Hello Detroit. Are You Ready To Play A Game?

Dude, Lionsgate! Not since the halcyon days of mid `90s Miramax has a movie studio been able to cultivate a brand that not only STANDS for something but one that actually delivers the goods. Momentarily ignoring their questionable decision to delve into award-friendly fare like "Crash" and "Akeelah And The Bee", Lionsgate has an unparalleled track record of producing/distributing horror flicks that resonate with audiences ("House of 1,000 Corpses", "The Devil's Rejects", "Saw" and "Saw II", "Cabin Fever", "Haute Tension"). And while your Uncle Grambo would be willing and able to debate on either the pro or con side for the relative merits of each of these films, there is one item that I could never bring myself to argue against. That point, my friends, is that Lionsgate has no equal when it comes to delivering a resplendently savvy marketing campaign.

On Saturday night, I was fortunate enough to pay witness to the latest example of Lionsgate putting all other film marketers to shame -- LOCALIZED TRAILERS! As your Uncle Grambo sat alongside The Senator and The Grizz before an 8:05pm showing of "The Descent" (another gem from Lionsgate), I was treated to my first glimpse of the trailer for "Saw III." While the hundreds of jump cuts in the trailer made it different to decipher what in the samhell was going on (one image that stuck with me was a dude being tortured in what looked to be a school room), the trailer closed with a static-y camcorder shot of Jigsaw accompanied by the following VO: "Hello Detroit. Are you ready to play a game?"

At that point, the audience of nearly seventy-five people EXPLODED with unbridled enthusiasm. I'm talking audible gasps, I'm talking high fives, I'm talking buzz that lasted well into the first ten minutes of "The Descent." By taking an infalliable tactic of buzz generation that musicians have been practicing for years ("Hello, [INSERT CITY]!"), the geniuses at Lionsgate have revolutionized in-theater movie marketing. I have no idea how many markets that these localized trailers appear in, but considering that this level of personalization made it to The D™, you can bet that they produced versions for at LEAST the other Top 10 DMAs. By remembering the old adage that the best ideas are the simplest ones, Lionsgate has taken another step that will keep them at the forefront of the horror film niche for the forseeable future.

Lionsgate ... SO BEST!

RELATED: Next time I get my hands on a spare $250, this Jigsaw action figure will make its way into my Adventures With Disposable Income column.

Shakespeare In Love (With Cheeseburgers)

Let this be a lesson to all y'all celebutards looking to usurp Bono's status as the reigning king of the Cause Célèbre -- no matter how innocent your charitable contribution may seem, make sure your lawyer reads the fine print before you agree to participate. After all, you think that Gwyneth realized what she was getting into when she signed up to be an honorary African last week? I say notsomuch.