Several new trailers tonight: Bad Writing, Band Baaja Baaraat, Hood to Coast, Nénette, Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Plastic Planet and Thor; but only one new poster: The Lincoln Lawyer.

HOOD TO COAST

	Plot Summary: A documentary covering several teams as they attempt to complete the grueling Hood to Coast relay race, the world’s longest. Release Date: January 11, 2011
	Trailer	Poster
	Rating: B- Commentary: A far better trailer for a documentary than the others released today. It has relateable people and compelling stories to be told.	Rating: C Commentary: It’s not as interesting as the trailer, though it is a nice change of pace from more rudimentary documentary poster offerings.
	Trailer Link: Apple Trailers Oscar Chances: None.

BAND BAAJA BAARAAT

	Plot Summary: A pair of young entrepreneurs, not interesting a romantic relationship, come together to start a wedding planning business. Release Date: December 10, 2010
	Trailer	Poster
	Rating: B- Commentary: Your fairly typical Bollywood trailer with lots of lights, dancing and music. The premise itself is fairly bland, but the production design may be worth checking out.	Rating: C Commentary: Bollywood really knows how to create excessive, busy posters that don’t really do much for the viewer.
	Trailer Link: Apple Trailers Oscar Chances: None.

PLASTIC PLANET

	Plot Summary: A wide-ranging documentary exploring the dangerous chemicals in plastics that threaten to not only pollute our environment, but also our bodies. Release Date: January 14, 2011
	Trailer	Poster
	Rating: C+ Commentary: From an interest standpoint, this seems like a fascinating subject. From a filmmaking perspective, this looks like a heavy-handed exercise in activism.	Rating: C Commentary: It’s fairly uneventful poster that lacks soul or imagination.
	Trailer Link: Apple Trailers Oscar Chances: None.

PHIL OCHS: THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE

	Plot Summary: A documentary on ’60s songwriter Phil Ochs. Release Date: January 5, 2011
	Trailer	Poster
	Rating: C Commentary: A fairly vanilla trailer that will appeal to music history fans and few others.	Rating: C+ Commentary: I’ll give it credit for trying to be inventive and stylish, but the color selection is a bit too heavy-handed.
	Trailer Link: Apple Trailers Oscar Chances: None.

BAD WRITING

	Plot Summary: A young man who wanted to be a poet fails at his goals and tries to find out where he went wrong. Release Date: December 10, 2010
	Trailer	Poster
	Rating: C Commentary: Another formulaic documentary trailer that has a couple of small funny bits, but no evocative elements that encourage viewership.	Rating: C- Commentary: When I’m looking for a good poster, I’m not hoping to find an esoteric computer desktop background.
	Trailer Link: Apple Trailers Oscar Chances: None.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

	Plot Summary: Captain Jack Sparrow returns on a mission to uncover the lost Fountain of Youth. Release Date: May 20, 2011
	Trailer	Poster
	Rating: C Commentary: For those who are fans of Johnny Depp’s drunken pirate, this will come as a great teaser. For those who learned in the second film that too much Jack makes for a somewhat tedious film, this will not be very enticing.	Rating: None Commentary: I don’t review placeholders.
	Trailer Link: Apple Trailers Oscar Chances: Tech awards are all that will be in store for the film, if any.

THOR

	Plot Summary: Marvel’s superhero Thor receives the big screen treatment as we explore the Norse hero’s past and his ostracism. Release Date: May 20, 2011
	Trailer	Poster
	Rating: C- Commentary: When the excitement begins, I hope someone will let me know. This trailer makes the film look generic and unexciting. Even with Kenneth Branagh behind the camera, I can’t see much hope in a trailer like this.	Rating: D- Commentary: For the uninitiated, there will be no realization or interest. For those familiar with the comic and the Avengers franchises, this may be quite stimulating.
	Trailer Link: Yahoo Movies Trailers Oscar Chances: Never underestimate a Marvel superhero flick’s power at capturing a handful of tech nominations.

NENETTE

	Plot Summary: The story of a 40-year-old Bornean orangutan, the oldest animal in the zoo. Release Date: December 22, 2010
	Trailer	Poster
	Rating: C- Commentary: If you believe this trailer, then there would be very little to this documentary except sitting around and watching an aged orangutan sitting around doing almost nothing.	Rating: C- Commentary: A raucously bland poster that certainly captures the essence of the trailer, but is similarly ineffective.
	Trailer Link: Apple Trailers Oscar Chances: None.

THE LINCOLN LAWYER, poster

	Plot Summary: Accused of a crime he claims he didn’t commit, a high-priced lawyer agrees to take the case but may have to uncover nasty secrets in order to win. Release Date: March 18, 2011
	Trailer	Poster
	Previous Preview: The Lincoln Lawyer	Rating: B- Commentary: You have the Lincoln and you have the lawyer and you have some nice colors and that’s about it.
	Trailer Link: See Previous Preview Oscar Chances: See Previous Preview