The Preview Review is a weekly exposé that looks at the newest movie trailers and, using the age-old concept of cause and effect (i.e., good trailer causes me to see bad movie), attempts to pinpoint those elements that lead to another two hours of wasted life.

This week we’ll take a look at two summer comedies and a big December blockbuster*.

*possibly lackluster

John Dahl (Rounders, Joy Ride) directs this quirky comedy about a dipsomaniacal hit man told to sober up or lose his job.

The great thing about Ben Kingsley — besides the way he makes bald look awesome — is the way he turns every one of his projects into something slightly better than what it would have been in his absence.  A good example of this phenomenon appears in last year’s Lucky Number Slevin.  What should have ended up a garden-variety caper flick (i.e., Smokin’ Aces), became something just above bearable, despite the presence of Josh Hartnett.  That said, You Kill Me looks like a quirky independent comedy that never achieves its potential — at least, that’s what it would have been without Kingsley.

Prediction: We know what Luke Wilson and Téa Leoni are capable of — they’ll create some funny moments here and there, but they can’t carry the movie.  With Kingsley at the helm, You Kill Me will be funny, witty, and light without a lot of pretension or insincerity.  If you don’t believe me, watch the trailer once with Ben and again picturing the role of Frank as played by . . . hmm, who’s sort of an obnoxious, fringe actor?  Oh, I know . . .  Rip Torn.  See what I mean?

Akiva Shaffer, one-third of comedic trio The Lonely Island, and long-time comedy writer Pam Brady bring you the tale of Rod Kimble and his plan to fund an operation for his abusive stepfather with death-defying stunts.  As if you needed a more ridiculous plot point, Rod endeavors to cure his faux patriarch so he can pick a fight with him.

The Lonely Island are somehow simultaneously comical, awkward, and excessive, and thus remind me of an immature Mr. Show without the in-your-face irreverence.  Although we have seen a ton of Andy Samberg smirking and screaming on SNL, there’s little known about the other two or the ability they have to make a good, funny movie.  What we do have are a few low-budget videos and a sketch comedy pilot to reference, and it’s not hard to see that this kind of humor could work well in a full-length film, if done well.  But although Hot Rod involves all the major troupe players, the movie isn’t written by any of them — that job has fallen to long-time comedy writer Pam Brady, who could help to ground the inexperienced threesome.  My only worry is the Andy Samberg tantrum scream near the end of the trailer, which just makes the whole thing look like a bad SNL sketch.

Prediction: The wave of obscure, unconventional comedy is still gaining momentum and finding a broad audience, but Hot Rod will only ride it a short distance.  There will be a handful of the population who adore this pointless lark, but theaterfuls who won’t be impressed.

Based on the 1954 novel by Robert Matheson, I Am Legend follows the last man left on earth as he struggles to survive amongst post-apocalyptic, bacteria-infested vampires.

Let’s get one thing straight: this is not a new concept.  The book itself has manifested various on-screen incarnations, and we’ve all been inculcated with end-of-humanity zombie flicks for a few decades at least.  If the movie was developed merely because a proper vampire movie hasn’t made its way into the 21st century yet, there may be no hope.  The film has also been tied up for nearly a decade as the script was reworked and recast many times (in the late 90s, Ridley Scott would have directed Arnold Schwarzenegger).  Oftentimes, a recycled plot and a delayed script indicate an uninspired film.  Now Will Smith will star as protagonist Robert Neville, and music video and Constantine director Francis Lawrence will take control behind the camera.  Smith is perfect in the right role, but can he bring this fictional threat to humanity into this century where the issue has already been exhausted?

Prediction: I Am Legend will have fantastical creatures, nail-biting chase scenes, and great performances (this says a lot, as it seems Smith will carry the film largely on his own).  I’m not even too nervous about director Lawrence, whose other feature did poorly both critically and commercially (come on, we can’t blame Keanu for everything!).  My only fear with these big-budget Hollywood blockbusters is the oft-overused computer effects — they look great at some moments, then start to detract from the supposed reality.  Everything from the empty city to the vampires will likely be digitally superimposed, so this, mixed with a script that still feels a bit incomplete, will leave the film merely floating on the surface of its potential.