The Screening Room

The good people at Austin360.com have put together a cool look at Johnny Depp's roles through the years. Starting in 1984, the slideshow includes all the goodies from his start in Nightmare on Elm Street to this week's Public Enemies.

While I am *always* happy to look Mr. Depp, I'm struck by both how very timeless he is (he looks like only a few years pass in the past 25) as well as the broad range of his roles: from romance (Chocolat) to weird indie (Ed Wood) to crowd-pleasing Hollywood blockbuster (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy).

(Click the image to view.)

Big props to Comingsoon.net for being the latest place on the Internet to scar me for life.

The guilty party? Promo shots from Tim Burton's upcoming Alice in Wonderland, including pictures of Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter in a type of creepy that I suspect will turn up in my dreams soon.

Am I the only one who couldn't stop crying after seeing Up? I know that the point of this exquisite Pixar film was not to make me weep but to show how life must move on after death (and disappointment). But I found it so sad! While Disney has a grand tradition of killing off a beloved figure in the film, usually, with the exception of Bambi's mother, it happens before you get TOO attached. Here Carl spends a lifetime with his beloved Ellie. And I don't know, maybe it's because I just had a wonderful visit with my parents who have been married 66 years and can't conceive of being without each other, but this was a scenario I struggled with emotionally. Which is not to say that struggle is a bad thing, but still -- any thoughts?

Aw, Fridays. That blissful week day where new movies hit the screens and the work week ends. So to keep you entertained until the school bell rings, I bring you this week's entertainment time waster.

Once again, YouTube makes life worth living. Liquid Generation put together this clip fest of great movie lines in a compact, enjoyable 3 minutes and 41 seconds.

Jane Krakowski is kickin' in old school .. REALLY old school in a series of webisodes from Breyer's Ice Cream.

She takes on two (so far) iconic roles in Gone With the Wind and King Kong. The first asks: "Is Rhett Butler smooth and dreamy enough for Jane?" The second: "How does King Kong stack up against Jane's smooth and dreamy?"

There are two behind-the-scenes videos, showing how they incorporated a modern actress into these Hollywood classics. There's also an option to insert yourself in to the film by uploading your own photo. However, mine will never see the light of day. There's something inherently creepy about a still picture being made to move.

The Hollywood Reporter, uh, reports: A new incarnation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer could be coming to the big screen. Buffy creator Joss Whedon isn't involved and it's not set up at a studio, but Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment are working with original movie director Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband, Kaz Kuzui, on what is being labeled a remake or relaunch, but not a sequel or prequel.

My gut reaction as a Buffy fan is to emphatically declare "Uh-uh, no way, VETO." I mean, why mess with a good thing? The movie has a cult following. The TV show's fans are still in love. Why on Earth would this need a reboot? And I'm not alone.

But then I realize that I'm pretty much making the same argument that Star Trek fans made about the new film and even old school Battlestar Galactica fans made about the new series. Oh. So *that's* what it feels like on the other side.

io9 disagrees with me. So does Fear Net.

So I ask you, movie fans, when does a beloved franchise need a reboot?

You talked; we listened. There were some concerns with the functionality on our new movies page over on GuideLive.com. We made a few changes, and we hope they help you navigate to find what you're looking for.

Want to search by star rating? Top of the page. Want to know what's in theaters now? Top of the page. Family-friendly films? You get the idea.

Also, the search bar on the movies page only allows you to search for movie titles, not theaters. So we added a link to all of the theaters in our area. Know where you can find that? You got it; top of the page.

Lastly, if you had any links saved as a bookmark or a favorite, you've probably noticed they don't work anymore. If it was a link to a movie review or a movie theater, just search at GuideLive.com/movies. Regular movie-related news and feature stories can be found at DallasNews.com/entertainment.

Questions? Thoughts? Just let us know.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal have made it official.

Amanda Silverman, Gyllenhaal's publicist, says the couple were married Saturday. She didn't provide any details.

Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard have a daughter, Ramona, who was born in October 2006. They announced their engagement earlier that year.

Gyllenhaal's film roles include "The Dark Knight" and "World Trade Center." Sarsgaard has appeared in the films "Jarhead," "Boys Don't Cry" and "Kinsey."

The couple recently co-starred in an off-Broadway revival of the classic play "Uncle Vanya."

If Hollywood ever gets around to making that "Hot Players in the NHL" movie that I've been waiting for my whole life, casting is DONE.

Sports Illustrated matches up 32 professional hockey players with their "long lost twins" in a Separated at Birth, NHL-Style slideshow. Admittedly, some of the matchups aren't actors: there are a few comedians and fellow athletes. But it's dead on in many cases, and certainly worth 5 minutes of your time. (At least until you get back to your own "Five celebrities that I look like" on that Facebook app.)

San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle and comedian/actor Dane Cook. Source: Sports Illustrated

Oh, my. Wee baby Seth Rogan, at the tender age of 13, performs stand-up at Comedy Gym in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

It's not often that I will say this but: Lindsay Lohan for the win.

From The Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Lindsay Lohan is on the prowl again. The much-gossiped-about starlet has made a mock dating service video posted on comedy Web site FunnyOrDie.com. Lohan, 22, recently said that she and DJ Samantha Ronson are taking a "brief break."

The video, posted Tuesday, is in the guise of an eHarmony ad. Lohan says she's "recently single ... I think." She says she's looking for someone to spend the rest of her life with, "or at least the rest of my probation with."

Lohan pokes fun at herself, saying she's looking for the perfect mate who likes long walks on the beach, car chases on the Pacific Coast Highway, "antiquing and passing out in Cadillac Escalades."

A spokeswoman for FunnyOrDie, co-founded by Will Ferrell, says the video was shot last weekend.

Watch it yourself:

Twilight junkies, here's the latest. Michael Sheen, who wowed as Tony Blair in The Queen and Frost in Frost/Nixon, is going (bad) vampire on us for New Moon according to eonline.com. So, does this bring a class to the project? Or does it bring Sheen down to earth? Do you like the choice?

Just want to give a big shout out of thanks to those girls from Lake Highlands who stayed after the screening to give me their impressions of Hannah Montana: The Movie, which we then featured in a quote board with the review.

Rebecca Grunewald, Sydney Lacey, Amanda and Mackenzie Fugate, Katherine McCoy, Sydney Schnurrenberger, Danielle Sullivan -- you really helped me "get it"! And here's one thing I didn't have room for in the review: Danielle's amazing story of running into Miley Cyrus in Franklin, Tennessee. Franklin is not only where Miley was born, it was where she filmed the movie.

Evidently, just as in the movie, when Miley is treated like a regular girl and not like superstar Hannah Montana when she goes back to Tennessee, no one rushed up to Miley for autographs or snapped her picture there, not even Danielle, who is a very big fan.

Danielle and her mom, Lori Sullivan, ran into Miley with her mom in a store where Miley was trying on outfits, while the boy playing Travis was sitting outside waiting for them with that expression boys have when they are waiting for girls to finish trying on clothes. In Danielle's own words (which she wrote down for me after the screening):

"As I was visiting Franklin, Tennessee I saw Miley and "Travis" from the movie!! So I was super excited to see the movie."

So, we know what our Lake Highlands team thought of the film. What do you think?

From the folks over yonder at KRLD:

A movie poster that was purchased for $10 in California is being auctioned off by the Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas. The poster is a relic of one of the MGM movie Freaks and may be worth 5,000 times more the initial purchase price. You can place your own bid here.

There's no rest for those Jonas Brothers. It seems that after they visited with local fans outside the Main Event in Grapevine in the wee hours of Sunday morning (watch our video and read about it here), they went on to the home of Jayla Cooper, a nine-year-old from Grapevine who is battling leukemia. Jayla came to national attention as a "child bride" when she married 7-year-old Jose Griggs, who is also battling cancer.

Watch the "Early Show" video of the Jonas Brothers visiting Jayla.

Kathy Goolsby just shared this sweet story she found in the HPISD newsletter about the unusual and lovely red dress that 1988 Highland Park grad Megan Mylan wore when she accepted the Oscar for her documentary Smile Pinki, about a young Indian girl whose life was changed when her cleft lip was repaired.

Her grandmother, Julia Principe, designed the dress back when she was a fashion illustration student at the Pratt Institute in the 1930s. Megan had promised that if she were ever nominated for an Oscar, she'd have that dress made. And she did. Her grandma died five months before at age 95. Kathy writes that before she knew the story, when she and her daughter were watching the Oscars, her daughter said, "I like the dress, but what's up with those wings on the back?"

But now, knowing who designed it, and who was watching the telecast from a higher place, it all makes beautiful sense.

You now have another way to keep up to date on GuideLive.com's movies news, reviews and events.

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Our friends over at Neighborsgo.com are curious: What's your favorite bad movie?

Blogger Tommy swears by Semi-Pro, which I might argue isn't really a great movie, but certainly isn't what I'd consider a BAD movie. I mean, c'mon! Showgirls was a BAD movie, on something like an epic scale.

From the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Christian Bale says he acted like a "punk" and that his profane tongue-lashing on the set of "Terminator Salvation" was inexcusable.

In Friday remarks on a Los Angeles morning radio show, Bale said he never intended to get physical with cinematographer Shane Hurlbut. He also said he was likely channeling too much of his character, John Conner.

Bale also told the "Kevin and Bean" show on KROQ 106.7 that he and Hurlbut reconciled and worked together for another month following the tirade.

The outburst, which occurred last year on the set in New Mexico, was posted this week on the celebrity gossip site TMZ. It has become an Internet sensation, inspiring a music remix, spoofs, and punch lines for the "Kevin and Bean" show.

HOUSTON (AP) -- A spokeswoman for actor Mickey Rourke says he won't be taking his role as a professional wrestler into a real-life ring after all.

Paula Woods told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that Rourke will not wrestle WWE superstar Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 in April at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Woods wrote in an e-mail that the Oscar-nominated actor "will not be participating in Wrestlemania. He is focusing entirely on his acting career."

Rourke portrays professional wrestler Randy the Ram in the acclaimed movie "The Wrestler." He made a surprise announcement about the wrestling event Sunday night on the red carpet before the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.

Rourke had said he was going to toss Jericho "around the ring like tossed salad."

From the Houston Chronicle, via the Associated Press:

HOUSTON (AP) -- Listen up wrestlin' fans: actor Mickey Rourke says he's ready to rumble with WWE superstar Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 in Reliant Stadium on April 5.

Rourke portrays professional wrestler Randy the Ram in the acclaimed movie "The Wrestler."

He's signed to wrestle Jericho, for real.

He made a surprise announcement Sunday night on the red carpet before the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.

He said he was pleased by the acceptance of the movie by all the WWE wrestlers -- except Jericho.

Then Rourke said he was going to toss Jericho "around the ring like tossed salad."

Meanwhile, Jericho, appearing on WWE television, said, Rourke was out of line and that he was offended by Rourke's comments. He said Rourke made "a mistake."

Stay tuned.

Sometimes, the Internets are just too much fun to be believed. While conducting a random, movie-related Google search the other day, I stumbled across this:

Mygar, one of the galaxy's biggest movie experts, presents the top 8 most influential depictions of aliens in film.

Greetings and Salutations, sentients. This is your humble master of ceremonies, Mygar. Again it has fallen upon me to share my wealth of knowledge for the enlightenment of all things epicurean.

Today I shall be sharing eight of the greatest and most influential alien films to come from your planet.

It's the Weekly World News' Top 8 Most Influential Alien Movies. Complete with YouTube clips! So if you're trying to find some way to stay awake at work on this dreary Dallas day, may I suggest clicking the above photo to devote a few minutes of your time to this delightful time waster?

(Photo: Courtesy of Weekly World News)

Studios with multiple nominations for the 81st Academy Awards:

Paramount: 17

Fox Searchlight: 12

Universal: 11

Focus Features: 9

Warner Bros.: 8

Walt Disney: 7

Miramax: 6

Paramount Vantage: 6

The Weinstein Company: 5

Sony Pictures Classics: 3

(From the Associated Press. Totals are based on the studio of record for domestic distribution for each film.)

Stuck in the office today? Counting down the minutes until tonight's big party? When you get bored obsessing about tonight's outfit, flip through this collection of "The End" title cards over at Flickr. See if you can match the card to its movie. Or if you want to be a big cheater, click on "Show info" at the top right of the screen to see the answer.

(Via today's Very Short List)

I guess teen Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson finally heard our lamenting over his hair hygiene. The good bloggers over at People.com's Style Watch Off the Rack blog shared this photo of his new 'do.

What do you think: Is it better or worse?

From The Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) -- How snotty: Scarlett Johansson blew her nose on a tissue, and now the tissue is being sold on eBay.

Johansson appeared on NBC's "Tonight" show Wednesday to promote her new movie, "The Spirit." The actress said she'd caught a cold from co-star Samuel L. Jackson, and felt her illness had value because it had been passed down from one celebrity to another.

Host Jay Leno then handed her a tissue, and Johansson announced she would sell it on eBay to raise money for the hunger relief charity USA Harvest. She blew twice, depositing some lipstick and mucus.

As of Thursday morning, the dirty tissue had snagged more than 60 bids, with the highest bidder putting up $2,050. The online auction ends Monday.

Wanna bid?

When I hadn't heard anything about this film until a few days before it opened, I figured it would flop. But this? This is a little impressive:

From the Chicago Tribune:

A philosophical question: If a film bombs at the box office, but almost no one is there to see it, is it still a bomb?
The answer is "yes" if that movie is Delgo, a stiffly animated fantasy in the storytelling tradition of Lord of the Rings. The film secured a special place in cinema history this week as the least-attended film ever to open on more than 2,000 screens.
Only two people -- including this reporter -- attended the 1:50 p.m. showing of Delgo on Tuesday at AMC Loews 600 North Michigan 9 in Chicago. The other patron snored through half the film, obscuring the vocal talents of Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Chris Kattan and the late Anne Bancroft.
The film took in $511,920 in 2,160 theaters in its opening weekend, according to Media by Numbers. That translated to an average of two patrons per showing, according to Yahoo! movie writer Jonathan Crow.
Thus, Delgo entered the Hollywood lexicon as shorthand for "animated stinker," joining the ranks of Ishtar and Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space as movie punch lines.
The flop heard 'round the multiplex can partly be blamed on limited advertising, B-list actors and characters reminiscent of the original Sea-Monkeys advertisements. Stilted animation doesn't help.
"It just completely got lost in the holiday shuffle," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.

Rotten Tomatoes has the trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine. All I can say is: Is it May 1 yet?

From The Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- It's another boy for Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber.

A representative for Watts tells People magazine the couple welcomed their second son on Saturday.

The Australian actress and her actor boyfriend are also parents to Alexander Pete Schreiber, born in July 2007.

They have been dating three years and co-starred in the 2006 drama The Painted Veil.

Representatives for Watts and Schreiber did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages seeking further details.

From The Associated Press:

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Police cleared a woman arrested in the shooting death of actor Mark Ruffalo's younger brother after being shown evidence that the wound was self-inflicted, the result of playing with a gun, her attorney said Wednesday. Police records confirmed that Shaha Mishaal Adham, 26, left the Beverly Hills jail, where she'd been held without bail since surrendering Monday afternoon on an attempted-murder arrest warrant.

Attorney Ronald Richards said he presented evidence to detectives during a five-hour meeting Tuesday night that proved Ms. Adham did not shoot Scott Ruffalo. He said Mr. Ruffalo's gunshot wound to the head on Dec. 1 was self-inflicted - that Ms. Adham was essentially a witness to a game of Russian roulette. Another person who had been wanted for questioning, Brian B. Scofield, was released after turning himself in for questioning Monday.

I think this speaks for itself, yes? Well, I'll let SpookyDan have his intro:

Twilight the Puppet Saga The most highly anticipated vampire puppet film EVER!

You have read the books; you've seen the movie, now you can watch TWILIGHT THE PUPPET SAGA! Stephenie Meyers Twilight has now been Spook-ified! I hope you dig the latest in my series of Puppet adaptations. Feel free to embed and post it all over, leave comments and rate the film!

I guess I should warn that plot points from the film will be revealed. But people -- It's TWILIGHT. With PUPPETS. (Thank you, io9.)

I've always thought that I have one of the coolest jobs in the world. I mean, I get paid to talk about movies and TV shows all day. How awesome is that?

And yet, it pales in comparison to the People.com employee who got to put this little gem together:

100 Sexy Men in 1 Minute

The hottest of the hot, from Matt to Usher, flash before your eyes. Can you name them all?

Enjoy. You're welcome. (And check out the story here.)

From the "I TOTALLY Wish I Had Thought of That" files:

By Martha Brockenbrough / MSN Movies:

We don't know at this point what the "Twilight" movie is going to be like. But we've wondered. Oh yes, we've WONDERED.

Will Edward the vampire have sparkly skin like he does in the book?

Will Bella the high school ingénue come across as pathologically needy and insecure on screen? Will she trip on the carpet and break lamps and things? How many times will she have to make dinner for her dad?

Most of all, will all the vampires be as gorgeous as author Stephenie Meyer describes them? Will we drool, weep and rashly break up with our normal looking significant others?

Oh, the sweet agony of waiting. It's worse the weeks before Christmas because, aside from the trailers, there's no way for us to peek at our presents.

And so, bravely, we make this foray into the "Twilight Zone," where we take photos from the movie and reveal what the characters are really thinking, based entirely on their over-the-top behavior in the books and our own fertile imagination.

Enjoy.

Catch the brilliance here. Then come back and share your favorite quote. Mine?

... my dad is, like, the police chief and even though he can't cook his own dinner, he will totally OWN your undead badonkadonk if he catches you.

From the fine people at Criterion:

We've got some big news. We're launching a new website on November 25, and we're moving warehouses in the process. To clear the way for the new site, we're selling everything on our current site at 40% off the retail price. That includes clothing, posters, mugs, totebags, and of course every Criterion DVD in stock! You'll still get free shipping on orders over $50, and your purchases will still count toward our loyalty program if you create an account on our new site. We won't be taking new preorders or back orders--this sale is strictly "while supplies last," so shop early and often. Come on down, browse around, and stock up on holiday gifts at unbeatable prices, while you also help us move to our new digs! Sale ends Monday, November 24, at midnight.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Lindsay Lohan referred to President-elect Barack Obama as the country's "first colored president" in an interview on Access Hollywood." Describing her experience on Election Day, Lohan said: "It was really exciting. It's an amazing feeling. It's our first colored president." A spokeswoman for Lohan didn't immediately return messages left Wednesday.

Interviewer Maria Menounos didn't question the 22-year-old actress on her use of the term. "Access Hollywood" also didn't cite her remark in its online story, but did post an "extended interview" video on its Web site that included the remark.

Lohan blogged about her support of Obama during the presidential campaign.

From the Associated Press:

First it was Indiana Jones. Now it's James Bond's latest lady friend.

The Communist Party in St. Petersburg says Olga Kurylenko, the Ukrainian-born model who plays a Bolivian agent in the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace, has betrayed her roots.

"In the name of all communists we appeal to you, prodigal daughter of poor Ukraine and deserter of Slavic world," the party said in an open letter dated Oct. 21 and posted on their Web site Friday.

Continue reading the story and comment below.

Ah, Election Day! The leaves are changing, the Democratic process is moving, and you can be guaranteed that your favorite shows will get pre-empted for elections coverage.

So in that spirit, let's talk about our favorite fictional presidents. For my money, it's Kevin Kline as Dave, the ordinary shmuck who gets a chance to run the country while the real Commander in Chief is hospitalized.

I've also got to give an honorable mention to Dan Hedaya's Richard Nixon in Dick.

Now it's your turn: Which fictional president gets your vote today? Or, which one makes you glad that he or she could NEVER actually make it in to office?

Mark Caro at the Chicago Times points out:

When the economy goes to the dogs, moviegoers follow. That's the apparent message of Beverly Hills Chihuahua's weekend box office triumph over the explosive, topical thriller Body of Lies.

I haven't seen either film, but I will (abashedly) admit: I saw the trailer for Chihuahua before The Women, and it looked really funny/cute. I don't expect it to win any awards, but sometimes, all you want is to be entertained for 90 minutes. And after its second week at the top, I've got to think the Drew Barrymore-voiced puppy achieves that.

So what do you think: When the going gets tough, which films get you going? With the economy tight, and that $8 admission looking like a movie ticket vs. 2 gallons of gas, what's going to get you to a movie theater? Or what films do you turn to from your home collection?

NEW YORK (AP) -- You may want to try this at home.

Suresh Joachim of Toronto, and Claudia Wavra of Germany, claim to have broken the world record for continuous movie watching, after seeing 57 films in 123 hours in a plastic-glass house in New York's Times Square.

A Guinness World Records spokesman said it appears the non-dynamic duo have broken the record but said it will take two weeks to officially verify.

The attempt began Oct. 2 when eight challengers started watching "Iron Man." After 72 hours, only two remained. They watched "Thelma and Louise" until the end on 3:10 p.m. Tuesday.

Susan Sarandon, a star of that film, dropped off the final film.

The rules: Each movie had to be viewed until the last credit rolled, and competitors couldn't divert their eyes from the screen. They were allowed 10-minute breaks between movies.

SMU journalism student Christy Vutam got the chance to chat one-on-one with actor Simon Pegg, star of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, which opened this past Friday. Check out the video at SMU's Daily Mustang.

Empire presents its picks for the top 500 movies of all times. The online version is pretty spectacular, and if you want a hard copy, you can pick from 100 different covers (although it looks like some are starting to sell out).

It's definitely worth clicking through, and I could easily waste most of today reading it all. Here's the top 11:

11. Raging Bull
10. Fight Club
9. Pulp Fiction
8. Singin' in the Rain
7. Apocalypse Now
6. Good Fellas
5. Jaws
4. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
1. The Godfather

Seriously - is there any "greatest film" list that The Godfather *doesn't* top? So what do you think? Agree or disagree?

When Paul Newman died last week, his two-time co-star Robert Redford issued this statement:

"There is a point where feelings go beyond words. I have lost a real friend. My life - and this country - is better for his being in it."

In the new issue of TIME magazine, Mr. Redford has written a personal tribute to Mr. Newman. In it, he says:

I last saw him a few months ago. He'd been in and out of the hospital. I knew what the deal was, and he knew what the deal was, and we didn't talk about it. We talked about what was on our minds: the election, politics, what needed to be done. Ours was a relationship that didn't need a lot of words.

And in related news, Turner Classic Movies will air a 24-hour Paul Newman movie marathon on Sunday, Oct. 12. Hud, Cool Hand Luke and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof are among the films on the TCM schedule.

CNN.com has put together their top nine greatest comebacks by Hollywood actors.

Making the list: John Travolta, who bounced back from a career of Look Who's Talking sequels with the help of a little-known director by the name of Quentin Tarantino, and Mickey Rourke, who is no doubt hoping that his turn in Darren Aronofsky's upcoming The Wrestler will do the same for him. (The Wrestler is scheduled to open Dec. 19.)

I'll just let this one speak for itself:

Pajamas Media has an editorial arguing that Hollywood filmmakers and movie reviewers have been too reluctant to make and praise movies criticizing Islamic terrorism.

As an example, the author points to the reception for the recent movie Traitor, and highlights comments from several critics who felt the film was anti-Islamic.

(DMN reviewer Tom Maurstad gave Traitor a 'C,' complaining that the film's characters were shallow and under-developed.)

So, what do you think? Should Hollywood make more movies showing the U.S. fighting against Islamic terrorists?

Plenty of good seats available
How bad was it over the weekend? For starters, it was the lowest-grossing weekend in five years, according to the Los Angeles Times. Bangkok Dangerous led a lackluster pack with $7.7 million as the overall weekend narrowly edged the same weekend, 2003, when Dickie Robert: Former Child Star topped the charts. Yikes.

A triple play
With just $14.6 million over the long weekend, Tropic Thunder stayed on top for a third consecutive week as the overall box-office take fell 23 percent from Labor Day weekend of 2007. Much of the blame fell to Hurricane Gustav, which virtually shutdown theaters along the Gulf Coast, leading to the lower revenues.

'Thunder' clap
Proving once again that all publicity is good publicity, Tropic Thunder remained atop the charts for a second week, pulling in $16.3 million to push its total to $65.6 million. The film has been dogged by those offended by its treatment of the mentally handicapped, but the protests don't seem to have affected its earning potential.

I hear that a cult legend is dead. Sho 'Nuff, the shogun of Harlem, was Bruce Leroy's nemesis in the classic movie, Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon. Now he's no more.

Julius Carry was the actor who played the prettiest, baddest, mofo lowdown around this town - Sho 'Nuff! He coined one-liners, like "Kiss my converse!" And every time he asked his entourage, "Who's the baddest?," we all chimed in - "Sho' Nuff!"

It might not have been the deepest movie, or employed the most talented actors. But it had a time and place for my generation. In the mid-1980s, when black kids were watching Kung-Fu flicks and re-enacting the scenes afterward, we finally had a movie for us. Sho 'Nuff and Bruce Leroy had us all wishing we had the glow.

Maybe, like Bernie Mac, this will all be rumor and he's just laid up in a hospital somewhere. Then again, Bernie still died.

Here's a YouTube video to one of the best scenes:

— Tiara Ellis

This made my day.

Via Dubious Quality.

Down goes Batman! Down goes Batman!
It took a fake army platoon to do it, but The Dark Knight was finally taken down last weekend. Tropic Thunder, the Ben Stiller-directed tale of actors shooting a war movie who find themselves involved in real combat, took in $25.8 million in its first weekend, besting Batman by $9 million.

Wanna see The Dark Knight or Pineapple Express for free?

Your old cell phone, unwanted tires and broken kitchen appliances can be exchanged for movie passes this weekend in Dallas.

The Dallas Summer Recycling Roundup takes place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at three locations.

This is one of four annual roundups the city hosts and serves as an opportunity for residents to discard unwanted items that normally are not part of curbside pickup. Dallas residents with valid identification can exchange unwanted items for two Cinemark movie passes while supplies last.

Continue reading.

Climbing toward history
Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Dark Knight collected $26 million last weekend to finish first, this time holding off the stoner comedy Pineapple Express by $3 million. Along the way, it advanced to the No. 3 spot on the all-time domestic box-office chart with $441.5 million, about $20 million short of second place Star Wars.

Taking up residence
The Dark Knight just won't budge, as the year's biggest hit held on to the top spot for the third consecutive week. It's the first move to accomplish that feat since National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets stayed on top the last two weekends of 2007 and the first one of this year. Of the new releases, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor fared the best with $40.5 million.

Brendan Fraser has given us reason to believe that he can do both small films (The Quiet American, Gods and Monsters) and big blockbusters (The Mummy series, which sees its third installment open today).
But one thing that is indisputable is that the guy is a master at acting against the green screen. When he was in town promoting Journey to the Center of the Earth earlier this summer, he talked about that ability -- a skill that the more I think about it is probably more difficult than is given credit.
"I've been told that I have the unusual ability to be able to buy into the fact that there's something that's not there, believe that it is, and give a performance that feeds the CGI artists so that they can put in their electronic elements -- be it a creature or a mummy trying to rip my head off or a tiny bird or something like that," he said.
Eric Brevig, the director of Journey and a special effect ace in his own right, agrees.
"He's brilliant at being able to do stuff which other actors sometimes are not good at, which is in his imagination, he sees these things that are not there at the time they are being shot, and its his belief that you as an audience member see it on the screen and then you believe it. And I don't think you can teach that."
So think about that when you are out watching Fraser fight off some sure-to-be-CGI mummy this weekend.

I wrote a post for our technology blog about a press conference being held today by Nasa to (presumably) discuss the discovery of ice on Mars.

So, to accompany the post, I attached a trailer for the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger-on-Mars flick Total Recall. This movie came out in 1990, and I was shocked at how amateurish the trailer was:

The trailer gives away some major plot points (Arnie shooting his fake wife), but doesn't really tell you what the movie is about.

And the pacing is terrible. It's a bunch of disjointed, jumbly clips that seem picked at random.

By contrast, consider the trailer for The Dark Knight.

This is a masterpiece of design, giving you just enough clues about the basic plot (the Joker is insane and wants to kill Batman and burn Gotham to the ground) without spoiling the best parts.

The editing is also superb, and the clips blend seamlessly together while the music weaves a sense of tension and epic combat:

The evolution of the trailer is really amazing. Wired, for instance, has made the semi-sarcastic suggestion that Oscar statues should now be awarded for the best movie trailers.

Probably not a bad idea, actually.

'Knight' and pay
Another week, another record for The Dark Knight. The hit of the summer pulled in $75 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to a whopping $313.7 million in its first 10 days. That smokes the record for fastest film to cross the $300 million mark, besting the previous mark of 16 days set by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 2006.

I had a nice phone conversation today with Javier Bardem, he of the crazy hair cut and best supporting actor statue for No Country for Old Men. He called from Madrid to promote his new movie, Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona.
We talked about working with the Wood Man, shooting in his native Spain, all stuff I will get to in a future story for the print edition. But one bit of news came up when I asked him about what imdb.com lists as his next project, the Joe Carnahan-directed Killing Pablo. The Web site lists Bardem as playing Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar in the film, with Christian Bale co-starring.
Bunk, says Bardem.
"IMDB is full of movies I'm going to make that I haven't heard of," he said. "I know Joe Carnahan, who is a great guy, and we were talking about doing the movie, but due to different situations I'm not going to do that movie next. I don't know if he's going to do it or not."
So where does the hamburger phone play into all of this, you may ask?
When I went to plug in my tape recorder to my phone today, I realized that all of my phones at home are cordless and won't work with the adapter for the recorder. So I frantically looked to see if I had a corded phone anywhere in the house.
Salvation came in the form of my hamburger phone, a replica of the one that Juno uses in the movie that the studio sent out as a promo item.
I've received enough swag items in my days in this job to fill a museum, but this is the first time I can ever remember one saving the day.

Tom may be right about the box office prospects for The X-Files. But I think it's a fun coincidence that a story has just emerged about Apollo 14 astronaut and moon-walker Dr. Edgar Mitchell maintaining that aliens have indeed been among us and have had their appearance hidden by the governement. Now if they could get an alien to promote the film, that could really pull people in...

Straight from the story: "It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it. "

Alone at the top
Records fell over the weekend like so many of the Joker's henchmen as The Dark Knight earned $158.4 million to claim the opening-weekend title previously held by Spider-Man 3. Along the way, Hollywood set an overall box-office mark of $253 million for a three-day weekend, besting the previous high from July 7-9, 2006, when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest debuted.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Jonathan Levine and Josh Peck, the director and star of The Wackness for a story that ran on Thursday. We spent most of the time talking about the role that music plays in the film, which is set in Manhattan in 1994, right at the end of hip-hop's glory days (IMHO).
But another part of getting the vibe right was the dialogue, which is a trickier task than just collecting a solid soundtrack.
"Initially I just started using 'dope,' 'word,' 'ill,' 'whack' -- I had like five root words that I worked off of," Peck said about his preparation for the film. "Sometimes I would trip up and say to [co-star] Method Man, 'What's good?' and Jon would say, 'Yo, we didn't say that.'"
Ultimately, I'm not as in love with the dialogue as I am the soundtrack. It's just as hard to listen to a white teenager say, "I'm mad depressed, yo!" in 2008 as it was in 1994. But the film still hits on some levels, especially when Peck's character, Luke, is pursuing the out-of-his-league Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby) and learning that she may not have his best interests in mind.
Regardless, you'll at least be bobbing your head and tapping your feet throughout. And that's not such a bad way to spend 90 minutes.

'Golden Army' takes the gold
Hellboy II: The Golden Army earned $34.5 million in its debut, knocking off fellow crime-fighter Hancock from its perch as the nation's top movie. Hellboy II was released by Universal after Sony, who released the original Hellboy, passed. Sony may be wanting a do-over on that one, as the sequel earned $11 million more than the original on opening weekend.

Counting down the days/hours/minutes to the release of The Dark Knight? Me, too. Here's a few things to keep you occupied for now:

Showtimes: Regular theaters

Showtimes: IMAX theaters

More: Summer Movie Guide

Slideshow: From Batman to The Dark Knight

Video: Watch the trailer

Link: Official Web site

Link: Why So Serious?

Survey: Grade The Dark Knight

Survey: Who was the best Bruce Wayne/Batman?

Survey: Which Batman film was the best?

Survey: Is The Dark Knight overhyped?

The July 30 opening of The Rocker will begin a three-week run of movies opening on Wednesday, a trend in movie exhibition that is starting to get on my nerves. In the past, the non-Friday opening was reserved for a couple of special occasions, namely for movies opening around holidays (Christmas, Fourth of July, etc.) that didn't fall on a Friday. But now it seems as if any ol' movie can move up its opening by a few days and give the impression that it is somehow "important."

Summer's superhero
If it's the 4th of July weekend, it must be Will Smith on top. Hancock, the story of a hard-drinking, cantankerous superhero, topped the weekend with $66 million, marking the fifth time that Mr. Smith has opened a movie at No. 1 over the holiday weekend. Hancock earned $107 million from its July 1 opening to Sunday.

With Hancock out this week, it got me thinking about who are the top performers when it comes to having both recording and acting careers. Admittedly, it's pretty subjective, but I think Will Smith may be the top dual threat performer of all time. His movies have grossed more than a billion dollars and he's been nominated for two Oscars; on the music side, he was awarded the first-ever rap Grammy and he's had several No. 1 hit singles.
That being said, I don't think it's a slam dunk. Here are the other four performers who I would consider to be in the top five. I'm sure that I am forgetting someone, so I am relying on you all to serve me up good
-- Frank Sinatra: The music side needs no discussion as he's maybe the most famous and loved crooner in American history. But he was no slouch on the big screen either, as he was nominated for best Oscar for The Man With the Golden Arm and he won the supporting actor award for From Here to Eternity.
-- Barbra Streisand: She may be Sinatra's female counterpart when it comes to music. On the movies front, she has been nominated for five Oscars, winning the best actress award for Funny Girl and for a song in the film A Star is Born. She also gave memorable performances in The Prince of Tides and The Way We Were.
-- Cher: Between her solo career and her duo with Sonny Bono, she's sold more than 275 million records worldwide and is resposible for the biggest selling dance single ever, "Believe". She won an Oscar and Golden Globe for Moonstruck and she picked up another GG for Silkwood, for which she was also Oscar-nominated.
-- Bette Midler: She's got a pair of Oscar nominations (For the Boys and The Rose) and four Grammies to show for her storried career (and a Tony to boot).
So there's the list. I also considered Elvis, but his movies were really more vehicles for him designed to sell more records. Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson also crossed my mind, but they all still have a ways to go to match this bunch. So, again I ask, who am I missing?

Dynamic duo
Wall-E is short on dialogue, but its $63 million opening weekend spoke volumes about audience demand for high-quality animation. The Pixar gem combined with Wanted, which impressed with $50.9 million, to mark the first time that two movies each earned more than $50 million since Memorial Day weekend last year, when Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Shrek the Third turned the trick.

'Smart' move
Get Smart's $38.6 million opening changed the course of a couple of recent trends. First, it showed that Steve Carell can open a big summer movie after the disaster that was last year's Evan Almighty. And second, it continued the winning streak of successful TV show adaptations on the heals of Sex and the City (and following a string of dreadful attempts prior to that).

The Love Guru and Get Smart will face off in a comedy smackdown this weekend, but this also shapes up as a battle between Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show over which is the better comedic farm team these days. In one corner, Love Guru is the brainchild of ex-SNLer Mike Meyers. In the other is former Daily Show coresponant (and current Office star) Steve Carell. Over the long haul, this is of course comparing apples and oranges as SNL has a much longer history and a wider cast of characters to chose from. But in terms of recent production, I'm going to have to go with The Daily Show on this one. In the last few years, it has spun out Stephen Colbert and Carell, two of television's biggest stars. And it has provided reliable side men like Rob Corddry and Ed Helms.
Which is not to say that SNL has performed poorly of late. Tina Fey has become the funniest woman on television with 30 Rock while boosting the profiles of fellow SNLers Tracy Morgan and Chris Parnell on the show. And Kristen Wiig is really making a name for herself with small but juicy roles in films like Knocked Up and Walk Hard. But the show has had its share of misses, too. Andy Samburg flooped big with last summer's Hot Rod while fellow graduates (Horatio Sanz, for one) have just drifted off into the ether. If there's a tie to be broken here, looking again at this weekend's movies provides the breaker. When Meyers needed to fill a couple of key roles in Love Guru, he didn't dredge the usual SNL pond for the Rob Schneiders and David Spades of the world. Instead, he picked current Daily Show corespondant John Oliver and the previously mentioned Stephen Colbert. That's a pretty strong indication of where the top talent resides.

It may be the most famous (infamous?) advertisement ever, and it's still an incendiary piece of short filmmaking. Now Tony Schwartz, the man behind the Lyndon Johnson campaign's Daisy ad, is dead at the age of 84.

You think today's political spots have shock value? Here's a one minute clip that essentially says "If you vote for Goldwater you're asking for a mushroom cloud." Brass knuckles stuff, in the form of a child with a daisy.

I have yet to meet a kid who doesn't love Kung Fu Panda. So, the box office bonanza of this funny, good-natured animated flick doesn't surprise me. Now I wonder what kind of an impact it's having in the kid-packed Pitt-Jolie home with Angelina Jolie voicing one of the lead roles as Tigress? Let's face it, with the possible exception of Shark Tale, where she played the bad girl fish competing for Will Smith's affections, there really aren't many films by either one of this power couple that the kids could really see...(yes, I remember Pitt in the animated Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, but how many other people do?)

Summer movie season is in full swing, with a new big blockbusters rolling out each week. But for every crowd-pleasing Iron Man that sends you back for a second viewing, there are those films that send you running to get your money back. So tell us: which past (or present) summer blockbusters had you not only wishing for your $8.50 back, but those two hours of your life.

Read more: Looking back at summer blockbuster bombs

A 1-2 punch
The little kids beat up on their teenage counterparts over the weekend as the animated Kung Fu Panda earned $60 million, easily besting the PG-13 You Don't Mess with the Zohan's $38.5 million. Those two impressive openings pushed the overall weekend revenue 32 percent higher than the same weekend in 2007.

Things get very interesting about halfway through.

I'd recommend that Batman ditch the gray tights for an all-black ensemble, but other than that, this is one heck of an amateur production.

For cinephiles, the online universe just expanded a bit. The Museum of the Moving Image, an institution dedicated to film, television and digital media, has launched a new Web site called Moving Image Source. The site contains articles by film scholars, research tools, an international calender of film events and other useful information. I was lucky enough to attend a fellowship at the museum in the spring, and if you are ever in New York, it really is worth checking out. Yes, it's out in Astoria, Queens -- but in reality that was just a 25 minutes subway ride from midtown. And if you like Greek food, you will have hit the motherload out there.

The abundance of movie Websites (and the completeness of IMDB) have made the mammoth-size VideoHound a bit obsolete. Apparently the Hound folk have realized this too: There's now a brand new VideoHound site that promises the same kind cross-referencing bliss as the big book. Check it out here.

Between Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and the upcoming Shutter Island (currently being film by Martin Scorsese), Dennis Lehane has become the most popular novelist to adapt for the movies. I sat down with him for a half hour Sunday afternoon at Book Expo in Los Angeles to talk about his new epic novel The Given Day, and I had to ask him: do you ever write novels with movie adaptation in mind?

So I finally caught Sex in the City Saturday night -- along with a full house of women in stiletto heels, and a few VERY supportive male companions (like my husband). The Cosmopolitans and bottles of wine were flowing with the laughter at the Studio Movie Grill in Plano. Afterwards, analyzing what I had liked about it, I felt that no one said it better than Ruth Pennebaker in Sunday's New York Times. The writer, a cancer survivor from Austin, says what moved her was the way Carrie and her friends were there for each other. While Carrie's character describes her story as being about seeking love (and really great fashion), it is at its core more about the friends that see you through life's travails as those loves sometimes break your heart.

According to Entertainment Tonight:

A source close to Angelina Jolie confirms to ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT that Jolie has given birth to twins in France.

The babies are the fifth and sixth children for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, whose family consists of Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, Zahara, 3 and Shiloh, 2.

But over at People.com:

Contrary to a flurry of recent reports that Angelina Jolie has delivered her twins, PEOPLE confirms that the rumors are not true.

"Angelina has not given birth. She is fine, enjoying her home and her family in France," a rep for the actress tells PEOPLE.

And here, AP splits the difference with "Conflicting reports emerge on Angelina Jolie birth.

Just out of reach
So Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull fell about $2 million short of breaking the Memorial Day weekend record held by last year's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. But the folks over at Paramount can dry their tears with $100 bills as the fourth installment of the adventure franchise still earned $151 million domestically and $311 million worldwide.

Much will and should be written about Sydney Pollack who died of cancer as reported in The New York Times today. But while he may be most lauded for his directing, it's his acting turns I can't get out of my head. He was terrific as the practical, just business lawyer in Michael Clayton (a character for whom the concept of conscience was nothing more than an annoying peculiarity that afflicts the weak-willed). But I will always see him as the agent in Tootsie -- so exasperated when Dustin Hoffman's character insists he has to feel like a tomato to play a tomato. I was even more impressed knowing the fierce battles he had with Hoffman on that film and how he managed to turn the tension of their difference into some of the most unforgettable comedic moments on film. I will miss him.

Does anyone think that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is setting up plans for a new series starring a younger adventurer? It is hard to believe that Harrison Ford could do any more of these and the way Shia LaBoeuf was looking at Indy's hat at the end, well...What do you think? Would the series, like Bond, survive a new actor in the role?

This just in from the Hollywood Reporter -- the part in W that Oliver Stone had the most trouble casting, Dick Cheney, has gone to Richard Dreyfuss and I have to admit it's an inspired choice. While I was thinking it could be an interesting part for Anthony Hopkins, not only is Dreyfuss a consummate (though much underused for many years) actor, I can really see them making him over to look the part.

Two weeks, two disappointments
Though it faired significantly better than the disaster that is Speed Racer, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian failed to live up to expectations despite earning $55 million and topping the box office. For starters, its predecessor, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, earned $65 million when it opened in 2005. And even more worrisome -- Prince Caspian must now do battle with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Good luck with all that.

I have a new favorite movie for the year -- Then She Found Me, directed by and starring Helen Hunt. I caught it at the Angelika in Plano Saturday night and it made me cry at least three times -- in a good, life-affirming way. Hunt plays a woman who wants a baby but rejects adoption as she herself was adopted and views that as a lesser option. When her devoted adoptive mother dies, her biological mother (Bette Midler) seeks her out. Rather than that being a panacea, it makes her life emotionally more complicated. And that, it turns out, is not a bad thing. Hunt is better than you've ever seen her in terms of summoning up the complex depths of her wounded character. Colin Firth is the most irresistible of leading men. And Bette is and always will be the Divine Miss M. What amazes me, too, is how this movie about a baby can come out the same time as Baby Mama and guess who gets the love? Well, not from me. Get thee to the Angelika.

I'm glad to see Prince Caspian top the box office, and I hope it will have legs this summer. Now I'm not one to trash on fellow critics (as the tables can turn oh so quickly), but one thing that bothered me in some reviews was the apparent lack of familiarity with the books. Too many critics have been comparing this one unfavorably to the first film OR comparing it unfavorably to Lord of the Rings. Hello? C.S. Lewis had different things to say about the nature of faith, the ways faith changes as you mature and how you deal with the apparent absence of God in dark times. Also, when I think of that haunting scene of those left behind as the Pevensies flee Miraz's castle, I'm impressed by the guts it took to film a scene in a family movie that deals so viscerally with the high cost of war.

Slamming on the brakes
Just two weeks into the summer movie season, the first bomb has dropped. Speed Racer, the $120 million adaptation of the television cartoon, earned just $18.6 million and a third-place finish. Meanwhile, Iron Man continued its heroic pace, earning another $51 million to bring its two-week total to $177.8 mil. It should come as no surprise that Paramount has already ordered up the franchise's next installment.

As we reported during SXSW, The Visitor star Richard Jenkins did some time at the Dallas Theater Center (Former DTC honcho Adrian Hall worked extensively with Jenkins at the Trinity Square Repertory Company in Providence).

Hall once brought Jenkins out to Big D to act in Sam Shepard's Fool For Love. Keep reading for a funny Jenkins anecdote on DTC's sometimes-squeamish audiences.

Dynamic duo
A pair of martial-arts masters helped push overall box-office grosses to the first up weekend in four weeks when compared with the same time period last year. The Forbidden Kingdom, the first pairing of Jet Li and Jackie Chan, pulled in $20.8 million to take the top spot, while the R-rated Forgetting Sarah Marshall also opened impressively at No. 2 with $17 million.

In My Blueberry Nights Dallas' Norah Jones plays Elizabeth, a heartbroken traveler with a taste for blueberry pie. Audiences might have a hard time figuring out what makes the character tick. At first, so did the star.

Here's some good movie stuff from the folks in Metro and Religion about Ben Stein and his film Expelled. Thanks guys.

Blood bath
Prom Night, the horror fest loosely based on the 1980 film by the same name, cashed in on the impending high-school formal season with $20.8 million and a victory at the box office. The scarier scene came from the overall box-office picture, however, as the industry suffered a fourth consecutive down weekend when compared with the same period last year.

Hit me again
Critics booed it, but audiences doubled down last weekend for 21, which remained atop the box-office charts with $15.3 million. The tale of Las Vegas card counters edged out two new releases: the family flick Nim's Island ($13.2 million) and the George Clooney football comedy Leatherheads ($12.7 million).

Winner, winner, chicken dinner
Despite sub-par reviews, the blackjack drama 21 proved to be a winning hand for Sony, taking in $24 million and the top spot at the box office. Meanwhile, Horton had a tough time hearing those Whos as more coins clinked into its coffers, bringing its three-week total to $118 million.

The winner and still champion
Horton Hears a Who! decided to play two, topping the box office for a second weekend with $24.6 million. Right on its tale was the latest from Tyler Perry, Meet the Browns, which opened impressively at $20 million. That marks the first time since mid-January that two films earned $20 million or more in the same weekend.

The appropriately named Movie Food publishes recipes for dishes that match the theme of a particular movie, a cool idea for your next movie night.

So, for Ratatouille, for example, the site tells you how to prepare the dish that melted Ego's icy heart.

(Photo: Movie Food)

There are only a handful of recipes so far, but the "Upcoming Dishes" list looks promising.

I might skip the spaghetti the next time I'm watching Alien, though.
View image

Trunk show
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! stomped out the competition in its opening weekend, earning $45 million to become the biggest opener thus far in 2008. Overall, the weekend was up 8.5 percent over the same weekend in 2007, the first "up" weekend in four weeks.

Shooting bricks
Semi-Pro, on the strength of star Will Ferrell's tireless promotion, topped the charts with a well-below-expectations $15 million. That's the lowest chart-topping total since Sept. 14-16, when The Brave One won the weekend with $13.4 million.

Clear view from the top
Vantage Point, the political thriller about an assassination attempt viewed from multiple angles, found plenty of eyeballs over the weekend on the way to $22.9 million and the No. 1 spot. It proved to be the only real success of the four new movies with semi-wide distribution.

Hop to the top
A couple of new franchises and an established one took the top three spots at the box office over the extended Valentine’s Day through President’s Day weekend. Jumper ($32 million) and The Spiderwick Chronicles ($24.7 million), both of which could spawn a sequel, took the top two spots, while Step Up 2 the Streets, the follow-up to Step Up, earned $22 million to keep the machine humming.

‘Gold’ rush
Fool’s Gold followed a tried-and-true formula (hot stars + plenty of skin = big pile of cash) over the weekend to claim the No. 1 spot at the box office with $21.6 million. With Valentine’s Day plus a holiday weekend also in play, look for this date movie to chug along nicely.

Chris Vognar broke down our strange love affair with the movie hit man in today's GuideLive, and now we ask for your favorite movie hit man. Also, can anyone shed anymore light on why we seem to like these killers?
My favorite is kind of an obvious one, but I never tire of watching Samuel L. Jackson's Jules in Pulp Fiction. The way the tension builds up as he toys with his prey in that apartment, eating the guy's Hawaiian burger and drinking his soda before reciting some cold-blooded Bible verse -- it's a strange combination of joy and dread.

Miley high
Hannah Montana cannot be stopped. The teen sensation’s concert film easily took the top spot at the box office with $31 million, more than double what its closest competitor, The Eye, pulled in. Of course, jacked up ticket prices and drummed-up demand due to a supposed one-week airing didn’t hurt any.

A send-up stands up
It looks as if you are all in on the joke. Meet the Spartans, the spoof of last year’s 300, among others, topped the box office with $18.5 million, edging out Rambo by about $300,000. Spartans’ opening weekend is right in line with the openings of the last two year’s similarly minded spoofs, Date Movie ($19 million) and Epic Movie ($18.6 million).

Now that Sylvester Stallone has released long-unawaited sequels to Rambo and Rocky, what's the next 20-year old flick that he should follow up on.
Share your thoughts below. Here are some suggestions:
Cobra
Over the Top
Tango & Cash
Rhinestone

A monster opening
Cloverfield, armed with an effective viral marketing campaign and a devoted fanboy crowd, easily vanquished the competition over the holiday weekend. Its $46 million opening weekend was good for the best January debut on record.

The ‘Bucket’ does the kicking
After three weeks at the top of the charts, National Treasure: Book of Secrets was finally taken down by a couple of old guys. The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeeman as terminal cancer patients, won the weekend with $19.3 million in it first week in wide release.

It had to happen. Some nefarious YouTube geniuses have created a video mash-up of Daniel Day-Lewis' "I drink your milkshake!" rant from There Will be Blood and Kelis' booty dance anthem "Milkshake." Short, but in my opinion pretty darn brilliant. Check it out (courtesy of New York Magazine) here.

Keep on keepin’ on
National Treasure: Book of Secrets maintained its stranglehold on the box office, earning another $20 million. That’s good for three-straight weeks at the top, and $170.8 million domestically. And let’s not forget the $102 mil. it’s earned abroad. No doubt Disney hasn’t.

Same ’ol, same ‘ol
National Treasure: Book of Secrets retained its stranglehold on the top spot, bringing in another $54.5 million over the extended, five-day weekend, for a total of $149.9 million. Meanwhile, Alvin and the Chipmunks proved it, too, is a juggernaut, earning $41 million to bring its total to $153.6 million in three weeks.