It's the thing that gets us pumped up for summer. It gives us the insight as to who will be a frontrunner come Oscar season. It gives us one-liners, soft-core love scenes, and a way for a movie to make money. It's called a movie trailer...and in my case I can't go a day without watching one. This morning, I watched the trailers to The Dark Knight, Pineapple Express, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and American Teen. Some people read the paper, others go for a run, but I wake up to movie trailers. Am I obsessed? You bet. And to show you some of best, I'll do what I love the most, make a top ten list: The Best Trailers. We'll go by genre. Like the new Joker says: Let's put a smile on that face...

Best Testosterone Trailer: 300
One of the most watched trailers on YouTube, 300 may be immensely overplayed, but the trailer still gets my heart pumping. Pumped up on excessive steroids, the trailer gives us Gerald Butler commanding his forceful voice to let us know that he is not kidding around. When to watch it: Before playing a sport or heading out for an all-nighter.

Best Epic Trailer: Kingdom of Heaven
The movie was indeed a box-office disappointment, but it wasn't because of its trailer. This is probably one of the best you'll ever see, with the scope of Gladiator and Lord of the Rings combined. It's a battle of the crusades, filled with themes of glory, honor, choice, and a vision of epic proportions. Sure, the film itself may be a step below Gladiator, but Kingdom's trailer is a beautiful site. When to watch it: When you have lost hope in the epic genre.

 Best Ensemble Trailer: Sin City
Frank Miller's graphic novel exploded on screen with its 2005 theatrical release. The trailer showed us a wide variety of actors bringing their A-game for this sprawling comic adaptation. The list of names in the trailer gives us a perfect blend of diversity, beauty, and some bad-ass dudes. When to watch it: Before any Tarantino or Rodriguez film.

Best Trailer For A Terrible Movie: Spiderman 3
Oh man did this movie suck. But the trailer sure did fool me. It looked like the darkest in the trilogy and the most exciting. It was going to be hard to top the second film, which I found to be one of the greatest comic-book films ever, but this one took such an unusually negative turn that it made me sick after it was over. But as a trailer, it's the kind of thing that gets you in the summer mood. When to watch it: If you want a taste of the third installment but don’t want to kill yourself by watching the actual film.

Best Comedy Trailer: Pineapple Express

If the actual film is as funny as the trailer, then the month of August will be filled with quoting lines from this movie. Not only is it produced by Apatow and  has given James Franco a comedic role of a lifetime, but it is also a restricted trailer. The MPAA finally has given us more than just PG previews. Before R-rated movies, trailers with a little more bang for their buck will be shown. This is one of the first. It’s here. Laugh away. When to watch it: If you are with someone who hasn’t watched the trailer yet. The more people that see it the better!

Best HORROR Trailer: The Poughkeepsie Tapes
This is a horrifying trailer for two reasons. One is the obvious: It's tightly built, filled with themes of Psycho and inner hysteria. But the second: It's a true story. Although it’s Hollywoodized to the fullest, nothing scares me more than the thought of this occurring in our time. I am however disgusted because like January's despicable thriller Untraceable, I find myself wondering how this nation is filled with these inhumane and morbid fetishes. If I let myself just look at the trailer as entertainment, it's brilliant. But other than that, stay way. When to watch it: When you're by yourself, alone, at home, in the middle of the night.

Best TV Trailer: A tie between 24: Season 5 teaser and The Sopranos Series Finale
I have been searching for hours to find the 24 trailer I am talking about here. It's the one after season 4 ends and there is a teaser for season 5. There were rumors that the show may come to an end after the final episode of season 4. I mean Jack Bauer is legally dead and he has nothing else to live for. Right? Wrong. After a few commercials, we see a teaser for the next season: Announcer: "On the first day, he saved the president. On the second day, a city. On the third day, a nation. And on the fourth day, the world. But if you think you know what's coming next, YOU DON'T KNOW JACK. 24, an all new season begins next January on FOX."
We waited. We didn't know what was coming next. WE DIDN'T KNOW JACK. I will to be very best to locate the trailer. For now here is the second best: Also a promo for season 5, but this is the official trailer for that season. It is a very close second. Click Here

The Sopranos trailer is similar to 24's. It's simple and short. It shows no plot spoilers and it just consists of shots of the main characters. Who’s going to die? Who’s going to live? Is this the end of Tony Soprano? We feel a glimpse, but nothing is given to us until the actual experience. Some may argue the actual episode, but I think both the trailer and the last episode are brilliantly executed. Although I wouldn't mind seeing some alternative endings on the DVD box set.

When to watch 24's Trailer: Before every season watched, either on TV or DVD.
When to watch The Sopranos trailer: When you debate the final episode or if you want to render a piece of television history.

Best Teaser Trailer: CLOVERFIELD
The film was good, but the trailer was a perfectly executed marketing technique. We get no names, no stars, no plotline, and no title. All it consists of is a bunch of people at a party who go outside to witness something attacking New York City, with an end shot of the Statue of Liberty's head flying helplessly into the ground. When to Watch it: during a Marketing class on how to make a movie trailer sell tickets.

THE GRANDEST TRAILER: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The greatest films of all time also deserve the great trailer of all time. To me, LOTR is one long film, broking down into increments of greatness. This trailer combines all three parts into one, for a seven-minute experience. It's a wonderful combination. When to watch it: Before a LOTR marathon or if like Kingdom of Heaven's trailer, you've lost faith in the Epic genre.