Adaptations of comics, sorry, graphic novels, have never really been my thing. But I saw Robert Downey Jr. As “Iron Man” last week, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great in fact. But there are four other superhero films to come this season, which comes close to overload for me. After giving it some thought, I realized that I am looking forward to the summer’s superhero movies in the following order... check them out after the jump.

1. “The Dark Knight”
2. “Hancock”
3. “Hellboy 2”
4. “The Incredible Hulk”

What it comes down to, I’ve realized, for me, as a woman, is the aesthetic appeal of the outfit. I just can’t get excited about a large, green, sinewy, bulging, steroided-out, hair-on-his-back muscle freak. I’m equally not into a sunburned chump with two Oscar Meyer bologna packs on his forehead. (Although “Hellboy” gets points for its director, Guillermo del Toro.) Give me Will Smith whatever he’s wearing, or a sleek, rippling Batsuit -- even if it does have pointy ears and a cape.

Come to think of it, Spiderman and Superman look pretty darn good in those tights too. Maybe the success of a superhero franchise depends on the coolness of the costume? If that’s the case though. Shouldn’t “Catwoman” have been a huge hit?

We’re at a great time of the year vis a vi movies. The horses are approaching the starting gate, so to speak, and all the big summer blockbusters will soon open, week after week after week, all the way through to September.

Unlike the December movie avalanche, when studios' "quality" films arrive, looking for Oscars -- this is the time the big studios roll out their blockbusters. Most won't win nominations beyond technical achievements. But they sure will attract millions.

First up, of course, are movies like "Iron Man," "Speed Racer" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." Even bigger is likely to be "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The movie version of "Sex and the City" will surely appeal to a different audience but for a romantic comedy sort of film, with no special effects, it's likely to be a blockbuster as well.

"The Incredible Hulk," "Get Smart" (taken from the TV comedy co-created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry) "The Love Guru" with Mike Myers, and "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" with Adam Sandler will be among June's biggest opening.

The Fourth of July falls on a Friday this year; perfect for a huge weekend at the movies. The month will bring, among others, "Hancock" with Will Smith, who only makes big movies, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale in "The Dark Knight," and another "X Files" movie subtitled: "I Want to Believe."

August brings another "Mummy" movie and a Seth Rogen comedy called "Pineapple Express". Those are just a few of the many movies we'll be covering in "REEL TALK." Let the movie avalanche begin!

The documentary “A Powerful Noise” by Tom Cappello had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. It follows three women in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mali and Vietnam as they try to effect change in their communities.

In Vietnam, Bui My Hanh founds a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. She herself is HIV positive and has lost a husband and young daughter to the disease. When she plans a lecture at a coal mine she is turned down at the last minute. In the aftermath of war, Nada Markovic tries to unite Bosnian and Serb women through agricultural cooperatives and Madame Urbain Dembele preaches the importance of education for girls in her African country.

The film moves easily between each story, letting the quiet power of these women speak for itself. They confront years of cultural and traditional opposition in their painstaking battles, yet represent the future of their countries. It’s a somber, but inspirational first film.

Maybe Tina Fey should just stick to movies. The former 'SNL' castmember and current star/creator of the critically-acclaimed yet ratings-challenged NBC show "30 Rock" has another #1 movie with "Baby Mama" ("Mean Girls" was her first). The comedy, which paired her with 'SNL' partner Amy Poehler earned an impressive $18.3 million to become the first comedy with 2 female leads to open in first place since...er, since...well, I honestly can't remember. It led a strong comedy charge at the box office as audiences went for laughs this weekend.

"Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" pulled in $14.5M in its debut, which should give the folks at the Studio Formerly Known As New Line a chance to finally be happy about something. The stoner comedy, budgeted at just $12M, earned about as much as the original did in its initial theatrical run.

"The Forbidden Kingdom" fell from 1st to 3rd with $11.3M in its sophomore weekend, losing a little less than half its audience, which isn't bad. Its total is now at $38.2M.

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is showing even more staying power, finishing 4th with $11M (a drop of 37%) for a $35M total. It will be interesting if "FSM" and "H&K2" are able to pull extended runs in theaters, with the summer season about to begin. Both are prime examples of how cheap but well-made, well-targeted R-rated comedies can be cash cows for studios.

"Nim's Island" was 5th with $4.5M ($38M total).

"Deception," the Hugh Jackman/Ewan McGregor thriller that was skewered by critics -- including Jeffrey & Alison -- bombed with a $2.2M debut. This one seems like a favor the studio (Fox) did for Jackman, who also produced the film and is practically a contract player for Fox, with "Australia" and the "Wolverine" X-Men spinoff film coming for the studio.

As far as limited releases, Helen Hunt's "Then She Found Me" opened with an impressive $74,400 take from 9 theaters ($8,266 per screen). "Roman de Gare" did even better, earning $25,500 in just 2 theaters. We'll be reviewing this one on RT soon, once it expands into more theaters.

One hundred and twenty-two films over 12 days -- The Tribeca Film Festival certainly offers a lot of choices for movie fans. If documentaries are your thing, then check out Alison Bailes' review of "Man on Wire":

Does anyone else find it alarming that the Tribeca Film Festival is kicking off with “Baby Mama?” To me, it seems that the whole point of a film festival is to introduce new filmmakers and product to audiences.

“Baby Mama,” distributed by Universal Pictures (which is part of the NBC Universal family like REEL TALK) is opening today on more than 2,500 screens. It hardly seems that it needs the added exposure of kicking off Tribeca.

I know that Tribeca was started in response to the attacks of 9/11. And I know it was founded in order to bring culture and commerce back to lower Manhattan. So how does a premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater fit in with that mandate? I guess I’m being too literal minded. But I do feel that film festivals in general are losing sight of their original purpose.

Sundance has now become a zoo of celebrity-watching and swag-hauling. As much as Robert Redford insists that it is still all about the films -- who can even keep track of the new talent emerging, when most of the press eagerly focuses on “U2:3D” and what Paris Hilton is wearing?

I’m sure that the sponsors of Tribeca want to be assured of big name celebrities showing up at events, and that’s why the organizers pepper the 10 days with studio films. Warner Brothers’ “Speed Racer” will close this year’s festival. If the bold-faced names raise awareness of a festival that is still struggling to find an identity, then so be it. But I hope audiences are just as excited to discover work by first time writers and directors.

Check out the review and red carpet footage of "Baby Mama" below.

Anyone remember "Midnight Run", the insanely funny Robert De Niro & Charles Grodin chase movie from 1988? This was the film that showed everyone De Niro could actually pull off a comedy. One of the many memorable characters in that film was the no-nonsense FBI agent chasing 'the Duke,' a witness on the run (Grodin) and the bounty hunter who had him (De Niro). The agent's name was Alonzo Mosely, and he was played by Yaphet Kotto.

It turns out Kotto plays another G-Man with no sense of humor named Alonzo Mosely in Lionsgate's recent dud "Witless Protection" starring Larry the Cable Guy. Clever in-joke, right? Well, Universal -- which like REEL TALK is part of NBC Universal -- has filed a lawsuit against Lionsgate claiming character theft, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Universal wants all copies of the "Witless Protection" DVD as well as all profits, which probably isn't much since the film tanked at the box office. According to THR's legal blogger, Lionsgate may claim fair use, since their movie is clearly a parody, whereas "Midnight Run" was a comedy -- and a MUCH BETTER MOVIE. Do yourself a favor and go rent it, it's a classic.

Two films open this weekend about women who are trying to conceive. The first, “Baby Mama,” is probably the one you’ve heard most about. The ads are everywhere and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are all over the place promoting it. The other is “And Then She Found Me” starring and directed by Helen Hunt -- a much smaller project. Both Fey and Hunt play women who are in their late thirties, struggling to get pregnant.

We are supposed to believe Fey’s character is a woman who has put her career first and is now being punished by having a defective uterus. She contemplates adoption but as she is single, she finds this is not a viable option. So she hires a surrogate to carry her inseminated eggs for her. That’s Amy Poehler’s character, a slobby, unsophisticated slacker. The two women are thrust together and the comedy ensues.

Hunt is a teacher who has just been left by her husband. She is loath to adopt, as she herself was adopted and has mixed feelings about it.

While neither film is hilarious -- “Baby Mama” is the more overtly funny. It’s also much more like an extended sitcom. Both films have exactly the same plot twist, but one plays out to a tragic conclusion. I didn’t love “And Then She Found Me,” it was a weird blend of over-the-top comedy and depressing drama, but it did feel much more real. “Baby Mama” reminded me of 1970’s “The Babymaker” starring a very young and beautiful Barbara Hershey. She plays a Dylan-loving, free spirit who is hired by an uptight couple to bear their child. It may be a bit dated, but that’s the film about baby-making I would recommend this week!

Helen Hunt is not lacking for awards. She's won four Emmys, a Golden Globe, a Blockbuster, even a Gracie Award in her career. Oh, yeah, almost forgot about that little Academy Award she won for lead actress in "As Good As It Gets."

During a recent visit to our studios to discuss her new movie "Then She Found Me" -- she stars, directs and co-wrote the script -- hunt told Jeffrey where she keeps her Oscar...

You can watch more of the interview this weekend on REEL TALK.

I caught an early screening of “Iron Man” last night and came away thrilled and excited about the franchise. I’m already looking forward to the next installment.

Chief among the pluses is Robert Downey Jr. Who is just excellent in this role. He plays a cocky, arrogant, wildly irresponsible weapons manufacturer who kids himself that his arms are helping the good guys win wars. After three months in captivity, tortured by Islamic fundamentalists (I assume, the film is carefully apolitical) he finds a conscience and builds the ultimate weapon: an indestructible suit that can fly, shoot rockets and throw fire that he will use to destroy all his weapons that have been sold into the wrong hands.

Downey is of course Hollywood’s ultimate reformed bad boy, so the character’s change of heart seems like a comfortable fit. He is also wildly sexy as Tony Stark -- all ripped muscle and big doe eyes. It’s no wonder that Pepper Potts flirts with abandon. She’s played by a red-headed Gwyneth Paltrow who has never seemed so soft and sensual.

There’s not really a lot of that stupid humor in “Iron Man,” no silly one-liners and throw-away gags that so often pop up in comic book adaptations. It really seems to be playing to a grown-up audience.

The suits (for there are several different incarnations) look great. My only beef was that the ultimate battle between Iron Man and his enemy smacks of “Transformers” a bit. But that’s a small quibble. Jeff Bridges (looking like Governor Jesse Ventura) makes a great villain but it is Downey’s film and he totally rocks it! Hats off to director Jon Favreau.

Wednesday night, Reel Talk celebrated with all of Manhattan the opening night premiere of “Baby Mama.” This much anticipated comedy, starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey was the kickoff event for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

Plenty of celebrities graced Tribeca’s bright pink catwalk – including festival founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, Jane Curtis, Christine Lahti, Danica Patrick and more! Catch a raw glimpse of action, including Holland Taylor’s message on her own bouts about becoming a 'baby mama' and Tina Fey’s height issue with co-star Amy Poehler, after the jump!

Watching “Deception” the other night, I realized that so many films these days couldn’t exist without the technology of cell phones. Obviously they are a part of life, but when the plot hinges on phone calls, it becomes rather tiresome.

In “Deception” Ewan McGregor’s phone is secretly switched for Hugh Jackman’s. He then becomes party to a secret ‘list’ of callers who arrange to meet for anonymous sex. The plot quickly becomes preposterous, involving murder and blackmail yet McGregor’s character never thinks to go to the police with his phone to trace the culprit.

“One Missed Call” was a horror film about ‘haunted’ cell phones, which would mysteriously ring and herald the owner’s own horrific death. Nicely spoofed in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” this type of ‘technology-metaphor’ had previously been exploited in “The Ring,” where VHS tapes were used much more effectively.

By far the worst offender is “88 Minutes”, where Al Pacino might as well have had a phone surgically attached to his ear. But that might have ruined his hair style I suppose. In this laughably bad ‘thriller’ Pacino answers the phone at every turn of the plot. He even manages to survive most of the film using someone’s else’s phone, yet never seems to struggle to find the right number or find the correct function key. And no one ever called looking for the actual owner of the phone! Even at the climactic scene, with a person’s life in the balance, he stops to make a call.

When phones are so present in films, I always find myself wondering whether the actor is actually talking to someone at the other end of the line, perhaps the first A.D. feeding him dialogue? Or whether they are truly acting, having a one-way conversation. Either way, I’m distracted from the story and it often seems like a lazy way to further the plot.

This week the nation celebrates Earth Week! Hopefully this week will remind everyone to be a bit more careful when leaving his/her carbon footprint. We here at REEL TALK encourage it. Thus this week's Mixtape theme: 'Green is the Word! (We could have titled it 'Green is the World' but that would have been a bit cheesy.) So grab your eco-friendly low polycarbonate water bottle, bring over that uncomfortable chair made from reusable paper and plastic and read on!

- Perhaps the Nobel Peace Prize has inspired Al Gore to march on with "An Inconvenient Truth" sequel. [/Film]

- To remind everyone why we celebrate Earth Week, check out a few environmental disaster movies. [Buzz Sugar]

- Speaking of paper and saving the earth, view these cool new "Wanted" and "Hellboy II" posters from the recent NYC Comic Con. [Film School Rejects]

- And since we’re still on the subject of paper, what’s up with the Miley Cyrus seven-figure book deal? [People]

- Wow, we’re really off the whole earth day’ theme. So, Here to finish this week’s ‘Mixtape’ is the one, the only, Stan Lee. Lee is known best as co-creator of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, and many more superheroes. Get it? Comics are made of paper...yeah it's a bit of a stretch.

Watch the Jeffrey’s interview with the iconic writer, also former president and chairman of Marvel Comics, next week on RT and let us know what you think!

Received a big box today that says 'Property of Dr. Jones' and inside was a bunch of merchandise tied in to the upcoming "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

The Sound FX Whip looked cool, as did The Lost Temple of Akator Playset (where was that when I was a kid?) but as of right now, the leader for coolest toy of the summer is Mr. Potato Head: Taters of the Lost Ark.

From the name to the fedora, the spud's the man! I imagine the TOTLA will end up on many a grown-up geek's desk once "Indy 4" opens.

The "Iron Man" stuff, including the Mask and Repulsor Gauntlet set, looks cool too. I still have trouble believing Robert Downey Jr. has an action figure.

Nearly every big summer release has some kind of product tie-in. Which one will make you revisit your inner child and hit the toy store? Let us know!

Jackie Chan and Jet Li's historic, first-ever onscreen teamup paid off with a $20.9 million haul. Looks like audiences were looking for a little action excitement at the movies this weekend, which explains why the Chan/Li duo beat out Judd Apatow's comedy gang vacation "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" for the top spot.

At first glance, you would think Apatow's recent slump continues, but "FSM" did a solid $17.3M, and its per-screen average of $6,200 was second only to "Kingdom's" $6,623 return. Considering none of the leads are stars, I imagine Universal Pictures (who like REEL TALK, are part of NBC Universal) is thrilled with this debut. If it's like other well-reviewed Apatow comedies, it'll stick around awhile.

The rest of the Top Five finds holdover "Prom Night" in third with $9.1M ($32M total), Al Pacino's horribly-reviewed "88 Minutes" in fourth with a paltry $6.8M, and "Nim's Island" with a sturdy $5.6M ($32.8M total).

There's a new book out about "The Chairman of the Board." No, not Yankee immortal Whitey Ford, but the other "Chairman," "Old Blue Eyes," "The skinny One From Hoboken," Frank Sinatra.

It's called "When Frankie Went to Hollywood,” with author Karen McNally analyzing many of his movies. While she lamentably omitted the original "Manchurian Candidate," and "The Man with the Golden Arm," the movie which won him his supporting Oscar and revived his career, "From Here to Eternity" is among the select group.

Sinatra never had a cozy relationship with the press, one day during WWII, he had a tiff with several reporters. Later, he was walking with his agent, who spotted a headline from the corner of his eye. He rushed over, bought the paper, and breathed a sigh of relief. The headline read: "Allies Pulverize Sumatra."

Sinatra was once invited to a posh reception at the united nations. At the cocktail party, he recognized someone, but couldn't place him. "How ya doin', pal," he said. "Did you catch my act in Vegas?" "Nyet," came the reply -- from Soviet Foreign Minister Andre Gromyko, perhaps the coldest Russian cold warrior of them all.

He was the most popular pop singer of the 20th century, an irreplaceable voice and Oscar winning actor and now the subject of yet another book.

He may have won his Oscar for going all 'Hoo-ah!' in "Scent of a Woman" but when most people think of a classic Al Pacino role, the ones that come to mind usually find Mr. Pacino playing a good guy or a bad guy. Here are the Top Five Pacino Cop movies and his Top Five Criminal flicks. Let us know which role fits him best and which movie you like the most!

PACINO AS COP:

HEAT (1995):
Michael Mann's LA crime saga gets better and better each time I watch it. As super-cop Vincent Hanna, Pacino gives a high-octane performance ('Gimme all you got!!!') as the great detective who can't solve his personal problems. The bank robbery scene is one of the 10 best action pieces EVER, but the coffee shop conversation between Pacino & De Niro (as bad guy Neil McCauley) gives us the chance to eavesdrop on a conversation between two acting icons.

SEA OF LOVE (1989):
Pacino's big comeback role after the flop that was "Revolution," this tense thriller finds him playing a cop on the heels of a serial killer targeting lonely men through newspaper lonely hearts columns. Pacino and Ellen Barkin, playing the main suspect, set off serious sparks, and John Goodman is perfect as Pacino's partner.

SERPICO (1973):
Frank Serpico was Pacino's most iconic role until he hammed it up as Tony Montana a decade later. (You didn't see a poster of Michael Corleone on Tony Manero's wall in "Saturday Night Fever" did you?)

Sidney Lumet's movie -- which I first saw at a much-too young age -- has aged well, especially seeing it again as a New Yorker. It's more than just a cop movie. It's a history lesson about one of the city's most desperate times as well as a deep probe inside one of NY's most indelible communities -- the NYPD.

CRUISING (1980):
His most controversial movie, this one was just released for the first time on DVD last year. Pacino's a cop who goes undercover in NY's seedy S&M society to catch a killer targeting gays. I'm sure Al's reps were happy this movie was buried right after it was finished out of fears it would kill his macho image. But this is a really good, if creepy, thriller. Watching it now makes you miss the Pacino who could do work like this instead of his recent histrionics. Watch for Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen and Ed O'Neill in supporting roles.

INSOMNIA (2002):
Pacino's last great movie, it's woefully underrated. Written/directed by "Batman Begins" genius Christopher Nolan, its chock full of great characterizations. This one well-crafted cop thriller. Trying to solve a murder in an Alaskan town which is in a 24-hour sun cycle, while hiding a terrible secret of his own, Pacino's sleep-deprived, guilt-ridden detective is almost too exhausted to keep up with Robin Williams' slithering bad-guy. Give this one a chance.

PACINO AS CRIMINAL:

THE GODFATHER I & II (1972 &1974):
What can I possibly say about these two movies that hasn't been said or written already? If you haven't seen these two epics, order the dvds, take a sick day and enjoy two of the greatest films EVER and then you can finally understand what the heck Tom Hanks and Greg Kinnear were talking about in "You've Got Mail." Oh, and skip "Godfather, Part III."

DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975):
Once you get past the twisted fact that Michael and Fredo Corleone are playing gay lovers in this based-on-a-true-story drama, what you get is Pacino at his bravest. Playing the not so well-prepared bank robber Sonny, trying to gain enough cash to pay for his lover's sex-change operation, Pacino is funny, touching, angry and best of all, sympathetic. This role marked his 4th consecutive Oscar nomination (3 straight Best Actor Nods). Why it took the Academy so long to honor him is beyond me.

DONNIE BRASCO (1997):
Before "The Sopranos" demystified the whole myth about Mob honor, Pacino shattered the whole romanticized image of gangster life with his portrayal of the pathetic, barely breaking-even thug Lefty in director Mike Newell's riveting drama. Pacino and Johnny Depp (as real-life FBI agent Joe Pistone) are tremendous together in their scenes, including some hilarious exchanges ("A wise guy's always right even when he's wrong, he's right."). Like "Heat," it gets better with every viewing.

SCARFACE (1983):
It's always seemed rather odd to me that the part Pacino is most identified with is his maniacally over-the-top turn as Tony Montana. Before you even think of arguing that point, think of how many times you've heard a drunk friend of yours slur 'Say hello to my lil' friend!' .. or 'The World is Mine' ... or 'Don't get high on your own supply'...it goes on and on. The film's become a mantra to the Hip Hop community, with everyone from P. Diddy to Snoop Dogg declaring their love for Brian De Palma's bloody pic, calling it the ultimate cautionary tale. Sporting one of the worst Cuban accents ever (I'm Cuban. Trust me, he wasn't even close), Pacino nevertheless appears to be having a ball working on a less-dignified -- and infinitely more hammed-up -- take on the 'power corrupts' character arc he did in much more subtle fashion in "The Godfather" movies. Watch it again. The film's full of problems, but the action scenes are brutal and still exciting. And Pacino...well, he's Pacino. Say what you will about the glorification of violence, over-acting...yada yada. Cultural impact has to count for something.

CARLITO'S WAY (1993):
I remember seeing this in theaters when it came out, expecting a complete "Scarface" ripoff. I mean, Pacino as a latino gangster (only Puerto Rican instead of Cuban) in a De Palma movie doesn't exactly scream originality. And it had LOTS of similarities. But this was almost like "Scarface" on prozac, much more subdued, not to mention a much more sympathetic character. You don't have to feel guilty for liking Carlito Brigante, because Pacino humanizes him. This is a guy dying to stick to the straight and narrow, but everyone and everything around him keeps pulling him back in to his old life. I stop to watch this everytime I catch it while channel-surfing, one of the highest compliments I can give a movie. And Sean Penn's coke out, corrupt lawyer with the white-guy 'fro is also a treat to watch.

So what do you think? Cop or Crook? Tell us which Pacino you prefer!

In just three years, the NY Comic Con has become a major player in the Pop Culture universe. Besides all the comic publishers, toy and video game makers who come to build buzz for their upcoming works, Hollywood's also making the Con a mandatory stop on their movie publicity tour. Saturday, Lionsgate had a crazy-packed panel at the Javits Center with "The Spirit" director/writer Frank Miller and co-star Eva Mendes. The big news: they unveiled the first trailer for the eagerly-anticipated adaptation of Will Eisner's classic strip, due out in 2009.

Click here to view "The Spirit" teaser trailer here.

'Tweener superstar Miley Cyrus continues unabated on her way to world domination. She's just been announced as the voice of Penny in Disney's upcoming animated movie "Bolt," co-starring John Travolta. Her 3-D concert film earned huge money earlier in the year. The Cyrus casting, along with the fact that the movie has a clever premise -- a dog who thinks he's a super-powered mutt but doesn't realize he's just the star of a TV show -- immediately lifts "Bolt" to front-runner status for end-of-the-year box office favories.

"Bolt" arrives in theaters on November 26th.

Jason Segel's nude scene in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is already the talk of cyberspace -- and the movie doesn't even open until Friday! Being a family-friendly show that airs in many markets in the morning, Alison had to gently tiptoe around the subject when Jason and uber-producer Judd Apatow dropped by for this week's Top Billing. I still had to edit out part of Jason's explanation because I have a mortgage to pay. Catch more of the interview on this weekend's show, as well as Jeffrey & Alison's review. Now, take a listen to Jason telling Alison how he got ...er, UP, for his big nude scene. Very entertaining.

The Tribeca Film Festival kicks off next week, and I just watched one of the documentaries that will be showcased. It’s called “Man On Wire” and tells of the daring exploits of Philippe Petit, the funambulist who in 1974 walked on a cable strung between the two towers of the newly built World Trade Center.

Petit himself is on hand to tell the tale (which puts one’s mind at ease about the outcome of the feat) and he’s a seductive subject. His passion engulfed him for over six years and he planned the coup to the last detail. Over a ton of equipment had to be smuggled up to the roof of the still unfinished towers. Then a bow and arrow were used to shoot a thin fishing wire across, which in turn pulled string, then rope, then the thick heavy cable. Petit walked for 45 minutes, even lying down at one point. It’s all captured in photos, but with Michael Nyman’s score and masterful recreations by director James Marsh, I felt I had witnessed the whole thing.

What adds to it all, of course, is the fact that the World Trade Center is no longer there and the film is a loving memorial of those beautiful buildings. I had never seen some of the footage of the towers going up.

Seven years after 9/11, one wonders if an exploit of this nature could ever be pulled off again, with all the security that now exists. It was exhilarating to see a film that celebrates the towers and shows them so proud and tall.

One of the most polarizing films so far in 2008, J.J. Abrams' monster-piece "Cloverfield" lands on DVD Tuesday, April 22nd. Jeffrey & Alison tore the film up in their review about as bad as the monster in the movie ripped through Manhattan, but it did earn an impressive $80M at the box office. Did it deliver or was it just do to the brilliant marketing plan?

You decide. The DVD comes armed with the usual behind-the-scenes stuff, deleted scenes, etc. Here are a couple:

The last surviving member of Walt Disney's legendary animation crew, the "Nine Old Men", has died. According to Disney Studios, Ollie Johnston passed away of natural causes Monday in Washington state. His death is yet another symbolic benchmark in the disappearance of traditional hand-drawn animated filmmaking.

Johnston worked as an animator and director on many of the most beloved titles of the House of Mouse -- "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Pinocchio," "Bambi," "Fantasia," "Song of the South," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland" and "101 Dalmatians." (here are clips from the recent DVD re-release of that film).

Nicknamed by Walt Disney himself in a playful homage to FDR's remark about the U.S. Supreme Court justices, the nine-man team Johnston belonged to were each responsible for different parts of each film, including creating individual characters. The stepsisters in "Cinderella," Mr. Smee in "Peter Pan" and Prince John in "Robin Hood" were among the specific characters created by Johnston.

He and Frank Thomas were the last of the group to remain with Disney, both retiring in 1978.

If you're an artist and want to learn about animation or even if you're like me and you can't draw stick figures but you're still a fan of the art form, then you should check out Johnston and Thomas' book, "The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation."

It's filled with tremendous examples of Disney art and offers great insight into how they created their onscreen magic.

As Pixar's digitally-animated productions such as "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and "Ratatouille" have become to the modern generation what those classic Disney 'toons were to previous children (and grownups), hand-drawn animation is verging on extinction. It's too expensive and time-consuming. OK fair enough. But you can't tell me that a movie like "Lady and the Tramp" would look any better if it was animated through a computer. Or "Fantasia." Those are WORKS OF ART. Art created by the hands of some ridiculously talented men.

So I was happy to hear during a recent presentation here in NYC that Disney is not completely abandoning hand-drawn animation. Their upcoming November release "Bolt" will feature a mix of computer & traditional animation. And Christmas 2009 will bring a completely hand-drawn, animation-cell production, the musical "The Princess and the Frog." Written and directed by the same guys who did "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin," I can't think of a better tribute to Ollie Johnston than seeing the art form he was such an important part of, getting a new lease on life.

Welcome to RT's Mixtape Tuesday. Our weekly summary of what you need to know to stay in the know. This week, we're focusing on 3-D. We're seeing a lot about it in the trades, blogs, and papers. So here's our RT mixtape remix:

Dreamworks is beating everyone to the punch with their upcoming film “Monsters vs. Aliens.” Slated for a March 2009 release, this animated film will be the studio's first movie produced with 3-D technology.

Read a little chat Variety had with a the recently ‘obsessed’ James Cameron on taking his future movies to the 3rd dimension.

Disney Does Dimension. Check out Disney’s plan to roll out four years worth of visually stunning, 3-D films.

Movies the RT staffers think would be cool in 3-D:
- "Barbarella"
- "The Breakfast Club" Remake
- "Twilight"
- "Virtuality"

New on DVD today:
- "Juno"
- "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
- "Lars and the Real Girl"
- "Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem"
-