindergarten Cop ripoff, in which an ACTION star is humorously (well, allegedly) placed in a domestic situation. Thus the action tie-in with the trailer. It's the premise of the film itself.

2) Chicken Little appears to be a film about how disasters are on the verge of happening all the time in Chicken Little's world. So there probably will be a lot of action sequences mixed with jokes about them. So that film warrants the action angle as well, its a major premise of the film.

3) Hitchhiker pretty quickly went with a classic Hitchhiker gag with the "Don't Panic" in response to a world blowing up. It is the irreverent humor of the story. I don't think the point there was to imply an action flick, though I can also see someone who doesn't know better thinking the film was supposed to be Men in Black 3 or something.

To me that teaser is all about hitting the core audience for that film, people that already get the joke and are just being reminded or notified that the film is on the way.
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post #23 of 30
1/2/05 at 8:20pm
Quote:
though I can also see someone who doesn't know better thinking the film was supposed to be Men in Black 3 or something.

That's exactly what my point was at least. Having read all three books when I was younger I knew that the trailer was at least in a slightly subdued way trying to portray the film as something less then the rather intelligent/irreverent satire that the books were....in fact it has me wondering what exactly they have done with the original story, how do we know that the musically "action-packed" trailer isn't honestly representative of the film itself? I doubt it...if the creators don't want to royally piss off the fan base then they better hope they didn't drastically change the irreverent feel of the story for something a bit more vanilla.....NAAH, they couldn't have. What would be the point in adapting this book at all if they were going to do that.
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post #24 of 30
1/3/05 at 5:25pm
Unfortunately, I don't have the link handy, but there's a rather lengthy interview with Karey Kirkpatrick (who's the current screenwriter for the project, interviewing himself, no less) that should go a long way towards relieving any worry that the filmmakers are going for a dumbed-down, more "American" feel.

It's at one of the sites that's tracking the film's production.

edit: while looking for a link to the interview, I came across the news (dated 1/4/05 in the UK) that Alan Rickman is the voice of Marvin(!)

edit 2: here it is... it was on the official site all along. http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/mov...interview.html
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post #25 of 30
1/3/05 at 5:57pm
Quote:
while looking for a link to the interview, I came across the news (dated 1/4/05 in the UK) that Alan Rickman is the voice of Marvin(!)
Really? I hope not. I thought Stephen Moore was still doing it - and frankly, he is the only person that should be doing Marvin. Hopefully it's just another internet rumour reported as fact.
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post #26 of 30
1/3/05 at 6:11pm
It's from a Garth Jennings interview on BBC Radio 1. While of course I'm a huge fan of Stephen Moore's Marvin, I also think Rickman could do a bang-up job.

Sorry to osgiliate the thread.
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post #27 of 30
1/3/05 at 6:12pm
Quote:
At the beginning of every trailer they are supposed to be Fooling us into thinking that each film is gonna be a big budget Action film in the vein of ID4 or a Jerry Brukheimer production.

When I read this, I couldn't help thinking of the Austin Powers 2 trailer, which spoofed Star Wars: Phantom Menace, which was coming out the same summer. You know the one, sci-fi setting, camera tracking inside what appeared to be a starship and closing in on a large chair facing the viewport, all the while with Vader-like heavy breathing, and the chair turns to reveal Dr Evil instead.

I think the complaint is more that you were unfortunate to view three such trailers back-to-back, and that trailers generally are using similar techniques to sell their movies. The sad thing, as already pointed out, is that some trailers are better than the movies they're trying to sell.
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post #28 of 30
1/3/05 at 7:16pm
Quote:
It's from a Garth Jennings interview on BBC Radio 1.
Hmm, of course, if the director of the film actually said it, it might be true. Oh well. I agree with the rest of your comment
Quote:
While of course I'm a huge fan of Stephen Moore's Marvin, I also think Rickman could do a bang-up job.
but it would still be nice to have Stephen Moore.

EDIT: I just found reference to this news at a H2G2 film fan-site here. That article also refers to the casting of Bill Bailey as the voice of the whale - the fact that the whale is in the film should remove any concerns about a dumbed-down THHGTTG film, and I can imagine his voice working for the whale.
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post #29 of 30
1/13/05 at 7:01am
Guys,

Why do you think the hitchhiker's teaser looks Jerry Bruckheimer-esque? I thought it was the best thing they could have possibly done. No over the top jokes, etc. I have high hopes for it, and I don't know much about it, but the pics that have been leaked seem pretty on-target. We will see I guess, but I don't see ANY bruckheimer at all...
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post #30 of 30
1/13/05 at 8:03am
yeah, i don't really get the concern, either; it struck me as a perfect teaser for the film.

that having been said, i have no idea how those who are unfamiliar with the books would react.
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