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"
- "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With"

The other night, AMC aired "The Magnificent Seven," the brilliant 1960 Western which for years had been shown often but in recent years seems to have disappeared from TV. If you missed it, or have never seen it, I recommend it. Based on the famous Japanese movie "The Seven Samauri," it was transposed to a small Mexican village terrorized by a group of bandidos led by Calvara. He was a gold toothed thug atop a black horse and a huge Mexican sombrero.

In today's world, the part would've naturally gone to a Latino actor, but in 1960, New York-born Eli Wallach got the role. And it remains the greatest performance in such a part by a non-Hispanic actor ever recorded on film! Wallach, at 92, is the oldest working actor, with two new movies, "Vote and Die: Lizst for President" and "Tickling Leo," opening later this year.

Wallach is the only man in history who can state that he cut in on Clark Gable to dance with Marilyn Monroe. It was in "The Misfits," the ill-fated farewell performance by those two mega-stars, as well as Montgomery Clift. In real life, Wallach was one of Marilyn Monroe's favorite dancing partners. Coincidentally, her closest friend, Brad Dexter, the actor everyone forgets when asked to name the "Magnificent Seven," was Marilyn Monroe's closest friend.

The only surviving member of the title players of the gunfighters the villagers hired is Robert Vaughn. He told me that he had just 16 lines, including the most famous. It comes in a scene where he talks about his character's miserable life, and three flies alight on a table. He grabs at them, then opens his palm. "One," he says, reflecting on his slowing reflexes. "There was a time when I would've caught all three." It was he who alerted director John Sturges about a young actor kicking around New York who would be just right to play the seventh gunfighter: an unknown named James Coburn. When he kills Robert J. Wilke, the veteran character actor with a stiletto early in the film, you know this slim, stoic star would be a character in the film to be reckoned him. His stardom in "Our Man Flint" would some at the end of the '60s.

Steve McQueen was a rising star fresh off TV stardom in the western series "Wanted, Dead or Alive" as bounty hunter Josh Randall, and that "Hogleg" sawed off rifle he used as a sidearm. Yul Brynner, who starred as the black clad "Chris," had won the Oscar for best actor for "The King and I" three years earlier. German actor Horst Bucholtz also appeared in the Billy Wilder comedy "One, Two, Three" that same year with James Cagney and was a bit miscast as the brash member of the group, but he somehow pulled it off. He would never become as big star, however. Nor would Dexter.

Charles Bronson, a Lithuanian-American from Scooptown, Pa., got his start acting under his real name, Charles Buchinski in "Pat and Mike" with Tracy and Hepburn, and many appearances on episodic TV. It was late in his career that he became a huge star in those "Deathtrap" movies, but look for him in "The Dirty Dozen." But I first saw him when I was a child as the real life Modoc leader in "Drum Beat," a "B" Western with Alan Ladd; a brilliant performance.

Now you know all of “The Magnificent Seven.” John Sturges was one of the great directors of all time. Consider "The Great Escape" (also with McQueen), "Gunfight At the OK Corral" (Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster) and another movie about that episode called "Hour Of The Gun." If you get to see "The Magnificent Seven", listen for the great Al Caiola score (unfortunately used for years in a cigarette commercial before TV banned them in 1971) and marvel at the way Calvera dies. "Dad," Eli Wallach's young son said to him when the scene was finished, "Why did you let Yul Brynner beat you to the draw!”

We make it a point here at RT to focus on the latter part of 'Show Business' and avoid the tabloid stuff that makes up most of the Hollywood media coverage. Call me crazy, but I figure people who watch our show and come to this website want to hear and read about movies, not find out what coffee drink Britney or Jessica ordered at Starbucks.

HOWEVER, I'm making an exception to send congrats to one of our favorite guests (and a personal fave of mine), Cate Blanchett. The Queen gave birth to her third child - a boy - Sunday back home in Australia. I imagine this means she'll be skipping the big media tour next month for her next movie, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." I'm sure she's terribly broken up about that. We'll catch you the next time, Cate.

Meantime, check out Jeffrey's interview with the best actress working today from her last visit.

“Son of Rambow” is a bit like the British schoolboy version of “Be Kind, Rewind,” but a hell of a lot more funny and entertaining. Two young boys attempt to make their own Rambo film, using a huge video camera and the most basic of props. Eric Sykes, a British comedian from my childhood, makes a small cameo appearance, playing the Vietnam vet himself.

It’s all set in the early ‘80s, and the clips of “First Blood” that are shown seem wonderfully dated now. There’s a droll tone to the film and an underlying sadness as both boys are lacking fathers and struggling to fit in, a bus load of French exchange students show up and are the source of exotic fascination -- this film’s many details took me right back to my childhood in England. I had a great time at this movie!

Watch our review of 'Son of Rambow' May 3 on REEL TALK.

The other day, with little fanfare, the 100th birthday of one of the greatest movie stars of them all came and went. And that's a shame. For Bette Davis deserves attention even today, nearly 20 years after her death -- she remains one of the most important figures in screen history.

I remember it was in 1978 when, on a Friday afternoon, my press contact at Paramount called and wondered if he'd like the chance to do a one hour radio interview with Ms. Davis in her hotel room at the plaza. "Would I?" I asked incredulously. "Of course. When? Two weeks from now?"

"On Monday," came the reply. "We didn't know she'd be available." I quickly agreed, even though that weekend, of all weekends, I'd been scheduled to attend a family wedding in Massachusetts. Remember, this was years before the Internet.

So I dutifully rounded all of the books in my movie library which pertained to her and her era in Hollywood -- some forty, as I recall -- packed them into the car, and as soon as we arrived at the home where we were staying, I notified the bride and groom of the situation.

Soon after the ceremony, I found myself in the basement of the home, while the reception was being held outside. Soon the bridesmaids drifted in along with the ushers, and began helping me find this reference or that movie's mention in one of the books. Several hours later, I’d somehow amassed several pages of single spaced notes and questions.

I remember being put at ease in her presence. She'd known my father, Broadway columnist Leonard Lyons, only slightly, since most of her career was spent on the west coast on studio lots, sound stages and trailers. But she was amazing. She knew the demands of a radio interview and gave me short, to-the-point answers; all informative, many frank, and all fascinating. When I mentioned her screen debut in 1931 she said: "Bad sister....Bogie was in it" and began reminiscing about events decades before, as if they'd happened the previous week.

Bette Davis was not conventionally beautiful by any means. But the camera loved her nonetheless. Rivaled in her day only by Joan Crawford, she was one of the first contract players -- Warner Brothers was her studio -- who would refuse to take a role she thought badly written or demeaning or unworthy of a star of her stature. She was suspended by studio boss Jack Warner and faced threats to her career. But she persevered. The result is an astonishing legacy.

When she didn't get the role of Scarlett O'Hara in rival studio MGM's "Gone With The Wind" (in those days stars were occasionally "loaned out" to other studios) she took the title role of "Jezebel" the year before "GWTW", in an antebellum story and won one of her best actress Oscars. She starred in several of what were called "Warner Brothers Weepers," a series on tense melodramas which today look tame, but which often touched on emotions hardly explored back then. The best of the lot for my money is "Now, Voyager" with Paul Henreid and that famous climactic scene in which he puts two cigarettes in his mouth and lights them simultaneously--is there anything more Forties?

"The Little Foxes" and "Watch On The Rhine" are other hits of that year followed soon by "All About Eve" with a young actress named Marilyn Monroe and Anne Baxter, and later, director frank Capra's swan song (as they used to say) I.E. his screen farewell, "Pocketfull Of Miracles." That was a Damon Runyon story about "Apple Annie" what we'd call a homeless person today, whose apples seemed to bring good luck to a gangster with a heart of gold, played by Glenn ford. Anne Margaret, in her movie debut, played Davis' daughter, living in Europe and unaware that her mother was homeless, and who was now coming to New York to meet her mother for the first time in years.

She turned to horror movies like "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" with Olivia de Havilland and “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" with Joan Crawford. Her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex," also with "Gone With The Wind" costar de Havilland and Eroll Flynn remains one of the greatest portrayals of that historical character.

So here's to Bette Davis on the 100th anniversary of her birth in Lowell, Massachusetts. "I'm a Yankee girl," she said: not a baseball reference but a New England reference. She was spunky, didn't suffer fools lightly and will forever be in the pantheon of movie icons.

To the surprise of almost no one, "Prom Night" was the weekend winner with $22.7 million. It's the latest proof that, with torture porn having run its course with audiences, studios have found a new formula for box-office success.

They're toning down the blood and violence to earn a PG-13 rating. Combine that with a short running time ("Prom Night" is just 88 minutes long) and an attractive cast of nobodies, and it's almost guaranteed to lure big crowds of teenagers to the multiplex on opening weekend. "Shutter" recently scored decent money the same way. The unfortunate part of the equation is that these films are NEVER screened for critics, which is why you're only seeing the trailer for "Prom Night" instead of Jeffrey & Alison's review here.

Get the rest of the box office results after the jump.

In second place was the crime drama "Street Kings" with $12M. Despite a stellar cast with Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie, it looks like movie fans are finally tired of the 'dirty cop' genre. Maybe it's time someone made a movie about a cool cop who's not corrupt??

The sturdy "21" banked another $11M for third place, and appears heading for an $80-90M total. Good for Jim Sturgess, one of Hollywood's future superstars IMHO.

"Nim's Island" was fourth with $9M in its sophomore weekend while George Clooney's gridiron comedy "Leatherheads" finished fifth with a lackluster $6.2M.

Meanwhile, two films that Jeffrey & Alison raved about did gangbuster numbers in limited release. "The Visitor" earned a superb $22,000 in each of its four screens, while "Young @ Heart" took in $13,075 in its four theaters. Let's see how they do when they expand nationally in the next few weeks.

Eight-time Grammy award winning sweetheart "Norah Jones" stopped by our studio last week to talk to Jeffrey about her latest work – this time in front of the camera. The star of "My Blueberry Nights" tells Reel Talk how nerve wrecking it was to smoke on camera.

Jean Paul Belmondo has just turned 75 this week. One of the great stars of France's post war "New Wave" cinema, he is perhaps France's most famous film star. He's even the favorite action star of both Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat, no strangers to the genre themselves. Virtually all of his movies were made in France, so his stardom here is considerably less. But the dangling cigarette, the cool look of a character steeped in thoughts, the heartbreaker aura which won him millions of female fans all over the French speaking world have made him an international cinema icon.

Throw in a bit of James Dean, and you have his screen persona. Belmondo also evokes, in part, the stoic strength of Bogart for good measure. He starred opposite Sofia Loren in "Two Women," which won her the Best Actress Oscar. American audiences saw him in "Is Paris Burning?" not a great film by any means, but one which opened up new fans to his craft. He was also in the underrated if bizarre original "Casino Royale" which featured several actors portraying James Bond. He worked with Truffault, Goddard, de Broca, Chabrol, Varda; virtually all the new wave directors. He is a living movie icon, even if he's not a household word here. And now he's 75!

This week, a man named Abe Osheroff died at 92. He was one of the few surviving members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, a group of Americans who went to Spain around 1937 to fight for the Republicans, to preserve the monarchy in a lost cause against Franco's Fascist Falange party, the Nationalists. Nine hundred of their number were killed and today, only a hand full survive.

The Spanish Civil war was one of the bloodiest in history and has been the subject or the backdrop for a few movies. The best is "To Die in Madrid," a documentary narrated by the great Sir John Gielgud. Mr. Osheroff directed and co-wrote "Dreams and Nightmares," in 1974, and it was the setting for Hemingway's classic "For Whom The Bell Tolls." Others on the subject include "Behold a Pale Horse" with Anthony Quinn and Gregory Peck and more recently "Pan's Labyrinth," although that one was set a few years after the war ended. There is an almost mystical aura about that war, with hundreds of stories of courage, savagery, drama and politics of the day inherent in that subject, that screenwriters have a rich field for future screenplays.

The Oscar-nominated "Persepolis" is being re-released in an English-language version this weekend in about 100 markets. The movie, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's animated adaptation of Satrapi's beloved graphic novel, is a recounting of Satrapi's life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

I know Sony Pictures Classics hopes to reach audiences who usually stay away from anything with subtitles, but a good movie is a good movie IN ANY LANGUAGE. I'm just not crazy about this move. But if it helps more people discover this fine gem, then I guess its OK.
Here's Jeffrey & Alison's review of the original subtitled version:

If you didn't see it in the theater, then you really owe it to yourself to get the dvd of "There Will Be Blood" which is in stores now. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a monumental performance as the maniacally corrupt oilman Daniel Plainview. Watch the film and you'll see why he was a no-brainer Best Actor Oscar winner for the part. He was so good he spawned a catchphrase from a movie with no special effects or pregnant teenagers.

And if you're wondering why the guy in the cubicle on your right has been shouting "I drink your milkshake!" to his fantasy baseball buddies on the phone the past few months, then check this clip from the movie out:

For my money, one of the funniest films of last year was "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story." John C. Reilly is hysterical spoofing musical biopics like "Walk the Line" as he blended Johnny Cash sprinkled in with some Dylan and even some Glen Campbell. "Saturday Night Live" vet Tim Meadows has some great lines as Dewey's drugged-out bandmate but the real star -- besides Reilly -- is the soundtrack. The songs are hilarious, especially "Let's Duet" and "Let Me Hold You (Little Man)."

Check out some scenes from the dvd here:

As expected, "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe is hopping across the pond to make his Broadway debut this fall with the play "Equus."

In case you don't remember, this is the play where the Teen Wizard went au natural during the London revival last year, and caused a whole big stir since the star of a multi-billion dollar film franchise usually doesn't 'drop trou' onstage. Radcliffe, a regular visitor to RT, talked about the controversy last summer during an interview with Alison:

Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths are both reprising their roles in the show. Griffith, of course, plays Harry Potter's uncle in the hit franchise. "Equus" will run at the Broadhurst Theaterfor 22 weeks, with previews starting Sept. 5th.

There's a new movie in the works about Benito Mussolini costarring Giovanna Mezzogiorno. She'll portray Il Duce's mistress in "Vincere" dealing with an illegitimate child fathered by the Fascist dictator.

Ms. Mezzogiorno was recently in the endless, weepy melodrama "Love in the Time of Cholera," and here she portrays a beautician who was the future dictator's lover before he rose to power. The child, named Benito, was kept hidden away in asylums with his mother where they died before Mussolin's execution, along with his subsequent mistress in 1945.

“Vincere” looks to be a profound drama filling in some gaps in history and begins shooting next month in Venice and elsewhere in northern Italy for a modest $13 million.

Tom Cruise fans - those who still admit that fact - will have to wait a little longer to see the slumping superstar's next big project. It was announced Tuesday that Bryan Singer's WWII drama "Valkyrie" is being pushed back, from October 3rd until Feb. 13, 2009. Usually, this is a bad sign, and the fact that the film is now being removed from the eligibility period for Oscar consideration certainly reinforces that.

But Singer's a top-notch director and the story, based on a real-life plot to assassinate Hitler, sounds interesting enough. And the fact is, the Presidents Day weekend offers more box-office potential than October so maybe this turns out to be a brilliant move. Plus, it keeps Cruise out of the public eye awhile longer, which could help the general public forget the Scientology flag-waving guy and remember the actor who's made tons of great movies.

In the meantime, go see "Tropic Thunder" Aug. 15th to get your Cruise fix.

During my interview with George Clooney the other day on the set of REEL TALK, I asked him why a football movie is being released in April. After all, gridiron fans' off season is in full swing, and the only thing football in the news is the upcoming NFL draft and news from minicamps.

Watch the interview after the jump to see how he skillfully skirted the issue. It's possible that last minute rewrites--which caused Clooney to get into a dispute with the Writers' Guild and resulted in a refusal to give him a co-writing screen credit--may have delayed the release. Other factors may have come into play as well; distribution -- strategy to market the film overseas where, with the demise of NFL Europe, the game no longer has a presence on the other side of the Atlantic. They can play all the NFL games they want in London, but it just hasn't caught on there.

Alison made a good point in one of our many discussions in between taping REEL TALK; (hard to believe we don't just sit and tape the show nonstop). She remembered some baseball movie which opened in the winter and recalled how baseball nuts like me loved even a taste of the game when the real thing was dormant.

Bottom line -- if a film is good, it really shouldn't matter when it's released.

I always like it when New York-based actors who are more prominent on the stage take time off to do films; to spread the wealth of their craft to a larger audience. Such an actor is Bayonne, NJ native Frank Langella.

He once told me he got over his regional accent by listening to recordings of Sir John Gielgud -- can't do better than that. He became a huge star on Broadway as "Dracula" in 1977 and was seen last season as Nixon in "Frost/Nixon." On screen he portrayed CBS founder William S. Paley opposite George Clooney in "Good Night and Good Luck."

Last year, Langella starred in a wonderful little movie almost no one saw called "Starting Out in the Evening" intelligently directed by Andrew Wagner, in which he played a nearly-famous author who's the subject of a thesis written by an attractive college student. It's well worth seeing on video. Now comes word he is in final negotiations to star on screen in "All Good Things."

It begins shooting this month here in New York and Connecticut. The story deals with a real estate dynasty's heir, played by Ryan Gosling, having an affair with Kirsten Dunst (I've almost never been a fan of Ms. Dunst, but each movie is a clean slate.) who goes missing.

Let’s just hope ‘good things’ will surface with Langella’s expected new movie.

If you've checked the weekend box office receipts, you'll have noted that "Leatherheads" tanked in its first week, pulling in only about $13.5 million.

I think several factors were in play. First, it was a movie released in the football off-season. Baseball is back, and college basketball was careening towards the NCAA finals. Much of the target audience was probably watching those games or attending them.

There had been a publicized dispute between George Clooney and the Writers' Guild about giving him a credit for substantial rewrites he did, and that might've led to a postponement of the release of the film. But I'm still a bit shocked at the low receipts. I liked the film. So did my co-host Alison, much to my surprise. She liked it as a romantic comedy, while I liked its depiction of the early days of pro football.

I hope you'll support this film in its second week. You'll be entertained, even if it's in the off-season.

Ryan Reynolds is coming out in another film where he plays a responsible father and husband. After the refreshing “Definitely, Maybe,” he now stars in “Chaos Theory,” a lesser, but still sweet romantic comedy.

The similarities between the two films however are many. Each film features a flashback to a younger Reynolds, and each film centers around a question of parenthood. In “Chaos Theory,” Reynolds’ over-protective dad tells his future son-in-law about the ups and downs of his own marriage to Emily Mortimer. He’s very funny as an uptight “time management” author who finally gives in to the random, chaotic nature of fate.

I like both of these films and find Reynolds an appealing romantic hero. He’s not coasting on his “sexiest man” moniker and after “The Nines” he has shown that he has range as a dramatic actor as well.

Next up for Reynolds is a comedy “Adventureland” and a drama with Julia Roberts called “Fireflies In The Garden,” both due out later this year.

Heston was one of the greatest action heroes Hollywood's ever seen. He was Harrison Ford before Harrison Ford, an actor so believable in his role as hero, it became nearly impossible to separate the screen persona from the real man. Big roles suited him, epic productions like "Ben-Hur" and "El Cid." Unlike many other actors who get lost in the scope of such massive projects, he had the ability to remain the focus. And no one did Biblical as well as Heston. That great voice of his always sounded like how anyone important back in the days of Kings, Pharoahs and Floods should sound.

But to me, he was the first and true king of Sci-Fi.

First time I ever saw one of his movies was "Planet of the Apes" on TV as a kid back in the 70s. I was completely obsessed with the picture I saw the first "Apes" movie over and over. Then as I got a little older, I saw "Soylent Green" for the first time, then "The Omega Man." All three were made within a five-year period, 1968-1973. You may think, considering Hollywood's last two decades have been sci-fi saturated, that that's not a big deal. But back then, science fiction as a genre was considered box-office poison. You never saw big-name actors doing sci-fi. That's why names like Marlon Brando and Ingrid Bergman turned down roles in "Planet of the Apes." But Heston recognized a great script is a great script no matter what the genre, and he saw that the movie was more than just about a planet where apes ruled. And the rest is history.

Heston recognized the potential science fiction had for compelling storytelling. Look at the genre films he did. "The Omega Man" -- very underrated IMHO -- at its core is about basic human survival, about a man without a race. "Soylent Green," a cautionary tale about planetary overpopulation and the desperate measures that it could spawn. Yes, it has a deliciously creepy plot twist but its story is practically the Webster's definition of what sci-fi should be.
The 1970s is one of the richest eras for science fiction, especially dystopian/apocalyptic tales. Heston played a HUGE part in that, which is why his films remain popular with sci-fi folks like myself.

If Charlton Heston's name was above the title, you knew you weren't in for 'Evil Invaders From Mars' stuff. And it all started with "Apes."

Just as Kubrick changed the genre with "2001" (also a 1968 release), "Planet of the Apes" gave sci-fi credibility. Heston showed his fellow actors working in a science fiction movie doesn't have to lead to ridicule. He waved the flag for the bastard red-headed industry stepchild, and got it a seat at the big boys' table.

That's why every fanboy who has ever dreamed of visiting Tatooine, stepping onto the Mothership, crapped your pants because of "Alien," wondered if “The Matrix” was real or thought for a second that your buddy's a Replicant owes a debt of gratitude to Charlton Heston. Because there's a good chance none of it would have happened if he wouldn't have manned up and gone Ape.

I had the pleasure of meeting him about six months into my TV career, in 1995, when I was a segment producer on a show called "7:30" for a Miami TV station. He was promoting a book, his autobiography I believe, and he dropped by our studio. He was 71, very tall and thin and more fragile looking than I expected. After all, this was a guy fit enough in his mid-40s to wear nothing but a loincloth in "Planet of the Apes" and who was still a believable action hero at 50 in movies like "Airport 75" (which was actually released in 1974) and "Earthquake."
But he still had that presence.

When he walked into the conference room where we taped the interview, everyone just STOPPED. They all just stared at him, as if they couldn't believe they were in the same room with Moses.

The interview was fine. This was around the time his controversial alliance with the NRA had him in the headlines, but old pro that he was, he answered all questions we tossed his way. Then, at the end, my producer – who like me, was a huge “Apes” fan – asks him, "Mr. Heston, thanks for doing the interview with us. But I was wondering ... we're big fans and if you ..." -- Heston just grabbed his wrist and held it and said -- wait for it....
"Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape."

I'm not a good enough writer to accurately describe how fantastically geeky-cool that moment was. But I know I'll never forget it, or the incredible actor who said it.

Bette Davis said that the more famous an actor becomes, the less acting he has to do. That has never been so true as in the case of Al Pacino who is on the way to becoming a self-parody.

I just saw his latest effort “88 Minutes,” a film with an interesting premise but with a terrible script, laughable acting and clumsy direction and which also runs a lengthy 105 minutes. He plays a forensic psychiatrist who receives a phone call saying he has 88 minutes left to live. It’s all part of some ridiculous revenge plot to do with a serial killer that he helped convict 9 years earlier. Of course he’s also psychologically haunted by the murder of his little sister years back, which he feels responsible for.

Al’s hair does more convincing acting in this, although it’s looking surprisingly full and bushy. He also has an admirable tan for someone living in rainy Seattle. There are a couple of typical ‘Al’ moments, where he sprays some spit around in anger, but the rest of it is just funny. How he could commit to such twaddle is a mystery. Leelee Sobieski and Alicia Witt also do some stunningly bad work here. Did I mention that all the murder victims are women? And they are all killed in their underwear? Come on Al, there must be better scripts than this?!

Charlton Heston was one of the last postwar stars to come of age right after the war (as World War II used to be referred to.) He studied acting with the legendary Alvina Krause, the most revered acting teacher of the Midwest, whose students at Northwestern University included Heston, Dick Benjamin and Paula Prentiss, Tony Roberts, the character actor James Olson, Oscar winner Patricia Neal, William Daniels (Dustin Hoffman's father in "The Graduate," playwright and actor George Furth, and many others.

The scene which defines much of Heston's life for me came not in his two most famous roles, the title one in "Ben Hur," the most honored movie of all time, nor as Moses in "The 10 Comandments." No, it came in my favorite Heston movie," The Big Country." It’s the fight scene with Gregory Peck.

Heston played the ramrod, the foreman of the huge ranch, presumably in Texas (it's never named but everything is "big" in that epic western), and he squared off with Peck, the "greenhorn," or "tenderfoot" easterner who'd come to marry the ranch owner's daughter, the object of Heston's affection as well. Director William Wyler filmed it from afar, two men seen in the distance amid an endless sea of grain and grassland. Peck, one of Hollywood's most prominent liberals, was fighting with Heston, whose own politics would turn rightward (as did his friend Ronald Reagan's) later in life.

Politically he was a curiosity -- he marched in the civil rights movements when not many other Hollywood stars had yet taken up the cause. Yet he later campaigned for Jesse Helms, the arch conservative North Carolina senator. Oh and he also campaigned for Strom Thurmond, who'd run for the white house on the 1948 "Dixiecrat" racist platform. Heston was his own man, as witness to his famous (or infamous, depending on your political perspective) speech to his minions of the National Rifle Association.

He was born Charles Cartger on October 4, 1923 in Evanston, a Chicago suburb. It was at Northwestern where he first starred in a student film production of the endless play "Peer Gynt" in 1942, then performed dramas on Chicago radio stations before his professional stage debut in summer stock.

Broadway first saw him billed 15th in "Anthony and Cleopatra" in 1947, as Proculeius, a soldier of “Caesar". More important, he got to work with the great director Guthrie McClintic and Katharine Cornell, then the reigning queen of Broadway. Kirk Douglas had made his stage debut with Ms. Cornell five years earlier. Other Broadway credits were long forgotten "Leaf and Bough," which ran just three performances, followed by "Design for a Stained Glass Window” (there's a title which grabs you!), which ran eight performances in 1950, and then, ten years later, in "The Tumbler," which lasted just six performances. Before heading West, however, he got notices in sweeping TV specials like "Julius Caesar" as Antony, Heathcliff in "Wuithering Heights" and as Petruchio in "The Taming of the Shrew."

One film historian described Heston as "tall and muscular, with a dominant physical presence and a strong-jawed, patrician facial bone structure suggesting intelligence and dignity," qualities which would soon serve him well.

He didn't lose touch with theater, however, even as Hollywood beckoned. In 1954, for example, he starred with Paul Douglas and Jan Sterling, then husband and wife, in a production of "Born Yesterday," the classic Garson Kanin comedy, in the role made famous in the movie by William Holden, hired by Douglas' blustery character tutor, his dumb blonde wife (Judy Holliday's classic screen role.). The box office quickly sold out, so the producers removed the chairs from the stars' dressing rooms to sell to eager stand by patrons in the aisles. But it was a Moses for director Cecil B. DeMille where he won international fame. One of the early scenes shot was the one in which he carried the tablets down from Mt. Sinai. "I'd better not slip up," he joked.

Just three years later he won his Oscar as Judah Ben Hur, a remake of a silent version, this time for director William Wyler. Wyler was known for doing lots of retakes; something to be avoided in a chariot race, of course. When I interviewed Heston he told me that was the scariest scene he'd ever done, because the use of a double was kept to a minimum. "I was even scared for my double," he said. “Ben Hur” It ranks as one of the greatest action scenes in movie history.

He worked with Orson Welles in "Touch of Evil," a brilliant film noir classic toward the end of the heyday of that genre, "The Wreck of the Mary Deare, Gary Cooper's penultimate film. Soon came "The Big Country" in a supporting role, really, but an unforgettable one with Heston astride in a gorgeous pinto. He played Andrew Jackson in "The Buccaneer" for director Anthony Quinn; the only movie Quinn (coincidentally a former son-in-law of Cecil B. DeMille would direct). After the frivolous "The Pigeon That Took Rome" and "Diamond Head,” he returned to a war epic, in this case the boxer rebellion, in "55 Days At Peking", then another biblical epic "The Greatest Story Ever Told" for director George Stevens, as John the Baptist. (In case you're wondering, the role of Christ went to a young Max von Sydow).

I first met him on the set of "The Agony and the Ecstasy,” in which he portrayed Michelangelo. Not on the set, really. I tagged along to Rome with my father, Broadway columnist Leonard Lyons, in the days when press junkets were really that; the studio sent 50 journalists (and one eager son) to London, then Rome. There in the Sistine Chapel, he gave us an informed tour and detailed explanation of the works of the master artist and sculptor. He found a resurgence to his career in action movies with those "Planet of the Apes" movies, which still have a huge cult about them, gave the role of Anthony another shot in "Anthony and Cleopatra," a still relevant sci-fi drama in "Soylent Green," the screen farewell of Edward G. Robinson, incidentally. He eased into character roles as Cardinal Richelieu in the "Three Musketeer" movies, did another war epic "Midway" and nearly a score of other movies.

One movie was "El Cid," Heston played the legendary medieval spanish hero, with Sophia Loren. If you look closely at the scene when he and Loren ride into Seville, you may spot a stagehand in an alleyway; one of Hollywood's many "goofs."

He did other Westerns like the underrated "Will Penny" and "Major Dundee" and worked with some of Hollywood's greatest directors; Wyler, Stevens, Peckinpah, Franklin J. Schaffner, Rudolph Mate, and William Dieterle, to name a few.

Charlton Heston was one of the few "larger-than-life" postwar stars who left a legacy of great films.

The Rolling Stones have been the subject of at least eight official documentaries (not counting bootlegs and recent concert films like 'Forty Licks' and 'The Bigger Bang'), including the newest, "Shine A Light" by director Martin Scorsese. Check out the RT review of their latest and then read more about the previous cinematic offerings after the jump.

SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL (1968): Word is director Jean-Luc Godard and Mick Jagger, already fine-tuning his micro-managing bandleader skills, clashed bigtime during the making of this movie. The film followed the creation and transformation of the title song -- one of rock's alltime best tunes -- mixed in with vignettes that didn't really work.. As a Stones buff, I loved seeing the band hard at work in the studio crafting what would be a classic song. But I think it’s a bit too ‘inside baseball’ for anyone but fanatics of the band. Guess that’s what happens when you pair up a pretentious French filmmaker with a British rock band.

GIMME SHELTER (1970)
I recently saw the Criterion Collection version of the Maysles brothers' doc and its lost none of its disturbing power 38 years later. The incident at the heart of this film -- the disastrous free concert the Stones put on at the Altamont Speedway -- has been indelibly marked as the symbolic end of the Flower Power 1960's. I'm not so sure it's anything more than one of the great rock and roll tragedies. A great band trying to make a historic statement with a huge free concert, but instead helplessly watches it all fall apart.
It's amazing how well-prepared Albert and David Maysles were. They had cameras in all the right places, and their cameramen (which included a young George Lucas) captured unbelievable footage like the film's signature moment, the stabbing death of a young black man named Meredith Hunter by one of the Hell's Angels. The moment in the film when Jagger asks to have the footage rewound in the editing room and we see the gun in Hunter's hand, is truly chilling.
We also see the Hell's Angels clubbing stagefront fans with pool cues, and then we hear the Jefferson Airplane's Paul Kantner announce on the mic to the crowd of 300,000 that they can't continue playing because one of the Hell's Angels had knocked Marty Balin unconscious.

Later you see Mick Jagger, looking and sounding, pleading for the crowd to 'sit down.’ Who's ever attended a concert where the lead singer begs the crowd to sit down????

It occurred to me as I was watching "Gimme Shelter" that the creation of those imposing 15-foot-high stages that are now standard at every stadium rock concert can probably be traced back to Altamont. Check out the lack of security and the stage -- it's barely three feet off the ground!

The Maysles brothers don't set out to provide answers here. That may bother people. But the images they captured and the 'present-day' storytelling method they use is far more effective than a string of talking heads analyzing and deconstructing Altamont in hindsight.

"Gimme Shelter" is more than just a brilliant documentary. It's a video journal of a seminal moment in pop culture history.

THE ROLLING STONES: ROCK AND ROLL CIRCUS (1968):
A dated piece of 60’s rock memorabilia and a timeless pop culture oddity at the same time, this project sat on the shelf, unreleased, for nearly 30 years before the Stones allowed it to be released. Longstanding rumors suggest Jagger and the boys prevented its release because they felt The Who had outperformed them during the taping.

Originally taped for a TV special, this ‘under the big top’ carnival-type production featured an incredible lineup: The Who, John Lennon in a jam band with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Yoko Ono, Jethro Tull (with a pre-Black Sabbath Tony Iommi on guitar!), Marianne Faithful and Taj Mahal.

I don’t think there’s a single sober person to be found anywhere. It’s one big acid trip. And the jam onstage between Lennon, Clapton and Richards was one of those great rock moments – a truly historic, one-of-a-kind onstage gathering – until Yoko got onstage and started screeching incoherently.

Taj Mahal, one of the forgotten hitmakers of the late 1960s, absolutely rocked the big top with “Aint That A Lot of Love.”

The Rolling Stones had nothing to worry about. Yes, The Who put on a customarily brilliant and bombastic effort, ripping through “A Quick One While He’s Away." But the Stones nailed their show-closing set, which featured nuggets like “Salt of the Earth” and the best live performance of “Sympathy for the Devil” I have ever heard.

That’s worth the price of the dvd itself, but so is the interview with Who founder Pete Townsend in the ‘special features’ section. He talks in detail how ‘Rock and Roll Circus’ was a plan by Jagger, Townsend and the late Ronnie Lane to have a perpetual rock tour featuring the Stones, The Who and the Small Faces (Lane’s band with Rod Stewart) that would tour by train across America. Once it was deemed logistically impossible, Jagger reformatted it for a TV special.

Anyone who likes the Stones and the rock music era of the late 60s should check this out. Also, the film transfer on the dvd is sharp and the sound is better than you would expect from a 40-year-old film. The film also captures Brian Jones' final performance with the band before his tragic death.

C********ER BLUES (1972):
Robert Frank’s controversial backstage look at the debauched lifestyle of the Stones on the road during the early 70's has never been officially released (the profane title probably wouldn't have helped the marketing anyway). That’s probably because as the band got older, the horndogging, drug-abusing, groupie-sharing antics depicted here are an embarrassment. Especially the scene where Keith Richards is getting shot up full of heroin by a groupie.
Still, this has been a staple on the bootleg circuit for years, so if you scour eBay I’m sure you’ll find a decent copy. Funny part is, most of the stuff in the film is rather tame by today’s modern movie standards. This one's best left for the Stones completists who still listen to "Exile on Main Street" every day.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE ROLLING STONES (1974):
The band’s 1972 tour is the subject of this concert film, which has been out of circulation for nearly three decades. I’ve never seen it but a couple Stones diehards that I know say it’s a must-see. Not surprising, since the band was at its peak artistically around this time. I wish someone would convince Mick to finally put this sucker out on DVD. Until then, you can find clips all over YouTube.

LET’S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER (1982):
I love this film because not only is it the first Stones concert film I ever saw, it also documents the time when I first discovered the band – as an 11-year-old when ‘Tattoo You’ was a mainstay on FM Radio. My mom was a child of the 60s who loved the Stones and after I heard ‘Start Me Up’ for the first time, I started digging through her old RS albums (yes, even “Emotional Rescue”) and was blown away.
By this point in their career, the band had become larger than life, but even playing massive stadiums like they did on this tour, you could see how comfortable they were playing the part of Rock Gods. Especially Mick. No one – NO ONE – has ever been a better stadium show performer than Mick Jagger. If you have any doubt about that, watching this great movie will put them to bed.

Directing, hitting, and football. Jeffrey and George had a man-to-man talk Thursday morning when Mr. Clooney stopped by our REEL TALK studios to discuss directing and starring in "Leatherheads," which opens Friday.

Being the new production assistant on the show has some incredible perks, such as meeting the celebrities who visit our show. But, what's even more exciting than having the chance to meet and speak with stars such as Michael Douglas, George Clooney, Vince Vaughn, Matthew McConaughey, Hayden Christensen (in the pic to the left) and Charlize Theron, is getting a glimpse of the incredible smarts and ambition these individuals possess. A characteristic tabloids almost always tend to overlook.

Sure, the big houses, the money, the fame and the parties -- not to mention the attractive dating scene that surrounds Hollywood -- is always going to be an eye-catcher, but after speaking with these individuals one on one behind the scenes, I've learned that there really is so much more than meets the eye.

If only tabloids could focus on the way these people achieved their fame and write articles about the way these celebrities work and do everything to teach themselves about every aspect in an industry that they love. For example, we had David Schwimmer on not too long ago and after spending a decade as an actor on a hugely popular sitcom, he's now teaching himself and enjoying the craft of directing. Or, what about Charlize Theron, who is not only a gorgeous, Oscar-winning actress, but also a marvelous movie producer.

I have been working on this show now for almost three months and I am in awe, not with the glamour these stars possess but with the intelligence, ambition and confidence they have. It gives me inspiration to go for what I want to do and maybe if tabloids focused more on what made these people "movie stars" more people would become inspired also.

And check me out on the red carpet with "Juno" star Ellen Page. This job just gets better and better!

One of the most influential shows in TV history has finally become available on DVD. "The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show: The Complete Series" is now available. What, you say, is this guy smoking while writing this?

Read more after the jump.

How can a one-season Saturday morning cartoon spinoff of "The Flinstones" be influential in any positive manner? Funny you should ask.

The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show" was basically "Bedrock: 90210." A pre-historic "The O.C." if you will, only with fewer fights and no stylish footwear. You had the leaders of the group Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm (Marisa and Ryan, or Brenda and Dylan, depending on what scheme Pebbles was cooking up) … you had the eclectic supporting cast Wiggy (who's crazy hair was the precursor to Steve's white-guy 'fro on "90210), Penny and Moonrock.

You even had the parents - Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty - make the occasional appearance ala The Walshes on "BH 90210."

Without "The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show," not only would we probably not have those iconic teen shows, but the entire WB network would likely have never happened. No "Dawson's Creek," no "Buffy."

Let's see. Group of bored suburban teens get in over the heads thanks to an ambitious but not well thought-out scheme? Sound Familiar? How about a group of teens who get in trouble with some shady types thanks to another wacky idea, hmm??? Anyone??

Without this cartoon, we also wouldn't have the now-standard daytime TV soap practice of accelerated-aging - where the kid of an older star on the show suddenly walks through the door as an 18-24 year-old (usually just in time for the younger-skewing summer episodes). Remember, when last we saw Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, they were still crawling around on the concrete floor of their parents' home in the original series, which ended in the late 60s. A couple years later, Bamm! They're in high school A genius concept that was decades ahead of its time.

If all that doesn't convince you to rush out to get this DVD set, then do it just so you can try to decipher the lyrics of the inane (but catchy) theme song. You can also rejoice in one of the great cartoon characters EVER - Schleprock. 'Wowzy,Wowzy, Wowzy.'

The 2-disc set features all 16 episodes of the show, along with 4 bonus episodes. That's it, no other extras. I don't know if it's not financially feasible for studios to go the extra mile to beef up bonus content on classic cartoon dvds, but I for one would like to hear from the voice actors from shows like this. Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm were voiced by a pre-'All in the Family' Sally Struthers and a grown up 'Dennis the Menace,' Jay North. How cool would it have been to hear from them about the show?

And what about cartoon historians discussing the show. I know. That's really geeky. But isn't that who these titles are geared for? I'm just sayin'.

Now comes word that Katie Holmes will make her Broadway debut next season, in an upcoming revival of Arthur Miller's 1947 play "All My Sons;" costarring with two time Oscar winner Diane Weist may costar, but John Lithgow is in the cast as well.

Forget about all the silly hype she and husband Tom Cruise have created in the past few years. Give her credit for coming to Broadway, facing a live audience and critics (including this reporter). Stage acting is a much harder discipline and can only improve her as an actress. Holmes plays the part of a woman who visits the family of the pilot she loved, lost in World War II. I'm looking forward to it. Break a leg, Mrs. Cruise.

No one manages their film library better than Disney. They know just how long to keep their classics off the shelves, before springing them on a new generation of parents eager to spend money to share these timeless animated tales with their kids. They refer to this clever marketing gimmick 'as releasing a classic from the Vaults - for a limited time.' The House of Mouse is doing it again with the re-release of "101 Dalmatians."

Check out some clips from the movie, and then read on for more details on the DVD release.

The two-disc Platinum Edition contains newly enhanced picture and sound along with bonus features like a 'Virtual Dalmatian' game and a how-to on training your own virtual puppy that seem like feeble justification for springing another dvd of the same film on the public.

But there are some real goodies in the extras, like the inclusion of deleted songs, tunes that were written for the original film that were never used but are now given the full treatment. There's also behind-the-scenes featurettes that includes a talk with one of Disney's animation legends, one of the "Nine Old Men", animator Marc Davis. He talks about how the film's villainess Cruella De Vil (inspired by the legendary actress Tallulah Bankhead) was drawn up.

If you don't already own this on DVD, then "101 Dalmatians: the Platinum Edition" is worth it to have a high-quality version of the movie. Otherwise, only the Disney completist should think about adding it to their library.

One of Al Pacino's many classic movies from the 1970s, "And Justice for All," is available in a new dvd edition. This release includes deleted scenes as well as interviews with director Norman Jewison and screenwriter Barry Levinson. The best part is, it also comes with a free ticket to see Pacino's upcoming "88 Minutes." He plays a college professor who gets a death threat saying he only has 88 MINUTES TO LIVE! It's due out in April. "And Justice for All" is available on DVD now.

Watch the trailer for "88 Minutes" after the jump.