Movie Trailer of the Day

Movie Trailer of the Day: The 400 Blows by Francois Truffaut

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As I continue my journey through the French New Wave, I offer up one of the most important films in the movement (and perhaps one of the top ten most influential films of all time), Francois Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows.” Note that Jean-Pierre Leaud, who plays Paul in Masculin-Feminin, plays Antoine in the film. Obviously, he’s a lot younger here.

Movie Trailer of the Day: The Sweet Hereafter by Atom Egoyan

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One man must find the truth …”

Despite the lameness of the trailer, which has 1990′s pseudo art film cheese written all over it, this was a strongly emotional film based on an even better book by Russell Banks about the devastation a school bus crash causes a small Canadian town. Ian Holm has a monologue describing a family emergency that totally nails what it means to be a father, and Sarah Polley is wonderful in her first major role as the lone survivor of the crash. I also have to mention the amazing Bruce Greenwood (Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek) as a grieving father.

Movie Trailer of the Day: Picnic at Hanging Rock by Peter Weir

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Oh, Peter Weir. You were once a great director, and Picnic at Hanging Rock was your greatest film. Eerie, scary, bizarre — a surrealistic classic. Don’t mind the zombies in the intro — they don’t have anything to do with the film.

Movie Trailer of the Day: Jean-Luc Godard’s Masculin Féminin

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I first saw Masculin Féminin at the University of Maryland in 1994 in a comparative literature class called “Film, Form and Culture.” Wow, what a revelation. Godard’s study of French twentysomethings in the late 1960′s had an incredible impact on my twentysomething self. The French New Wave changed cinema and brought about the American New Wave of the 1970′s — Truffaut may be Tina’s favorite New Wave director, but I’ll always prefer the daring Godard (though admittedly, Godard hasn’t made a good film since Weekend). There are elements of Masculin Féminin in many subsequent films, including the French cafe scenes in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, which is a clear homage.

Movie Trailer of the Day: Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette

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Sunday is the day I reserve for exceptional trailers for terrible movies. Sofia Coppola’s career was so promising after The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, and she followed them up with an amazing trailer for Marie Antoinette that used New Order’s “Age of Consent” to amazing effect. Too bad the actual movie was a mess of self indulgent bullshit.

Movie Trailer of the Day: Woody Allen’s Manhattan

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Still my favorite film of all time, and Woody Allen’s best work.

Movie Trailer of the Day: Wes Anderson’s Rushmore

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I’ve seen Rushmore many, many times — including three times in the theatre.  I love all of Wes Anderson’s films, but Rushmore is still the best.

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