but from the look of the trailer, with planes flying through exploding zeppelins and all, I'm afraid they're going to feature Manfred von Richthofen as a famous German ace before America even officially entered the war

Well, Richthofen was a famous ace before America entered the war. He made his fame when he shot down British ace Lanoe Hawker in November 1916, and he had 52 kills by the end of "Bloody April" (1917), which is about the time the US declared war. Still, I'm with you on the rest of it. The dogfight scenes in the trailer look too cluttered, and I almost got eyeroll strain when I saw the guy running along the top of the Zeppelin.

Has anyone here seen Brick? The writer/director is seriously talented but, geez, even the here's-what's-happening exposition was difficult to unravel.

I just watched it and I agree. And the commentary? No help. I turned it off after about 20 minutes. I really did like the film though and just mentally put it into the "noir plots don't have to make sense" part of my brain. It has good company there.

with planes flying through exploding zeppelins and all

No plane involved, but The Rocketeer has a brilliant exploding zeppelin scene.

And a lovely running shout-out to Test Pilot.

Is the Brick the mystery?

I need to add to my queue.

Once there is room.

Is the Brick the mystery?

Yes, Brick is a mystery. It takes place at a California high school, but has a very noir feel. I was happy I waited for the DVD because the language is a bit odd and I liked having the subtitles.

The dogfight scenes in the trailer look too cluttered,

And the planes are to colorful. We recently mounted a production of "Billy Bishop Goes to War" at a theater here, and the themed artwork in the gallery was by a guy who does paintings of biplanes. He had a lot of notes on camouflage schemes for biplanes.

But too-colorful military vehicles is standard for Hollywood. It helps to be able to tell the difference between good guys and bad guys.

Now that I think about it, too-cluttered military formations is standard Hollywood too -- they want to get everybody in the shot. If it was more like real life, they'd never be able to have more than one person/vehicle in a shot.

I still want to see Flyboys, though.

I need to add to my queue.

Oh, do, it really is quite marvelous and it’s oozing with the care of smart creative types. Like, there’s a shot from the ill protagonist’s spinning point of view and it’s fixed on a ceiling fan. And there’s lots of off-kilter, Lynchian touches. The plot’s kinda crippled by its own involutions and the dialogue, which you could dance to but is a bit ‘And the yegs viddied the ptitsas while the bulls were all Darmok with their arms wide’ in places where something clearer would have helped your understanding of whats the what. Makes it all the better for rewatching, I suppose.

And Joseph Gordon Levitt (Or Gordon Joseph Levitt or Joseph Levitt Gordan or however you assemble those words to make his name) is good, good, good. And looking a little like Heath Ledger.

I was happy I waited for the DVD because the language is a bit odd and I liked having the subtitles.

5 minutes in and we realised we'd be needing them but, unfortunately, they wouldn't come on.

And the planes are to colorful.

The Germans did use a lot of bright primary colors, though, and even some pastels (including pink). I think one problem with the trailer is that you see so much of Richthofen's plane (maybe the most recognizable aircraft of all time) that one might be led to believe the film is about him.

I'm looking forward to Flyboys, but then again, I did have something of an obsession w/ WWI pilots back when I was a child.

Me too! Guynemer! Nungesser! Frank Luke - the Balloon Buster. Raoul Lufberry. Immelmann. Boelcke. Albert Ball. Rickenbacker. Mick Mannock. And, of course, Billy Bishop.

And the planes are to colorful.

As DXM notes, they didn't call them the Flying Circus for nothing.

A film about Manfred von Richthofen! Great idea! Von Richtofen and a CGI beagle wearing Doggles dogfight (get it?)!!!

I really don't like the title "Flyboys." I wish they'd called it "The Escadrille" or something. "The Hat in the Ring Gang" would be a great name for a movie, but that's a different group.