We love going to the movies, and while we hate being forced to sit thru umpteen commercials and an endless parade of trailers, we do actually like to watch the coming attractions. We just like to do it on our own time, not after we’ve paid $10 to watch something else. Still, the movie trailer is a great marketing tool, and perhaps the only advertisement most consumers actually seek out. Here’s a roundup of some recent trailers that caught our eye.

Film: “Elizabethtown”
Why we’re excited: Aside from the last thirty minutes of “Vanilla Sky,” Cameron Crowe hasn’t made a bad film. However it will take a skilled director to seamlessly blend the film’s two themes: death and romance.
Trailer music: Tom Petty

Film: “Shopgirl”
Why we’re excited: was terrific, plus we’re a sucker for a moody, realistic romance ala “Lost in Translation.”
Trailer music: Death Cab for Cutie

Film: “The 40-year Old Virgin”
Why we’re excited: A potentially hilarious premise, the film has a great cast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener and Paul Rudd.
Trailer music: Tom Petty

Film: “In Her Shoes”
Why we’re excited: It has all the elements of being a major suckfest (namely Cameron Diaz), but it likely won’t be. Curtis Hanson makes gripping, moody, interesting films, and this one should continue that trend.
Trailer music: U2

Film: “Rent”
Why we’re excited: For a musical, the song’s really ain’t too bad.
Trailer music: The cast of the film

Film: “A Scanner Darkly”
Why we’re excited: Richard Linklater, one of our best directors, combines the animation techniques he pioneered on “Waking Life” with the sci-fi novel by Philip K. Dick. Whereas “Waking Life” was a series of vignettes, this is a full-length story with a killer cast: Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr., and Winona Ryder.
Trailer music: Opera

Film: “Broken Flowers”
Why we’re excited: Bill Murray teams with Jim Jarmusch.
Trailer music: We’re not sure, but the last song is pretty good. If you know who it is, and tell us.