1. The Giveaway: These trailers are too overzealous, trying to show you a complete picture of the movie.  A trailer isn’t meant to be a three minute synopsis of the movie, if you could get it all that fast why would you sit for two hours to watch it drawn out?  Rather, it is supposed to give you an idea of what the film is about but leave plenty to the imagination so you’ll actually go see how it turns out.  A recent example is the trailer for Charlie St. Cloud.  After watching that trailer you can already tell the main character’s brother dies in a car crash but the two can still hang out and play baseball somehow.  Then he meets a girl who distracts his attention from his brother, angering the boy’s ghost, and eventually he gets a chance to save the girl he loves, which will serve as redemption for driving the car that killed his brother.  Basically we know the whole movie and the only reason to watch it is for the hour or so of filler plot.
2. Highlight Reel: As far as marketing goes this can be very successful because you wrap all the best or funniest lines or scenes into a few minutes, which will lead the viewer to think this is going to be an impressive film.  While this may draw initially large crowds, ultimately the movie will be poorly received when audiences realize all the good parts were in the trailer and the rest is forgettable mediocrity.  When word gets around that the movie wasn’t what it was cracked up to be, total viewers and grossing will be subpar.  The recent comedy, Get Him to the Greek, took on this form of trailer, with a slew of funny lines filling the trailer that turned out to be the majority of the movie’s funniest parts.
3. The Drama Queen:  This is one of the more successful trailers, if it is appropriately matched with a drama or thriller.  However this type of trailer fails when the movie is a sappy romance or teen drama that tries to create something significant out of what is a more trivial plot.  In essence, don’t be something you are not.  Though it has yet to be released, the trailer for the upcoming film The Adjustment Bureau has the potential to be a successful drama queen trailer.  With powerful music and blacked out screens with memorable phrases, the audience is still left wondering what exactly is going on in this film but with an understanding that the topic addressed is of epic proportions.

One of the best action adventure movies of the decade, Gladiator was technically a spring movie with its May release, but close enough.  Though a great film, it’s by no means light hearted, with intense and graphic violence scenes, but stellar performances by Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix have made this movie one to watch again and again.  Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park is another world famous film that still holds a place in the top 20 highest grossing films of all time.  Though everyone in the room has probably seen it, it’s one of those “just as good” every time you see it.

On the opposite end of the spectrum a cheerful romance musical such as Mamma Mia may be what you’re looking for.  Between the ABBA songs and the Greek isle setting you’ll be ready for a seaside vacation and reminiscing about past summer loves.  Perhaps one of the best-known movies of all time, Grease never fails to lift your spirits.  The young teen drama, classic soundtrack and an iconic 50s setting makes it the perfect summer flick.

Another classic summer film, Forrest Gump, is a worldwide favorite.  This movie takes you through the unforgettable decade of the ‘60s, noting every major historical event through the eyes of one very peculiar man.  Life lessons, laughs, and tears abound in this 1994 drama, and chances are no one in the room will object to watching it.

One of the saving graces of Eclipse was the exceptional graphics.  Human-werewolf transformations along with werewolf-vampire battles were uniquely portrayed throughout the film. And if nothing else, this movie was certainly easy on the eyes.  Though rumbles of complaint can be heard about Jacob’s (Taylor Lautner) constant lack of a shirt, the reaction in the theaters told a different story.  And the mysterious and noble Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) keeps fans coming back for more.

Perhaps one of the flaws in this film is Kristen Stewart’s portrayal of Bella.  Though she is a serious and awkward girl in the novels, Stewart takes on a whole different persona of someone who seemingly sucks the life and fun out of every scene.  Whether it is the director’s choice or the artistic interpretation of Stewart remains to be seen, but Eclipse once again produces a much darker Bella than we saw throughout Stephenie Myer’s novels. In fact, her character is so unpleasant and ominous that you are left frustrated and wondering why two beautiful and supernatural creatures will risk everything to save her.

But at the end of the day it comes down to the numbers.  Depite  what any critics may have to say, Eclipse held its own.  The film broke the record for biggest midnight opening in the US and Canada, bringing in around $30 million and breaking the record set by its predecessor, New Moon.  It also set a new record for the biggest Wednesday opening in the US and Canada.

Matt Damon is currently working on a several of other projects with upcoming releases in the next year.  Directed by Clint Eastwood, Hereafter will also be released this fall.  This thriller tells the story of three extremely different people, each of whom was profoundly affected by death.  Damon is also starring in True Grit, Margaret and Contagion, which are in various stages of production.

In this dark crime thriller, a young, unsuspecting Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) turns out to have impressive computer hacking skills and a tendency for the violent and is recruited by Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) to help investigate the death of a woman that occurred 40 years ago.  A string of plot twists and constant suspense will have you on the edge of your seat throughout the movie.

Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist both produced impressive performances in a film that has become more mainstream than many of their previous works.  Swedish born Rapace has starred in a number of independent and foreign films such as White Man’s Blues and The Black Pimpernel. He is also currently filming for The Chinese Man and Abduction.  30-year-old Rapace is also Swedish and an independent film star.  Upcoming roles for this actor include Clean Out, Babycall and Svinalangorna.

As the books of this trilogy seem to be jumping of the shelves, there are high expectations for the last two films of the series.