Sadly unstudied and undervalued

COLIN VARNEY
Trailers are an integral part of the movie-going experience. They settle us into our seats and prepare us for big screen pleasures. They excite and raise anticipation. They’ve even lured franchise nerds into theatres just to see the teaser for the latest Star Wars or Harry Potter. Yet they remain sadly unstudied and undervalued.

It’s time for the art of the trailer to be recognised. For this reason I have given up watching those overblown “producer’s cuts” that we call movies. For the time-poor trailers are enough. They contain all the best lines and special effects and often manage to tell the entire story of the film. I believe they deserve as much consideration as features.

They deserve reviews!

TRAILER REVIEW
“MY SISTER’S KEEPER” (2.5 mins)

Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult the trailer for “My Sister’s Keeper” is high velocity storytelling at its best. Character voice-overs and finger-snap editing establish the medical and emotional bond between siblings, one conceived to provide biological material to cure the other.

Abigail Breslin stars as a kind of Litigious Miss Sunshine, driven to protect her rights to her body by hiring a lawyer. Cameron Diaz, in her best performance since the trailer for “In Her Shoes”, exhibits an Oscar-flirting lack of glamour in her role as the cardigan clad mom. Sofia Vassilieva appears as the type of child that gets The Chaser into trouble. Despite the frenetic pace there’s a surprising amount of character development – a testament to the actors and the editor. There’s drama, romance, and even tragi-comedy as the sisters gleefully conflate astrology and oncology. The ending remains enigmatic which may inspire some to check out the “producer’s cut”. If you do so, I think you’ll find the trailer has revealed enough for you to enjoy the acting and scenery without needless distraction from plot developments.