I thought about not doing this because I wasn't sure I'd be able to get to 10 movies I at least mildly liked this year - especially given just how rotten the year started out - but I ended up getting to 14 that were in the running. (UPDATE: I somehow left off Iron Man, which an alert reader brought to my attention, hence the reason this list now goes to 11!)

The biggest surprise was that "Wall-E" didn't end up at or even that near the top, but rest assured that that doesn't mean I love it almost unconditionally. And, yes, the No. 1 spot is held by the movie I've seen most recently, but if you've seen it I'm almost certain you'll agree with me.

So, with only the further proviso that I certainly haven't come close to seeing all the movies that have been released so far this year, here goes:

10. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"
Just a fun ride from the start, I consider this really to be pulp movie-making, if there is such a thing. Guillermo del Toro clearly just threw at us as many of the magical things he could think of and cooked up a wild story for them, making for a flick almost as good as the original.

9. "Cloverfield"
I almost avoided this one completely because I was so afraid of a "Blair Witch"-style hoax, but I was thankfully wrong (which does seem to happen from time to time.) With a surprisingly steady camera, it really is Godzilla-meets-Youtube, and even though that sounds awful on paper it somehow just works.

8. "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"
People will surely scoff at me for including this one over, say, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," but I just have a soft spot for the Narnia tales and this one just improves on "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in almost every facet. The dialogue is smart and funny, and the final battle - while ultimately enough to numb your senses - is just a blast.

7. "Be Kind Rewind"
I wanted to put Michel Gondry's goofy little flick higher on the list, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. If you missed it, you can see it on DVD now, and I think you'll enjoy this silly movie that's all about the love of movies.

6. "The Bank Job"
For once, a heist movie that's at least as much about the characters and the caper as it is the gadgets. This "true" story just keeps getting wilder as it unfolds, and if you like heist flicks, I recommend this one very highly.

5a. "Iron Man"
I don't know how in the world I managed to leave this one off when I first compiled this list, other than that I do it when I first wake up in the morning. Although I loved what Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. did with Iron Man, I'm even more amped to see what happens when the great Terrence Howard dons his own metal suit and Samuel L. Jackson gets in on the action next time.

5. "Wall-E"
Like I said at the outset, I'm surprised this one ended up so low on this list, but looking back it's just been a stronger year thus far for flicks than I thought. Pure magic in its first half hour dedicated to silent robot love, it loses its way just a bit in the middle but still manages to be another Pixar winner (I'd rank it third behind "Ratatouille" and "The Incredibles," respectively, but then I guess I'm just a Brad Bird partisan.)

4. "Son of Rambow"
I really thought this might catch on as the little indie hit of the summer, but it never quite got there. As the titles implies, this is just a smart and funny flick about two English boys who try to create their own version of "Rambo," and it's very well worth a rental when it finally hits DVD (I was surprised to find it wasn't there already.)

3. "The Fall"
Tarsem's second feature film is as much about the power of storytelling as it is about the touchingly odd relationship that develops between an injured stuntman (the great Lee Pace of "Pushing Daisies" fame) and a young girl he meets in the hospital (Catinca Untaru.) It's visually stunning, and even if the story he concocts for her induces some unintended guffaws, this is one I just love.

2. "Under the Same Moon"
Perhaps it's because we had a private screening of this one after it somehow lingered at one of my local multiplexes for six weeks or so, but Patricia Riggen's little movie about immigration and family ties has just lingered with me for a long time. Yes, it's sometimes as sappy as it sounds on paper, but spring for a rental and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

1. "The Dark Knight"
Was there really ever any doubt that this one would clinch the top spot? I've seen it twice in the theater and will surely spring for it one more time before it leaves some time in September. If all the hype has you skeptical, just give in and believe it, because this one is just pretty darn amazing.

So there you have it. And, for the record, here are the four flicks that almost made the 10-movie cut: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

With plenty of fun stuff coming later this summer and fall - including new flicks from David Fincher, the Coen brothers and Spike Lee, among others - I'm sure this list will look a lot different when I revise it in January. Please feel free to chime in with anything you might think I've just gotten wrong, and of course let me know if there are any 2008 flicks I just overlooked. Peace out.

"The Dark Knight" has, thankfully, knocked the wretched "Spider-Man 3" from the perch of opening-weekend champ with a take of $155 million, but in its shadow another Hayao Miyazaki movie (huzzah!) has also apparently opened in Japan to strong box office numbers.

"Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea," which is about a five-year old boy, Sosuke, and the Princess goldfish, Ponyo, who wants to become human, had scored 83 percent of the first day total of Miyazaki's 2001 megahit "Spirited Away" as of 3 p.m. Saturday. "Spirited" went on to earn $284 million in Japan - an all-time BO record for the Japanese market. Here's hoping "Ponyo" gets an American release very soon, with or without the usual English dubbing that goes with the Western versions of his flicks.

And, in one more bit of movie news before we dive into "Friday Night Lights," it seems that if Wes Anderson ever does manage to make his first animated flick - based on the Roald Dahl work "Fantastic Mr. Fox" - Jarvis Cocker of Pulp fame will be doing much of the music (and, just for the record, the IMDB does indeed have a November 2009 release date set for "Mr. Fox.") I like Jarvis Cocker even more than I do slightly twisted movies for kids, and Pulp's "Different Class" is a record I just keep going back to again and again, so that should just be tons of fun.

From here on out, however, I promise it's all about "Friday Night Lights." To find out more than was recently revealed by TV scribe Michael Ausiello, unless you have DirecTV, you'll have to wait until January or so, but here's what we know so far, with some commentary from me. As far as current, hour-long serials go, I'd put "Friday Night Lights" behind only "Battlestar Galactica" and "Mad Men," so here's hoping they don't just completely screw it up before I get to see it again.

Here goes:

* It's already been revealed that Tim Street and Smash Williams will be fazed out in the first four episodes or so (since they're not in high school, after all), but now comes news that Tim Riggins, Tyra Collette, Lyla Garrity and Matt Saracen will all be graduating seniors when the show returns. Is it just me, or wasn't Matt at some point younger than all the others? I would have assumed this makes Landry and Julie seniors too, since I thought they were in the same grade as Saracen, but perhaps not.

* In dishier news, once the new school year starts, Tim and Lyla will once again be a couple, but Tyra and Landry will not. I have a feeling that Tyra and Landry will be together again by the end of the season (if it gets another full run), but it only makes sense that - for now at least - she would break his heart once again (and that cute geek girl that Landry dumped for her - Brea Grant - will be Hiro's new sidekick on the new season of "Heroes," so a hearty huzzah to that!)

* Tami Taylor, played by the simply fantastic Connie Britton, will get a serious boost in pay when she goes from guidance counselor to principal of Dillon High. Doesn't sound terribly realistic to me, but that should still make for some real tension on the Taylor homefront and for some great TV.

* A new hot-shot, freshman quarterback named J.D. McCoy will challenge Saracen for the starting job. I'd imagine that, with so many of the regulars graduating this year, he'll be the first of a big new wave of characters if the show is going to have a life beyond this year. Going in the opposite direction, "Gilmore Girls" veteran Matt Czuchry (Chris, the rival for Lyla's affections) and Benny Ciaramello (Santiago) will not be back.

So there you have it. Even if I do have to wait quite a long time to see this on NBC again, I'm glad to hear that the creators are still putting a lot time into one of my favorite shows.

And we'll close with something that's sure to brighten up even the dreariest of Mondays. The "Watchmen" trailer that preceded "The Dark Knight" was easily the best of the bunch, and even better is this Varga-esque painting of Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter by artist James Jean that turned up on Aintitcool.com. It had the ring of something rather exclusive, but since my love for Carla Gugino knows no bounds, I decided to swipe it anyway and share it here. Peace out.

Before I dive into discussing Christopher Nolan's often-sensational "The Dark Knight," a brief word of thanks to everyone who turned out for the midnight event at the AmStar Cinemas 16 in Macon. With the crowd lined up so deep it almost stretched out of the parking lot, a radio van playing really bad slow jams at a thoroughly unnecessary volume and folks decked out in their best Joker attire to hand out free pizza in the lobby, it was just the biggest geekfest I've been to in many years, and a thorough blast.

And as to the movie itself, I'll get my one or two minor quibbles out of the way first before I shower it with praise. The opening sequences involving Christian Bale's Batman were just a letdown and could easily have been cut without me missing anything at all. Did we really need to see the Scarecrow again or see Batman go all James Bond in pursuit of a mob money man in Hong Kong?

Even though the latter was surely sweet eye candy (and must have been rather amazing in IMAX, which I just can't justify driving 2 1/2 hours to experience), these set pieces just detract from what Nolan is going for here, the first movie I can think of in a long time that so successfully creates a feeling of chaos from (almost) start to finish. And - thankfully and paradoxically enough - Nolan establishes this mood not by shaking his camera all over the place but instead keeping it under tight control even as Gotham is just melting down all around him.

As you well know by now, Heath Ledger's Joker is Nolan's main co-conspirator in wreaking this havoc, and the best thing I can tell you about his amazing performance is to believe all the hype you've heard about it and expect to find even more to draw you into his weird world. It's the most uncomfortable I've felt while laughing at the screen in many years, because what Ledger and Nolan clearly understand is that - despite his name - Joker isn't a jester or a clown, but just a really sick and twisted f***. You'll hear no morbid speculation from me about whether Ledger let this madness consume him, but he clearly threw himself into the role completely, and for that we can only say thanks.

And he also delivered what, for me, was one of two signature shots from Nolan's flick, when he's driving down the street in a police car, head out the window and clearly reveling in what he's just unleashed. The other came when Maggie Gyllenhaal (who makes the most of not much to do as Rachel Dawes) looks at Bale's Batman with a look of horror/relief/exhilaration after he's managed to save her life from the Joker's grasp. Those two will stick with me for a long time.

What I wasn't ready for, however, was that - as much as this is the Joker's show - the character that really gets to have a real arc as far as character development is Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent, making this also the first flick I can think of in a long time in which the two characters who matter most aren't the "hero."

Bale's Bruce Wayne and Batman - and this isn't a knock of any kind - are just very static characters in "The Dark Knight," as Nolan and co-screenwriter brother Jonathan invest all the ideas they've honed through the years about identity and the obfuscation of it in the story of Gotham's crusading D.A. Much of the fun of "The Dark Knight" comes in seeing how much they've progressed as a team since concocting "Memento" while still exploring similar themes. And the only time their hi jinx just left me scratching my head this time came in the saga of Gary Oldman's Lt. James Gordon, which you won't hear any more about from me just in case you're the last person in America to actually see this flick (if I have my calculations right, it made a rather whopping $60 million Friday alone, and is hopefully now well on its way to eclipsing the first-weekend record set by the simply dismal "Spider-Man 3.")

I've seen "The Dark Knight" twice already, and I'm glad I did, because there's a lot to take in in Nolan's bleak but often blissful ode to chaos. I must confess, however, that I was also happy to hear the strains of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" coming from the screening of "Mamma Mia!" next door as I was lined up to use the restroom afterward. A much-needed dose of levity which brought a smile to my face. Peace out.

If you happen to be going to see "The Dark Knight" at 12:01 Friday morning at the Grand cinemas in Macon, you might see me there, 'cause I just bought the golden ticket!

And despite my rather mixed recent history with midnight movies, I'm severely stoked about it. Since I've moved to Macon, I've only bothered to turn out for two midnight flicks before this one.

"The Simpsons Movie" was the perfect midnight entertainment for me, just a 90 minute riff that was funnier than the actual show has been in more than a few years, but I was one of about six people there, so you'd certainly have to call that a nonevent.

"Spider-Man 3," however, was an entirely different animal. It was showing on four midnight screens, and all shows were sold out. I had never seen so many geeks running wild in a movie theater. All of which created a great buzz for what turned out to be - if I may rather hypocritically engage in some of the very hyperbole I'm about to knock - easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It just made me want to cry as much as poor Peter Parker was made to, and not for anything possibly approaching the right reasons.

"Spider-Man 3" did, however (as you may well already know), have the biggest opening weekend of all time, just ahead of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." Here, courtesy of the great Boxofficemojo site, are the top 11 opening weekends of all time (yes, it goes to 11 so I could get in this year's two biggest openings):

1. Spider-Man 3: $151,116,516
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: $135,634,554
3. Shrek the Third: $121,629,270
4. Spider-Man: $114,844,116
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: $114,732,820
6. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: $108,435,841
7. Shrek 2: $108,037,878
8. X-Men: The Last Stand: $102,750,665
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: $102,685,961
10. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $100,137,835
11. Iron Man: $98,618,668

So-called box office experts (how in the world do I get that job?) are forecasting "The Dark Knight" to finish somewhere between "Spider-Man 3" and "Iron Man" (way to go out on a limb, guys!) Given the buzz about Heath Ledger and the just astoundingly positive reviews, however, I seriously think it might just have a shot of finishing north of $150 million to knock that awful flick out of the top spot (I don't, by the way, hate all "Spider-Man" flicks; the first one was perfectly pleasant, and if you force me to pick one I'll name "Spider-Man 2" as my favorite superhero flick of all time.)

And, assuming I'm as amped up as I think I'll be after watching "The Dark Knight," I'll try to put up a few hopefully coherent sentences very early tomorrow morning when I get home. I will, however, strive to avoid the hyperbole attained in the lead for this rather rapturous review that appeared at Cinemablend.com:

Forget the great things you’ve heard about The Dark Knight. No matter how lavish the praise or how determined the hyperbole, it’s all understatement. The Dark Knight is I suppose the greatest superhero movie ever made, but it’s so far beyond the limited men in tights genre that attempting to compare it with movies like Spider-Man, Superman, or even Batman Begins is almost laughable. Director Christopher Nolan’s film trumps everything and everyone, including himself. It’s not just the best superhero movie ever made, it’s one of the best movies ever to show up in a theater.

Wow. Here's hoping I like it nearly that much, and that you all do to. Peace out.

For the record, I'm a rather big fan of satire, and I was fairly certain there was nothing left in the world that would offend my sensibilities. And I certainly never thought it would be the rather urbane "New Yorker" magazine that would be the culprit. (That "South Park" joke about the woodland critters searching for someone with AIDS to piss in the eye sockets of Strawberry Shortcake, for example, still just makes me laugh out loud every time I see it.)

Just in case you (mercifully, I would think) live in a realm that's not invaded almost constantly by the buzz of 24-hour news, I've included a picture of the magazine cover that - I will admit - made me laugh for a second before it made me just want to vomit.

Now, I try to keep politics out of this as much as possible, but I'm on the record to anyone who knows me as a pretty big supporter of Barack Obama, having given his campaign a rather sizable chunk of my time already and planning to offer plenty more before this rather fascinating race comes to a close.

And I'm not really sure where to start in criticizing the "New Yorker" cover by artist Barry Blitt. In discussing it at work yesterday (and the fact that I work with very literate and often very funny people almost makes up for the fact that I'm paid on the scale of a 16th-century peasant), the thing that struck us as the most offensive - among many things to choose from - was the way they made Michelle Obama look like Pam Grier in "Coffy."

My bottom line beef with the caricature, however, is that it's not satire. When you just take every hateful rumor you can find and put it into one drawing, you're at best simply out to garner attention (mission accomplished, obviously), and at worst feeding the prejudices you're trying rather unsuccessfully to ridicule.

Now, I've come down from the ledge I was on yesterday of thinking about cancelling my "New Yorker" subscription (to be honest, I'm fairly certain it was a Christmas gift anyway, so I don't even pay for it), and - ironically, I think - I'm rather looking forward to reading the two articles about Mr. Obama that come inside this rather tawdry package.

I just wanted to get a little bile off of my chest before starting the day, so thanks for letting me vent (if you bothered to make it this far), and now - I promise - I'll move on to a couple of much more enjoyable subjects.

More "Mad Men" hype for the Emmys

I have no idea who writes the Hollywood Reporter's "Past Deadline" blog (I couldn't find a name on it anywhere), but I'm extremely jealous of that lucky scribe. Whoever it is managed to get her or his hands on the first two episodes of season two of the simply brilliant "Mad Men" (returning to AMC on July 27) and had this to say:

I just got through watching the first pair of episodes from season two of AMC's "Mad Men," which premieres on July 27. My first observation is one of surprise - not because the quality is still there, but because it actually builds on the breakout promise of season one without painting its vivid characters into caricatures. This is a huge credit to the show's creator, showrunner, head writer and chief neurotic, Matthew Weiner, who clearly hasn't allowed the buzz that's transformed his series into an iconic weekly must-see to go to his head. Indeed, he seems to have pulled back significantly on the soapy elements to guard against that very pitfall. It's more than admirable; it's also rather brilliant.

If it's possible, now color me even more stoked for season two to begin (and I'm certainly going to ask the Telegraph's TV Guy if he managed to get his hands on those episodes and is willing to share.)

The "Past Deadline" blog went on to predict that, when the nominations are announced Thursday, "Mad Men" would walk away with 16 or 17 nominations. That may be wishful thinking, but if it doesn't at least snag a nod for best dramatic series and one for the rather remarkable Jon Hamm it will be a high crime.

"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"

I can't count this as an endorsement since I don't have a computer capable of watching such things at home, so just take this as a heads up that the first of three installment's of Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" is online for free here.

So, what is this rather oddly named creation? Well, all I know so far is that it's a rather silly little Web-only creation by Whedon and his brothers that stars both Doogie Howser and Captain Mal Reynolds. I'll know more after I get to work and finally get to watch this (rather than, of course, working.) Enjoy, and have perfectly pleasant Wednesday. Peace out.

First off, a hearty huzzah to Guillermo del Toro and "Hellboy II," which managed (just barely) to hold off Will Smith and win the box-office weekend with about $36 million. Personally, I found it to be almost as fun as the first "Hellboy," even if it did eventually just reach creature overload, and I was just happy to see a superhero with almost no baggage at all to impede his principal duty of just kicking all kinds of ass.

Besides, there's a plenty moody enough superhero on the dock this week, and since I'm now off on Fridays, I'll definitely be there at midnight Friday morning to see "The Dark Knight" finally take flight (after what seems like three years of hype.)

But, in what in my odd little world is even better news, there's word this morning that Richard Linklater, Jack Black and Mike White will indeed be back for a "School of Rock 2." I've tried hard not to call a movie as silly as "School of Rock" great, but since I've probably seen it at least 10 times on DVD and it just makes me smile broadly every time, I think I'll just have to give in and admit that I love it unconditionally.

And the plot for the White-penned sequel just sounds like tons of fun. Who doesn't have great memories of elementary school field trips? For us in Salisbury, Md., the highlight was a trip to Washington, D.C., to act up on the National Mall. In Linklater's "School of Rock 2," the lucky kiddies will get to instead go on a rock 'n' roll odyssey across America with Mr. Black as their guide to the history of American music. Simply cool.

And congrats indeed to Mike White, who's taken his lumps after falling out with the Judd Apatow crew. Here's hoping "School of Rock 2" captures all the magic of the original and comes quick enough to rock hard next summer!

A Bush-style frat boy brawl?

I'd imagine there's probably not a whole lot to do at night in Shreveport, La., but even so this story about Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Wright and the "W" crew is just too funny not to pass along.

Things apparently went awry at the Stray Cat Bar (love that name) when a "W" lighting technician was arrested for fighting and Brolin, Wright and four others decided to jump into the battle. (Shown here are the mug shots for Brolin and Wright.)

Felland was charged with resisting arrest, public intoxication and entering and remaining. Brolin, Wright and the others were slapped with the interfering charge.

After arriving at the police station, Brolin, Wright and the others were booked and told they'd have to post cash bonds to be released. Brolin and Wright had to shell out $334 each, while Felland had to fork out more than $700.

I have no way of knowing, of course, but this just sounds to me like a perfect scene from the movie for W's wild days before he somehow encountered Jesus. And, obviously, I pity the poor cop who had to tangle with Josh Brolin, who's clearly just a bad mutha.

And it's worth looking at, if I can find it, the now fairly complete cast list for "W." Here, as best as I can tell, goes:

Elizabeth Banks: Laura Bush
Josh Brolin: George W. Bush
Thandie Newton: Condoleezza Rice
Ioan Gruffudd: Tony Blair
Ellen Burstyn: Barbara Bush
Richard Dreyfuss: Dick Cheney
James Cromwell: Herbert Walker Bush
Scott Glenn: Donald Rumsfeld
Noah Wyle: Don Evans (rumored)
Jeffrey Wright: General Colin Powell
Jason Ritter: Jeb Bush (rumored)
Toby Jones: Karl Rove
Rob Corddry: Ari Fleischer

I'm still more than a little worried about the effect "W" will have on the elections this fall, since it's set to be finished and released by October, but it will still be a heck of a lot of fun watching what all these talented folks can do with the saga of Dubya, especially Toby Jones as Karl Rove.

First Look at "The Dark Knight"

There's probably more out there this morning, but who am I kidding? It's all about "The Dark Knight" here and everywhere else this week, so I'll just wrap it up with HBO's "First Look" at the Christopher Nolan flick. It covers about 14 minutes in two clips, but if you know of a better way to waste some of your workday today, I'm certainly not aware of it. Peace out.

OK, I admit it. Because I have the pleasure of going to see "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" this morning (man do I love movies on Friday morning!), I'm doing nothing at all here except being a shill for F/X and what is - in my opinion - the funniest show on television (with "The Office" a very close second.)

As I was watching "Hellboy" last night on F/X to get back in the spirit, my plan to DVR through the commercials was constantly foiled by some familiar and friendly faces popping up at the end of each commercial break. Sure enough, it was the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" crew, which shared time in F/X's promotion for fall with some kind of motorcycle show called "Sons of Anarchy" (that may be the wrong title, but except for the odd fact that it stars Charlie Hunnam of "Undeclared" fame, it just looks bloody awful.)

But back to the point at hand. To promote the very welcome return of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" for a fourth season on Sept. 18, the boys and girl have made this fairly funny promo video with music by Jeru the Damaja. The last thing I'll say before just getting to it is - this being the "Sunny" crew - yes, that is a dick in those shorts, so be careful while you watch this one at work! Definitely go see "Hellboy II," and have a perfectly pleasant weekend. Peace out.

Maybe its just me, but being pranked by Sacha Baron Cohen as his alter-ego Bruno sounds at least as fun as watching an evening of "extreme fighting" in Arkansas, especially when you throw in $1 beers!

Lest anyone be thinking I'm nuts, allow me to explain. According to the almost-always reliable The Smoking Gun, Cohen is again actively turning his revealing camera on America as he did as Borat, but this time as Bruno for his next flick. Bruno, another creation from "Da Ali G Show," is a rather flamboyant fashion reporter for Austrian TV.

And, judging from what he set up for the unsuspecting folks of Texarkana and Fort Smith, "Bruno" may well turn out to be at least as outrageous - and hopefully nearly as funny - as "Borat."

As the poster shows, the poor dupees were lured by not only $1 beer, but also the promise of "hot chicks" and "hardcore fights," but instead got a vintage dose of Cohen's shenanigans. After what attendees who bothered to comment at The Smoking Gun confirmed were a "pathetic" card of fights, each card ended with two male grapplers - one named "Straight Dave" - in their underwear and kissing each other up and down the chest.

To me, that's funny enough already, but I suppose unsurprisingly the folks in Fort Smith took the bait and pelted the ring with chairs and probably anything else they could get their hands on. Now that's some blue collar brawlin'!

Sherlock Holmes battle taking shape

Speaking of Sacha Baron Cohen, he's now got some serious competition as rival flicks set out to tell tales of the supersleuth Holmes and his partner Watson.

Cohen is set to play Sherlock himself, with Will Ferrell as his sidekick Watson (thank God it's not in the reverse order!), for Judd Apatow and company.

Now, however, in a rival production expected to get started first, Robert Downey Jr. has signed on to play Holmes in what one can only assume would be at least a slightly more serious version for director Guy Ritchie.

I used to have a lot of time for Guy Ritchie, but "Revolver" was just a nonsensical mess. Even so, two multi-flick projects (with "Iron Man," of course) starring Mr. Downey just makes my world a little bit more enjoyable, so here's hoping this brings Ritchie back to top form.

"Mad Men" has five-year plan

With "Mad Men" thankfully set to return for its second season on AMC July 27, show creator Matthew Weiner has been making the rounds to promote it and letting out some intriguing details about just where the great show is headed.

According to TV scribe James Hibberd, Weiner revealed at the Television Critics Association press tour that he envisions the show running for five seasons, with enough time lapsing between seasons to cover about 10 years in the lives of ad executive extraordinaire Don Draper and associates (man, I can't wait to see what in the world Peggy has done about her new baby since we last saw her!) And Weiner's reasoning in using this technique makes perfect sense:

"I can start the story fresh, and at the same time there will be all these events that happened in between that will provide additional storytelling energy," he said.

I love it when showrunners are bold enough to set their own time table, as the "Battlestar Galactica" folks did at Sci Fi. That life span is, of course, dependent on people continuing to tune in, but I can't see AMC giving up on its flagship show before its allotted run finishes. If you somehow missed the first season of the smartest show on TV, you can now either buy or rent the first season on DVD or catch all 13 episodes in a marathon catch-up block July 26 to prepare for the season 2 debut the following night.

One other programming note: If you're as amped as I am for "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" and want to watch the original flick again before seeing the sequel, F/X is airing Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy" tonight at 8, so set your DVR. And now I have to go to the paying job I somehow still have. Peace out.

If you like reading about movies, which I do way too much, the MTV movies blog is - rather surprisingly - a must-read. They may not do the the hardest-hitting interviews but, being MTV, they can and do talk with anyone they choose.

This week, the subject was Joss Whedon, who is about to get back in the news in a big way with - finally! - a new show called "Dollhouse" with Eliza Dushku coming to Fox this fall. As a little aside on that, I saw a report from Horizon Media stating that three sci-fi shows - Fox’s “Fringe,” CBS’ “11th Hour” and ABC’s “Life On Mars” - should be the biggest frosh hits this fall, which totally discounts both "Dollhouse" and "Battlestar Galactica" brain Ronald Moore's "Virtuality." (UPDATE: According to MTV, "Dollhouse" has been pushed back to January, new but bad news to me!) Even so, throw "Heroes" back into the mix and it sure is going to be a fun time to watch TV (unless, of course, all the actors go on strike before any of it gets rolling.)

But the more interesting portion of MTV's piece, all of which you can read here, focused on Whedon's movie career or - recently, at least - the complete lack of one. Universal has for years now been kicking around a script he wrote for something called "Goners" which - shockingly enough - would have been about a young woman who gains some powers (well, I guess you should stick with what you know.)

With that going nowhere, however, he does seem to think there will be some real action on another script he wrote with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alum and "Cloverfield" scribe Drew Goddard called "Cabin in the Woods" (if you haven't seen "Cloverfield," by the way, I found it to be surprisingly fun and can recommend it as well worth a rental.) Assuming this moves forward as quickly as he's hoping, Whedon would also be a producer and, perhaps, the director too. Here's how a rather unmodest Mr. Goddard described it to MTV:

“It’s genius, it’s funny, It’s got a harder and darker edge, but it’s also got classic Whedon qualities. It’ll rip your heart out and be heartfelt at the same time.”

“There’s a reason the title is so straightforward. It’s its own sub-genre, the cabin in the woods, and this is sort of our take on it. It’s fresh and new.”

Sounds cool enough to me if Whedon can manage to keep focused on it long enough to follow through, which doesn't exactly seem to be his strong suit. And, just in case you just can't get enough Whedon, he's also doing something really silly with Doogie Howser and Captain Mal Reynolds called "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." As far as I can tell, this is some kind of upcoming Web-only silliness that Whedon and his brothers cooked up during the writer's strike (airing July 15, 17 and 19, but I'm not sure exactly where .. more to come on that.)

A three-part musical, it stars Doogie as a supervillian trying to get into the "Evil League of Evil," Captain Mal as his archnemesis, and Felicia Day (a former "potential" on "Buffy") as the girl of his dreams. Goofy? Surely, but hopefully pretty fun too.

That certainly seems like a whole lot for a man who hasn't seemed to actually finish much of anything lately (except for the still-great "Buffy" comic books), but here's hoping he's able to concentrate long enough to deliver both "Dollhouse" in winter and "Cabin in the Woods" as something great for next summer.

A new dose of "Blindness"

After a surprisingly strong summer for movies, this fall should be even more fun, with Spike Lee, David Fincher and the Coens all getting back into the game. Add to that mix Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, who's about to come back with his third flick, a take on the novel "Blindness" by Jose Saramago (which is on my to-read-very-soon list.) It promises to be a rather bleak affair, and I'm not sure I care much for the deliberately bleached out look you find in the trailer, but with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alica Braga and Gael Garcia Bernal all on board I'm betting it will be pretty fantastic. Enjoy the newest trailer, and have a perfectly pleasant Tuesday. Peace out.

Well, I guess it had to happen eventually. After a summer in which I've liked just about everything I've seen since "Iron Man" (with the caveat that I simply skipped several flicks on general principle), I've finally found a true stinker in "Hancock."

I mean, even M. Night's "The Happening" kept me laughing throughout at just how bad it is in stretches and therefore, I must confess, made me enjoy watching it a lot more than I could have possibly expected, but this one is just a lifeless - and pretty much soulless - creation.

I suppose my opinion doesn't matter too much since Will Smith+the Fourth of July still=mad money in the bank ($41.3 million BEFORE the actual holiday), but that doesn't mean I won't sound off anyway.

So, who's to blame for making this an almost singularly unwatchable mess? There's plenty to go around, but it has to start at the top with Mr. Smith himself this time.

I've had my bones to pick with him through the years, but I never really thought it would come down to him not being enough of an asshole to make a movie work.

However, after spending his entire career crafting his image as the black guy so nice that even the late Jesse Helms (sorry, but he's on my brain after reading his obituary) might invite him home to dinner, he simply doesn't have the edge - no matter how hard he tries - to play a character as innately unlikable as the seriously flawed hero "Hancock." So what you get is Will Smith walking around looking surly for 90 minutes or so, telling all the jokes you've already heard in the trailer and no more of any note. What a waste.

I suppose I would have been able to forgive this if director Peter Berg and writers Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan had been able to choose which direction they wanted to go in with this one. Either unable or unwilling to turn the once-promising premise into a real satire on the nature of heroes and our expectations of them, they instead let the movie just get more and more boring as Hancock is rehabilitated, until it reaches a "twist" ending that will just make you want to scream "wtf!" at the screen (I managed to refrain, but it took a whole lot of self-control!)

It certainly felt like they just reached a point where, after putting together 70 minutes or so of footage that goes absolutely nowhere, they all huddled and came up with the most ludicrous way possible to bring this to its mercifully quick end (though sequels are definitely already on the way.)

Jason Bateman does his best to wrest some laughs from his part as Hancock's PR man, and indeed succeeds at a few points, but he's just fighting a losing battle here. Charlize Theron, however, just looked even more confused by this maddening flick than I was.

And, as much as it pains my heart to say it, Berg's direction here is almost as bad as the story itself. Unsure where to point his camera at many points, he simply lets it spin around at least 360 degrees, never for any apparent reason. And lest anyone who's never been here before think I just had it in for "Hancock" from the start, that's simply untrue. I have nothing but love for Berg's "Friday Night Lights" and even more so the nearly perfect TV show that followed in it wake. But "Hancock" is simply an awful movie from start to finish.

Even so, there are surely great things to come very soon in superhero land, with Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" coming next week and then a little movie you may have heard of called "The Dark Knight" right after that, so keep hope alive. Peace out.

AMC is going to be airing the entire first season of "Mad Men" back-to-back-to .. well you get the idea on July 26 to prepare for the very welcome start of season two July 27 (wow .. new TV in the summer that doesn't involve someone doing a face-plant into a giant rubber ball!)

If you can't wait that long, and I certainly can't, you can pick up the seriously great first season now on DVD, making it easily my pick of the week.

The two things that set "Mad Men" apart from anything else on TV now are the writing and the simply first-rate acting. Creator Matthew Weiner and his writers don't just embrace the world it's set in, the "golden age" of Madison Avenue advertising in the early '60s, they revel in it. The term political correctness wouldn't be invented for another 30 years or so, so "Mad Men" gleefully dives into all the -isms you can think of and soaks them all in a vat of gin.

And the actors, from Emmy winner Don Draper (ad executive Jon Hamm) on down, just embrace the spirit of the era. The ladies of "Mad Men," especially Elisabeth Moss and January Jones, often outshine the hard-charging dudes around them. I can't recommend this one highly enough, just in case you couldn't tell! There are, however, a few other picks out there this week too, one I've seen and two I will very soon ...

City of Men
This one is not so much a sequel to "City of God" (often listed as my favorite movie of all time, if I'm forced to choose), but more as a follow-up to the great Brazilian "City of Men" TV series.

That series has been out on DVD for a while now, and is very well worth a rental. The movie that's out this week, produced but not directed by "City of God" helmer Fernando Meirelles, focuses on two friends growing in the rather rough world of Rio de Janeiro. With their eighteenth birthdays fast approaching, Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) sets out to find the father he never met while Acerola (Douglas Silva) struggles to raise his own son.

I haven't seen this one yet, but the series that preceded it is just epicly good television, so the movie's coming this weekend from the Netflix.

Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns
The rather prolific Tyler Perry was clearly coasting a bit with this one, but it still has its charms, mostly due to the always-welcome Angela Bassett. Here she plays a single mom suffering through really tough times in Chicago when she's called to Georgia for the funeral of the father she never met. At that point it turns into mostly a showcase for two of Perry's favorite stage performers, David and Tamela Mann, and - of course - Bassett finds love in the arms of former Laker Rick Fox (this is a Tyler Perry movie, after all, so I'm really not giving too much away here!) And, be warned, Madea does indeed turn up at the end of this one.

My Blueberry Nights
For his journey to America, Chinese director Wong Kar Wai - who has created some lushly beautiful movies in his homeland - surrounds himself with plenty of beautiful people.

Norah Jones, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law and even Cat Power (Chan Marshall) are along for the ride in this American road flick that (as far as I can tell) is all about love. The reviews I saw for this were mixed at best, but I've loved the few Wong flicks I've managed to see thus far, so this one's definitely on my rental list too.

And that's it for today. If you happen to go see "Hancock," please let me know what you thought. I'm gonna see it tomorrow morning, but my hopes aren't terribly high. Peace out.

I still won't believe this one until - and probably after - there's solid confirmation in the trades, but two of the stars of Fox's best sitcom in many, many years certainly seem to be sure there's an "Arrested Development" movie in the works.

First comes word from Jeffrey Tambor, a k a George Bluth, from the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of "Hellboy II" (via Entertainment Weekly): “After months of speculation, I think we have finally figured out for sure that we are indeed doing an Arrested Development movie. I am very excited about that. I love that cast and crew and I felt like we had more to say."

Sounds pretty definite, right, but as far as I know Tambor doesn't have any actual power to make this happen. Still, just to get your hopes up even higher (and hopefully not just to have to dash them later), here's more from Jason Bateman, a k a Michael Bluth (via Bob and Justin's Mad Movie Blog) hinting there indeed may already be a script ready to go: "It's typically bent and twisted," Bateman said of the story concocted by series mastermind Mitchell Hurwitz. "He's got a really, really good idea for the movie version that would not be just simply the equivalent of four episodes back to back to back. It's actually something that would be specific to the medium of film."

None of this, of course, means this is ever going to happen (especially with the SAG strike just about a certainty now), but there are several reasons why it would make good sense.

First, look at "Sex and the City." Now, I understand that the "Arrested Development" cult isn't as large as Carrie Bradshaw's following, but I'd argue we're probably at least as devoted. You'd have an obvious built-in audience, and given how much the stars want to do it, I can't imagine the budget for any "Arrested Development" movie would be terribly high.

And unlike all the other TV retreads we've seen lately (I've heard some surprisingly good things about "Get Smart," but I just really can't go there), this would instead be an idea that springs from the minds of the people who actually created the show and know and love what it's all about.

As always when it comes to an "Arrested Development" movie, just keep hope alive!

A funny take on Sherlock and Watson?

On paper this could certainly work, and I think they've got the casting just about right.

Anyone remember "Talladega Nights"? There's really not much reason to except that Sacha Baron Cohen managed to walk away with every scene he was in as the French Formula "Un" driver and make Will Ferrell funnier in doing so.

So it's a bit surprising but very welcome news that for this new Sherlock Holmes comedy from scribe Etan Cohen ("Tropic Thunder"), Cohen will take the lead as Sherlock and Ferrell will be the sidekick Watson. Sounds like fun to me, but this being Hollywood, no idea (good or bad) ever comes by itself. Warner Bros. is apparently also prepping a Holmes drama to be directed by Guy Ritchie.

My money's on the funny guys in this one, but we'll just have to wait and see.

A rather uber-cool new "The Dark Knight" poster

I've got to wrap this up and get to the job that still pays me, so I'll just leave you with rather wickedly awesome "The Dark Knight" poster. If you stare at it long enough I think it might turn into one of those hidden sailboat paintings, but I can't guarantee it. Peace out.

Yes, I may be more than a couple of days behind because of my fascination with "Wall-E," but I have indeed finally figured out there's a trailer for "Quantum of Solace" out there that promises all kinds of cold-blooded fun come November.

But first comes news this morning about my favorite currently unemployed (as far as I can tell, but it's hard to keep track these days) director, Aussie Phillip Noyce.

How in the world can a guy go from directing the nearly flawless "Catch a Fire" in 2006 (easily one of my favorite flicks from that year, so see it on DVD!) to not doing much at all since? I've seen his name attached to a flick of Philip Roth's "American Pastoral," which would be sublime, and to one based on the Aussie novel "Dirt Music," which I'm not familiar with, but neither of those seem to have really gotten going.

But this morning comes word that, with the help of Tom Cruise, Noyce may be about to get back to something he does extremely well: spy games. Along with directing two Tom Clancy movies ("Clear and Present Danger" and "Patriot Games"), Noyce also made one of the best remakes I've seen in many years with his take on Graham Greene's "The Quiet American" in 2002.

And now he's about to sign on to direct Mr. Cruise in something called "Salt," a project that has been kicking around for a few years about Edwin A. Salt, a CIA officer (Cruise, natch) who's accused by a defector of being a Russian sleeper spy and has to fight to clear his name.

Peter Berg and Terry George have been attached to this in previous attempts that clearly didn't pan out, but here's hoping this finally comes together, 'cause Mr. Noyce could clearly use the work!

And, oh yeah, about that Bond trailer. I still have no friggin' clue what "Quantum of Solace" means, but this teaser trailer indeed promises enough to get me back in the Bond groove anyway. Enjoy, and have a perfectly bearable Tuesday.

As corny as this certainly sounds, if you've seen Pixar's "Wall-E" (and if you haven't, why the heck not?), can you think of any movie in any genre for the last 20 years or so that had more to say about the power of love?

Well, robot love, of course, but the story of Wall-E and Eve still just grabs you faster and keeps you fully attached longer than almost any love story that I can think of (some might mention "The Notebook," but for simple entertainment value and much more, "Wall-E" just blows that away.)

And at least as important as the robo-love is the love and adoration that director Andrew Stanton clearly has for great sci-fi, which he shows in almost every frame of "Wall-E." If even a sliver of the kids who managed to sit through the quieter stretches of "Wall-E" and later grows up to seek out the classics that inspired it - most clearly "Blade Runner" and "2001: A Space Odyssey," but also "Star Wars" - then mission accomplished.

Stanton's respect for "Blade Runner," in particular, is clear from the moment we see our hero roll on to the screen and into a trashscape that I guarantee - no matter how many times you've seen the Earth destroyed in apocalyptic fashion on the big screen - will look like nothing you've ever seen in movies before (and how many times nowadays can you really say that?)

And, even better, it's in this deliriously inventive opening third or so that Stanton makes the more subtle of his points about the numbing nature of our work-a-day routine. Even with the cute jokes about the amazingly fresh Twinkie and the spork, were there any adults out there who didn't just cringe a little when Wall-E comes home and immediately pops in a video tape, then struggles to put on his rollers the next morning before he's had that first jolt of coffee? (Or, in his case of course, sun.)

But as amazingly entertaining as this dialogue-free opening stretch is, it just gets more and more charming when Eve arrives on the scene to scan for signs of life in the barren wasteland. Just about equal credit for this rather ridiculous love story working so well goes to writer/director Stanton and robot voice specialist Ben Burtt.

Kudos to Stanton for making Eve at least as likable as Wall-E (yes, I realize she's tempermental, more than a little crazy and even more insecure, but I guess that's just my type.) But Burtt - who not only voiced Wall-E but also conceived all the robot sounds (Elissa Knight provides the voice of Eve) - manages to eke more emotion out of the two simple words "Ev-a" and "Wall-E" than comes from the entire script of most of the much-lesser fare that clutters our multiplexes. (And, luckily I was seated near the front with no-one next to me, so nobody was too disturbed when I couldn't help mimicking them out loud more than few times; no, I don't think I'll ever completely grow up.)

The enchanting story of Eve and Wall-E is more than enough to sustain the flick as it gets more conventional and less subtle aboard the Axiom where the Earthlings live out their days in extreme comfort. This is where the flick lost me for a few moments before Eve and Wall-E made their simply blissful pas-de-deux through space and brought the movie back to life.

I know I've talked an awful about only the first third or so of the movie, but as with the entire "Lord of the Rings" - which I still think was at its best in the opening sequence in the Shire - that was definitely the best part. But there's more than enough to love about "Wall-E" to keep it going through and beyond the magical moment when Wall-E emerges from the trash compactor ("Star Wars" again, but it still works tremendously well) and make it easily among Pixar's best flicks to date.

Not as good as "Ratatouille" in my mind, but that's just because I put that movie on a pedestal all by itself. The bottom line: Just go see "Wall-E" and get ready to fall hard for the little robot with a huge heart.

It gives me an odd feeling to say I'm probably just too old for the giddy gunplay of a movie like "Wanted" but more than ready to go ga-ga for an animated flick about a robot in love, but that's how the movie weekend is shaping up here.

Now, don't get me wrong: I love stylish violence as much as the next dude. And I don't even usually mind it when reality isn't anywhere to be found.

Easily one of my favorite movies from last summer was "Shoot 'Em Up," which delivered exactly what the title promises. Paul Giamatti was extremely funny and Clive Owen was as cool as Monica Bellucci was hot in this bullet ballet that played out like a cartoon and was apparently seen by only me and about 57 or so other people. If you're among the masses who missed it and aren't offended by a flick so off-kilter that one of the main gags is about a baby being in an almost constant state of peril, rent this one today and just give in to it.

So, why then can't I get too amped for "Wanted"? One reason, and I admit it might just be a silly one. In the trailer, which I'm sure everyone's seen more than once by now, James McAvoy appears to fire a bullet straight at Angelina Jolie's head, but manages to put enough "topspin" on it that it curves around her at the last second. Like I said, I guess I'm just too old, but if I can't buy that bit of baloney I don't think I'll have too much fun chomping down on the whole thing.

Besides, and not unexpectedly, the deck is just stacked in favor of "Wall-E" this weekend. Pixar's new creation will open in 3,992 theaters, to only 3,175 for "Wanted." This doesn't factor in that "Wall-E" will prolly be shown at least 15 times a day in each of those theaters, to no more than maybe half that total for "Wanted." People who get paid to do box-office projections don't expect "Wall-E" to reach the $70 million openings enjoyed by both "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles," but I'm betting the little guy will be closer to or better than $80 million.

But can "Wall-E" really be as good as the rather unbelievable and universal love from critics would have us believe? I want to be at least a little bit skeptical, but given how hard I fell for "Ratatouille" I'm fairly certain I won't be disappointed. In the Macon Telegraph, we most often run Roger Moore of the Orlando Sun-Sentinel for two reasons: 1. He turns in his reviews earlier than anyone else and 2. I get to pick the reviews and I think he's just about the closest thing to the people's critic working now. Here's a sample of what he had to say about "Wall-E":

The late, great Stanley Kubrick ("2001:A Space Odyssey") used to say that if you can turn off the sound and still follow the story, you've made a film, but if you black out the picture and can still follow the story with only the sound, you haven't. "WALL-E," a savvy sci-fi Pixar comedy, has almost no dialogue. But with images and sound effects alone, it touches, it teaches and it tickles. It's the best Pixar film since "Finding Nemo."

I'm trying hard to keep my already sky-high hopes in check, but I assure you my mind will be on "Wall-E" all day while I'm supposed to be working. And if I'm somehow just dead wrong about "Wanted," please feel free to let me know.

Hollywood's next war will be ... in Greece?

And since escapist wonders like "300" make more money than any of the flicks about the actual war going around us now, I suppose it makes perfect sense.

First, Relativity Media bought a script for something called "War of Gods," to be directed by visionary Tarsem Singh (and before you even accuse me of throwing around the visionary label too easily, at least go see Tarsem's "The Fall," easily one of my favorite movies of this year so far and just a real feat of storytelling.)

Now, only one day later, Warner Bros. has signed "The Incredible Hulk" director Louis Leterrier to direct a Lawrence Kasdan-scripted remake of "Clash of the Titans." I'm as sick as anyone of the need to remake just about everything in sight, so call me none too excited about this one.

So now, of course, the race is on to see who's able to pump out their epic first. In "War of Gods," the warrior prince Theseus leads his men into battle against evil that will see the gods fighting with soldiers against demons and titans (man will it be cool to see what Tarsem can do with all that!) And in "Clash of the Titans," as many will remember, Perseus, the son of Zeus, must overcome a series of obstacles to save his beloved Princess Andromeda.

So, it looks like we really might not have to wait for five years for Tarsem to make another movie, and I can only say huzzah to that.

No Emmy love for "Battlestar Galactica"? Color me not surprised

I'm finished railing against the maddening taste of Emmy voters, so I'll simply share the list of 10 semi-finalists in the comedy and drama categories.

COMEDY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

Only two brief thoughts about that: How in the world can you include the scattershot-at-best "Family Guy" (which I do still watch) but not the still-brilliant "South Park"? And second, a hearty huzzah for the inclusion of "Pushing Daisies." Don't be too surprised if this imaginative show somehow pulls an upset and wins the whole shebang.

DRAMA
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Lost
Mad Men
The Tudors
The Wire

Go, go, go "Friday Night Lights" and "Mad Men"! The inclusion of "The Wire" on this list is bittersweet at best, since it comes only after that show has ended its five-season run (and with a series finale that just wrapped up way too neatly by "Wire" standards!) Since that's the pattern, I guess we can expect to see "Battlestar Galactica" make the semi-finalist cut next year only after it has ended its run on Sci-Fi.

And in one great programming note, CBS has announced we should tune in at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 22 to see if Stella says yes to Ted's marriage proposal on "How I Met Your Mother." No matter what she says, here's hoping we get to see a LOT more of Sarah Chalke on season four this fall!


A full gallery of "Dark Knight" shots

OK, I know this is more than a little long today, but could I really stop before guiding folks to the full press kit of photos for "The Dark Knight"? Go ahead and spend at least a little of your workday time perusing the full gallery supplied by Comingsoon.net here.

And, finally, a clip from "X-Files"

From what I've seen so far, Billy Connolly seems to have at least as big a role in Chris Carter's upcoming "X-Files: I Want To Believe" as either Mulder or Scully, but I'm still nothing but excited to see what he's come up with when this finally drops a week after "The Dark Knight." Enjoy this new clip and go see "Wall-E" this weekend. Peace out.

It appears he indeed might, but by the time he finally does, the more important question might be: Will anyone still care?

Well, despite his rather amazing ego, I think I still will. Though "Grindhouse" was a ton of fun, it was only his half, "Deathproof," that got my DVD bucks (though I would have gladly sprung for the whole bag if I could have), and I thought the second half of "Kill Bill," at least, was QT in nearly top form.

But what in the world has he been doing for the past couple of years or so? Well, the BBC has the answer, and it's apparently "Inglorious Bastards," his take on the World War II epic genre. There's only a script so far, but with the rate at which this guy works I guess we should at least be happy for that.

QT told the BBC it will be a "modern, in-your-face" World War II flick (if that doesn't make you cringe at least a little bit, think about it some more.) What it's more accurately been described as is his version of "The Dirty Dozen," which I actually think could work (if he ever really does get around to it.)

By the way, brace yourself for an onslaught of World War II flicks. I'm extremely confident that Spike Lee will come up with the best one with "Miracle at St. Anna," but sometime early next year we'll also finally (maybe!) get Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie."

And, if QT is still to be believed (and I obviously have my doubts), we might even have "Inglorious Bastards" in time for next year's Cannes Film Festival. Given his track record, I expect he'll show up with maybe half the movie done, but even for that I'd still have to say welcome back.

A "School of Rock 2"? Bring it on

This is only just slightly beyond a rumor (hence its appearance on Defamer), but I'm ready to embrace it and hope this actually happens.

Even after his falling out with the Apatow crew (and he had some legitimate points to make about "40-Year-Old Virgin"), Mike White might be just about the funniest guy on the planet, so every time I hear of him getting work it just makes me smile.

He's already apparently sold a script to Edgar Wright for something to be called "Them." Joining Wright's stable of solid spoofs (not to be confused with anything that has "Movie" in its title), this one focuses on a woman who's convinced that she's unearthed the true force that governs the Earth. In my mind, I'm already there.

But, in possibly even better news, White has also apparently also just finished a script for a "School of Rock 2." It hasn't gotten any farther than that, and I'm not sure if this is a good sign or not, but he told an L.A. Film Festival panel that finishing it made him cry:

"I actually just completed a draft of what's potentially the sequel, and I'm still, like, crying as I'm writing the script," he said. "I try to come at it from a personal place."

No matter how he managed to approach it, I'll definitely be there if this ever comes to fruition. "School of Rock" has found a home on my shelf with those silly little flicks (like "Office Space" and "Super Troopers") that are just the definition of cinematic comfort food.

Roman Polanski's next flick taking shape

Among the many victims of the Screen Actor Guild's strike, the most depressing just might have been Roman Polanski's "Pompeii," which could have made an intriguing thriller set against the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. But now, thankfully, it seems he's finally hard at work on what would be his first feature film since 2005's "Oliver Twist," which I must confess I haven't seen.

The news now from MTV (a shockingly good source of movie info) is that Pierce Brosnan and Nicolas Cage have been cast in "The Ghost," Polanski's flick to be based on the Robert Harris novel about a ghostwriter who uncovers more than he planned on when he's hired to write the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Harris also wrote "Pompeii.")

Now, I can certainly buy Brosnan as the PM, but Cage will have some convincing to do to make me believe he's the writer. I'm not in the camp that just hates Cage across the board, but I'm always at least a bit wary. Even so, it's just good to hear that Roman's back at work on something that sounds this promising.

A secret Chris Carter movie?

Coming in the immediate wake of "The Dark Knight," I still think Chris Carter's second "X-Files" flick could be the sleeper hit of the summer when it opens on July 25 (I've seen that tag applied to the monster haul so far for "Sex and the City," but anyone who didn't expect that to be a huge hit simply doesn't understand the power of women.)

And, as he wrapped up "X-Files: I Want to Believe,"
the Hollywood Reporter reports, Carter was already secretly at work on another flick to be called "Fencewalker." All we know so far is that it stars "I Want to Believe" co-star and sometime rapper Xzibit along with "The Tudors" star Natalie Dormer, Katie Cassidy, Derek Magyar and Meckah Brooks. All's I know beyond that is that it will be "essentially a coming-of-age semiautobiographical character piece with no supernatural elements," so I'll just say cool and leave it that. Besides, when you've got Hayden Panettiere in tight leather, it's really time to just get to it!

Claire-Bear's all grown up!

Remember "Heroes"? To be honest, I'm having a little trouble doing so, partly because it's just been off the air for so long and partly because Vol. 2 was just so uneven. Even so, it ended on a high note, so I'm amped for the show's return when it finally comes this fall, especially (and to be as piggish as possible) if it means seeing Hayden Panettiere's Claire go from her cheerleader's outfit to this leather ensemble. And, in the interest of fair play for the ladies, I've included a shot of "Gilmore Girls" (not "Golden Girls" as I somehow managed to type before being thankfully corrected by an alert reader!) alum Milo Ventamiglia as Peter too from the great celebrity gossip site Gossip Girls, where you can see more of these shots. Enjoy, and have a perfectly bearable Wednesday. Peace out.

In case anyone who's never been here before doesn't know it, I - like many people in the world - am simply a sucker for Pixar movies, so be warned you're gonna hear a whole lot about "Wall-E" here this week until and possibly after I get to see it, probably Saturday morning.

Sunday's Arts & Leisure section of the New York Times had a very interesting interview with "Wall-E" director Andrew Stanton, which you can still read here. Why in the world it didn't make the cover I'll never know, but people who make a lot more money than I do make those decisions.

Here are some of the highlights:

* Although I've seen a figure of $120 million listed, the Times article pegs the cost of "Wall-E" at $180 million, which must include marketing and various costs. No matter how you add it up, though, that's a lot of cheese for a relatively silent movie about robot love.

* Stanton, ever the film geek at heart, says he drew on films from science fiction’s golden age - “1968 to ’81” he said. The second half or so of "Wall-E" promised to be an epicly fun space journey, and I just can't wait to see it.

* And, in my favorite nugget of all, Stanton answers the question: What do you do when you need robot dialogue for a flick with very little of the human variety? Well, you get the guy who did the dialogue for R2D2 in "Star Wars" (and less excitingly, E.T. too), Ben Burtt. Stanton said he wrote a conventional script — “Hi, I’m Wall-E” — and Mr. Burtt essentially translated the dialogue into robot, something he calls “audio puppeteering.” How in the world can I get that job?

The headline of the article itself sums up the big storyline for "Wall-E": "Pixar Gambles on a Robot in Love." Following up "the rat movie" (my favorite movie of all of 2007, of course, "Ratatouille") with this endearing oddity may be a bit of a "gamble," but here's hoping the Disney-owned Pixar continues to take chances.

One thing I found surprising in the NYT article was that "the rat movie" actually made substantially more worldwide than "Cars," definitely not one of my favorite Pixar flicks. Here are the Box Office Mojo numbers:

“Finding Nemo”: $340 million domestic, $865 total.
"The Incredibles": $261 million domestic, $631 total.
"Cars": $244 million domestic, $462 million total.
"Ratatouille": $206 million domestic, $621 million total.

None of those numbers, of course, would show a studio that's really hurting in anyway, and I suspect that by the time you add in worldwide numbers for "Wall-E" it will be back around "Nemo" territory. Judging from the response of all the tots who laughed throughout the "Wall-E" trailer that preceded "Kung Fu Panda," the kids are certainly ready to embrace the little robot, and I am too. Peace out.

Consider this an open letter of apology to Michel Gondry.

I was more than a little bit psyched to see Mr. Gondry's "Be Kind Rewind" when it hit the big screen a little while back. Jack Black, Mos Def and Michel Gondry? I was so jazzed to see it that I even drove an hour or so up the road to do so.

And I think it was these expectations that led me to be at least slightly disappointed as I was walking out of the theater.

Now, don't get me wrong. After watching the movie again last night on DVD, I still think Gondry's flick is just goofy as goofy can get, but it's also more than a little bit magical once it manages to get going.

If you haven't seen it, take this warning from me going in: You'll almost certainly wince through the first half-hour or so. Jack Black's character vacillates between mildly retarded and thoroughly annoying. I know people have found him to be that way before, but it was a first for me (yes, I even liked "Nacho Libre.")

And the premise of "Be Kind Rewind," if you think about it for even a second, is simply ludicrous. Gondry's love of mom-and-pop stores and of Passaic, N.J., comes through clearly, but why in the world would you want to save a movie rental store where you know the owner (Danny Glover) can never get any new movies because he refuses to make the move to DVD?

So, my advice: Go ahead and rent "Be Kind Rewind" and just don't think about it too much. Once Black, Mos Def and the very charming Melonie Diaz get down to "sweding" all the tapes that Black's Jerry has managed to erase (because he's magnetized, of course), it's just tons of fun. The "Ghostbusters" and "Rush Hour 2" takes got the most attention, but my favorite moment in Gondry's flick was when Mos sheepishly explained why he felt uncomfortable sweding "Driving Miss Daisy." Just perfect.

And the last 20 or minutes or so, when the community bands together to make a movie about Fats Waller (don't ask, just watch for yourself and find out why), it morphs into probably my favorite subgenre of all: Movies about the love of movies.

So, for all its faults, I can still heartily recommend renting "Be Kind Rewind" if you're in the mood for something truly odd but often very entertaining.

Also out this week is possibly my favorite movie of all so far this year (second only to maybe "Son of Rambow," but they're pretty much tied), Patricia Riggen's "Under the Same Moon." Though I hate the phrase "putting a human face" more than just about any other in the English lexicon, I guess you could say that's what Riggen's movie manages to do with immigration.

On paper it would seem to be just too sappy for words, but the story of a 9-year-old Mexican boy (Adrian Alonso) trying to reunite with the mother (telenovela star Kate del Castillo) who had to leave him behind when she went to look for work in L.A. is just thoroughly engaging. It turns into an odd buddy-road movie of sorts when young Carlitos teams up with a laborer (Euginio Derbez) to make the journey, the movie's best stretch.

So, there you have it. Two DVD recommendations for no entry fee. Have a perfectly pleasant weekend and, if you actually go see either "The Love Guru" or "Get Smart" (which I can't bring myself to do) and want to share your opinion of them, please feel free to do so.

There's nothing better to spark a debate than a Top 10 list that purports to have some authority, as anything with the American Film Institute's stamp of approval certainly would.

The AFI has been making a habit of compiling such lists in recent years, but its most recent endeavour - the Top 10 movies in 10 different genres - is its most intriguing one so far. And man, is there plenty to pick apart. To name two notable snubs at the start, "Serenity" somehow doesn't make the sci-fi list, and neither "Ratatouille" or anything at all by the great Hayao Miyazaki find a home on the animation list.

You can read the complete list here, but today I'm just gonna focus on the fantasy selections, 'cause I still do have to go to my actual paying job at some point. Here are the AFI's selections:

1 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
2 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING 2001
3 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946
4 KING KONG 1933
5 MIRACLE ON 34th STREET 1947
6 FIELD OF DREAMS 1989
7 HARVEY 1950
8 GROUNDHOG DAY 1993
9 THE THIEF OF BAGDAD 1924
10 BIG 1988

I certainly can't argue with the top two spots or the inclusion of the glorious "Thief of Bagdad," but just for argument's sake (and maybe to offer some viewing ideas, I'd offer the following (admittedly much more modern) substitutions for the remaining spots:

3. Pan's Labyrinth
I went back and watched Guillermo del Toro's fantastic flick about a month ago to see if it had lost any of its sheen, and the welcome answer is no. The story that our heroine Ophelia concocts to deal with the surroundings around her during the Spanish Civil War is just the definition of fantasy, which after all is meant to take you away from the real world for a moment or two.

4. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Note, that's "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" starring Gene Wilder, not Tim Burton's rather soulless and sadistic remake. This is one story that I - like kids today hopefully still do - grew up loving, and this version just captures all the giddy goofiness of Roald Dahl's tale.

5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
This one could also have easily found a home on the AFI's "epic" list, but since they snubbed it there too I've decided to give it a home here. Is there any better fantasy tale for a young dude who wants to see the world and be a total badass while doing it? I think not.

6. Kiki's Delivery Service
I hate to be redundant, but since I have no idea how much longer Hayao Miyazaki will be with us, I had to include my favorite of his flicks on this list. If your mind doesn't float away for a while as you watch the young witch in training soar over Miyazaki's European dreamscapes, you've probably lost the kid in you for good. By the way, I don't know the details of any American release yet, but Miyazaki's "Ponyo on a Cliff" is set to drop in Japan in July, so definitely keep your eyes on that one.

7. A Little Princess
One for the girls here, but still one that's dear to my heart too. If I'm not mistaken, it's also the first Alfonso Cuaron flick I ever saw, which is certainly reason enough alone to cheer. The tale that springs from the pen of Frances Hodgson Burnett is just a powerful testament to how the power of imagination can overcome even the most dreary of situations, here a very repressive boarding school.

8. Big Fish
This one is solid proof that fantasies don't always have to be for kids and that, when he wants to, Tim Burton is an incredibly inventive director. If you've never seen this tale about a son confronting his dying father about the tall tales he has spun about his life, I can't recommend it highly enough.

10. Time Bandits
And why not end with one from probably still my favorite fantasy director, Terry Gilliam? Essentially a Monty Python for kids penned by Gilliam and Michael Palin, it really just skips randomly through time but never fails to delight.

And there you have it. There are surely plenty of flicks I have snubbed here, so please feel free to add your favorites, and have a perfectly bearable Wednesday. Peace out.

This week in our movie summer is so bad that I'm just gonna have to pretend it doesn't even exist.

"Get Smart" vs. "The Love Guru"? The only loser here appears to be the viewer. I can't even look at Mike Meyers without wincing, and even with Steve Carell and the very funny Ken Davitian on board I just can't bring myself to watch yet another TV retread.

But, if you can wade through all that crap (or, as I'm recommending, just ignore it), we finally get "Wall-E," the latest from Pixar, usually the highlight of my movie summer.

I've made my love of Pixar clear here many times before. Though I found "Cars" to be amazingly boring for very long stretches, the simply sublime "Ratatouille" was my favorite movie of all of 2007. And, given just how cool it looks and since I'm a sucker for space odysseys, I'm sure that "Wall-E" is gonna be almost as good.

But, of course, one of the other dependable delights with Pixar flicks are the shorts, and it looks like they've come up with something truly cool this time around. Here's a synopsis for "The Amazing Presto," the short that will run in front of "Wall-E":

Dignity. Poise. Mystery. We expect nothing less from the great, turn-of-the-century magician, Presto. But, when Presto forgets to feed his rabbit one too many times, well, there's really no telling what to expect! This latest comical short film from Pixar Animation Studios follows the escalating high jinx of the amazing Presto, his rabbit Alec, and what happens onstage when a star magician's ego provokes some clever revenge from his neglected costar.

In my mind I'm already there, but for the time being, enjoy the photo above and the poster for the "picturette" at right.

A look at Spike's "St. Anna"

No matter how much he runs his mouth - and his latest verbal tussle with Clint Eastwood is indeed fun to watch - I'll always have nothing but tons of time for Spike Lee. His documentaries ("When the Levees Broke" and "Four Little Girls") are tremendous, and "Do the Right Thing" remains easily one of my favorite flicks. And if I could make one recommendation from his lesser-known flicks you can still probably get on DVD, "Get on the Bus" - about a group of guys headed to the Million Man March - is also well worth watching.

And now it does indeed look like Mr. Lee might finally get the awards season acclaim he's already deserved for many years with his upcoming "Miracle at St. Anna." Judging from the trailer, he's concocted a flick that's as epic as its subject matter - the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during World War II - and wrapped it all up in a mystery to boot. Count this one along with "Burn After Reading" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" as the main movies I'm really looking forward to this fall. Enjoy the trailer, and have a perfectly pleasant Tuesday. Peace out.

I was all set to write a rant about how there's another f-ing strike on the horizon - with the Screen Actors Guild's contract set to eclipse June 30 - but I really just can't bring myself to deal with such nastiness on a Friday morning.

There's also news out there - actual and simply rumored - about NBC's upcoming "The Office" spinoff. First the actual: The showrunners have made their first casting hire, comedian Aziz Ansari, who apparently stars on some MTV sketch comedy show I've never seen called "Human Giant."

Much more exciting is the simply rumored news that Rashida Jones - a k a Karen Filippelli - will soon be joining the new cast too. All we know so far is that she's signed a "talent holding" deal with Universal, which is producing the show. What in the world would they be paying her for except to join this new venture?

I certainly hope that comes to be, but in the meantime I'm even more excited today about this teaser trailer for David Fincher's fall flick "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," based on a F. Scott Fitzgerald tale about a man who ages in reverse through the twentieth century. Everyone probably already knows that Brad Pitt is the titular Mr. Button, but this one also stars Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond and one of my very favorite actresses, the great Taraji P. Henson (a k a Shug from "Hustle & Flow.")

I just love Fincher pretty much unconditionally, and the premise sounds great, so I'd have to list it as the one flick I'm most looking forward to this fall. Enjoy the trailer, and keep your fingers crossed that M. Night's latest offering doesn't just suck as hard as I'm now fairly certain it will. Peace out.

Garnering attention for a sci-fi show - even one as sensational as "Battlestar Galactica" - from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences would seem to be the definition of a lost cause, but just in case I have some hidden pull I don't know about I'm gonna make the case anyway.

In general, I pay a lot less attention to the Emmys than I do the Oscars. Don't get me wrong: I watch at least as much TV as the average human being, though NEVER any reality programming, but I just can't get seem to get amped for the Emmys.

I will, however, check out the nominations list when it's announced July 10 to see if "Battlestar" does indeed manage to find some unexpected love, and not just in the sound and visual effects categories it has attracted attention in thus far.

One reason I really never care about the Emmys, however, is the voters have a rather amazing record of ignoring what are obviously the best shows on TV. As far as I know, "The Wire," "Friday Night Lights" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" have, between them, a total of only three Emmys, with "The Wire" only even being nominated once for the writing on the Season 3 episode "Middle Ground." (And I won't even get into the single biggest Emmy snub of all time, the inability to give Lauren Graham even one nomination for her superb work on "Gilmore Girls.")

My rather long-winded point is the deck would seem to be stacked very high against "Battlestar," but luckily its creators don't seem to know that or refuse to believe it. If you go to any movie trade paper sites or the IMDB, you'll inevitably be slapped in the face by a pop-up ad touting the show for Emmy consideration.

And why the frak not? It's clearly the smartest drama on cable or network TV right now, with "Mad Men," "Pushing Daisies" and "Friday Night Lights" close at its heels. In it's strongly serialized story lines, it takes on the issue of what it's like to live in a state of almost constant fear in our post-9/11 world. And, of course, it delivers all this punctuated with the space battles us geeks so sorely need.

And the acting, throughout, is just first-rate. Edward James Olmos, who obviously has a long history in film and television, has just taken over the role of Admiral William Adama to make it his most memorable one of all. I was surprised to find he had already won one Emmy, surely well deserved, for Best Supporting Actor for his work on "Miami Vice." The man certainly merits at least one more nomination.

As for the women, Katee Sackhoff as Kara Thrace and Mary McDonnell as President Roslin are certainly also worthy of Emmy attention, and the writing, be it by Ronald Moore, David Eick, Jane Espenson or another talented member of the staff, is also first-rate.

Though it's probably not gonna happen, the timing for some major-category Emmy attention for "Battlestar Galactica" would be just about right. With the show reaching the midpoint of its fourth and final season tomorrow night, it's high time to shower it with some serious Emmy love before it ends its very entertaining run next year. Peace out.

I don't think I've reached that point yet, but it certainly does seem like the "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" veteran unleashed by Judd Apatow is just about everywhere nowadays.

A look at the IMDB sheet after "Kung Fu Panda," the surprisingly satisfying summer flick that's currently kicking all kinds of box office tail (we're talking about a kids' movie after all, so let's keep it clean) reveals a very busy slate. First comes the comedy I'm most looking forward to this summer, the stoner buddy flick, "Pineapple Express"; then, if this ever really does see the light of day, a role in the geek flick "Fanboys"; the lead opposite Elizabeth Banks in Kevin Smith's "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"; voice work in Dreamworks' "Monsters Vs. Aliens"; playing a delusional mall cop for "Foot Fist Way" (why in the world isn't that playing everywhere?) director Jody Hill in "Observe and Report"; a reunion with Judd Apatow for Apatow's next directorial effort, to be about the world of standup comedians; and finally, if they can pull it off, a remake of "The Green Hornet" with writing partner Evan Goldberg.

Whew! As the last entry on that list shows, and luckily, Mr. Rogen isn't one to forget about his friends. Probably somewhere in the middle of all this, now comes news that he and Goldberg, the duo that brought us the nearly flawless "Superbad," will team up to create something called "Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse" (apparently the shtick of actors using their actual names trotted out for "Knocked Up" hasn't gotten old to them yet.)

The horror-comedy, set to co-star fellow "Undeclared" vet and very funny guy in his own right Jay Baruchel, apparently springs from a Web short they all concocted during the brief time Fox bothered to put that fairly great show on the air. I don't know much about it beside that, but there's actually a trailer for it that was put up on Youtube about a year ago, and I've included it here for you to enjoy (as you can probably figure, the language is more than a little NSFW, so please use headphones when you watch it!)

"Superbad," for all its very juvenile humor about things like the "Ghostbusters lunchbox dick treasure chest" (still the thing that made me laugh hardest in all of 2007) has just stuck me longer than a lot of other comedies of its ilk, and I just can't wait for "Pineapple Express." Here's hoping these guys can keep the funny coming for a long time to come.



What's next for "Pushing Daisies" and "How I Met Your Mother"?

OK, OK, I don't know the answers to the most pressing questions about easily two of my favorite shows, namely, for the latter, will adorable Sarah Chalke say yes to our hero Ted's wedding proposal and, for the former, why in the world isn't ABC reairing it's best freshman series in years this summer as a reintroduction to viewers who might have somehow missed it's nine-episode first season? I do, however, have a couple of intriguing bits about each show from Variety.

First, for "Pushing Daisies," creator Bryan Fuller promises that his habit of reintroducing the show's premise with each episode will be a thing of the past, so that in season two he can delight us with one epic story arc.

Fuller, in fact, described the writers strike that killed the first season as a kind of blessing in disguise: "We were just going to continue telling a lot of these episodic tales, and we weren't able to weave in as much of the serialized storyline as I wanted to in the first season."

And he promises he's learned a thing or two from his days working on "Heroes" (remember that show?): "Learning from my days on 'Heroes,' I'm planning to add some cliffhangers, which we'll get into starting with episode five. That's when a new character comes into the world and really shakes things up, somebody who has a link to the shared histories of both Chuck and Ned."

Sounds cool to me, and Fuller and friends have already created a world that I love returning to each week, so I can't wait to see where they go next.

The big news about "How I Met Your Mother" is that co-creator Craig Thomas promises that the showrunners have their penchant for random celebrity drop-ins under control. If bringing in Britney Spears was really necessary to lock down a fourth season than I'm certainly grateful, but enough is enough. Lucky, Thomas apparently thinks so too: "Our core audience turns in to see those five characters," he says. "We're not 'The Love Boat.' "

Amen, brother. And on that note, I unfortunately still have to go to work. Peace out.

There are really few movies in the world I loathe more than Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown."

Now, obviously, I'm not saying by any objective standard that that semi-autobiographical rom-com is one of the worst movies ever made, because it clearly isn't. But I only reserve the word "hate" for films from directors from whom I expect a whole lot but really let me down. Therefore, you'll probably never hear me use it for a Uwe Boll movie (unless I ever bother to see "Postal"), but there's a very good chance you might hear it this weekend for M. Night Shyamalan if he disappoints again with "The Happening."

(If I can digress just a bit about that, does anyone else find it ominous that the only way they can find to promote "The Happening" in commercials is that it will be Shyamalan's "first R-rated movie"? SFW!?!?)

OK, I'm back. My rather circuitous point here is that I used to have tons of love for Cameron Crowe. I just love movies that make heroes out of possibly the most inappropriately loathed workers in the world - journalists - so I just adore "Almost Famous," probably beyond any rational amount it might deserve. I also have tons of time for "Say Anything," and of course he also wrote the timeless "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." So I certainly welcome any news of a Cameron Crowe comeback to wash away the rather bitter taste of "Elizabethtown," even if the details so far are very scarce.

Now comes word that he's apparently completed the script for an as-yet-untitled romantic comedy and signed on to direct it for Columbia Pictures, with Reese Witherspoon and Ben Stiller set to star.

I still like Stiller quite a bit when he's not starring in movies for either himself or the Farrelly brothers, and have nothing but love for Reese, so here's hoping this will be a return to top form for the formerly-fairly-great Mr. Crowe. Stay tuned for details as soon as I get them.

What will the new "Muppet Movie" look like?

Although I found Jason Segel's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" to be a bit of a letdown, there's no denying that that "Dracula" puppet show he put on at the end was a classic. And, luckily, the Henson folks took notice too and have handed him and bud Nick Stoller the rights to make a new "Muppet Movie."

But just what will that mean? Will it be a good, old-fashioned Muppets flick suitable for all audiences? I certainly hope so, and from what Segel recently had to say to IESB.net, he does to. Here's some of what he had to say.

IESB: Is Sam the Eagle in it?

JS: Sam the Eagle is definitely in it. Statler and Waldorf - the whole gang!

IESB: Can you tell us a little bit about the story, which way you are headed with the MUPPETS?

JS: All I can say is that we are trying to bring it back to the early '80s movies where it's not Muppets in the Sahara or Muppets Underwater. It's the Muppets getting back together to put on a show, to save the studio.

IESB: No Pigs in Space?

JS: I can't give that away.

IESB: And the hope is to stay 100% traditional with the Muppets right?

JS: Oh yeah, absolutely.

IESB: No CGI Muppets or some horseshit.

JS: No, no, no. Hopefully it will fall right in the pantheon of The Great Muppet Caper, Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppet Movie, you know, we're trying to make one of those.

IESB: You said you had written something for Charles Grodin?

JS: Yeah, a brief cameo. We'll see if he wants to do it. There are some great cameos in there.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Well, I was already fairly confident this flick was in the right hands, but now I'm sure. Here's hoping Segel - who said he just turned in his first draft of the script to his corporate handlers - is able to follow through on this and get the movie he, and all the rest of us, really want.

A new trailer for "Valkyrie"

If I'm not mistaken (as I definitely sometimes am), Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" was first set to hit theaters, well, right about now. For whatever reason, and hopefully none of them terribly bad, it's now been pushed back until at least Feb. 13, 2009.

Which has made it fairly easy to forget all about what should be a more-than-fairly-cool flick. Personally, I'm still eager to see it, 'cause I'm always amped for a good World War II flick (especially Spike Lee's "Miracle at St. Anna," set to drop Sept. 26), and one that features a reteaming of the "Usual Suspects" team of Singer and Christopher McQuarrie with a plot to assassinate Hitler is right up my alley.

Anyways, here's the latest trailer, which indeed looks pretty intriguing. Enjoy, and have a perfectly pleasant Tuesday. Peace out.

There's a lot to talk about for this upcoming movie weekend, but first and foremost I'm very happy to report there has indeed been a sighting of Thora Birch.