Personally, I like the trailers from the 70's. Things like 'The Towering Inferno' and 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' where they had auditions for the voice over and kept rejecting (and rewinding) the film until they found the perfect announcer...who spoke Japanese! The trailer was in Japanese with english subtitles! At the end there was a bit where it said: 'After the movie, why not come and have dinner with your friends' and showed a scene of a Japanese restaurant...very funny.

Other favourites: Smokey and the Bandit, Grease (original), Xanadu, Time Bandits, The Spy Who Loved Me, Star Wars.

Of recent times, only the scope 'Titanic' comes close.

Anyone else got a favourite or one they simply HATE (like MI2 or Gone In 60 Seconds)?
 

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The man with the magic hands.
 

A cool classic for me was George Burns's original "Oh God" trailer. The whole thing was a blank screen with just Burns talking. "The movie's called 'Oh God,' and it's really good. See it...you'll thank me for it."

I also liked the teaser for the last re-release of "Star Wars." Comparing the theatre screen to the TV set was great, especially the announcer saying "you've only seen it this way....[sneering] on a TV screen." The tone of voice there was great.
 

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--"That's my story and i'm sticking to it!"--
 

Anyhoo, the narrator is constantly berated and undermined by the cast of the film (all in character, in footage shot especially for the trailer). For example, the narrator says, 'a new film from Cedric Klapisch', and the lead actress looks quizzically into the camera and says 'who?'. He repeats himself, but clearly she's never heard of him. Also, the crabby neighbour that lives next door to the girl interrupts the narrator altogether at one point and dresses him
down.

'What are you doing?', she demands.
'I'm inciting people to see the film', he replies.
'Well, don't incite! What you're saying is total rubbish! People don't
need to be told what the film's about. Let them see for themselves.
Merde.'

There's more, but it's been a while since I've seen it. I hope they include it on the DVD release of the film. That is to say, I hope the film makes it to DVD...it's great.

I also remember seeing a 16MM print of a trailer for a 70's film called 'Fire Sale' that was extremely funny. Apparently the film is not so good, but the trailer had some great one-liners and situations in it (again, especially shot for the trailer).

The producer is interviewed and is asked why he chose Alan Arkin to direct, since he's never directed before.

'Couldn't get anyone else' comes his deadpan reply.

He asks some of the other crew members why Alan Arkin has been compared to directors like Bergman and Fellini.

'Because no-one can understand what language he's speaking' is one response.

'He's roughly the same height as Bergman'.

'More like Fettucini than Fellini' was my favourite.
 

One of the FUNNIEST trailers i have EVER seen was the red band version of the trailer for 'The Tall Guy'...

Aaron

 

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Dave Bird
 

Restoration was a good one. The only trailer that has actually made me cry.

The Twister version A trailer was a really great one to see down in the auditorium with the audience, as it was the first Dolby Digital trailer that really packed a punch!

I really enjoyed the Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me teasers. There were a couple different versions: one where the cat pees on him, and one where the chair goes berzerk.

Michael Collins was a neat trailer. I like trailers that are all music; no voice-overs and no dialogue.

Pleasantville: a good example of a trailer that was better (and longer ) than the movie itself.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (the most recent one with Kevin Kline). I really liked the editing and the sound.

And most recently, I liked the Hannibal teaser. The audience reacts very well to it, and it's the first time I've ever seen Hannibal the Cannibal on film. I thought it was a cool idea to use footage from Silence of the Lambs.