Trafficmovie.com

December 21, 2000 12:05 PM

Trafficmovie.com has piqued my interest in a film more than any other celluloid trailer has in recent memory. Unlike the "Cast Away" previews that seem to give away the whole plot before the film even opens, this site is teasing, ambiguous, and enigmatic, giving away nothing...except for an uber-atmospheric mood. No wonder the movie is leading the Golden Globe pack of nominees.

Warning: uses Flash (albeit tastefully).
posted by NickBarat (6 comments total)

Needless to say, the press people doing the noms have had chances to see the actual movie (I hope you weren't implying they were doing so on the basis of the trailer!), though as with the Oscars there's no guarantee they've actually done so.

Soderbergh is on a creative streak. I can't wait to see what he tries next.

I'm not so sure we shouldn't expect that a simple story about being lost on a desert island for over a year is easily communicated in a trailer, while a complex thriller is not.
posted by dhartung at 1:07 PM on December 21, 2000

You know, almost every time I've (usually unwillingly) been roped into seeing a movie whose trailer seemed to give away everything, the movie was still a surprise. Not every time, but almost. Sometimes the trailer was flat-out misleading.
posted by kindall at 1:44 PM on December 21, 2000

Gad, I HATE when they just pop open a full-screen window. Blech. At least let us pull the trigger, people...
posted by solistrato at 2:25 PM on December 21, 2000

I was really just trying to express that, as the bard put it, brevity is the soul of wit. The Cast Away trailers could have been just as effective (I still want to see the movie) without being so blatant in revealing plot details about Hanks on the island - and eventually getting off it (not a spoiler - it's in the trailer!). I haven't seen any trailers for Traffic, yet based on the cool, detatched ambience set by the site alone, I definitely want to check it out. I was just giving kudos to the site's emphasis on subtlety and mystery, rather than forcefeeding a three act synopsis down our throats.

BTW, couldn't agree with you more on the roll Steve-o's been on. Ever since Out Of Sight (easily one of the most underrated films of recent years), the guy has been en fuego.
posted by NickBarat at 3:27 PM on December 21, 2000

I cannot wait until Traffic gets released nationwide. As for Castaway, after seeing a few ads you already have the entire movie's story arc, neatly summed up in about a minute. It appears that they compiled a checklist of every major plot point, and then proceeded to make sure that they were all included in the advertising blitz. Thanks for saving me the time and money 20th Century Fox!
posted by rorschach at 6:16 AM on December 22, 2000

what a crappy flash site
posted by subpixel at 2:41 PM on December 22, 2000