I love watching movie trailers. I know the hip thing to do at the theater is to arrive fashionably late, miss all the trailers, and sit down just in time to see the name of the production studio roll by and the real film begin, but I can’t help it. Trailers are great, trailers are fun. The coolest thing about movie trailers is that some of them actually make you want to watch the movie!

Now, for the downside. Trailers make an art of false advertising. See, for instance, the above trailer for The Young Victoria. I think Emily Blunt is delightful, and the story between Victoria and Albert is one I’d love to watch unfold on the big screen. But just listen to the music. Right at 1:18, hear how the theme from Love Actually ramps up until it’s at full blast. Maybe my knowledge of British history is a bit off, but I’m pretty sure that Albert and Victoria’s romance was not much like any of the 15 billion stories told in that Richard Curtis film so beloved to estrogen-sensitized women everywhere. I’m especially sure that The Young Victoria won’t follow the storyline of those two adult movie stand-ins from Love Actually

Anyway, if I could tell you the number of movies I’ve watched due to their trailers alone, it would be a long list, riddled with pleasant surprises and utter disappointments. Here are some trailers I’ve seen recently whose movies are on my to-watch list.

• Adventureland – The trailer didn’t excite me, but have heard good things (and not from A.O. Scott).
• Sugar – Doesn’t it just look touching?
• The Young Victoria – See above.
• Public Enemies – Johnny Depp + violence = good? And special bonus: Marion Cotillard!
• Monsters vs Aliens – An animated movie with Hugh Laurie! What more could I ask for?

Please add to my list!

PS: Is anyone else confused that Rupert Friend (The Libertine, Pride & Prejudice) is listed as a “newcomer” by these folks at The Envelope? Or maybe I just happened to have seen every movie he’s ever made.