Review: TrailerSpy Mobile for iPhone
If there’s one thing going to the movies has taught me (aside from never put your jacket down on the floor) it’s that while it is very difficult to make a good movie, it is apparently REALLY EASY to make a good trailer. I would say 8 times out of 10 when I see a trailer for a movie, I think to myself, “I would see that”. Sure, sometimes I mean I would PAY to see that in a theater, sometimes I mean I would pay to RENT it, or sometimes I mean if I were channel surfing at 2 AM and it was up against a repeat of Ninja Warrior I have seen 10 times I would give it a chance. Unfortunately more times than not, the 2 minute trailer for a movie far surpasses what I end up seeing in the 2 hour version.
Which leads me to my new favorite “bathroom break” time waster (yes, you do NOT want to borrow my iPhone) TrailerSpy Mobile. TrailerSpy Mobile (99¢ App Store) is basically an iPhone optimized version of the TrailerSpy website, and boasts most of my favorite features. Sure there are free apps out there that let you play movie trailers – such as the MovieFone app – but their layout leaves much to be desired, as do their pop up ads.
TrailerSpy also offers you a wider variety of trailers than most other apps. In addition to the requisite “Movies” category, TrailerSpy lets you browse trailers for television shows, video games, and perhaps most surprisingly, BOOKS. I actually worked on a book “trailer” once, and while most consist of little more than text and some Ken Burns-like pans, when you see a good one, it’s quite a treat (at least if you are an After Effects artist).
Above: That’s right, BOOK trailers.
Conclusion
TrailerSpy Mobile isn’t anything revolutionary, but it is by far the best app of its kind available. I actually find I’ve spent a good deal of time watching the video game trailers, most of which are for games I will never play on systems I will never own. I suppose trailers are the same no matter the media. Just as I will likely never play those games, odds are I will never see those movies or watch those shows, and lord knows I will never read a book. But by quickly watching 1-2 minute clips of them, I can stay reasonably current with pop culture and pretend I am as cool as the people who do.
