Movie Openings

So, after some serious deliberation on my part, I still do not know what type of film I'm doing. Below I will add Youtube links and download links to movie openings I think are effective. This may help with my decision of what type of film opening to do.

Punch-Drunk Love (Comedy//Drama//Romance)
Youtube (Click to view) (Opening is until the piano arrives on the street corner)
Download (right click, 'save link/target as' to download as a .mp4 file)

I love this opening, it just confuses the hell out of you, seriously. I mean, who expects a cab to suddenly roll in the middle of the street and then a cab to drop off a piano on what seems like an empty street. I know I don't.

The Matrix (Action//Science Fiction//Thriller)
Youtube (Opening is until Trinity picks up the phone, also around 120mb file)
Download

I adore science fiction films, and this has to be my favourite one of all time (I don't count James Cameron's Avatar as sci-fi because in my opinion it's more a fantasy epic), anyway, this film is great. The opening is full of tension; who is the woman in the black suit, why are cops after her, who is the person she's watching, why are the MiB after her? and who is 'Neo'?. It forces the audience to ask loads of questions, which is good because it allows the film to answer those question throughout in an interesting manner.

V for Vendetta (Action//Science Fiction//Thriller)
Youtube (until 'a man that made me remember the 5th of November')
Download

This opening is incredible, it effectively summarizes the whole film in just over 2 minutes by starting at the end (Evey is talking in the past tense), this technique is called denouement. This is effective because it makes the audience wonder what has happened to lead up to this point, and it generates questions about the characters and why Guy Fawkes is involved. Also, the narration during the beginning is effective because it gives us an insight into Evey's mind (the woman who is narrating), which causes more questions to arise.

Book of Eli Trailer (Action//Drama//Western)
Youtube
Download

This film was released on the 15th of January in the U.S, but hasn't been released in the UK yet, or at least to my knowledge it hasn't; so when it is I will go and see it and make note of the opening scene to analyze it-- the same goes for Daybreakers.

Daybreakers Trailer (Action//Drama//Horror)
Youtube
Download
Unfortunately no opening on youtube as it is a fairly recent film.

I just watched the opening to this and I have to say that it was incredibly underwhelming. I was expecting lots of action because that's what it was hyped up to be.
Although there are some clips that were effective; for example there are "pencil light" close ups of various phrases on a note. These add some tension to the film because the audience assumes that the girl is writing a suicide note. Also there are some very effective establishing shots of her house, and the sun rising over a wood. Overall I enjoyed this opening because it created lots of tension and I'd like to know what happens next in the film.

Dogma (Adventure//Comedy//Fantasy)
Youtube (Trailer as film hasn't been uploaded)
Download (Won't add download link, abridged movie parodies the opening) --black screen, definitions of important words)

I like the opening to this film simply because it makes you laugh, because the definitions of the words shown on screen are quite irreverent and satirical compared to their actual meanings. I also like films that have Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith in (Jay and Silent Bob respectively).

YuGiOh: The Abridged Movie (Comedy)
Youtube
Download (.wmv file: Open in Windows Media Player) <-- huuuuge file (more than 200mb) This is here because it parodies Dogma's opening and I like the abridged series, I'd recommend watching it if you watched yugioh or have any idea about the manga.
All genres are taken from IMDb.com

In addition to above, I thought I'd recommend going to see Avatar, the film by James Cameron, as it is definitely his best film so far and dare I say it? The best film of 2009 by a considerable amount. Although I've been told that Sherlock Holmes is very good as well.

Anyway, that's about all we've got time for at the moment folks. So I better end this post.