The whole “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” racism controversy may make me laugh, but the film has made some serious cash. It had the biggest opening for a Wednesday release ever pulling in $60.6 million. According to Variety the film was expected to have secured another $27 million on Thursday putting the flick on track to a possible $160 five-day total. “Dark Knight” currently holds the record for the biggest five-day count with $203.8 million followed by "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" with $172.8 million and "Spider-Man 3" with $169.4 million. While taking down “Dark Knight” is unlikely, it is possible we’ll see a new #2 by the end of the weekend. In the meantime, the Skids and Mudflap criticism continues. (Check out Slash Films article on the issue here.)

“Saw V” and “The Box” better make room for another Halloween horror film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Magnolia Pictures’ Magnet Releasing branch acquired the domestic distributions rights to “The House of the Devil.” The Ti West film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is about a college student (Jocelin Donahue) who’s terrorized while at a babysitting job. The movie hits theaters on Halloween and will also be available on demand in late September.

How could a cast consisting of Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Bradley Cooper and Ashton Kutcher get any better? I know! Why not add Topher Grace, Emma Roberts and Hector Elizondo to the list? The cast of New Line’s romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” keeps getting better and better. According to The Hollywood Reporter, in a “He’s Just Not That Into You” style, the film focuses on five stories that are somewhat connected. Grace will play a mailroom worker who is dating Hathaway’s character while Roberts will play a young girl hoping to lose her virginity. Fun Fact: This is the first time Robert will be working with her aunt Julia.

Columbia Pictures may have found El Dorado El Dorado. The Hollywood Reporter says the studio will turn the popular video game “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune” into a feature film. The game is about the descendent of Sir Francis Drake, Nate Drake. Nate thinks he knows where to find El Dorado, the golden city of South America. Not only does Nate battle a rival in his attempt to reach the fabled city first but he also encounters a number of vicious creatures along the way.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura must be a pretty happy guy right now. Not only is “Transformers” rocking the box office, but he’s also been recruited to produce “Hellified” for Paramount. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Andy Burg will be responsible for writing the script, which will involve a journey to hell, while Dan Bradley is attached to direct. Burg secured a massive six-figure deal to switch gears and go from comedy and family-film writing to penning the script for this supernatural action film.

Could Hilary Swank be flying straight to the Oscars? She already won twice for her roles in “Million Dollar Baby” and “Boys Don’t Cry” and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her nab a third for her role in “Amelia.” This trailer is deeply riveting and I wouldn’t expect any less from Mira Nair. If “Amelia” is anything like “The Namesake” there’s no doubt in my mind this film will be prominent during award season.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” kicked the weekend off early with its Wednesday release, therefore, we thought we’d bring you this week’s reviews a little early too! Odds are, whether or not Alison and Jeffrey enjoyed the “Transformers” sequel, all the diehard fans saw the film yesterday, but for the rest of you, be sure to check our their review before spending two and half hours at the theater.

Check out all of the reviews to see if “Transformers” is indeed worth the money it took to make or if you’re better off seeing “My Sister’s Keeper” or one of this week’s limited release films including “The Hurt Locker,” “The Stoning of Soraya M.” and “Cheri.”

Don’t forget to check your local listings to find out when you can watch the final episode of Reel Talk this weekend.

“The Dark Knight” hit it big at the Saturn Awards. The Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy and Horror Films awarded Batman five statues including the ones for best action-adventure-thriller, best music, best writing, best supporting actor and best special effects. Both “Iron Man” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” won three taking home the awards for best sci-fi film and best fantasy film respectively. “Hellboy II” was named best horror film and “Wall-E” best animated film. Angelina Jolie finally got the praise she deserved for her role in “Changeling” and Robert Downey Jr. for his role in “Iron Man.” Click here to see Variety’s complete list of winners.

Senator John Kerry wants to get involved in film, but will have to get past the Federal Election Commission first. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee is requesting to use $300,000 in campaign funds for a project called “Keeping Faith.” If all goes to plan, Kerry would be an executive producer for the White Mountain Films documentary about injured Iraq war veterans. Kerry’s role would involve lining up investors and interview subjects. He won’t be receiving a paycheck for his efforts, but Kerry could get up to a 120% return on his investment.

It’s official! “Watchmen” will return to the big screen with an additional 25 minutes. Zack Snyder’s director’s cut will be shown on July 17th at four theaters in Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York. Variety reports he made the announcement at an event promoting the July 21st DVD and Blu-ray release. I’m a big fan of the graphic novel and loved the film, but I’d rather just wait the extra four days and watch it in the comfort of my own home and not spend over three hours in a theater.

When there are multimillionaire dollar robots, wizards and vampires invading theaters, it’s difficult to get the lower budget films the attention they deserve, but one studio may have found a way. According to Variety, Gigantic Group will launch an Internet service that will give viewers access to their films. The initiative will kick off on August 26th with the documentary “Motherland” and the indie studio plans to add at least four more titles by the end of the year. For $2.99 you’ll get three days of unlimited viewing. Mark Lipsky of Gigantic explains, “Even with rave reviews, films can be off screens so quickly that the audience has no time to find them. Not only can we keep a film on screen indefinitely, but we can dramatically extend their reach into the marketplace and grow the audience in areas of the country that have never been exposed to indie films.”

What happened to Alessandra Torresani? Torresani’s casting in “The Runaways” must have been overturned or merely a rumor because now Variety reports that Scout Taylor-Compton will play the role of Lita Ford. Both are named on the film’s IMDB page, but Torresani’s name appears next to Ford while Taylor-Compton’s is dubbed ‘Jackie Fox (rumored).’ Nowadays you never know who to trust, but I’m going to go with Variety on this one. I don’t see much of a difference between the two girls anyway; they both kind of look the same and are relatively unknown. Maybe after “Halloween II” hits theaters and we see Taylor-Compton in a leading role we’ll know whether or not she has the potential to shine in this film.

When a film’s screenwriter can’t confirm the pic is going to be great, you might have a problem. According to Sci-Fi Wire, during a question-and-answer session at the Los Angeles Film Festival, “The Avengers” writer, Zak Penn said, “It's hard to make a good movie … we all have the best intentions, and it still might suck.” Penn better get that negativity out of his head or the film will stink! His frustration seems to have come from his experience writing the last two “X-Men” films during which he was denied permission to get the Fantastic Four involved.

Either Sandra Bullock scared him off or Ryan Reynolds just really wants to do something other than a romantic comedy, because he’s just signed on to star in something entirely different. According to Variety, Reynolds will play a guy captured in Iraq who wakes up to find himself buried in a coffin in the desert in “Buried.” At least his captors were nice enough leave him a cell phone, candle and knife. Wait, why would they leave him a phone? I sense some physiological torture coming on.

If someone hands me a box with a big red button in it and say not to touch it, there’s no doubt in my mind I’d be pushing it about two seconds later. In “The Box” we’ll see if Cameron Diaz and James Marsden can hold out when a semi-faceless Frank Langella tells them they’ll get a million dollars if they push a button, but it’ll also cause the death of someone they don’t know. Check out the film’s trailer below:

Reel Talk is going out with a bang. Not only will you find out what Jeffrey and Alison think of the highly anticipated “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” but they’ll also review “My Sister’s Keeper,” “The Hurt Locker,” “The Stoning of Soraya M.” and “Cheri.”

Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox return for the “Transformers” sequel. Unfortunately, the Decepticons are back as well. Luckily Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and the rest of the Autobots are there to protect their human friends when they find themselves in the middle of an epic battle. If you’re looking to tone it down a bit, you might prefer to see Nick Cassavetes’ “My Sister’s Keeper.” It’s based on the Jodi Picoult book about a young girl named Anna (Abigail Breslin) who was genetically engineered to save her sister Kate’s life. Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) has leukemia and frequently needs Anna to donate anything from blood to bone barrow. When Anna is asked to give Kate a kidney, she decides to hire a lawyer (Alec Baldwin) to help her become medically emancipated from her parents (Jason Patric and Cameron Diaz) so she can make the decision herself.

To read more about this week’s films and to see their trailers, continue reading after the jump.

Could this be the end of Oscar snubbing? Well, probably not. There will always be films people think didn’t get the recognition they deserved, but at least now there will be less of them. Academy Motion Picture Arts and Science President Sid Ganis said “After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year. The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one Best Picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009.” I see no harm in including more films in the running. While it will make voting more difficult for the Academy, more films will get proper recognition rather than being pushed into other categories. Nominees will be announced on February 10th, 2010 and the Oscars will be presented on March 7th.

We know he can do Bond, but can Daniel Craig thrive in a psychological thriller? After seeing “The Invasion” I have my doubts, but working with a director like Jim Sheridan could give him a shot at success. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Morgan Creek is negotiating with Craig to play the lead role in “Dream House.” He’d play a man that moves into a new house with his family to find it’s being haunted by its former occupants who were murdered there.

Zac Efron backed out of “Footloose” in an attempt to break free of his teen singing and dancing image and he’s clearly determined to take his career in a completely different direction. Variety reports Efron has just joined the cast of Mandate Pictures’ untitled thriller. Leslie Dixon is writing the script but keeping plot details confidential.

Kevin Spacey will be in good company in “Invention.” The Hollywood Reporter says Craig Robinson, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville and Camilla Belle will all join Spacey in the film about a billionaire inventor (Spacey) who must endure eight years in prison after something goes seriously wrong with one of his inventions. After his release, he does all he can to rebuild his reputation, career and family. Robinson will play the defamed inventor’s wife’s new husband, Belle his daughter and Graham her lesbian roommate who catches Spacey’s eye. Knoxville will play a storeowner who hires the inventor after his release.

It had to happen at some point. We could see work progressing on a Facebook movie shortly. According to Variety, director David Fincher has expressed interest in the Columbia Pictures film called ‘The Social Network.” The main character will be something we all know much too well, Facebook. It’ll take a look at the site’s creation by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg and how it became a haven for over 200 million people. Production is expected to begin this year.

We know anything Greg Berlanti touches turns to gold when it comes to TV, but can he have the same effect on a film? Berlanti has worked on some of my favorite TV shows including “Everwood” and “Brothers and Sisters” and now he’s moving on to the dramatic feature “Life As We Know It.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, Katherine Heigle will join him as one of the film’s lead characters, one of two single people who agree to take care of a young girl when her parents are killed in an accident. The project is expected to be fast-tracked.

Considering I didn’t love the full trailer for “Halloween II,” I’m surprised to be impressed by the new poster. I can’t tell what creeps me out more, the giant knife in Michael’s right hand or what he’s got in the left. We’ll see which of the two most accurately represents the horror flick when it hits theaters on August 28th.

James Cameron unveiled some of his $300 million baby at the Cinema Expo in Amsterdam. The Hollywood Reporter says Cameron introduced a 24-minute montage, much of which came from the first third of the film. Sam Worthington plays the titular character, an avatar. He’s a remote-controlled character created by molding his crippled human form into a super-human being. Cameron says the film is packed with action especially in the final portions of the film. According to Marketsaw, “The consensus of those chosen ones who filled the seats of the RAI Auditorium for the Avatar presentation is that they witnessed something historic … Awe is the second major reaction.”

“District 9” better be as good as its advertising campaign. Not only did I love the film’s full trailer, but every image and video promoting the film has been immensely pleasurable to see. My favorite is still the ‘Support Non-Human Rights’ poster, but these new viral videos are pretty clever. Watch these two videos and be sure to check out the film’s official website which has a ton of fun material

Thank you Cinematical! I was getting worried that The Weinstein Company’s woes would make the release of “Youth in Revolt” even more unlikely. The film is based on C.D. Payne’s book and stars Michael Cera as Nick Twisp, a young guy suffering from raging hormones and the tendency to get himself into serious trouble. If you’ve read the book – and if you haven’t, you must; it’s fantastic – you’d know Cera is ideal for the lead role. He’ll be joined by Steve Buscemi as his father, Zach Galifianakis as Jerry the truck driver, Justin Long as Paul Saunders and Ray Liotta as Lance Wescott. The poster seals the deal. “Youth in Revolt” must be hitting theaters on October 30th as expected.

Mutants are taking over Universal Pictures. Variety reports the studio has nabbed the rights to the Larry Doyle novel “Go Mutants!” It’s a teen comedy packed with some of your favorite creatures like Gort from “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and the creature from the black lagoon. Of course they’ll only appear cameo-style. The film’s focus is a high school that ends up being a hotspot for the alien invasions featured in popular classic sci-fi movies. Doyle actually hasn’t even finished writing the book. Universal acquired the rights based on an outline. Doyle is expected to finish “Go Mutants!” by the end of the summer and Harper Collins will publish it about this time next year.

Ashton Kutcher is living the good life in reality and on the big screen. In his latest film, “Spread,” Kutcher plays a guy who maintains his lavish lifestyle by covertly wooing rich women. It’s business as usual until he meets a beautiful young waitress who has a secret of her own. “Spread” hits theaters on August 14th.

Who ever thought going to the zoo could be so exciting? I’d go everyday if stars like Adam Sandler, Cher, Jon Favreau, Sylvester Stallone and Judd Apatow voiced the animals. According to Variety, Sandler’s character will be a monkey, Cher’s a giraffe, Favreau will voice a bear, Stallone a lion and Apatow an elephant in the MGM live-action comedy “The Zookeeper.” Those will be some of the animals trying to teach a zookeeper (Kevin James) some lessons in love so he can win back the woman of his dreams. Shooting will begin at the end of the summer and the film will hit theaters on October 8th, 2010.

We actually have a double dose of Cher movie news today. Variety also reports the singer will join fellow vocalist, Christina Aguilera in Screen Gem’s “Burlesque.” Aguilera’s character is a small-town girl who shows off her big voice at a neo-burlesque club on Sunset Boulevard and Cher will play the club’s manager. A number of Cher’s songs have been featured in movies but this will be the first time Cher will sing and star in a film.

Noah Ringer is the star of this highly anticipated film and its brand new teaser. He plays Aang, the last member of the Air Nomads and the incarnation of the world with the power to control all four elements called the Avatar. Check out the teaser for M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender:”

We’re less than a year away from the release of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and the pictures are pouring in. Even though I’ve be looking forward to seeing concept art from the film, I wish Burton had waited a little closer to March 5th, 2010 to release these images because now I’m even more anxious for the film to hit theaters. You’d think the best part about these photos would be seeing Hollywood superstars portraying some of your fairytale favorites, but it’s the makeup and costume design that’s astounding. I barely even recognized Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter! Be sure to click here and check out all of the photos at USA Today and here to see the ones at Yahoo! Movies.

We may not care much for the individuals responsible for dubbing the voices of Hollywood stars, but maybe that’s just because the majority of Americans don’t see films where dubbing is a necessity. I kind of doubt people in countries where dubbing is a common practice even care much for these professional voiceover artists. Well, Focus Features is looking to give a man in the sound booth some attention. Variety reports “The Dubber” is a buddy comedy starring French actor Alain Chabat as a man who does the French dubbing for a popular movie star. When this star goes missing, Chabat’s character sets out to track him down.

I’m glad I didn’t bother to read “Moneyball.” According to Variety, Columbia Pictures decided to drop the movie based on the popular Michael Lewis book about Bill Beane, an Oakland A’s general manager who came up with a way to get great players at low costs. Even with Steven Soderbergh attached to direct and Brad Pitt all set to star as Beane, no studio was willing to finance the project.

If anyone can create a realistic looking goblin, it’s Charles Gibson. Not only has he won visual-effects Oscars for “Babe” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” but he’s also worked on the entire “Pirates” franchise and “Terminator Salvation.” Now, according to Variety, Gibson is getting the chance to call a film his own by directing the family comedy “The Goblin.” Geoff Rodkey’s script focuses on a family that moves into a new home to find that someone is already living there, a goblin.

Reality TV is taking over the world! We’ve seen Spiedi rise to tabloid fame, Jamie Chung of “The Real World: San Diego” make it to the silver screen and who could forget that “The View’s” Elisabeth Hasselback first hit the airwaves as a contestant on “Survivor.” Now it’s Julianne Hough of “Dancing with the Stars” turn to hit it big. According to Variety, Hough will star opposite Chase Crawford in Paramount’s remake of “Footloose.” Could this be the new John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John? Crawford teaches Hough to act and Hough gives the “Gossip Girl” star dancing lessons.

You better make time to watch Entertainment Tonight today. Not only will they show exclusive footage from “Beastly” starring Vanessa Hudgens, but they’ll also air pieces of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender.” Take a look at the segment teaser below:

After watching “Spring Breakdown” I have little hope for a female version of “The Hangover.” Hopefully the new comedy Universal Pictures just picked up, “Business Trip” will have some potential. Stacey Harman wrote the script about a group of women who do everything but work on their corporate trip. Normally I’d say a project like this would come down to the cast. In “Spring Breakdown’s” case, the comedic triple threat of Rachel Dratch, Parker Posey and Amy Poehler couldn’t even get the job done.

Halloween may be four months away, but you can celebrate early when Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II” hits theaters on August 28th. We’ve seen bits of Michael Myers’ return to Haddonfield, Illinois in the teasers, but now we can watch him terrorize his sister (Scout Taylor-Compton) in the film’s first full trailer. Check it out below:

Focus Features has Sam Mendes for two years. Variety reports the studio has made a first-look deal with Mendes, which includes “Butcher’s Crossing” and “Middlemarch.” Mendes is already set to produce “Butcher’s Crossing,” an epic about a man who decides to move to a small town in Kansas to hunt Buffalo herds over pursuing a Harvard education, but may take on directorial duties as well. “Middlemarch” is based on George Eliot’s novel about a provincial English community in the 1830s.

Common and Queen Latifah are just right for Fox Searchlight’s “Just Wright.” Latifah will play a sports trainer who falls for a professional basketball player (Common) while helping him recover from a serious injury. According to Variety, shooting will begin mid-July in New York.

The winner of this year’s Heineken Audience Award at Tribeca has a distributor. Variety reports Anchor Bay acquired the rights to send “City Island” to theaters in North America, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The film starring Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Alan Arkin and Emily Mortimer is expected to hit theaters in the U.S. later this year.

Inferno Entertainment and Magnet Media Group have assembled an impressive group of test subjects. According to Variety, Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Elijah Wood and Cam Gigandet have all signed on to join the cast of “The Experiment.” The psychological thriller is a remake of the German original about a group of men who agree to participate in an experiment in which some act as prison guards and others as prisoners so researchers can see how their levels of power and control effect the subjects. Brody will play the leader of the prisoners while Whitaker will be a guard corrupted by power.

Check out this freaky new poster for “Pandorum” from Coming Soon. The sci-fi thriller, due out on September 4th, stars Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster as a pair of crewmembers who wake up aboard an abandoned spaceship with no recollection of who they are. You think that’s scary? Things get even more terrifying when they realize they’re not alone.

DreamWorks has ghosts on the brain. First and foremost, the film, which is known internally as “Boo U.,” has just been given a writer. Jon Vitti is set to pen the screenplay for the film about a ghost who fails at his job and has to go back to school. DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced “Boo U.” could hit theaters in late-2012. There’s also the project “Freakers” involving a story told from a ghost’s point of view, but that one’s inactive. According to The Hollywood Reporter, there’s also a third ghost concept in the pitch stage.

A “Scream” movie without Neve Campbell? According to Ace Show Biz, the trilogy’s leading lady will not be involved in the fourth film. Screenwriter Kevin Williams twittered “Trying to figure out a Sid-less scenario. She won't do it. This sucks." Is Campbell really that busy that she can’t even do some sort of cameo? Actually, she is. She’s starring in NBC’s “The Philanthropist” and is involved in some movie projects. Courtney Cox and David Arquette are in negotiations to reprise their roles, but there’s no guarantee. At least Wes Craven is definitely involved. Sidney Prescott may be the protagonist in the murderous rampages but Craven is the series’ driving force.

That photog better run because Russell Crowe doesn’t look happy. Coming Soon has a bunch of new photos from the set of Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” in Freshwater West Beach in Wales. Click here to check out their entire gallery.

In “Cold Souls” Paul Giamatti plays Paul Giamatti, an actor who thinks he has found the key to happiness: soul extraction. Paul undergoes the process, which involves the removal of the soul and the subsequent deep-freezing procedure. Unfortunately, the results aren’t exactly what he’d hope for and eventually discovers he’s been a victim of soul-trafficking. Check out the trailer below.

They take a look at the national releases “The Proposal” and “Year One,” as well as the limited releases “Whatever Works,” “Dead Snow,” “Food Inc.” and “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love.” Basically, you’re either going the comedic route or seeing a documentary. Well, I guess “Dead Snow” can count as a comedy and a horror film.

After you’ve checked out all of the reviews be sure to click here and watch Jeffrey’s entire interview with the star of next week’s release, “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Theaters will get a double dose of comedy with this week’s new national releases “The Proposal” and “Year One.” There are even two limited release films that have the potential to give you a good laugh, Woody’s Allen’s latest “Whatever Works” and the comedic horror movie “Dead Snow.” If you’re looking for something more serious, there are the documentaries “Food Inc.” and “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love.”

We’ve been plagued by a slew of romantic comedy busts, but could Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds squash the trend? In “The Proposal” Bullock plays Margaret Tate, the super strict boss of Ryan Reynolds’ character Andrew Paxton. In an effort to avoid deportation, she convinces him to marry her and the new couple travel to Alaska to share the news with Andrew’s family. In “Year One” Jack Black and Michael Cera play a pair of caveman banished from their homeland. They travel through the ancient world bumping into a number of historical figures including Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd), Adam and Eve (Harold Ramis and Rhoda Griffis) and Abraham and Isaac (Hank Azaria and Christopher Mintz-Plasse).

To read more about this week’s new releases and to watch their trailers, continue after the jump.

“Food Inc.” is a documentary that exposes the inhumane practices involved in the industrial production of meat as well as the production of grains and vegetables. It only takes a look at the abuse of power by major food companies resulting in the unhealthy eating habits of Americans. “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love” also focuses on a sensitive subject, how the world views Islam. By creating a deeply spiritual album, Senegalese pop star Youssou N’Dour tries to send a positive message, but ends up creating religious controversy in his country.

Originally conflicting with MTV’s Video Music Awards, the Emmys change their airdate to September 20th, 2009 and will be squaring off against the Giant-Cowboys game. Variety reports the Emmy’s were originally set for Sept. 13, when MTV informed them they had that day already locked along with the venue and sponsorship agreements. The Emmys made a smart decision to not compete with another award show and I’m happy they resolved the situation so now I can watch both. In the meantime, the Emmys will be announcing their nominees July 16th so stay on the look out for that!