My favorite corpses from Six Feet Under
Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.
Fans of Six Feet Under know that the show was very big on style. One of the more stylish moments in the each episode came at the beginning when they would introduce us to a new character and then proceed to show us their demise. What follows is a list of my favorite characters from the first few minutes of each episode.
Nathaniel Fisher
This one is a no-brainer. How could the show even exist without the violent accident that took the life of the Mr. Fisher? It’s also important to note that the elder Fisher’s many returns set the tone for other corpses to pop up and have a conversation with Nate or David.
Jean Louise McArthur AKA Vivica St. John
I picked Jean Louise for two reasons. Firstly, her service was the first on SFU to illustrate how a funeral home is forced to cater to just about every type of person. I mean, everybody dies, right? The other cool part was the fact that she was murdered by her cat. One more reason cats are not to be trusted.
Chloe Margaret Bryant
Chloe was memorable to me not just because of the unexpected nature of her death, but because it helped to prove my theory that when people do shit they shouldn’t be doing (like standing up and sticking their head through a limo sunroof) they are going to end up with their brains hanging from a streetlight.
Emily Previn
Emily was probably the saddest of the corpses. A nice woman who lived alone and went from temp job to temp job who was caught unprepared when she started choking on her dinner. The sad part was that not only was there nobody around to help her out with a simple Heimlich, but her body wasn’t discovered for days due to her lack of relationships. This is why I always learn the names of the people who sell me coffee.
Daddy
It’s hard to figure what the deal was on the cult that looked to Daddy for guidance. All we knew for sure was that they hated money and they refused to kill any living being including lice. Fans of Saving Grace will recognize Leon Rippy for his role as Earl the tobacco chewing angel.
Bruno Baskerville
When Bruno killed himself long ago, I bet he never thought that his death would play such a major part in the life of the Fisher family. Never claimed by his family, Bruno’s ashes sat on a shelf in the basement of Fisher & Sons for years until David Fisher decided to send them home with Lisa’s family. It was through the unbeatable teamwork of the Fisher brothers that Lisa was able to receive the green funeral that she always hoped for.
My favorite corpses from Six Feet Under
Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.
Fans of Six Feet Under know that the show was very big on style. One of the more stylish moments in the each episode came at the beginning when they would introduce us to a new character and then proceed to show us their demise. What follows is a list of my favorite characters from the first few minutes of each episode.
Nathaniel Fisher
This one is a no-brainer. How could the show even exist without the violent accident that took the life of the Mr. Fisher? It’s also important to note that the elder Fisher’s many returns set the tone for other corpses to pop up and have a conversation with Nate or David.
Jean Louise McArthur AKA Vivica St. John
I picked Jean Louise for two reasons. Firstly, her service was the first on SFU to illustrate how a funeral home is forced to cater to just about every type of person. I mean, everybody dies, right? The other cool part was the fact that she was murdered by her cat. One more reason cats are not to be trusted.
Chloe Margaret Bryant
Chloe was memorable to me not just because of the unexpected nature of her death, but because it helped to prove my theory that when people do shit they shouldn’t be doing (like standing up and sticking their head through a limo sunroof) they are going to end up with their brains hanging from a streetlight.
Emily Previn
Emily was probably the saddest of the corpses. A nice woman who lived alone and went from temp job to temp job who was caught unprepared when she started choking on her dinner. The sad part was that not only was there nobody around to help her out with a simple Heimlich, but her body wasn’t discovered for days due to her lack of relationships. This is why I always learn the names of the people who sell me coffee.
Daddy
It’s hard to figure what the deal was on the cult that looked to Daddy for guidance. All we knew for sure was that they hated money and they refused to kill any living being including lice. Fans of Saving Grace will recognize Leon Rippy for his role as Earl the tobacco chewing angel.
Bruno Baskerville
When Bruno killed himself long ago, I bet he never thought that his death would play such a major part in the life of the Fisher family. Never claimed by his family, Bruno’s ashes sat on a shelf in the basement of Fisher & Sons for years until David Fisher decided to send them home with Lisa’s family. It was through the unbeatable teamwork of the Fisher brothers that Lisa was able to receive the green funeral that she always hoped for.
Top 12 Recent Movie Trailers
There are many components that contribute to the success of a movie. Of course, there are the obvious things: strong plot, relatable/believable characters, great actors, sharp editing, stimulating music, and stunning visuals (be they special effects or just great cinematography). However, there are things you need to do before people even see the movie, which includes all forms of marketing, and movie trailers are the most important of all the marketing techniques.
I love movie trailers. In fact, I’m a self-professed Movie Trailer Whore. If they hadn’t been eating up so much of my computer’s memory, I would have upwards of 1000 trailers right now, though I’ve sadly had to delete the majority of them. Thankfully, they will live on throughout the internet for all time.
What makes a good trailer? Much the same things that make a good movie, in fact. Yet, it’s much harder to do. In a movie, you get hundreds of minutes to go through your plot and such, but with trailers you only get a couple. In those few minutes, a lot of things need to be accomplished: explain the story, create an emotional connection with the viewer, plant the seed for wanting to see the movie when it comes out, and hold on tight!
Below, I have collected twelve of my favorite movie trailers from the past five years. Why are there twelve and not ten? Because I can’t choose between them! They span a broad range of movie genres, but they all have one thing in common: they made me want to see the movie REAL effing bad! And, they worked. I’ve seen all of these movies. Most of them were great, but some of them didn’t live up to the trailer, which can completely set the tone for the movie (rightly, or wrongly, it would seem!).
They’re in alphabetical order, since I couldn’t possibly choose a favorite!
What about you? You seen any trailers in the past few years that sent shivers of excitement up your spine? List them below with a link (not code) so everyone else can see them, too!
Enjoy!
300
There are a number of things I like about this trailer. It starts out with very simple music and slow moving scenes, and progresses nicely into electronic guitar riffs and hardcore action sequences. It also showcases the stunning special effects job done on the film. One of the best parts are all of the great one-liners that are spattered throughout, giving lots of quotables for around the office water-cooler.
Music: Just Like You Imagined - Nine Inch Nails (iTunes : Amazon)
Atonement
The best thing about this trailer is the gradual progression from relative sanity, to utter chaos. You see Saoirse Ronan and Kiera Knightly just lounging in the grass, and all of a sudden you’re in the middle of a war. What also aids the trailer is the original score by composer Dario Marianelli, which actually won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Music: Atonement (Music from the Motion Picture) - Dario Marianelli (iTunes : Amazon)
August Rush
This trailer just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside! It strikes an emotional chord within the viewer, creating an immediate connection with and concern for the main characters, which makes you want to run out and see the movie. This is also helped along by a beautiful original score for the film.
Music: August Rush (Music from the Motion Picture) - Various Artists (iTunes : Amazon)
Children of Men
Not only does this have a great progression, but it also has the “Holy Sh-t” factor of a great storyline as well. Sharp editing, the quick flashes of scenes, helps create a speedy drive for the trailer, letting you know the kind of ride you’re in for when you go to see the movie. If only they could have showcased some of the amazing tracking shots in the movie! That could have been a trailer all its own.
Music: Hoppípolla - Sigur Rós (iTunes : Amazon)
Who wasn’t excited about this movie to begin with? I mean, with the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, there was a lot of anticipation gathered behind this new adaptation of such a beloved fantasy series. You couldn’t help but get chills when you saw this on the screen! It gives you exactly what you’ve been waiting for: a trip through the wardrobe and right into Narnia. Add in a number of talking animals, and a smattering of visual effects only Weta Workshop can produce, and you’ve got a mega trailer on your hands here. None of the music in the trailer is available, but the original score by Harry Gregson-Williams is worth a listen.
Music: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - Harry Gregson-Williams (iTunes : Amazon)
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
This one showcases the stunning cinematography for the film, opening with a beautiful shot of a castle overlooking a tranquil pond and ending with a 180-degree spin around the queen in fully decked out garb, standing in front of a window that floods the shot with bright light. Plus, you can’t beat a pissed off Cate Blanchett (”I too can command the wind, sir! I have a hurricane in me that will strip Spain bare if you dare to try me!”). I also love this song, which I was surprised to find out was part of the original score for the Michael Bay helmed The Island…!
Music: My Name is Lincoln - Steve Jablansky (Not available on iTunes : Amazon)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
I love the juxtaposition between the serene sounding voice singing over the trailer; at first, it fits right over the images of seeing Harry at school again and the other schools arriving at Hogwarts, but then continues on as the scenes venture into dark and dangerous territory. For those HP freaks (like myself), it gives just enough of the Tri-Wizard Tasks to whet your whistle a little, as well as scenes from the book that we’d been imagining since the book came out five years earlier. I also like how the action of the trailer is so perfectly synced up to the music in the trailer.
The music, unfortunately, isn’t available for download (because it was created specially for advertising purposes), but it can be heard HERE (scroll down and click on ‘Slay the Dragon’).
Music: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Patrick Doyle (iTunes : Amazon)
In Bruges
This trailer is just plain FUN. It’s got a snippy song, witty dialogue, and lots of confusing images. Perfect combination to pique your interest! And I can’t find the song anywhere online; apparently, no one knows what it is or who performed it. Ah well.
Music: In Bruges (Music from the Motion Picture) - Carter Burwell (iTunes : Amazon)
Iron Man
Every once in a while, you get one of those trailers that’s just f-cking AWESOME. From the second the sports car zips onto the screen, this trailer doesn’t slow its pace! You get explosions, you get witty banter, and you get… Iron Man. Oh yeah, and he races a couple of jets.
Music: Iron Man - Black Sabbath (iTunes : Amazon)
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Right off the bat you get the ominous tone of the movie with “The end has come.” Not to mention the Peter Jackson trademark move of intercutting a couple of scenes into short flashes, which is very disorienting. And who doesn’t love a great motivational speech in the throes of battle? The way this is edited, I actually like the way it sounds in this trailer even MORE than I do in the movie! And it all ends with the heart-wrenching yell from Sam, “No!”
Music: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Music from the Motion Picture) - Howard Shore (iTunes : Amazon)
Miss Potter
This is one of those instances where I like the trailer a lot more than I liked the movie. The movie was good, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t live up to the version I’d built up in my head because of this trailer. That just goes to show you the power of a good trailer. I even bought the movie before I’d seen it, so sure that I would love it. Yet, I haven’t watched it a second time. One of the most important things about this trailer is probably the song at the end, which is one of my favorite songs of all time (you might remember it from the movie Love, Actually). It just builds up so that you have this great pressure in your chest, and all of the scenes with them running and hugging and her standing up to her mom… *happy sigh*
Music: Sometimes - Gabrielle (Not available on iTunes : Amazon)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man’s Chest
This one starts out loud, with great drum beats, and instantly gives the audience what it wants: images of Will, Elizabeth, and (of course) Captain Jack Sparrow. It also doesn’t try to hide the new creatures in the film, Davie Jones and his fishy crew. They’re all there within the first 20 seconds. I also like that the trailer goes on for about a minute after you think it’s going to stop, and that last minute is one hell of a thrill ride. And, what’s great about movies like this one, is that there’s so much footage in the movie that nothing is really spoiled in the trailer! You walk away from it going, “Wow, that was really cool!” Yet you still don’t really know anything about it. But it’s given you that itch, and that’s all that matters.
Unfortunately, as seems the theme with some of these trailers, the music was made specifically for the trailer and isn’t available for download anywhere (save for the identifiable POTC themes, which will be on the soundtrack).
Music: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - Hans Zimmer (iTunes : Amazon)
James Tupper joins Samantha Who?
Even if he is taking time off between his past TV Guide gig and his new job at Entertainment Weekly, gossip columnist Michael Ausiello took a few minutes to post a little casting scoop on his personal website. According to his trusted sources, cutie Men in Trees actor James Tupper will continue to charm the ladies during the next TV season; fans of the actor will be able to see him in at least three episodes of ABC’s hit comedy Samantha Who?
Slight spoilers about the role coming up!
The actor is set to play a charming philanthropist named Owen, who Ausiello describes as “the kind of guy who men want to be and women want to be with.” When casting was underway for the character, Owen was said to be “a squeaky-clean and rich Bruce Wayne type.”
Even if Owen will use his charms on Samantha, I’m pretty sure he’ll make Andrea drool over him a bit and make Dena gasp for air while she tries to utter the word “hello” to him!
What do you think of this casting? Should Samantha forget about Todd and start anew with Owen?