I do love a good trailer. I'm one of those people who gets to the theater in plenty of time for the previews, and if I see a movie that has one or fewer trailers playing with it I feel gypped. It's as much part of the experience as overpriced popcorn and ill-timed cell phone usage. Man, did I see a lot of trailers this year. 2007 was my first full year of doing the Trailer Park feature here on Cinematical and the experience has strengthened my appreciation for the form. I'm not placing these in any particular order, but here are ten trailers that really got my attention this year. Some of the movies I've seen, some I haven't, some have yet to be released, but all (in my humble opinion) do an exceptional job of selling the film. My choices, of course, are purely subjective and will undoubtedly conflict with yours, so please add a comment and let us know what your favorite trailers of 2007 were.


Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (teaser)
This one may have dropped in late 2006, but I''m including it here for two reasons: I mentioned it in a Trailer Park last January and it kicked serious ass. Sure, the full length trailer had a little more meat on its bones, but it's the teaser trailer for the Fantastic Four sequel that had people talking, myself included. The wedding of Mr. Fantastic to The Invisible Woman (a pivotal moment from the early Lee and Kirby issues of the Fantastic Four comic) is interrupted by the arrival of The Silver Surfer. The Human Torch gives chase across the skies and through the tunnels of New York. One of the first movie's biggest problems was that the Torch wasn't able to fully exercise his powers until near the end of the film, but this time we get it up front in the trailer.

Cloverfield (teaser)
No one knew what to expect when this trailer showed up with Transformers last summer, but it has since inspired all kinds of speculation as to what this movie is all about. A hand-held home video of a farewell party in New York City is interrupted by a power failure. A massive roar can be heard off in the distance and a gigantic fireball engulfs a large chunk of the city. Huge pieces of shrapnel fly everywhere, including a large chunk of metal that turns out to be the Statue of Liberty's head. This is one of those trailers that is so good you find yourself saying, "the hell with that movie I just paid to see, I want to see this one right now." To further tantalize audiences, producer J.J. Abrams and company didn't even tell anyone what the title was at first. The full length trailer that followed added more footage, but failed to be as engaging as the original teaser.

Odds and ends from Tuesday:

• I'm not exactly sure why a couple would pretend to break up, but the premise is intriguing enough for me to want to know more. Italian director Gabriele Muccino, who will be making his English-language directorial debut with The Pursuit of Happyness (starring Will Smith) this fall has now signed on to helm A Little Game Without Consequence for Focus Features. Based on the French play, Consequence was already adapted as a French film in 2004. Recently, Muccino replaced Jonathan Mostow as director of another Will Smith pic called Tonight, He Comes. However, he soon left the project claiming the story just didn't jive with his style and sensibilities.
• IGN is confirming Nicole Kidman and Paul Bettany have joined the growing cast of The Golden Compass, directed by Chris Weitz and based off Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Kidman will be thrown into the role of villain, playing the insidious Mrs. Coulter, while Bettany will be taking on Lord Asriel. As previously discussed, Compass will kick-start New Line's most ambitious and expensive adventure since Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Not long ago, an unknown 12-year-old girl named Dakota Blue Richards landed the lead role in Compass, proving there is enough room in Hollywood for two little girls named Dakota.
• Talk about actors that fly way under the radar, Mos Def has signed on to star opposite Jack Black in Be Kind, Rewind. Written and directed by the always eccentric Michel Gondry, Rewind sounds right up my alley. What? Didn't anyone tell you eccentric was the new sexy? Pic stars Black as a guy who unintentionally destroys a bunch of tapes in his friend's video store after his brain becomes magnetized in a freak accident. In order to satisfy the store's one loyal customer, the two join together and attempt to remake some of the lost films including Back to the Future, The Lion King and Robocop. Also in negotiations to star are Kirsten Dunst and Danny Glover. Be Kind, Rewind begins shooting in early September.