Circumstances prevented me from seeing "There Will Be Blood" in time for the taping of our year-end show. Therefore I didn't include it on my list of best of 2007. So if anyone sees my review of it, where I was raving (and disagreeing strongly with Jeffrey), they might wonder why it wasn't in my top 10. It should have been.

From the opening 15 minutes, which were dialogue free to the hyper-verbal end scene, I loved every second. Daniel Day-Lewis was astounding as Daniel Plainview, an oilman whose drive and greed outweighs his humanity. He is onscreen for every second -- and is absolutely riveting. I was engrossed by the mining and oil-drilling scenes and swept up in the biblical battles between Plainview and the town preacher played unctuously by Paul Dano.

What set the film apart and raised it artistically for me was the score, which was composed Jonny Greenwood, the guitarist from Radiohead, it was ominous, dangerous, suspenseful and tragic. When Plainview's deaf son is being spoken to, we don't hear the words, just cellos and violins. It was strikingly different than most scores, especially ones which usually accompany epic period pieces.

Paul Thomas Anderson has switched genres now several times as a filmmaker from "Hard Eight" to "Boogie Nights" to "Punch Drunk Love." Here he proves he can handle big themes about the American West, human avarice and revenge.

In case you haven't been following the latest details in the writers strike, it was announced Friday that David Letterman's production company WorldWide Pants - which owns Letterman's Late Show and Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show - had reached a deal with the WGA that would allow both shows to return to the airwaves Jan. 2 along with The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night With Conan O'Brien. However, unlike Jay and Conan, Letterman and Ferguson will have their writers back at work. And this side deal isn't sitting well with everyone on the striking WGA front.

According to the entertainment industry website Deadline Hollywood Daily, some writers are upset because in their eyes, the writers on those shows are going back to work earning a paycheck while the rest of the WGA is still sacrificing their personal financial situation for the greater good of the union. In other words, they should all be on the picket line together.

The interesting thing is that the WGA cut this 'side deal' with Letterman's production company as part of their "divide and conquer" strategy. The only problem is, the union planned on dividing the AMPTP, the producers collective. If this winds up causing dissension amongst the union rank-and-file, it could be disastrous. It will also be interesting to see if the Screen Actors Guild members, basically all the actors who fill the seats on those late night talkfests, avoid Leno and Conan's writer-less shows for Letterman and Ferguson.

Now that the Late-Night shows are all going to be back on in the New Year with new shows, the next step will be what happens with the awards shows. Already the People's Choice Awards -- normally a star-studded live event -- has been forced to be a taped program. And the WGA is not granting waivers to the Golden Globes and the Oscars, so those shows could be drastically different than in previous years. The folks behind the Academy Awards say the show will go on, but without writers and likely without most of its nominees, what kind of show will it be?

We shall see.

With the year winding down, it's time to assess a few actors who haven't been on the radar lately. This is part of the vicissitudes of fame that sometimes your career is hot, other times it's in sleep mode and other times it's just over.

For example, what ever became of Helen Hunt? She won the Oscar for "As Good As It Gets" a decade ago, but was last seen in 2006's "Bobby," in one of many supporting roles. She does have a movie called "And Then She Found Me" coming this spring, but there's been little seen of her in quite some time.

One of her friends, Helen Slater, is in a similar situation. She's been doing some television, but hasn't been seen on the big screen in four years. That was in the long-forgotten "Seeing Other People."

Speaking of other people (a segue into anyone, I guess) Gene Hackman, my favorite actor, hasn't been in a movie since 2004's "Welcome to Mooseport," portraying the president. Once the only actor who rivaled Sir Michael Caine in appearances on the big screen, but aside from the dvd re-releases of the first two "Superman" films and his voiceover commercial work, he's done no movie work in almost four years.

What about Jason Biggs of the "American Pie" movies? The "Network" Oscar winner is coming in two movies in 2008, but his 2007 films, "Say It In Russian," "The Gene Generation" and "The Cougar Club" (a reference to gorgeous older women) never crossed my radar, and every movie released in theaters does.

Finally, whatever happened to Timothy Bottoms? His career looked so promising with "The Paper Chase" and "Last Picture Show:" and recently he's been portraying George W. Bush, however he's never reached the stardom many thought was his.

This is an unforgiving, tough business sometimes.

Last night I caught “Jiminy Glick in Lalawood” on cable. When I heard about this film back in 2004, I was looking forward to seeing it because I’m a huge fan of Martin Short (who stars and wrote the script). I love the character he created: the obnoxious, clueless entertainment reporter from Butte, Montana. Frankly, the parody was spot on. In my producing days, I frequently attended press junkets with reporters from across the states…and there were several Jiminy-types.

As far as I can remember, the film was never screened back then and didn’t come to a theatre near me -- so I never saw it until last night. And I have to say, I quite enjoyed it!

Yes, it was silly at times and I could have done without seeing Jiminy and Dixie get intimate. But his David Lynch impression was right on and the spoof of “Lost Highway” and the convolutions of the “Mulholland Drive” – like plot were very funny.

The celebrity interviews were as good as his TV series interviews. Watching Steve Martin crack up was a crack up. And the b-roll of Willem Dafoe, Whoopi Goldberg and Kiefer Sutherland, all looking genuinely lost for words was priceless.

I still love martin short, and think he’s one of today’s greatest underappreciated funny men. And I adore Jiminy Glick. Someone give him a talk-show, please!

"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is Nic Cage's 2nd big hit in '07 (following surprise smash "Ghost Rider" in Feb.). The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, globe-trotting history lesson on steroids dominated the 5-day Christmas weekend. It earned more than $65M, putting it on pace to earn more than the $173M the original did in 2004. The family-friendly movie - rated PG, btw - seemed to strike a chord with just about everyone.

Will Smith's latest blockbuster "I Am Legend" keeps piling on the cash. It's already up to $150M and seems certain to break the $200M barrier. But Smith is Smith. He always draws in audiences. The big surprise is "Alvin and the Chipmunks," which finished at #3 with $38M more. In fact, the film lost less audience share from its opening weekend than "I Am Legend" did.

I don't think anyone, not even Fox, expected the film to be doing this well. Just goes to show the potential of a good kid movie around the holidays.

"Charlie Wilson's War" and "Sweeney Todd" did OK but those movies are for grownups who don't like to fight the Friday night crowds at the multiplex. Both earned strong reviews so word-of-mouth and awards consideration should keep them around for awhile.

The biggest disappointment has to be the dismal debut of "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story." Only $6.5M its first five days? Despite heavy publicity and solid reviews (including from Jeffrey & Alison), audiences didn't bite on John C. Reilly as the lead guy in a comedy. Too bad. "Walk Hard" is a hoot. Can you say cult classic??

As Christmas is over and New Years approaches and as all the Bailes do at Christmas is eat and watch films, I thought I’d come up with my favorite films about food. Or films that send me racing to the kitchen for a snack.

1. “Big Night” Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci’s love letter to authentic Italian cooking. I still can’t get the image of the timpani being cut open out of my head.

2. “Waitress” Adrienne Shelly’s beautiful film set in a southern diner includes the most creative shots of pie making. Like a Busby Berkeley musical, the camera looks down at the pie crusts as Keri Russell fills them with delicious ingredients.

3. “Mostly Martha” A simple pasta dish is a gesture of love and affection in this romance. I could almost smell the basil.

4. “Ratatouille” This film just made me want to be in Paris, eating fine food, and especially the vegetable dish of the title -- even if it was prepared by a rat.

5. “Chocolat” Hated the movie, but you can’t beat those shots of chocolate being stirred and poured and molded and wrapped.

Honorable mention
“Elf” Buddy’s sweet tooth is only slightly bigger than mine. That breakfast feast looked so good!

Prepare to be AMAZED when "U2 3D" debuts in limited release in January. Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton have created something special with their second feature-length concert film. But this isn't just another vanity project like "Rattle & Hum."

I was able to see an early screening of this the other night and I, along with everyone else in the screening room, was floored. With all due respect to "The Song Remains the Same," "Stop Making Sense," "Woodstock" and even the superb "Gimme Shelter," "U2 3D" takes the concert film to a different plane of filmmaking.

The technology used to make this is truly breakthrough, the 3-D technology totally immerses you. It doesn't just feel like a gimmick that you notice only in a few scenes in the movie. It captivates you from the opening scenes. The cameras zoom, pan and push in and out as the band tears through a set list of mostly classic songs. By the end of the movie you get used to the 3D, but only until another great camera angle pops up and makes you feel like you have a front row seat. On the stage. And Bono's singing to you, and only YOU.

It helps that the subject of this film is one of the great rock bands of all time. The one-two punch of "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day" that opens the film is so pulse-poundingly exciting, it was all I could do to keep from singing along with the stadium crowd. The sheer energy of the concert is palpable.

Speaking of that crowd, I've been to a couple hundred shows in my lifetime, including five U2 concerts. I have never, EVER, experienced a crowd as passionate as the South American crowds you see in this movie. The sheer joy in the audience is infectious and when Bono says at the end that the band "will never forget this", you believe it. I would hate to be in the crowd of the next concert film that's made because once you see this, you will feel woefully inadequate as a rock fan.

In the past, concert movies have aimed to make you wish you were there. "U2 3D" makes you believe you ARE THERE.

With a full month to go before Santa crams his XXL figure down the chimney to deliver. We've gathered some of the coolest items we've come across to help fill your gift lists. DVDs, graphic novels, toys and collectibles, we rounded up some clever, cool and (some) cost-friendly goodies and we'll spotlight a different one each day here, as part of REEL TALK'S Holiday Gift Guide.

Murray’s friendless, miserly Network boss – who had his secretary give out either towels or VCR to people on his gift list, depending on their importance – is a classic Murray character. Full of wisecracks, venomous putdowns and some hilarious give-and-take with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, played by David Johannson, Carol Kane and John Forsythe. I remember seeing this for the first time in theaters when it opened in 1988 and I try to catch it every holiday season. The redemptive final scene is as touching as the rest of the film is hilarious. “Scrooged” is available on DVD now and its well worth adding to your holiday playlist.

Without giving too much away, it also re-established why Spider-Man/Peter Parker is Marvel’s most relatable hero and why Captain America is its most admired. As for Tony Stark/Iron Man, well, chances are you won’t be his biggest fan after reading this.

“Civil War” ($24.99) is available in trade paperback form in most major bookstores and comic shops, as well
as its various tie-in books.

OK, so this IS a holiday gift guide, but this item can only be purchased until AFTER the holiday season -- early to mid January to be somewhat precise. But we wanted to divvy up this option for those who wait until after Christmas to do their holiday shopping. So remember, this is an item you can kick back and watch your favorite Blu-ray disks on -- it's well worth the wait. Pre-order Samsung's BD-UP5000 here.

"Blade Runner: The Complete Collector's Edition HD DVD" is a 5-disc set that comes with all the usual extras you expect in a dvd release these days - commentaries, old trailers (which are very cool since they show the big change from 1982 to now) and featurettes - but when you're talking about one of the most revered films of all time, there was no way Warner Bros. was going to get away with putting out a lame product.

They hit it out of the park with this one. You can win this DVD along with other various DVD's on RT's Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway! Click here to enter and for more details.

"1001 Movies to See Before You Die” can be purchased for around $40.

Most of the surrounding coworkers had no idea what employee number three was referring to, as it was a few years ago and the urban drama had recently begun its first season. But now, a few years later, “The Wire” has become a hit for HBO. Fans range from the suburbanite housewife to the urban business man -- this series is an addictive hit sure to interest everyone.

"The Wire" seasons 1-4 sells for around $40-60 each and can be purchased on the HBO website.

This massive coffee table book is slip-covered in the Nickelodeon's trademark green slime. Readers get to hear from the behind-the-scenes talent of classic Nick animated shows like "The Fairly OddParents," "Hey, Arnold!" "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron" and the King of the Animation Kingdom, "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Also included are talks with the folks behind more recent hits like "Avatar" "Back at the Barnyard" and "El Tigre."

The real treat for animation fans will be all the illustrations, including many rare never-before-seen images showing how characters like SpongeBob and Jimmy Neutron were developed.

"Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!" sells for $40.

This masterpiece collection features F.W. Murnau’s beautifully remastered “Dracula.” Included in this DVD set are new bonus features like new documentaries revamped subtitles.

“Nosferatu” can be purchased for under $20 online and in select retail stores.

Fun, romantic and well written, these light comedies should be a permanent fixture in any DVD collection. The Audrey Hepburn 5 Pack can be purchased for under $60.

To subscribe go to Filmmaker Magazine's site ASAP to get your subscription in time for December 25!

This is exclusive to this set so this is the only way to get it. Made of a high quality polystone with lots of detail, it's a nice bonus for any fan of the film. Say what you will about writer-director Mark Steven Johnson's story (which critics tore to shreds), but there is no denying the special effects team did a fabulous job bringing the Spirit of Vengeance (as GR is known) to life onscreen.

"Ghost Rider Gift Set" is available now for roughly $60.

It was only on for one season on NBC but the silly but simple setup for the show remains appealing to me: A clueless member of a group of time travelers who protect the integrity of history accidentally winds up spinning through the corridors of time with a kid from the present day with an affinity for history. To me, this was a concept laced in gold. You had the potential for action-packed storylines and a chance to provide a crash course in history to the kids watching at home (which even back in 1982 were woefully ignorant of U.S. and World History). Among the historical figures Phineas Bogg and young Jeffrey Jones (played by Meeno Peluce) encountered: George Washington, Joe Louis, Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley, and Jack the Ripper! A shame it only lasted 20 episodes.

With any luck, 'history' will repeat itself and "Voyagers" - or a somewhat faithful inspiration - will pop up on TV again. For now, you should pick up "Voyagers: the Complete Series." It's available for as little as $36.99.

It retails for over $100 but if you shop around you can find it for as little as $84. Of course, if you wait until the sixth Potter film comes out next year, this set will be much cheaper since they'll no doubt have a newer version of this set with Years 1-6. Gotta love those DVD box sets!

• "Up the River"


• "Seas Beneath"


• "Hangman's House" (which featured the screen debut of John Wayne)


• "Pilgrimage"


• "Drums Along the Mohawk"


• "The Grapes of Wrath"


• "How Green Was My Valley"


• "My Darling Clementine"

• Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who


• Stanley Kubrick


• The Song Remains the Same


• Seinfeld Collection: The Complete Series


• My So Called Life


• The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Volume 1


• Stanley Kubrick Directors Series Collection Official Authorized Site


• Five Easy Decades


• Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus


• Heroes graphic Novel


• Star Wars Vault

The subcast figure is an urban styled take on the high-end collectible figures that have become popular in recent years. Standing 10.5" tall , the polyresin statue really makes a statement wherever its displayed, in the office, library shelf …or the back room in the house or apartment where your wife lets you put all your nostalgic nonsense (that would be me).

Strictly limited to 2,000 pieces and retailing for $75, this one’s strictly for toy collectors or Iron Man aficionados. And with the “Iron Man” movie opening in May 2008, that club may be growing.

Find more info about the Iron Man subcast figure on the Upperdeck site.

Fans of Tenacious D and Monty Python will love this quirky sketch-comedy as the musical duo crosses the equator to New York's East Village with one mission -- to conquer USA one fan at a time.

Pick up HBO's Flight of the Conchords: The Complete First Season at any retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City.

Vudu delivers your favorite flicks straight to your television without a computer or cable/satellite service. For instant access to 5,000 films, all you have to do is shell out the cost of the device (around 400 dollars) and have a broadband Internet connection. It’s pricey, but for those of us who hate waiting for our cued films to arrive in the mail – this would be money well spent

This set has all sorts of commentaries and interviews with people connected to the show, and also has both the the original pilot that aired (which has never been available on home video before) and the European version, which has about 15 minutes of footage U.S. viewers never saw. And you also get a dozen postcards. So make a pot of black coffee, cut yourself a slice of Cherry Pie, and enjoy your visit to Twin Peaks, the strangest town you're ever going to come across.

You can purchase Twin Peaks - The Definitive Gold Box Edition at Amazon.com and other entertainment stores.

Paramount has cleaned up all the old episodes and digitally upgraded many of the outdated effects from Gene Roddenberry's timeless show. The difference between the old and new versions is incredible but also seamless so it doesn't distract from the viewing experience.

This gift isn't cheap (retails for $199 but you can find it online for as little as $132) so it's strictly for the Trek die-hard, but they will be in Trekkie heaven. Oh, there's also a mail-in offer for a Phaser remote control offer, so don't throw away the receipt. After all, who doesn't need a Phaser remote?

We’re pleased to have James Marsden as our first guest in the REEL TALK studios for 2008.

To celebrate, we’re offering everyone the opportunity to ask Mr. Corny Collins himself any question to be answered during his during his REEL TALK interview!

Submit your questions in the comment section of this post by 11:59 PM Monday, January 7th and your submission will be added to our drawing.

We’ll pick one or two questions and post the answers exclusively on our site! Check out REEL TALK daily for updates and results. Good luck!

Much is being made of the unflattering photos taken of Jennifer Love Hewitt that have appeared in the celebrity rags recently. Apparently she has ballooned up to a size 2!!! Gosh, how does she possibly shop for clothes? How dare she show herself in public? And how can she even think of putting on a bikini?

It’s so sad that we (myself included) are all so infatuated with actresses’ body weights and size. I was thrilled to see the photos. At last, someone who looks normal! Like a real person. But she is being ridiculed so it’s no wonder that half of Hollywood looks anorexic these days. Keira Knightley and Kate Bosworth are skeletal -- I don’t need to go on and list all the skinny actresses.

But what shocks me the most is the size (not weight) of most of these celebs, men included. It’s well known that Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone aren’t very tall. But in my experience, the majority of actors are petite people. I’m 5’8” and I tower over many of them! Keri Russell is doll-like, the French Marion Cotillard had legs that looked like they might snap at any moment, even Orlando Bloom risked disappearing if he turned sideways!

Is it because the camera supposedly adds 10lbs? Are the women small so the men can look bigger and more hunky? But how does that explain the small men? I’m baffled. And extremely relieved when I sit down next to someone like John C. Reilly or Clive Owen and I don’t look like a giant. I’m struggling to think of a ‘normal’ size actress. If you’re not stick-thin in Hollywood, then you are relegated to ‘fat girl.’ It’s either Lindsay Lohan or Nikki Blonsky. There’s not much in between. What do you think?

I had the pleasure of catching music 'icon' Dewey Cox and his band The Hard Walkers Wednesday night at The Knitting Factory club in Lower Manhattan. Dewey of course, is John C. Reilly's on screen alter-ego in the 'Behind The Music' spoof "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" which hits theaters this weekend. All I can say is, Reilly is a genuine talent. Seriously, Dewey Cox Rox!!

If you don't believe me, check out the clips from the concert that are all over YouTube already. I mean, the movie may be a send up of "Walk the Line" and "Ray" but the music is no joke. Reilly co-wrote most of the songs and sings/plays guitar on all of them, and some are so catchy you'll need therapy to get them out of your head.

He also stayed in character throughout the nearly 90-minute show. The story behind the concert tour is that it's basically a promotion for the movie. While he's on stage, Reilly-as-Dewey explains that he's been transported to the present day via a 'wormhole' (his words) in a younger incarnation of himself to perform all his classics from his several decades as a music icon who inspired people like Muddy Waters and had his music ripped off by the likes of Robert Dylan (again, his words).

One of the highlights from the show was "Let's Duet" which Reilly, er, Dewey, sang with co-star Kristin Wiig from "Saturday Night Live" filling in for Jenna Fischer (Kristin is also Dewey's first wife in the movie). Wiig has a nice voice but she seemed a bit nervous at first singing in front of an audience, which is weird considering she works on Saturday Night LIVE. But she seemed to get over it quickly and did a great job on the song, which is hysterical.

But nothing, I mean nothing, in the show topped "Let Me Hold You (Little Man)." If you haven't seen the movie, well, then some of Dewey's songs won't be quite as entertaining because you can't picture the scenes they're in. But 'Little Man' is a scream whether you've seen the picture or not. The crowd was in tears from laughing at this absolutely dead-perfect parody of one of those take-myself-so-serious-it-hurts acoustic songs that were all the rage in the early 70s. Only Reilly's song has some of the most politically-incorrect lyrics you will ever hear.

Dewey tossed numerous guitar picks into the crowd during the show and even gave one lucky woman who was into 'memorabilia' a gift she'll never forget.

Among the Cox 'classics' the set list also included a few sweet covers: "Rehab" from Amy Winehouse, "Shattered" from The Rolling Stones and the most inspired choice, "Sabotage" from The Beastie Boys.

If Sony was smart, they'd have the 'Cox Across America' tour go worldwide. Once word spreads about Reilly's on stage prowess, the crowds will be lining up to score tickets to see Cox Rox. Any doubters should have been at The Knitting Factory last night, where the line of folks hoping to get into the club stretched down the block.

Check out video from Dewey's other concert stops.

And here's the link to Jeffrey & Alison's review of "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"

With Christmas Day falling on a Tuesday, this weekend is turning out to be the biggest of the year for Hollywood. Nearly 10 films open between now and Christmas Day.

On this week's show, Jeffrey & Alison share their thoughts on Tim Burton's blood-splattering songfest "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (pity the poor theater workers who have to squeeze all those letters on a marquee), Nicolas Cage digging through history in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," "Charlie Wilson's War" with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman in a movie together for the first time in "The Bucket List," "P.S. I Love You" starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, and John C. Reilly singing for his supper in the music biopic spoof "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."

What's with all the long titles this week? And this year, for that matter?

Anyway, Reilly gets Top Billing on this week's show as well. He talks to Alison about finally shedding the 'character actor' label he's had for about 10 years now and shows in 'Walk Hard' that he's not only absolutely hysterical but a great singer as well. Wait 'til you see the interview. You can tell Reilly had a lot of fun playing Dewey Cox as well as writing and performing the songs.

We also turn our 'Spotlight On' one of the most successful producers Hollywood's ever seen, Jerry Bruckheimer. He dropped by recently to talk to Jeffrey and explained some of the secrets to his incredible success - Namely, hard work, calm demeanor and treating people the right way.

Oh, and Alison also recommends a good holiday DVD that's not your usual Christmas pic. So tune in to REEL TALK this weekend so you know what to decide on this holiday week at the multiplex.

In case you haven't heard, comedy ain't easy folks. Anyone who has had to endure open mic night at a comedy club knows that. John C. Reilly, soon to explode as a full-blown comedy star once people check out the outrageous "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," dropped by recently for an interview that airs on this weekend's RT and told Alison Bailes about all the great rock stars and music industry stories they were sending up in the film, which spoofs all the usual things you see in biopics about musicians.

Watch REEL TALK this weekend to see more of our interview with John C. Reilly and to see Alison & Jeffrey's review of "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."

See a clip from the interview after the jump.

By now many of you have heard the news that Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien will be returning to their respective late night shows on January 2nd (after two months of repeats due to the WGA strike). They will be returning without their writing staff, however. There are also indications that David Letterman's production company "Worldwide Pants" -- I never understood that name -- is negotiating a special waiver deal with the WGA to return to the airwaves with their writers on board. Letterman's company also produces Craig Ferguson's late show which follows him.

I hope so. I'm out of jokes. Some of the writers on the picket lines aren't happy, but Leno, O'Brien, Letterman and also Jimmy Kimmel, have done their part during the strike, paying the salaries of their staff for several weeks out of their own pocket.

It will be interesting to see which big name stars, if any, will cross a picket line. Carson Daly's late-night show returned two weeks ago, and one of the segment producers on that show told me he'd been ordered to do so. Life went on.

In other high profile strikes, well-known federal mediators or prominent politicians and lawyers were called in to break the logjam. That's what's needed here. Back in the ‘60s, there was an 86-day New York newspaper strike, which affected my family; my father, Leonard Lyons, wrote for the New York post and was syndicated nationally. Theodore Kheel was the well-known and universally respected labor lawyer who mediated it, leading to a settlement. He was also the go-to guy in the disastrous New York City transit workers' strike during the Lindsay administration. Along with Mike Quill, the combative union head of the time, the city officials eventually reached a settlement.

Bottom line: this dispute needs binding arbitration, or someone everyone trusts and respects.

It took 25 years but now you can see the Blade Runner Ridley Scott wanted you to see.

"Blade Runner: The Complete Collector's Edition HD DVD" is a 5-disc set that comes with all the usual extras you expect in a DVD release these days - commentaries, old trailers (which are very cool since they show the big change from 1982 to now) and featurettes - but when you're talking about one of the most revered films of all time, there was no way Warner Bros. was going to get away with putting out a lame product.

They hit it out of the park with this one.

First let's discuss the Big Extra: "Dangerous Days," a three-and-a-half-hour documentary that analyzes the BR phenomenon, its legacy as a groundbreaking sci-fi film and the controversy surrounding its production and failed theatrical release. All the principals involved in making the movie participate, INCLUDING Harrison Ford, whose lingering frustration over BR is well known.

Among the things you will learn in this incredible piece (unless you're a REALLY BIG BR fan): The top of police hq comes from the Mothership in Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" ...Daryl Hannah actually bloodied Harrison Ford's nose during their big fight scene and that Rutger Hauer actually made the jump between buildings in the film's final scene.

I haven't even mentioned that in this five-disc set you get all five versions of the film that have been viewed since its theatrical debut: The Original Theatrical Release (which has never been released on home video). This is the version American movie fans saw first in June 1982, the one with the much-maligned voice over by Ford and the 'happy ever after' ending. For me, this is great news because this is the version I first saw when I was a scrappy little 11-year-old geek. This is the version I'll see first.

The next one I see will be the brand-new "Final Cut." Restored/Remastered with cleaner special effects, this also features lots of added footage and recut and reshot scenes. That includes redoing Zhora's death scene where the stunt double was painfully obvious. Wait 'til you see the redone scene (and how they re-did the scene. Joanna Cassidy still looks amazing after all this time).

**Shameless self-promotion moment. **

Sir Ridley told me when I interviewed him in July at the San Diego Comic Con this was the version he wished he could have released back in '82 but he didn't have the money or clout to pull it off. And he says this is it. He's done revisiting this movie.

The other versions included are the 1982 International Version which was the version used for US video, laser disc and dvd releases up to 1992. The big difference is that the action scenes are longer in many spots compared to the Theatrical Release.

The '92 Directors Cut is the version many younger BR fans are familiar with since it is the version that's been available on DVD up 'til now. No voice over, no 'happy ending' but it did introduce the now-infamous 'Unicorn' sequence which hints at Deckard being a Replicant. Before this version, the 'unicorn' scene was largely considered an urban legend.

Finally, the near-mythical Workprint Version has probably been seen by fewer people than any of the other BR versions. Considered the version most different from the Theatrical Release, this one has a different opening scene, no 'happy ending', different dialogue in the scene between Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his 'dad', Tyrell (Joe Turkell), different music, and almost no narration by Ford until the very end.

Got all that?

And it's all on HD. So I hope Santa leaves an HD DVD player under the tree for you.

Today, the hopes and prayers of Ringers and baby Orcs everywhere have been answered. Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning mastermind behind the blockbuster "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, will return to the Shire to produce the Rings prequel "The Hobbit" based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel.

The end to the acrimony between Jackson and New Line, which began as a dispute over profits from the Rings movies that Jackson claimed the studio owed him, had gotten nasty earlier in the year. Both sides had lobbed personal shots but it looks like common sense and profit potential finally led to a resolution.

News reports indicate MGM helped broker the peace, since MGM will split "The Hobbit" responsibilities with New Line.

"I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," says Jackson about the reunion.

Read more about the Jackson, New Line and MGM partnership here .

Yowza! Now that's what I call a teaser poster. Warner Bros. just unveiled the first one-sheet for The Wachowski Brothers' big-screen adaptation of the ‘60s cartoon that introduced Japanese animation to many American kids, "Speed Racer."

I have no idea how the movie is turning out. All I know is that principal photography is done, it will be an almost entirely green-screen production, and it stars "Into the Wild" wunderkind Emile Hirsch as Speed, Christina Ricci as his girl Trixie and "Lost" good guy Matthew Fox as Racer X (who's secretly Speed's older brother Rex).

Oh, and those Wachowski fellows kind of know their way around groundbreaking stuff -- anyone remember a little trilogy called "The Matrix"? So count me as one of those guys who can't wait to see the Mach 5 running wild on screen - hopefully an IMAX one.

Oh, wait. Almost forgot. Here's the trailer:

Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer Go-oh!!

I'm always on the lookout for Film Noir releases -- great old black and white dramas from the forties and early fifties, largely forgotten today, but still worth watching.

One just out is "Contraband" from 1940. It's described as a comedy thriller set in England in the early days of World War II. It stars Conrad Veidt, who often played Germans, since that’s what he was. Veidt also played "Major Strasser," in his penultimate movie, "Casablanca," written by the Epstein twins (the grand father and grand uncle of world champion Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, a little pause for the cause.)

But to return to "Contraband." It also costars Valerie Hobson of "The Bride of Frankenstein.” Veidt, a Danish sea captain and she, his mysterious passenger kidnapped by Nazi spies operating in London's Soho district.

Freddie Young, a three-time Oscar winning cinematographer (“Lawrence of Arabia" "Dr. Zhivago," and "Ryan's Daughter" -- one of the first films I reviewed professionally in 1970) was behind the lenses. Leon Genn, a fine English stage and screen actor, costars in this 88 minute long movie, eight minutes longer than the theatrical version.

“Contraband” is an otherwise-forgotten Film Noir minor classic from Kino international, available on DVD. More Film Noir treats in coming days and weeks.

After two months of repeats due to the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America, NBC announced today that "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" will return with new episodes on Wednesday, January 2nd.

Not having fresh late-night shows has cost the major networks tons of money since they are highly profitable -- and since the presidential campaigns are heating up, audiences have no doubt missed out on heaps of fresh barbs aimed at the candidates.

It is important to point out that both Jay & Conan will return to the airwaves WITHOUT writers coming up with their monologues and skits.

Today's announcement didn't touch on how different the shows may be without the writing staffs, who continue to walk the picket line. Perhaps no monologue and no 'Jay Walking' segments or 'Headlines'? Or longer interviews? It's anybody's guess.

But this is pretty much exactly what happened the last time the WGA walked out. Back in 1988, Johnny Carson came back to work without his writers.

Word is David Letterman is about to announce his return with new episodes, too. His production company WorldWide Pants owns his show as well as Craig Ferguson's late-nighter, and the WGA has said it would be willing to cut individual deals with independent production houses.

In the interest of full disclosure, NBC Universal is REEL TALK's parent company.

The other day I mentioned that the first six minutes of the upcoming Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" was being shown before the IMAX version of "I Am Legend." The official trailer for TDK immediately followed. Well, you can now see the trailer here on Reel Talk.

"The Dark Knight" hits theaters July 18, 2008.

Here's an early look at an early 2008 release, "Untraceable."

The film has an interesting premise: An Internet killer with a twisted sense of demographic tracking is displaying his captives on a website. The more hits the site gets, the faster his victims die (what kind of ads do you sell for that kind of traffic?).

Diane Lane stars as an FBI agent who specializes in crime fighting in a Wi-Fi world. Billy Burke, Colin Hanks and Mary Beth Hurt co-star. "Untraceable" opens January 25, 2008.

The numbers on the right are the latest proof that Will Smith is undoubtedly the biggest star in the world right now. "I Am Legend" not only set a personal opening weekend record for the 39-year-old superstar, but it also set a December box-office mark (beating "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King").

Considering he's on screen alone for most of the movie (along with his loyal German Shepherd), it is a testament to his drawing power and his immense likability that 'Legend' opened as big as it did. I mean, really, who doesn't like Will Smith? Nobody, that's who. Which is why even a movie that's a third attempt to translate a 1954 novel can become a monster hit.

While 'Legend's' incredible debut receipts are getting most of the attention, did you see the business "Alvin and the Chipmunks" did? I knew Alvin, Simon & Theodore had their fans ...but a $45 million debut weekend? Further proof that if you come out with a semi-decent kid-friendly movie ('Alvin' had decent reviews for the most part), you will pack the multiplex parking lot full of minivans loaded with young audience members.

The weekend's only other wide release "The Perfect Holiday" flopped with just $3.1M. All those brutal reviews had to have scared off audiences, despite the appealing cast. As for the two limited release films, "The Kite Runner" did well on 35 screens, collecting an average of $12,885. Francis Ford Coppola's "Youth Without Youth" didn't do as well, earning just $27,800 on six screens.

"The Golden Compass" has completely gone off-course. Audiences dropped off 65% in its second weekend, an alarming decline for a $200 million potential franchise launcher. The unfortunate navigational reference in the movie's title means you can expect even more directional puns as the New Line movie continues to disappoint. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Meanwhile, two critically lauded films keep on keeping on. "Atonement" earned $1.8M on just 117 screens as its seven Golden Globe nominations seemed to pay off. Same for "Juno" which earned $1.4M on just 40 screens ($36,000 per screen!!) as this year's 'Little Indie That Could' keeps building momentum on the award and box-office front.

This week's show has a novel mix of best-selling adaptations, royalty, Big Willie style, Christmas romance and high-pitched holiday singing.

Alison & Jeffrey share their thoughts on the week's new movies, including Will Smith's can't-miss sci-fi epic "I Am Legend," the live-action/animation hybrid "Alvin and the Chipmunks" starring Jason Lee and the holiday romance "The Perfect Holiday" starring Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Queen Latifah and Terrence Howard.

Those are the three films opening everywhere, but there are a few films opening in limited release we're reviewing as well. They include "The Kite Runner" based on the beloved bestseller, the documentary "Nanking," which chronicles the awful but mostly forgotten devastation of the Chinese city by the Japanese army in 1937.

And you can't miss our dynamic duo's review of Francis Ford Coppola's return to the director's chair, "Youth Without Youth" starring Tim Roth. They disagree wildly on this one, so be sure to tune in.

Besides the new movie reviews, Alison also sits down with fellow across-the-ponder and Oscar winner Helen Mirren. She tells Alison all about her dipping her feet into the action-picture pool in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" which opens next week. Besides entertaining and informative, this is hands down the best-enunciated interview we've had all year on RT.

Oh, and check out the trailer for NTBoS here.

The DVD Roundup spotlights a summer smash hit ("The Simpsons Movie") and a summer sleeper ("Once"), not to mention the much-discussed, often-delayed, long-awaited release of "Blade Runner: The Final Cut" the 'definitive' version of Ridley Scott's influential futurama. We're big BR fans here at RT (at least I am) -- a few months ago we did a cool piece on the legacy of "Blade Runner" which is almost as intriguing as the movie itself. Click Here to check it out.

And in case that's enough for you, J & A also address the just-announced Golden Globe nominations. Find out who they think earned well-deserved nods and who were wrongly snubbed.

Check your local listings to watch REEL TALK this weekend.

Not that it needs any help selling tickets since Will Smith is arguably the most bankable actor on the planet, but Warner Bros. has made sure "I Am Legend" has a nice little extra to boost audience turnout for its debut weekend: The premiere of the first six minutes of the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight."

The clip -- which I posted about after seeing the footage last week -- will only be shown on IMAX screens showing "I Am Legend." The whole sequence was shot using IMAX cameras and it looks sweet! Oh, it also gives you the first glimpse of Heath Ledger as the Joker.

So if you live near an IMAX theater, it's worth the extra drive and dollars to see it. You'll be drooling over your mint condition copy of Batman #251 afterward, trust me.

"The Dark Knight" premieres July 18, 2008.

Tim Roth is one of those actors that when you look at his resume, you're amazed at how many movies he's made and how different they are from each other. He's worked with everyone from Woody Allen to Tupac Shakur; he's played an ape in Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" remake (Gen. Thade), and he's about to portray an Abomination - literally (that's the name of the villain he's playing in next year's "Incredible Hulk" film).

He's as versatile as they come. He proves that again as the lead player in Francis Ford Coppola's "Youth Without Youth." Roth plays a 70-year-old who gets hit by lightning and suddenly finds himself a vigorous, enlightened 35-year-old man.

He talked with Jeffrey about the film and a lot more recently. Here's the entire interview:

While reviewing the year in movies, I realized that it has been a good year for the musical and not just the biopic along the lines of “Ray” or “Walk the Line”. Instead we have had the small, touching “Once” which used real musicians and songwriters to tell a story of a busker and a house cleaner who team up to make a CD. The songs were woven organically into the story and I never got the feeling that I was watching a genre pic.

“Hairspray” was a more traditional musical, with characters bursting into song. But the music was so catchy and the actors’ joy so infectious that I loved every second of it. It also managed to keep the irreverent John Waters’ tone of the original (non-musical) movie.

“Across the Universe” blew my mind. Julie Taymor is a genius and used the Beatles songbook to tell a story of coming of age, the counter culture movement of the 60s and the Vietnam war protests. She married crazy-inventive visual stuff with the lyrics of the Beatles in ways I could never envision. She turned “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” into a plaintive love letter and “Strawberry Fields” into a bloody war elegy. It merits many viewings.

“Enchanted” was a charming spoof of the Disney animated musical with spot-on song parodies written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz , who should know what they’re doing after penning songs for “Pocahontas” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. The number that takes place on the Brooklyn Bridge and at Bethesda fountain in central park will leave you with a smile on your face.

“I’m Not There” was a biopic about Bob Dylan that managed not to be a bio pic. It took us through the life of the singer/songwriter without hitting the usual notes of highs, lows, loves, drugs and tragedies. It boasted non-stop Dylan tracks by artists as varied as Anthony and the Johnsons, Eddie Vedder, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is not a film where the characters burst into song to express extremes of emotion, but rather a film where most of the dialogue is sung. The Sondheim work is ably handled by Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp - who sounds like early David Bowie by way of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Lastly this year, we have the spoof biopic “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” with John C. Reilly as a rock n roller encountering and overcoming every known adversity in the music business. If the poster is anything to go by, (Dewey in his best Jim Morrison pose) the songs should be a real laugh.

So if “Chicago” was credited with the rebirth of the movie musical then I say bring it on! This year proves that the genre is alive and well and continues to push filmmakers to new creative highs.

You’ve seen him in “Chicago” as Roxy Hart's sweet and simple husband, as Dirk Diggler’s co-worker and sidekick in the film “Boogie Nights,” and soon you’ll be able to see him as Dewey Cox in the parody “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.” John C. Reilly has commanded the attention of fans with his “common man” portrayals and scene-stealing supporting roles. Now here is your chance to ask the star any three questions during his REEL TALK interview.

Submit your questions to us by 11:59 PM Sunday, December 16th to have your submission added to our drawing. We’ll pick one question from each viewer (for a max of three questions in total) and post the answers exclusively on our site!

Check our site daily for updates and results. Good luck!

Check out the first official advance poster for next year's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (the title is growing on me, I must admit). In case you're wondering, yes, it is the work of movie poster artist extraordinaire Drew Struzan, who's been creating Indy poster masterpieces since doing the International one-sheets for "Raiders of the Lost Ark" back in 1981. Glad to see they went back to Struzan for the poster art. He's a master at what is becoming a dying art form: the hand-drawn movie poster.

Details about the upcoming fourth Indiana Jones adventure, have been coming out in slow drips, overeager extras notwithstanding. But with principal photography on the picture wrapped, expect more details to be revealed. Producer Frank Marshall spilled a few beans to USA TODAY in a recent article.

Nothing earth-shattering but it did reveal Cate Blanchett and Ray Winstone's characters and hinted at their roles in the picture (Blanchett plays Soviet operative, Agent Spalko; Winstone is a shady archaeologist rival of Indy's). It also points out the film takes place in 1957, 19 years since Indy's last adventure, onscreen and in real time, so that will place 65-year-old Harrison Ford in the proper timeline as Dr. Jones.

No official word yet on when we'll see the first trailer, but i can't imagine Paramount would let a golden opportunity like the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 pass by without an Indy 4 sighting.

It's always fun to see actors taking risks with the roles they pick. Like our guest on this week's Reel Talk, Academy Award winner Dame Helen Mirren. She's best known for her Oscar-winning performance as the title player in "The Queen" and for films of a certain gravitas, like "Gosford Park."

So when we heard she was co-starring in the upcoming "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" we wondered what in the name of the Tower of London was Helen Mirren doing in an action picture? She tells Alison all about that on this weekend's show, so check it out. Now, listen to Her Highness explain why doing the action scenes in NTBoS were harder than playing royalty.

In “P.S. I Love You” Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler play a young couple in love living in Manhattan. She’s a junior agent in real estate (but unhappy). He runs a car service, but dreams of bigger things.

Much is made of the fact that they live in a small apartment. She complains of the 5th floor walk up, using it as an excuse for not having a child -- as she doesn’t want to ‘change diapers on the window sill.’ Have the set designer and director ever been to Manhattan? Did they look at 5th floor walk up apartments on the Lower East Side?

Holly and Gerry’s apartment is “movie shabby.” That means, for most of us living in Manhattan it would be a steal. I studied it as I watched the film (not a good sign as my mind was obviously wandering) it was distracting in its luxurious décor. It seemed to have a foyer, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, a dressing room and some sort of office space. Everything was decorated in expensive looking stuff, the set was over designed. The bed itself looked like it was on the floor of a Ralph Lauren store, with about $2000 worth of throw pillows and quilts.

It totally took me out of the story. How could they afford such a place? Why was she complaining about a ‘tiny apartment?’ How had the set designer come up with this set? Didn’t he/she read the script? Why didn’t the director insist on a more realistic home for our young lovers?

When such questions are pestering me during a film, it only means one thing, that I am not engrossed in the story. And sad to say, this was true. The bedding was more intriguing than the plot!

As a compliment to our Holiday Gift Guide, Reel Talk is offering everyone a chance to win a REEL TALK DVD gift set. Two grand prize winners will receive the "Blade Runner" Collector's Edition DVD set in addition to other various DVDs. The third place winner will receive a Reel Talk DVD gift set consisting of other fabulous DVD titles.

Simply submit one (1) must-have gift you would want to receive or give this holiday season in the commments section of this post and that's it, you're qualified! But make sure you include your first name, a valid email address and date of birth (in the 'URL' section) or your entry will be null and void.

Winners are selected if their entry is unique, an actual item (nothing your Uncle Bob makes in his basement) and relevant to Reel Talk.

Hurry, this contest ends December 24, 2007, at 11:59 P.M. Visit our rules for more details.

New York's Film Forum will offer a 23 picture retrospective on the works of director Otto Preminger January 2 through January 31.

Though widely remembered as a strict disciplinarian on the sets of his movies, I knew him to be quite charming away from his work. I grew up, in fact, best friends with Erik Lee Preminger, who Otto acknowledged as his son only after the death of Erik's mother, the famed author, TV personality, actress and of course stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. When Gypsy died, Otto adopted Erik, who added his father's name to his own.

Otto’s greatest film was "Laura" in 1944, with Dana Andrews, a forgotten star today, alas, but who performed brilliantly. Other classics he directed included "Bunny Lake is Missing" and "Anatomy of a Murder," usually shown uncut on television and one of the great courtroom dramas of all time.

My favorite, however, is "Daisy Kenyon" from 1947. Not because Henry Fonda, Joan Crawford and the aforementioned Dana Andrews (all of whom I was lucky to have met) starred, but because my father, Leonard Lyons, portrayed himself in a brief scene. ("Unconvincingly," one critic said of his performance!) It was there at the Stork Club, where Walter Winchell, the feared Broadway columnist walked in and muttered a few lines to Andrews. Then in walked my father, Winchell's rival and competitor, and did the same thing.

Whenever the movie is shown on TV, I apprise the portion of the film and immediately call my brothers to alert them, knowing that, if possible, we'll all be watching together, no matter how far apart we are. For a few moments, we're reunited.

Otto Preminger died in 1986,but he remains a revered filmmaker who may have been overlooked a bit by subsequent generations but whose movies are well worth seeing.

If you're looking forward to Parts 2 & 3 of "The Golden Compass" (and judging by initial reviews and word-of-mouth, most people aren't), you may have to settle for reading Phil Pullman's books. New Line's heavily-hyped, hugely budgeted alternate universe fantasy opened with a lackluster $26.1M.

Considering the first film in the possible trilogy cost roughly $200M to make, the studio had to be hoping for an opening closer to $40M to have any chance of making its money back and to justify greenlighting the next two sequels.

The rest of the box office Top 5 looks awfully familiar with "Enchanted," "This Christmas," "Fred Claus" and "Beowulf" rounding it out. Disney's musical comedy keeps doing solid biz, dropping less than 35% from last weekend. Vince Vaughn's holiday family film is holding its own, but the low-budget "This Christmas" is proving to be the best present studio Screen Gems could have asked for. It looks like it's going to earn at least $50M, roughly 4 times its budget.

BTW, the rest of the films we reviewed on Reel Talk this weekend - including "Grace Is Gone" and "The Amateurs" - opened in very limited release. "Atonement" averaged an impressive $25,531 per theater in 32 cities, while "Juno" earned a monstrous $60,000 per theater in seven cities. No coincidence both films have earned rave reviews and are getting lots of early Oscar talk. Jeffrey & Alison raved about both. You can check out their reviews elsewhere on the site.

I'll start off by acknowledging that yes, this post is only slightly related to movies. But the main subject did appear in several films and actually starred in one feature film. So allow me this indulgence, since the subject in question is no doubt familiar to you in some way or other.

Sunday night in Butte, Montana, there will be a final farewell to a unique American icon. One last goodbye for a man who carved out a lasting legacy from resounding stubbornness, bravura and sheer lack of common sense.

Evel Knievel is dead.

He passed away last Friday at the age of 69 after years of struggling with diabetes and a chronic lung condition, his body finally giving out on him after enduring many more years than it had any right to, considering the abuse it took over the years. Dozens of broken bones, a string of surgeries to put his shattered body back together after one bad fall or another. Robert Knievel seemingly lived by the motto 'if it ain't it broke ...well, give me time. I'll get around to it.'

Evel Knievel is dead.

For many people, that's hard to fathom. Not for the twenty and thirty-somethings who watched him perform his insane stunts back in the late 60s-early 70s, like leaping over the fountains at Caesars Palace in 1967 or trying to rocket-cycle over Snake River Canyon. Those were adults.

They knew the risks he was taking were very real. I'll bet a good number of them paid their money wondering if they were going to witness something spectacularly fatal. Not making a judgement. That kind of curiosity is part of human nature. Knievel knew that and cashed in on that during much of his career.

No, i'm talking about the little kids. The children who thought Evel Knievel was superhuman. I'm 36 years old, which means around the time that I could actually start telling the difference between Bert and Ernie, Knievel's time as an international superstar was already coming to an end. His time as Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone cover boy had come and gone. But from the moment I saw the ads in the back of the comic books I was reading as a five year old for the Evel Knievel stunt cycle and other toys, I was fascinated by this bike-riding superhero. He was an action figure come to life.

I wanted to be a daredevil because of Knievel. Wanted to go to whatever school would train me to be like Evel Knievel. I acquired many bumps and bruises from trying to emulate my hero, which greatly concerned/annoyed my parents.

I pleaded with my folks (successfully) to get me the Knievel stunt cycle. I even made them take me to see "Viva Knievel!" which was a terrible movie even to the not-so discerning eye of a young kid (has there ever been a more accurate signal that your time in the pop culture spotlight is over than releasing a film about yourself?). To kids my age back then living in a 3-channel universe, Knievel was larger than life. He had the coolest job, the best outfit this side of Steve Austin's red jogging suit ... and he did it all while riding a motorcycle!!

As I grew older, things changed. "Star Wars" made me want to drop out of daredevil school and join the Jedi academy. Knievel sightings became rarer. I also started to wonder about all his injuries. If he's so great, how come he always wound up breaking something? Why can't he stick all his landings?

It dawned on me that Evel Knievel was more famous for his failures than his successes. The bubble had burst for me. He wasn't a super-cool daredevil, just a crash-test dummy with spectacular wipeouts. He went from being a hero to a sideshow for me.

I moved on. So did everyone else, as Knievel basically fell off the map for quite awhile.

Movies became bigger and more bombastic. Arcade games blew up, then video games brought the gamers home to the couch, where they've remained firmly in place for 25 years. Evel Knievel meanwhile, was MIA. As if he'd tried to make another death-defying jump, only to fall short and never to be heard from again. I didn't realize it until many years later, but Knievel's career had been derailed in 1977 by his legendary temper.

He attacked the writer of a biography that Knievel found offensive with a baseball bat, shattering the man's arm. Knievel was sent to jail for six months. When he was released, his career as a big draw was basically over. The classic American superstar had crashed and burned because of his own reckless behavior.

Then in the early 1990s, 70s nostalgia brought everything from bell bottoms to the pet rock back from the abyss of the forgotten past. And what better symbol of that fun, frivolous decade than the thrill-seeker in the patriotic jumpsuit, Evel Knievel? Frail and fragile of health after years of abuse on and off the bike, Knievel would find a profitable niche selling his autograph to eager collectors trying to grab a piece of their glory days. Some may find that kind of life demeaning, but for a guy who used to charge $500 to jump over rattlesnakes and mountain lions, it was just Knievel's way of adapting to the times.

One adjustment he never made was his attitude. He remained as ornery as ever, cussing out reporters and fans whenever they crossed a line, real or imagined. He even feuded at times with his son Robbie, who has followed in his father's daredevil footsteps. Oh, and that multimillion dollar settlement he was ordered to pay Shelly Saltman, the PR man whose arm he broke in 1977? Knievel never paid him a dime.

[In fact, just days after Knievel's death, Saltman publicly stated that he planned to go after Knievel's estate for his money, which he estimated is now around $100 million due to compounded interest. But that's a story for another day.]

As Evel eked out a living on the past, the future that he laid the groundwork for was unfolding. Extreme sports went mainstream. Skateboarders, snowboarders and dirtbikers started risking their necks doing insane stunts, for a heckuva lot less than the $6 million Knievel earned for trying to clear Snake River Canyon in 1974. The guys on a TV show named "Jackass" risked life, limb and their dignity for the sake of a ratings point.

Get where I'm going here? Without Knievel, it's a good bet the X-Games wouldn't exist. That snowboarding would never become a medal sport in the Olympics. Guys like Tony Hawk wouldn't turn into crossover superstars, one-man cash cows known as the next generation's risk-taking idols. Because before Knievel, there was no one to put that crazy idea into kids' heads to make 'em say, 'hey, you know what? I think I can do that!'

See, I missed the point of Evel Knievel the first time around. It wasn't about making the jumps. Success had nothing to do with it. It was about having the stones to TRY it in the first place. And if he failed - WHEN he failed - to have the willpower to get back on the bike and try something even crazier. That's what Evel Knievel was about.

Now he's gone. And while everyone always says, 'there will never be another one like him'...it's very likely true in this case. Evel Knievel existed at the right time in the right country during the right decade. He was a superstar with crossover appeal. In today's fragmented media world, he would be relegated to a Saturday night showcase on ESPN2, just before bull riding. Not that you couldn't make a good living that way but it wouldn't be anywhere near the same as his 70s heyday.

Knievel's funeral will actually be a two-day event beginning Sunday. Fittingly, it will be a loud, spirited affair. A fireworks show will kick off the event, and will end with the funeral officiated by Rev. Robert Schuller at Butte Civic Center, a 10,000 seat arena. It's expected to be packed with people coming in from all parts to pay final respects to a deeply flawed, wholly original human being.

Viva Knievel, indeed.

Teenage pregnancy is no laughing subject, but pair “Arrested Development” ex-cast members Michael Cera and Jason Bateman with newcomer Ellen Page and out pops "Juno," a perfectly delightful movie for this holiday season. Jeffrey and Alison review the film during this weekend's edition of Reel Talk. Watch our review below.

Also opening this week and reviewed by our hosts is the small-town comedy "The Amateurs." This quirky film features Ted Danson, and Jeff Bridges on a mission to make a name for their little town within the adult film industry. We're thinking this film is not one for the kiddos, but parents will definitely enjoy it.

Interested in other films opening this weekend? Click on the movie titles for our reviews!

Theater goers can choose from the mystical flick "The Golden Compass," featuring Nicole Kidman as a sultry evil-doer on one heck of a mission; John Cusack (find his Reel Talk interview here) in a emotionally open role as a father struggling to tell his daughters about the death of his wife in "Grace Is Gone;" and the romantically beautiful "Atonement," with Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.

Tune into Reel Talk TV this weekend to see more!

The multi-talented John Cusack gets Top Billing this week on RT. He stars in (and produced) "Grace Is Gone" a drama opening in limited release before expanding nationally. Be sure to check it out to hear why Cusack signed on to play a role that's a major departure from his usual work.

Meanwhile, check out this clip [after the jump] where the Chicago native and major Cubs fan tells Jeffrey about how he prepared to play George 'Buck' Weaver in the 1988 baseball movie "Eight Men Out" about the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal.

Just saw “I Am Legend” with Will smith. It blew me away. I was thinking, oh no, not another rampaging infected maniac movie (after “28 Weeks Later” and “30 Days of Night”). However this is different. It’s about one man’s quest to survive and find a cure for mankind. And for anyone who lives in Manhattan, it will especially hit home, because the production design is extraordinary.

Seems to me that Will Smith should get an Oscar nomination. I know it’s a tough year with Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Frank Langella, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson all gunning for the honor. But if Tom Hanks got nominated for talking to a volleyball for two hours then Smith should be a shoe-in for hanging out with his dog for a lean, tense 100 minutes.

Which got me thinking, if Smith is nominated for “I Am Legend,” Denzel for “American Gangster,” Don Cheadle for “Talk To Me,” and Morgan Freeman for “The Bucket List,” we will see four African Americans on the Best Actor ballot -- surely a first.

What do you think? Is "I Am Legend" Smith's chance for an Oscar win this season? This would be his 3rd nomination.

Had a chance to check out something really cool tonight. Warner Bros. had an informal screening of the first six minutes of next summer's big Bat sequel, "The Dark Knight" at a NYC IMAX theater and on the basis of the sensational footage I saw, 'TDK' now has the early lead in the must-see movie of Summer '08 race.

The sequence not only kicks off the movie but also introduces us to the Joker (Heath Ledger, who's seen briefly but it's one heckuva cameo). It shows a bunch of masked thugs - the Joker's gang - knocking off a Mobbed up bank. William Fichtner, one of the great scene-stealing actors working today, even turns up as a bank manager. Between the editing and the nerve-rattling music, the tension as the scene builds up to its climax is unbearable.

And then we see the main event of this sneak peek: The Joker. As outlandish as you would expect the greatest comic book villain EVER to look onscreen -- and twice as frightening as you could imagine.
Ledger seems to be taking this character to new levels of twisted terror. None of the buffoonery that Nicholson brought to the character 18 years ago. Yeah, I know I'm making a pretty big assumption based on SIX minutes of footage, but that's how convincing it was. It wraps up with a few quick shots of other scenes in the movie, including a brief but iconic shot of Christian Bale in full costume overlooking Gotham.

Did I mention the entire sequence was shot on IMAX cameras? Director Christopher Nolan shot four scenes of TDK with IMAX cameras because he really wanted to push the envelope with this film, really take into the stratosphere as far as making it a theatrical experience.

After the screening, we talked for a bit (Nolan was there to meet-and-greet with the few dozen invitees). Nolan mentioned how he wanted to bring to audiences the same feeling of wonderment with TDK that he felt when he first saw movies like "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark." He actually admitted to toying with the idea of shooting the entire sequel to "Batman Begins" with IMAX cameras, until he first tried them out.

Nolan said they're as noisy as tractors so it would have been too disruptive for the actors. But this is a filmmaker who not only has a grasp of the nuances of storytelling, he's technically proficient. I would be shocked if he doesn't take on a full-on IMAX production in the near future.

Oh, and about the Joker. Nolan said the toughest part of crafting the role of the Joker (he co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan) was in holding back the ruthlessness because it's a PG-13 picture. No 'sucking people's eyeballs,' as he put it. But he said Ledger brings so much to the role, that people are really going to be shocked.

Look, the Bat fans out there know Christian Bale is dead-on perfect as Batman/Bruce Wayne. The wild-card in this sequel ever since casting was announced has been Ledger. Playing the Caped Crusader's signature bad guy is a career-defining role, for better or worse. So far, so good.

The extended sequence of "The Dark Knight" will play before Will Smith's "I Am Legend" when that film opens Dec. 14.

"The Dark Knight" arrives in theaters July 18, 2008.

We're getting into the awards season when every conceivable organization presents its winners for film achievement for 2007. First out of the box is The National Board of Review. To me, they're just a venerable film club with an impressive name; they're not professional critics, but they do fill out index cards after their screenings.

Nothing wrong with that, but their awards are due out any day now, if history holds true to form.

What I can't figure out is how they manage to see every single movie, when the rest of us critics with far larger viewers/readers/listeners have to wait a week or two or three?

Anyway, they have the spotlight for a day or so. The New York Film Critics, who will NEVER allow broadcast critics into their close-knit group, do have, however, a prestigious award coming soon. Our group, the Broadcast Film Critics, has its award, along with the LA Film Critics, the Chicago Film critics, and others. To say nothing of the Golden Globe nominations, which are nothing but a warm up to the big one coming in February.

So if you follow these things, you're in good company; millions of other film fans do as well.

Check back with us for award show updates and the up-to date information.

RELATED: Variety | HFPA

If the names in the box office standings to the right look familiar, well, its because not much changed from last week. "Enchanted" continues to be a crowd pleaser and held on to the top spot in the usually-slow weekend after Thanksgiving, "This Christmas" continued its strong run with a 2nd straight week in second place. "Beowulf" and "Hitman were #3 and #5 respectively in terms of tickets sold. The only new release of the week, "Awake" (which wasn't screened for critics) was #4 with a modest $6M debut. Next week begins a flurry of high-profile releases with New Line's fantasy epic "The Golden Compass." Whether it recharges the box office remains to be seen.

Time to get caught up on some of the notable casting news of the week...

Looks like Christian Bale is being called upon to revive another dormant franchise, just as he did with the Batman series. Bale is in talks, according to The Hollywood Reporter, to play a grown-up John Connor in "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" (shorthand: Terminator 4).

McG (director of the Charlie's Angels movies and We Are Marshall) is onboard to direct the story, which would be set in the near future with the human resistance taking on the machines that rule Earth. While it is going to be strange seeing a Terminator movie without Arnold Schwarzenegger, it'll be nice to not have to hear the forced catch phrases. And I can't wait to see Bale in what should be a major action role.

After a year where he starred in "Rescue Dawn," "3:10 to Yuma" and "I'm Not There" and with "The Dark Knight" coming next July, Bale is this close to becoming a superstar. Good to see him picking some roles with huge commercial potential so people can actually see his work that doesn't have him in a Batsuit. He's long overdue to join the A-list crowd.

Back to the movie...hopefully it will be entirely set in the future. The whole 'sending a good and bad Terminator back in time to LA to kill someone in the past before they become a key figure in the future' has worn out its welcome for me. And hopefully McG won't go overboard with the funky camera moves like he did with the 'Angels' movies.

Meanwhile, there are all sorts of online reports that another central character will join Connor in the movies. Whether that's a new hero or villain is unknown yet. BTW, the company that holds the rights to the Terminator films wants to make at least three new T films. Oh, and Fox premieres its sci-fi show "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" in January. Lena Headey from '300' plays the mother of the leader of the resistance (that would be John) in the heavily-hyped show.

Meanwhile, Brad Pitt dropped out of Universal's "State of Play" due to those always pesky 'creative differences.' The movie is based on a British miniseries about a journalist's investigation into a murder. Russell Crowe's being courted to replace Pitt -- but reports say Crowe may not do it because he's due to start "Nottingham" with Ridley Scott in the Spring. If they don't land Crowe, "State of Play" could be in jeopardy due to the ongoing writers strike. Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams and Robin Wright Penn are also onboard. Just me .. but I'd much rather see Russell Crowe in a movie about Robin Hood than a drama about a complex murder. Yawn.

Side note: nice to see Crowe has rebounded nicely from all the bad press in 2005 that almost made people forget how great an actor he is. The phone-throwing incident in NY no doubt hurt "Cinderella Man" at the box office and during awards season (a shame, 'cause it's a GREAT film). But with "3:10 to Yuma" and "American Gangster" Crowe has returned people's attention to what a great actor he is. Next up for him: "Body of Lies" next year with Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by...Ridley Scott.

Speaking of the writers strike, a few other films have been back-burnered as a result. Oliver Stone's "Pinkville," about the My Lai Vietname-era massacre starring Bruce Willis, has been shelved over script concerns, which is now the 2nd most popular excuse for breaking up in Hollywood (Irreconcilable Differences remains Numero Uno).

"Angels and Demons," Ron Howard and Tom Hanks' follow-up to the huge hit "The Da Vinci Code" has also been delayed to make sure the Akiva Goldman script is fine-tuned. It is now set to open in May 2009.

The musical "Nine." Starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Sophia Loren has also had its start date pushed back. It now looks to start production late in 2008.

In non-strike news, critically-acknowledged actor Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga will star in the Joel Silver-produced horror pic "Orphan." It's about a couple who adopt a little girl who winds up making Damien look like a choir boy.

Finally, Aint It Cool News reports that Aussie unknown Megan Gale has been cast as Wonder Woman in George Miller's upcoming "Justice League" movie (a project I shared my concerns about in a previous post . Don't know if she can act or not, but Ms. Gale certainly looks the part. What do the fanboys (and girls) out there think? Yea or nay for this casting move? Let us know!