The Iron Man trailer is finally here!

Okay, we're kidding, this isn't the real Iron Man trailer. But this is. Enjoy.

Steve Carell continues to churn out movies - again and again

We didn't see Evan Almighty, and we don't think we missed anything. But sequels written by Steve Oedekerk notwithstanding, we'll watch Carell in anything - even if Dane Cook's in it. So check out this trailer for Dan in Real Life and let us know what you think. We dislike the emotional ploy of using Pete Townshend and the scant appearance of the great Dianne West, but this seems like a role perfectly suited to Carell's strengths. We shall see.

Be Kind Rewind, the latest high-concept movie America won't get

Look, Michel Gondry movies - Human Nature, Eternal Sunshine and The Science of Sleep among them - are an acquired taste. We eat the shit out of them, so to speak. And his latest, Be Kind Rewind, with Jack Black and Mos Def, looks nothing short of brilliant. Brilliant because, if you've seen a Gondry film, it will end up nothing like the trailer and philistines will jeer that they didn't get what they thought they were getting.

What you're getting is art, isn't that enough?

The worst movie you'll see all year (and it's not out for months)

We hated National Treasure. Loathed it. Wanted to strangle it. Naturally, there's going to be a sequel. The trailer can be viewed below. How they talked Ed Harris and Helen Mirren into this is beyond comprehension, but not compensation.

Mark Wahlberg does the Departed dance one more time

Sooner or later he's going to get that Oscar.

Academy Award winner Halle Berry still gets us

Here's the trailer for the new Halle Berry/Benicio Del Toro drama Things We Lost in the Fire. It's a "family puts itself back together after a tragedy"-style emotional yarn that wears its "look at us, Oscar!" stamp on its forehead. We'll probably still see it, but we don't suggest you do the same.

The Dark Knight trailer no one wants you to see...

Okay, so we're just fucking with you. This was made by a fan, a very talented fan, if we do say so ourselves. Enjoy, and continue to spray your fanboy shorts. We know we will.

The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson's plot to destroy the world

If you have even a remote interest in director Wes Anderson's work - Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, etc. - you've probably been anticipating the release of The Darjeeling Limited for some time now. It has all the hallmarks of an Anderson film: Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, a script by Anderson and one of the movie's stars, and the usual quirky humor. But is it just us, or does it feel like this time Anderson is driving over the same canvas as before? Go here and judge for yourself.

Another plug for The Hottest State

Yeah, we'll admit we want to see it, even if the book isn't a critical favorite and it seems like Ethan Hawke might be biting off more than he can chew. But perhaps more intriguing to us than the film itself, is its soundtrack, now streaming on Myspace. We suggest you start with the Bright Eyes contribution; it's fantastic, as most of his stuff usually is.

Meet...the Green Hornet

We're not fooling. Seth Rogen, who recently was believed to be only in negotiations to script a feature-film version of celebrated comic hero the Green Hornet, is also prepping to play the masked crusader. Fat guy in a tight-ass suit, fat guy in a tight-ass suit. Sounds like fun to us.

Paul Schrader, it's been too long...

It's been more than three decades since writer/director Paul Schrader earthquaked the film industry with his screenplay for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, but to us he's still as relevant as ever. He's written - along with Taxi Driver - some of our favorite movies, including Raging Bull, Mishima, and Affliction, yet he hasn't written a film since 1999's Bringing Out the Dead. He's back, and from the looks of this first trailer for his political intrigue drama The Walker, he's back in a big way.

Charlie Barlett: Bueller or bullshit?

It's rebellious teen time at the cinema, everybody! In truth, we have nothing against the prospect of a genre film starring Robert Downey Jr. as an authority figure. We think it's a brilliant piece of against-type casting. And we were very impressed by the work of the upcoming Charlie Bartlett's title star Anton Yelchin in last spring's Alpha Dog. But hasn't this particular genre run its course? We'll let you judge for yourself, but we've seen enough.

There'll all slow news days in July, people

Pretty bare bones out there today, eh? We've managed to procure something that makes us laugh, even though we're pretty sure we'll be crying once we leave the theater. Don't get us wrong, we liked Wedding Crashers just fine. The first 30 minutes are untouchable, but after that it was mired in a hit-or-miss pattern of set-ups and punchlines that marred the experience. Perhaps it was all the hype. Now, we have the director of Wedding Crashers, one of the stars of Wedding Crashers, and the son the of the guy who banned Pete Rose from baseball coming together for a Christmas movie.

We just watched the trailer.

Does it look funny? Yep. Is it going to make $150 million-plus? We guarantee it. Are we crapping our pants in fear. Oh God yes. Check it out and judge for yourself. But our fear is palpable.

Vermont defeats Illinois, will host Simpsons Movie premiere

Rats. The Land of Lincoln takes one in the back of the head again. Truth be told, we were holding out hope Springfield, Ill., would be victorious over the 13 other Springfields vying to host The Simpsons Movie premiere. We grew up two hours from Springfield, have frequented it often, and once spent a few hours in its county jail while wrongfully arrested. But we're happy Vermont won. It's Vermont, and the town has less than 10,000 people. If they don't need this, who the hell does?

Springfieldians of Illinois, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Second place is an honor. Enjoy that red bibbon boo.

Still no headlines. Sorry, friends. We do, however, have a glimmer of good news: Jim Carry has signed on to play Ebenezer Scrooge in a Disney remake of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Why is this good news, because we were some of the few people who loved Carrey in Ron Howard's live-action version of Dr. Suess's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.



Let us never forget the immortal words: "This is not fruitcake. What is it?"

What does GLAAD think about Chuck and Larry?

If you've visited a movie theater within the past month, you've no doubt seen the trailer for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, the Adam Sandler/Kevin James "firefighters posing as a gay couple for the benefits" comedy. If you're struggling to recall, it's the one with all the homophobic jokes and Jessica Biel in her underwear. We're not sure if Justin Timberlake will be showing up at any screenings to spit on the audience, but we were curious as to what GLAAD would think of a film that appears to be one long-running gay joke.

Thankfully, After Elton did the dirty work for us. What do they think? They like it, and it's not nearly as homophobic as you think. In fact, its message is one of acceptance and exposure - of the archaic values of homophobia. With Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor on the Chuck and Larry writing team, we should've known better than to assume anything less. Oh wait, they're not really on the writing team anymore. Eh. Here are a couple highlights from the interview:

AE: Are the gay elements being used as plot devices for a straight love story, or does some overarching message compensate for this?

Through the disarming use of comedy, there is an exploration of homophobia, which often involves stereotypes and slurs, and it holds a mirror up to that and asks people to consider where it comes from.

AE: Are the ads accurately representative of the film as a whole?
DR: A trailer is designed to get you into the theater. It doesn't tell the complete story, nor is it supposed to. There is a difference between the marketing of the film and the actual film itself. Having seen the final product, Adam Sandler's audience will be left with a message that stresses the importance of family and equality for everyone.

Transformers is coming...to...destroy...all

If you live in one of the cities where Transformers opens tonight, ahead of its official Tuesday launch, you might want to stop in. Several of our co-workers went to an employee screening Saturday (we chose the new Die Hard instead; we liked it) and it generated a favorable response. So favorable, in fact, that we've spent the last 30 minutes or so scouring the Net for reviews. The consensus? People like a Michael Bay movie, they really, really like it. Or at least they don't hate it. Some even think Transformers is going to take moviedom - viewers and industry, alike - by typhoon, even if it's not, you know, that good.

Here's a snippet of the NY Post's review:

"A box-office analyst whom I respect predicts Transformers will be the year's top-grossing flick. If the enthusiastic response I saw at a screening the other night is any indication, predominately male audiences will flock to see some of Hollywood's most lavish special effects ever, climaxing in a battle that destroys much of downtown Los Angeles."

Here's what Ebert himself writes, in a three-starred review:

"I think Michael Bay sometimes sucks ("Pearl Harbor," "Armageddon," "Bad Boys II") but I find it possible to love him for a movie like "Transformers." It's goofy fun with a lot of stuff that blows up real good, and it has the grace not only to realize how preposterous it is, but to make that into an asset."

And, never one to give into to critical unanimity, the Old Gray Lady rains on Bay's celluloid parade:

"It’s kind of nifty when the robots transform the first time; they furiously shake back and forth like wet dogs desperately to dry off. But by the 99th time there’s no fun left at all, even during the rock-’em, sock-’em knockdown that delivers the movie, in Spielbergesque pastiche, first to a violent and then to a warm-and-fuzzy close."

"It must've had a heart attack."

Sorry for the obscure reference to The Distinguished Gentleman, a mostly forgettable early-'90s Eddie Murphy vehicle, but that was all we could think of when we saw the trailer for The Hunting Party. It's based on the true story of three journalists who travel to Bosnia to cover the anniversary of the war, only to end up tailing the world's greatest war criminal. Now you see where the title comes from, though we still don't entirely get it. Oh well, we'll see anything with Terence Howard in it. Even Four Brothers.

The new Indy is officially under way

Wondering what the hell happened on the first day of shooting of the new Indiana Jones movie? Steven Spielberg, delightful director that he is, has posted some footage from the first day of shooting on the film's site. It's not terribly exciting, but if you love Indy like we do, you'll find it's work a look.

Lions for Lambs, Tom Cruise comeback vehicle?

Despite the rehashed Requiem for a Dream music and the roughly 40-second running time, this preview for Lions for Lambs, a Tom Cruise/Meryl Streep/Robert Redford political corruption drama, manages to show us...nothing. We know it's about a war and that a senator, a journalist and a professor are involved. Beyond that...bupkis. Oh well, it's still fun to think of Tom Cruise as a senator. Can you imagine? And we think Christians run the country. The Scientologists in control? The possibilities are endless...