Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Horror, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Trailer Trash, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Trailers and Clips

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.

Continue reading Matt’s Ten Best Trailers of 2007

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Filed under: Cellphones

Quite honestly, it’s hard to know where to start with this one. Should we bash on the totally unlicensed Mercedes-Benz logo curiously adorning the front? Or should we begin by trying to put into words just how hideous this device truly is? The QKfone G998 is reportedly a GPS-equipped handset with a built-in microSD expansion slot, a 2-megapixel camera, an internal (2.8-inch) and external (1.8-inch) display and a world map plastered on the back for an extra dash of classiness. Apparently, the phone sports tri-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 and a full-fledged media player to keep you occupied when not hiding this thing away from public sight. No word on a price, but trust us, it’s for the best.

[Via PMPToday]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Apparently, Amazon’s wondrous e-book reader, the Kindle, has more than meets the eye — not unlike some fictional, alien, robotic characters which shall not be named. Users of the device have been plumbing its depths, and have uncovered a handful of easter eggs which will make current owners extra happy, and might push potential buyers over the edge. Amongst the hidden features are access to Google Maps coupled with CDMA-based location-finding, which also allows you to quickly locate nearby gas stations and restaurants (as well as your own custom searches). In addition to the GMaps integration, the Kindle also comes equipped with a hidden picture viewer and slideshow functionality, the ability to snap a screenshot, a clock quick-look, plus everyone’s favorite time-wasting game: Minesweeper. Hit the read link to learn all about the unrevealed guts of the innocent little reader.

[Via interface]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

According to a report from the Boston Globe, a man claims that he was typing a text message into his cellphone when he lost control of his SUV and fatally struck a 13-year-old boy on a bicycle. In a stark and sad reminder of the cause for recent laws put into effect governing texting / phoning while driving, it appears the man was so distracted that he didn’t even realize what had happened until later that night. Ironically, the friend of the boy who had been walking with him attempted to call 911 on his phone, but was unable to get through. The driver is being charged with motor vehicle homicide, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and driving without a license. A tragic story — and unfortunately not the first we’ve seen — but hopefully a cautionary tale for anyone who regularly juggles driving and texting. Don’t.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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iPhoneSender is a Safari bookmarklet and/or Firefox extension that is capable of allowing you to click an address and ask for an e-mail, sending that address in Google Maps format directly to your iPhone. This is way more convenient than typing actual street addresses into the iPhone, making it perfect for folks on-the-go who are way too busy to let their thumbs go the extra mile. Those who are constantly in a rush will definitely find the iPhoneSender to be a practical extension.

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Strangely, Internet Explorer 7 took five long years to come out after IE6’s release back in 2001. Based on history, IE8 should roll out in 2011, but apparently that is not to be since word on the street has it that Microsoft will release it sometime in Q2 2008. That’s a wee bit too soon, isn’t it? What are some of the improvements that one can expect from IE8? It will probably focus on a whole bunch of minor improvements, with the main target being ‘Acid2′ compatibility. What’s Acid2, you ask? It is actually a test used to check whether a browser can work with different web standards across a range of features and platforms. In layman’s terms, this means everything ought to look and operate nicely on any web page from any country, encoded on any system.

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Word on the street has it that Nokia’s N95 8GB NAM handset will be released in February 15th next year, sporting an insanely high pre-order price tag of $800 via Mobile City Online (MCO). MCO is well known for pushing back their availability date in the past, but let’s remain optimistic that the rumor mill will give birth to some semblance of truth this time.

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Verizon Wireless will be enabling holiday revellers to text in their individual New Year’s wishes in New York City’s famouse Times Square. You will not only be able to send text messages but also pictures, best wishes, and even a proposal request to Spotlight Live’s 75-foot Jumbotron in Times Square. These messages can be sent from virtually any text-capable handset from any wireless carrier to 81878, while picture messages will have to be redirected here. You won’t have to fork out a premium since regular text messae rates apply.

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Apple has patented a transactions system that would allow customers with Apple devices to place an order, and receive a pick-up notification in places like cafes - this is just an example, the system could be used for many more things. Of course, the customer’s preferences could also be archived for further use like making your next order easier or spamming you to death with targeted advertising (I’m just speculating here).

Anyhow, from a business standpoint, that seems fantastic: Not only Apple gets awesome raw data that it can possibly monetize later, but you could also imagine that Apple would ask for a share of each transaction, just like Visa and Mastercard do… Link to the long, boring patent, written in Lawyer

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Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show

Here’s who’s sitting down on the couch on the late night shows.

• Charlie Rose: William F. Buckley Jr. and Naomi Klein
• The Late Show with David Letterman: Alec Baldwin and Shakira (repeat)
• Jay Leno: George Clooney, The Zimmers, and Rihanna (repeat)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Seann William Scott, Dan Fogler, and Gerry Phillips (repeat)
• Tavis Smiley: James Taylor (repeat)
• Late Night with Conan O’Brien: Matthew Broderick, Bonnie Hunt, and John Mayer (repeat)
• The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Eric Bana, Julia Sweeney, and Fountains of Wayne (repeat)
• Last Call with Carson Daly: Jimmy Smith, Doug Anderson, Dan Dunn, and Plain White T’s (repeat)

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