Or at least he will in an upcoming role.

Variety reports the Oscar winner has signed to star in "The Men Who Stare At Goats," based on Jon Ronson's bestseller. The book is about the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that was formed in 1979 to train soldiers in the use of paranormal powers.

And yes, it's based on real events. The title, in case you're wondering, refers to the notion that you can kill a goat by staring at it.

Clooney would star, and his producing/writing partner Grant Heslov (they co-wrote "Good Night and Good Luck")is set to direct. No start date for production is set yet, because financing still has to come together. For anyone but Clooney, I would say it would be a real challenge to get this project off the ground. But this sounds like the kind of movie he likes to make -- daring and off the wall.

BTW, you can Click here to check out Jeffrey's interview with Senor Clooney when he was here recently promoting "Leatherheads."

Get ready because Fraggle Rock will no longer be just an outdated, eighties, childrens sitcom!

It turns out the Weinstein Co. has just joined forces with Jim Henson productions and plans to turn Henson's puppet series, that ran from 1983 to 1987, into a musical on-screen production.

The series originally ran there first 3 seasons on HBO, and recently released those episodes onto DVD, resulting in successful sales numbers

Cory Edwards ("Hoodwinked!") will write and direct the screenplay. And it just wouldn't be "Fraggle Rock" without the main characters Gogo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red, who will be embarking outside of their comfy cave to interact with humans, whom they think are aliens. Check out clips from their second season below!

Not too long ago Jason Segel stopped in with Judd Apatow and told "Reel Talk" about writing the new "Muppet Movie." Now, we are hearing about a new "Fraggle Rock" movie. It seems these puppeteers are not ready to surrender to the success of Pixar films, when it comes to kid-friendly films.

You can watch that entire interview by clicking right here!

To no one's surprise, "Speed Racer" has turned into the summer's first flop. In its opening week it raked in only $20.2 million , playing in 3,606 theaters. That’s a much lower than expected figure and nowhere near the $50.5 that "Iron Man" earned in its second week. Since the Wachowski Brothers spent a reported $180 million on the film, it's going down as a big disappointment.

I think one of the biggest problems it had is that while the PG-rated movie was obviously aimed at a young audience, the audience that grew up watching the 1960s Japanese cartoon is actually much older. Young kids had no connection to the source material. Parents taking kids of this generation probably went just to see
something, rather than in response to any request from their children.
And Emile Hirsch's superb breakout performance came in "Into the Wild," which wasn't in a family film, so kids aren't familiar with his work yet. That and the fact that the film was too long, had a flimsy story and relied too much of special effects.

Oddly, Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, who played the mother of the title
character, is competing with her longtime significant other, Tim Robbins's movie "Noise," an intriguing and funny black comedy, which also opened this
past week(albeit in limited release).

It'll be interesting to see how the new "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" does in attracting families this coming weekend. The first film did nearly $1 billion worldwide and it has a new lead actor, Ben Barnes, who will be our guest on REEL TALK this weekend.

This week I saw the revival of the comedy "Boeing Boeing" on Broadway. I had seen it in London in the ‘sixties’ on stage in the west end and the movie version starring Tony Curtis. He played an American Bachelor living in Paris and "engaged" to three flight attendants. One from Lufthansa, another from TWA, and the third from Alitalia. He had a worldwide airline schedule and was able to juggle their stays in his apartment so none was the wiser. Jerry Lewis played Curtis' American friend who comes for a visit and who somehow has one of the flight attendants fall for him.

Someone named Mark Rylance has that role here and is clumsy and unappealing as is this dated, now-chauvinistic and often silly play."Christine Baranski plays his helpful maid in this onstage production, and The West Wing" alumnus Bradley Whitford has the old Curtis role. Gina Gershon does an Italian accent that sounds something like a female Bella Lugosi, and another "West Wing" alumna, Mary McCormack, gives a standard German accent. It worked on screen because back in the 'sixties,’ such humor was still in vogue. Now on stage it's shrill and unappealing. Rent the film instead.

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.

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).

'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.

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.

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!

The Vegas drama "21" was an easy winner at the box office this weekend, earning a surprising $23.7 million. Looks like all the publicity the cast did (including star Jim Sturgess' appearance on this weekend's RT) and the escapist-fantasy appeal of 'beating the house' was a sure bet. Here's Jeffrey & Alison's review of "21." The rest of the box-office recap comes after the jump.

In second place was "Horton Hears A Who!" with $17.6M. The G-rated animated tale is now the first big hit of 2008 with more than $117M. Third place went to "The Superhero Movie," which debuted with a disappointing $9.5M total. Hopefully that low figure will force Hollywood to put a moratorium on the 'Spoof' genre. When the parody is lamer than the subject matter they're spoofing, shouldn't that tell the studios something's wrong?

Coming in fourth was "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns" with $7.9M, showing Mr. Perry is as reliable as it gets in the movie biz when it comes to delivering audiences. Fifth place is almost too close to call, with "Drillbit Taylor" and "Shutter" -- two holdovers from last week -- duking it out.

The other new films this weekend flopped. "Stop-Loss" couldn't turn positive reviews into profit as it made only $4.5M on less than 1,500 screens to barely crack the Top 10. So not even a young, attractive and talented cast in a good movie can lure audiences to see an Iraq War film. That likely means Hollywood is done greenlighting projects that have anything to do with the war.

"Run Fatboy Run" from debuting director David Schwimmer didn't do well either. It earned only $2.3M on less than 1,200 screens

Next week should be interesting, with George Clooney starring and directing in the 1920's football comedy "Leatherheads" and Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler and Abigail Breslin starring in "Nims Island."

We’re all about location here at REEL TALK. From the lush Rocky Mountains to the beautiful (and classy) San Diego – this week’s edition of Mixtape is ‘on location’ everywhere.

- So, were the creators of the recently launched Hulu from Hawaii? Where ever they’re from, we love the way they ‘move’ in and out fresh TV and movie titles to our desktops for free! [hulu]

- The hills are alive with some guy and an Sharpie. Check out our pic of the week! [gigglesugar]

- Off to the tropical lands of Vietnam for Ben Stiller’s upcoming comedy "Tropic Thunder.” Tell us what you think about the blackface.

- In the classy town of San Diego, rumor has it that Judd Apatow might bless us with a sequel of “Anchorman.” [MTV]

- Sleepy Hollow, NY; New Orleans, LA; Amityville, NY; any city in Texas – these are just a few areas where some great horror and thriller movies have taken place. Perhaps Sam Raimi will set his new eight-episode summer reality show in one of these towns. [buzzsugar]

- Opening this week:

Hey all you power bloggers, entertainment fiends and movie hounds! If you have a voice that needs to be heard, or you just want a way to get your writing out, we’ve got just the contest for you!

Introducing the REEL TALK Top Poster contest! This is our new weekly contest to welcome in our new message boards. Entering is easy, here’s how:

1. Join the REEL TALK forums. Go to http://forums.reeltalktv.com/ and sign up.

2. Once validated,start posting and responding to any topics on the forums. The more you post topics, reply, give honest and insightful comments, the greater your chance to win!

4. Winners will be chosen weekly. ( Read the rules section.)

5. Each winner will be offered a guest slot on our blog section to submit their own content on the REELTALKtv.com site! Weekly winners receive a DVD prize pack to inspire their creative flow.

This contest ends May 9th, so the join the REEL TALK forums ASAP!

Good luck!

**SPOILER ALERT!! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN "I AM LEGEND" YOU MAY WANT TO STOP READING NOW**

The big selling point for Warner Bros.' DVD release of "I Am Legend" (in stores today) is that the 2-disc special edition comes with the theatrical release that just about everyone saw...as well as alternate version of the movie.

Now, I'm one of those guys who loves the extras on a DVD. I may not get around to watching them all in this lifetime, but I like knowing there are 18 hours of deleted scenes, commentaries & making-of stuff on my DVDs.

And there is no extra I love more than an alternate ending. Along with deleted scenes, it gives you a sense of how the director assembled the film in the editing room.

When I saw "I Am Legend" for the first time in December, I remember that after I got over my shock at how good Will Smith was, I thought that his incredible performance actually masked some of the movie's flaws.

Rarely do I say this, but that was a movie that cried for a longer running time (it was only 100 minutes). I wanted to see more of the panic during the evacuation we see in brief flashbacks. I wanted to see more of the early days when Smith's character Robert Neville was still adjusting to being The Last Man on Earth with Sam, his faithful German Shepherd.

I also thought the ending of the film was a bit ...slapped on. Like a last-minute rewrite or something.

**SPOILER ALERT**

I didn't necessarily think Smith's character had to die to make the movie. Was it shocking that he did? Of course. It's always a shock when a Hollywood A-lister dies in a blockbuster. But it felt like it was an ending just to shock people. I thought he could have survived and the story would still have worked.

Well, turns out they did shoot an alternate ending, and yes, Smith does live in this version. But you know what? I was wrong. The movie works better the original way. Robert Neville makes a greater impact as a martyr than as a survivor.

The alt. version shows the Dark Seekers (those are the kill-by-night vampires) still have some tiny bit of humanity left in them. Neville basically appeals to that tiny part of their soul not completely corrupted when they chase him down to his lab, and strikes up a tentative truce when he shows them he may have a cure for the virus.

Then he drives off, presumably to a happier time for humanity. Eh.

Just didn't do it for me. The film lost a lot of its impact with the different ending. The filmmakers did the right thing going with the other ending, IMHO. But you be the judge. Get the DVD and decide for yourself.

[Photos: Warner Bros.]

For only the third time in their careers (and first time since 1995's "Heat"), Al Pacino and Robert Deniro co-star in THE crime drama "Righteous Kill." It's about two veteran cops trying to hunt down a murderer. Check out the trailer with Deniro and Pacino and co-star 50 Cent (!). "Righteous Kill" is due out September 12.

Check out Brooklyn native Jamal Woolard in the first production shot of him from "NOTORIOUS" as Christopher Wallace, AKA slain hip-hop icon Notorious B.I.G.

Filming on the biopic is just getting underway in and around NYC. Fox Searchlight is behind the project. You can read more about the film on producer Wayne Barrow's blog.

For those wondering why "Batman Begins" isn't already out on Blu-ray, Warner Bros. was obviously waiting to ride the hype about the sequel 'The Dark Knight.' The studio's home entertainment arm announced today that the franchise reboot will make its Blu-ray debut July 8. Ten days before the sequel debuts.

It will be available in a special limited edition set that includes the movie of course, as well as the the first six minutes of the sequel, a special comic book adaptation of that sequence, postcards, script pages and storyboards. If you just want the movie in hi-def without all the geeky extras, it will be available in a single-disc Blu-ray edition too.

Read the full press release here and check out the trailer for "The Dark Knight" which opens in theaters July 18 after the jump.

A cute elephant knocked the Woolly Mammoths from the top perch at the weekend box office and showed once again that a good family film is close to a sure thing at the movies. "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!" earned Fox about $45 million for an easy win. Check it out Alison & Jeffrey's review of the G-rated animated movie from this week's show.

As for the rest of the Top 5, "10,000 B.C." lost more than 50% of its audience (not surprising considering the terrible reviews) but still finished in second place with $16.4M.

It no doubt helped that outside of "Horton" and the not-screened-for-critics "Doomsday", the only other wide release debut was the teen fight drama "Never Back Down," which finished third with a not-so-bad total of $8.6M. "College Road Trip" -- another G-rated family film - took in $7.8M in its second weekend to finish fourth, and "Vantage Point" continues its solid run by earning $5.4M to land in fifth place.

Next week looks like a guaranteed repeat win for "Horton" as the only big releases are Owen Wilson's comedy "Drillbit Taylor" and Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns." Neither is aimed at the kiddie crowd that may drag their parents back to the theaters to see "Horton" again.

Warner Bros. announced today that the adaptation of J.K. Rowling's final Potter book, "Harry Potter and The Deathly Gallows" will be released as two films. Part I will hit theaters during the 2010 holiday season, with Part II following in Summer 2011.

Read the full press release here.

This is a genius business move by Warner Bros. Considering the first five Potter pictures have each grossed at least $795 million (!!) worldwide, the studio must be understandably worried about the imminent end of its mammoth cash cow.

There are only two more of Rowling's books left to adapt (the 6th, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" comes out in November). Considering how much control Rowling has maintained over her beloved literary creation, I can't imagine the author approving more Potter movies that are based on stories SHE DIDN'T WRITE.

So by splitting the final film into two parts, Warner Bros. has basically given themselves an 8th installment of one of the most profitable franchises in movie history. One that will get a nice boost of (free) publicity from the 'To Be Continued...' nature of the project.

Of course, there is the potential downside. Director David Yates, who did 'Order of the Phoenix' and is helming the final two Potter movies, should talk to the Wachowski Brothers about their experience with the final 2 'Matrix' films in 2003. "The Matrix Reloaded" was so such a letdown for critics AND fans that by the time "The Matrix Revolutions" came out a few months later, no one cared. That third film was the least successful of 'The Matrix' trilogy.

Of course, the built-in audience for the Harry Potter movies is much larger, so chances of a severe drop-off are slim. But still, Mr. Yates probably will feel just a little bit of pressure wrapping up the Boy Wizard's story.

Check out the latest from Warner Bros. on Alma and why she puts the fear in everyone. Read the press release after the jump.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is pleased to announce the launch of the official Project Origin community website. Developer Monolith Productions’ sequel to the critically-acclaimed supernatural first-person shooter F.E.A.R., Project Origin rips players from their seats and throws them back into the tension as they combat enemy forces and the supernatural in a struggle to find a way to stop Alma, a girl with immense power and a thirst for revenge, and uncover the mysterious forces arrayed against them before it’s too late.

At 6:00pm PST, point your crosshairs over the following link to immerse yourself in the world of Project Origin – including all-new assets!

Visit www.projectorigingame.com for more information.

Next month begins the latest installment of the Tribeca Film Festival. I was one of many observers last year who noted that the festival had too many movies in too many venues away from lower Manhattan which, after the Sept. 11th attacks, was the reason for the festival's creation by Robert De Niro and others; to get people back to that area. We were seeing movies screened all over town.

Now it's been announced that the seventh festival has trimmed its content, the 122 entries being 37 fewer than last year's glut of movies. They will be screened at fewer venues as well. As for the films themselves, the full slate has just been announced. Among the ones I'm looking forward to seeing:

Films with Frank Langella, Sissy Spacek and William H. Macy, directorial efforts by Mario Van Peebles and the gifted artist Bill Pympton, and documentaries on John F. Kennedy and the Dalai Lama. The festival runs April 23rd through May 4th. We'll be covering some of the key films in an upcoming edition of REEL TALK. In the meantime, you can read up on all the Tribeca movies here.

(NOTE: NBC Universal, REEL TALK's parent company, is a sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival)

By Guest Blogger: Macktrek (If you want to be next week's guest blogger join our contest!)
As we approach the summer blockbuster time of the year, more trailers are being released. The whole point of the trailer is to catch the audience’s attention and to make them want to see the movie.

Unfortunately, movie trailers have become movie spoilers. These trailers are showing key plot developments or twists, which take away from the movie.

Take Vantage Point for example (if you have not seen the trailer or movie, read no further). I had not see the trailer before seeing the movie, but my wife had. I enjoyed the movie more than she did, and I was not sure why.

The reason was that in the trailer, you see that the President is not shot, his double is. I had not seen the trailer, so I was surprised when I learned this in the movie.

We all enjoy watching movies, and not knowing what is going to happen next. So why do the trailers show, at times, the best part of the movie? I would like to see a return to true movie trailers instead of the movie spoilers that are now playing.

As I’m faced with another documentary about Iraq -- this one focusing on the wounded soldiers and civilians affected by the ‘war’ -- I was wondering to myself “what is one’s responsibility as a filmgoer to watch these films?”

Obviously, for me, it’s my job. So I will watch “Fighting For Life,” even though I know it contains images of soldiers and children with their limbs blown off. I wish I could bury my head in the sand and ignore this film. But then I’d be in trouble with the show’s producer, Mike Avila. And surely, to avoid seeing the film is to avoid thinking about the war? That’s tantamount to hoping it all goes away if we don’t dwell on it too much. And that’s just morally irresponsible.

a href="http://www.fightingforlifethemovie.com/">So I’m trying to realize that to watch this film is my duty as someone who cares. Believe me, I know it’s not always the cinematic experience we want, but I’m trying to regard it as a privilege, rather than a chore.

- And now the world is safe. Check out pics of 'Wawtchmen' heroes in their costumes. [UGO]

- Ledger's Film is still a go! [Premiere Daily]

- Who says being a metalhead is a bad thing? Check out the new "Iron Man" poster.

- On a budget, here's a scoop for cheap rentals. Read how to find 99 cent movie rentals on iTunes. [unpluggd]

- Opening this week:

And sometimes being a hero is tough.

It's weekends like this that make you wonder how many people pay attention to what the critics say.

Despite some of the worst reviews for a big-budget film in recent memory, "10,000 B.C." took top honors at the weekend box office with more than $35 million. Just about everyone's giving the credit for the solid-but-not-spectacular debut to Warner Bros.' marketing team for the way they pitched the film as a prehistoric epic -- not the unintentionally funny fiasco it really is.

Read about the rest of the Weekend Top 5 after the jump.

Equally awful reviews didn't keep "College Road Trip" from earning $14M. I guess Disney was smart to make sure the Martin Lawrence film had a G rating to ensure Raven Symone's fans from her Disney Channel show would come out this weekend.

In third place was "Vantage Point," which despite terrible (I''m running out of adjectives) reviews keeps earning respectable cash (another $7.5M this weekend) and in fourth, Will Ferrell's disappointing "Semi-Pro" with $5.9M.

Bringing up the rear is "The Bank Job," with a decent $5.7M. Jason Statham's most seriously dramatic work was the only film in the Top 5 with positive write-ups.

Jeffrey and I differ quite markedly in our approach to viewing movies. He claims that he wants to know nothing about a film before he sees it. So he avoids print articles or internet chat about an upcoming movie.

I, on the other hand, like to know what I’m in for. I read the synopses in magazines and even check out opinion pieces online. For me knowing the premise of a film doesn’t spoil the enjoyment. After all, it’s impossible to avoid previews these days…and they usually give everything away anyway!

But, when it comes to films with animals or small children, I like to know exactly what is going to happen. I know this probably does a disservice to the filmmaker, but I like to be prepared, and if it’s a heart breaker, I need to steel myself.

So for all of you out there who are like me, here are a couple of spoilers. Some films with themes I found upsetting, which I might have avoided had it not been my job. (Don’t read on if you like to be kept in the dark about a film.)

“Snow Angels”
Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell play the separated parents of a four-year-old girl. He’s a hopeless ne’er-do-well, and she’s overwhelmed so we know right from the start that something bad is going to happen. And it does, to the little girl. Then it gets worse. Be prepared.

“Gone Baby Gone”
A four-year-old girl is abducted and presumed dead. Another young boy is found dead in the den of a pedophile. A gritty reality pervades this film, which makes it impossible to dismiss as “just a film.”

“I Am Legend”
Will smith’s trusty, loyal dog defends him and gets bitten by rabid, infected dogs. His death scene is one of the most upsetting scenes I’ve seen in a long time.

“Under The Same Moon”
After his grandmother dies, a nine year old boy embarks on a journey across the Mexican border to find his mother who is working in LA illegally. Luckily this one ends well.

"The Year My Parents Went On Vacation"
An 11-year-old boy is left in the care of his grandfather while his parents hide out from the repressive regime of 1970’s Brazil. His grandfather dies and he is adopted by the Jewish community. This has a pseudo-happy ending.

On the other hand, my job allows me to see some beautiful films that bring tears of joy instead of sorrow. “Blindsight” is such a film. It’s about six blind young Tibetans who take on mountaineering as a way to build spirit and confidence. This one will make even the most hard-hearted among you weep with joy!

Nic Cage isn't letting the fiasco that was "Next" scare him away from science fiction movies. He's on board to do Summit Entertainment's "Knowing."

Rose Byrne is also reportedly signed to co-star as the daughter of a woman who buried a 1962 time capsule that contains key info like the dates of the assassinations of historical figures, the hotel fire death of the wife of Cage's character, and an impending world collapse.

Alex Proyas, who directed "I, Robot," will sit in the big chair for this one. Production is due to begin March 25 in Australia.

Cage also is lending his voice to the live action-CGI hybrid adaptation of the classic Japanime series "G-Force" from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, due out in 2009. Anyone else wanna bet a "Ghost Rider" sequel isn't too far off?

Universal Pictures (which, like REEL TALK, is part of the NBC Universal family) is offering up free tickets to an advance screening of George Clooney's upcoming comedy "Leatherheads." Set in the world of 1920's pro football, Clooney directs and stars alongside Renee Zellweger. It opens April 4.

Get details and check out the trailer after the jump.

And here's the link to sign up to try and score free tickets.

www.leatherheadsmovie.com

Among the slew of new DVDs released this week is the 50th anniversary edition of "12 Angry Men," one of the greatest trial movies ever made.

It's the only movie set entirely inside a jury room, with jurors deliberating what appears at first to be an open-and-shut case of a Latino boy's murder of his father with a knife.

Check out scenes from and read more about the 50th anniversary DVD re-release of Sidney Lumet's classic, "12 Angry Men" after the jump.

Not so fast, initially the lone holdout for acquittal, played by Henry Fonda, fends off attacks from the others, but one by one, through Reginald Rose's logically-structured script, they cave in and see what really happened. It was the debut behind the lenses for Sidney Lumet, a child actor turned TV director, en route to a magnificent directorial career that continues to the present day [check out our review of his great thriller last year, "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead"].

And what a cast: Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, e.g. Marshall, and great character actors Jack Warden, Joe Sweeney, George Voskoveck, Martin Balsam, Ed Binns, Robert Webber, John Fiedler, and Ed Begley and the only one still among us, Jack Klugman. What a masterpiece!

The commemorative DVD includes two all-new featurettes; "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt: The Making of 12 Angry Men" and "Inside the Jury Room."

"12 Angry Men" is as relevant today as it was during its theatrical debut, five decades ago.

I don't know what it is about these Pixar films that I can't get enough of. And I know I am not the only sailor in this boat when I say this either, especially with the recent Oscar win of Ratatouille this past weekend.

I'm not sure if it's the 3-D animation that makes the animated films of today so much more appealing than the cartoons I used to watch as a kid, or if it's the adult humor/innuendo that's often found in a lot of these films (i.e."Shark Tale").

But now from the same masterminds of "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life," "Monster's Inc." and "Finding Nemo" comes one of my most anticipated fun-films this summer "WALL-E."

If you couldn't get enough of Boo's adorability in Monster's Inc., just wait until you see WALL-E. Too cute! Disney/Pixar already anticipates everyone to fall for him. A few weeks ago the animation company unleashed a line of Wall-E toys. Do a simple Google search and you'll see. Perhaps we shouldn't call this a 'toy' but rather a 'Robot Action Figure'?

Seems like comic to film adaptations are the theme-du-jour in Tinseltown. And that’s a good thing.

We’re not talking about Archie's Gang type comics. It’s serious, independent and at times deep, graphic novel to film adaptations we will soon see on the big screen.

Slated for release in the next two years:

Warner Bros will produce, along with Leonardo DiCaprio, the live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomos’s six-volume graphic novel “Akira.” The movie studio has also recently mentioned plans to role out the “Justice League of America” film by early 2009.

The graphic novel “Black Hole,” based on Charles Burns’ visionary masterpiece is now being crafted into a feature length film by Paramount. David Fincher (“Panic Room,” “Zodiac”) is set to direct.

Columbia Pictures and producer Neal H. Moritz (“I Am Legend”) have recently acquired the rights to Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s flawed superhero comic, “The Boys.”

These adaptations are well worth the trip to the cinema when they premiere. I only hope this is not just a fad, but a set trend we'll see more of in the distant future. There are just too many awesome, one-of-a-kind GNs out there that need to be thwarted to a larger audience!

Producing a movie show isn't all fun and games, but, it's a good gig, I won't lie. Some days are better than others.

I went over yesterday morning to the TODAY SHOW studios across the street to escort this week's Top Billing guest Will Ferrell over to our place.

For those of you who don't know, REEL TALK's home base is 30 Rock in Midtown Manhattan. Most people are familiar with Rockefeller Center because of the Christmas Tree lighting, also SNL tapes here as does NBC Nightly News and the hilarious "30 Rock" is obviously based here (but not shot here).

We're also across the street from THE TODAY SHOW studio and plaza, where there's always a big crowd of people who get up at an ungodly hour to hold up signs behind the talent and say 'Hi Mom!'

Anyway, inside their downstairs green room, I greeted New Line publicist Nicole Kalish and Will's personal publicist Matt Labov, who's the Grand Poobah of publicity for Hollywood's comedy stars.

Then I stopped and surveyed the scene.

"Semi-Pro" co-star Woody Harrelson was walking around barefoot in a Flint Tropics warm-up suit, getting ready for a 2-on-2 pickup game on the plaza against Meredith Vieira and Knicks guard Nate Richardson.
Two feet away, Gary Coleman (yes, THAT Gary Coleman) was putting shmear on a bagel and talking with Pat Harrington ('Schneider' from the old sitcom "One Day At A Time"). Check out a segment from the pickup game.

Bonnie Franklin, the star of 'One Day', was putting her coat on to leave since their TV reunion segment was over. Meanwhile Valerie Bertinelli was rushing back to the studio to talk about her new book (she looks GREAT after the weight loss, BTW). Oh, and Mackenzie Phillips was chowing down on a donut, a bagel and what looked like a turkey wrap. There were also a couple of gorgeous twin girls who were doing something on the show, and legendary sportscaster Bob Costas. I felt like I was stuck in a Nick at Nite fantasy sequence!

Like I said, some days are better than others here at RT. Yesterday was one of the better ones.

We just told you about a movie opening May 22, 2009. Now there's news that the big movie opening May 22nd of this year may actually debut in France.

Word is "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" may have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

This makes perfect sense, if you think about it, for both sides. Even though I think "Indy 4" is a sure-fire smash, after a 19-year hiatus I'm sure senors Lucas & Spielberg want to take no chances and intend to pull every promotional maneuver they can to ensure their beloved franchise blows up (in a good way).

Cannes, meanwhile, gets a film premiere GUARANTEED to earn them maximum exposure in industry and mainstream press. Can you imagine on how many media outlets will use the pictures and video of Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg on the red carpet?

Now if we can only get another trailer ...

- In case you missed it, or were too bored to sit through the entire telecast; here's a list of all the Oscar winners.

- Oscar winner Diablo Cody sleeps with her award.

- Wanna win free DVDs and a spot on our site as a guest writer? Enter our contest.

- The WWE has signed a deal with Fox to generate a feature and few straight-to-DVD flicks. This time, focusing on a soft PG-13 rating rather than their usual hard R. Had no idea WWE's films were a hard R. Aren't most of their viewers under 13? Shouldn't they have thought about this when they first started making films?

- Opening this week:
"Semi-Pro" (We just interviewed Will -- interview will be up ASAP) | "The Other Boleyn Girl" | "Chicago 10" | "Penelope" | "Bonneville"

- New on DVD:
"The Darjeeling Limited" | "30 Days of Night" | "Goya's Ghosts" | "Death at a Funeral"

- FOUND: Here's a little something, something for all you Star Wars Fans. Probably the cutest film critic yet!

- Kudos for North Korea. The country has shown a gaining interest in Western arts. Reuters reports they have r