Trailer madness: Hobbit, Titans, Avengers and Dark Knight build early excitement

Lots of cool trailers have hit the Internet lately. Here are some that have me geeky excited, even if the movies are months (or even a year) away:

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”

Well, this looks very cool. It seems very well cast, and the dwarves look great. And thanks to Google, I was able to tell that it’s not the same music as the Rankin-Bass cartoon (which would have been a fun nod), but the Misty Mountains song does sound equally eerie. And Gollum sends shivers down my spine.

“Wrath of the Titans”

OK, the new “Clash of the Titans” wasn’t great, but I have a soft spot for Sam Rockwell, even if his hair needs help in this sequel. The deleted scenes on the “Clash” Blu-ray hinted at what could have been a far more interesting and better movie with more direct god involvement, and this story about the Titans returning and threatening the gods and humanity sounds like we could see more of that.

“The Avengers”

This trailer may be in German, but it shows more footage than the official U.S. trailer. But if you care at all, you’ve already seen the U.S. trailer and can get the gist of this one. The important thing is that it’s looking so cool. Let’s hope it can live up to the hype.

“The Dark Knight Rises”

Catwoman goes all Occupy Wallstreet on Bruce Wayne, Bane is mostly unintelligible, but I’m still looking forward to this movie, even though Batman is the least favorite of DC’s big three. Except for “B:TAS” and “Brave and the Bold” cartoons, I really couldn’t care less about him, usually, but the movies have sucked me in. This one looks no different.

I wish I could get these movies in my stocking now!

Here are a couple that look like duds, but they have geeky appeal, so you can be the judge.

“John Carter”

What a lame title without the “of Mars” to better tie it to the Edgar Rice Burroughs book on which it’s based. It’s not like John Carter is a well-known brand any more, even with the comic book series by a different company. Of course, the trailer itself, though better than an earlier teaser version, doesn’t help. I’m underwhelmed.

“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”

Did we really need a sequel? And why do they keep casting Nicolas Cage in these roles. While a talented actor in many ways, he’s rarely good in them. This doesn’t look like an exception. And as a commercial for the movie itself, I completely lost interest after the first 45 seconds.