So, the other day I finally saw Rocky Balboa. And, while I'm not allowed to tell you anything until the week the film is released, I will say that, personally, I felt the final installment fits somewhere between parts four and five, as far as awesomeness goes. Now, for those of you who hated part five, this should be fantastic news. For those of you expecting the best Rocky film of them all -- well, try not to get your hopes up too much.

With that said, Sylvester Stallone donated the classic red and yellow boxing robe from the original Rocky, as well as his vintage black hat, a pair of autographed boxing gloves worn in Rocky II and -- of course -- those famous red, white and blue boxing shorts from Rocky III to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. On how he feels having these items sit beside Dorothy's ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz and Abraham Lincoln's top hat, Stallone said, "I knew I was getting old, but I didn't think I would be with the dinosaurs so soon." Starting on December 21, folks will be able to see them on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Treasures of American History exhibition. So, as you gear up for Rocky Balboa while watching parts one through five on DVD, now you can add one more stop to your trip down memory lane. Balboa opens in US theaters on December 20.

Think about a room full of five million people. Now imagine they all bought one copy of your DVD. That's (kinda) what happened yesterday when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest hit the video stores: People went entirely hog wild to get their hands on a copy for Little Timmy or Cousin Janey or ... themselves. (I'm entirely certain that my early review of the DVD was a huge factor in the sales department, and I'd like a Thank You card from Mickey himself. Or Belle.)

By selling 5 million units in one day, POTC2 is on track to become the biggest DVD ever (live-action division) and, combined with the cash-geysers that met a bunch of recent Disney DVDs (The Little Mermaid, Cars, Narnia), is sure to make everyone at the Mouse House all giddy with greenery. And by greenery, I mean cash. (Too bad they still have to fire all those animators, eh?)

For the record, the all-time biggest-selling DVD is Finding Nemo, which sold approximately 142 kamitojillion units, whereas the lowest-selling DVD of all time is BloodRayne, which at last count sold 12 copies. (It used to be 14, but two of 'em were returned for store credit after the buyers' moms saw that prison scene.)

Clearly all this digital pirate booty bodes well for the third and (ha!) final chapter in the Pirates trilogy ... and then I'll be back here next year announcing that the Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End DVD just sold 6 million units in one day. One of which will be mine.

(Quick poll for those who bought the DVD already: Did you get the 1-discer or the sweet, sweet 2-platter version?)

Otto Preminger was born 100 years ago, yesterday. The Austrian-born director was both a notable and antagonizing filmmaker, which made him the perfect name to be tattooed on a certain guerrilla auteur's arm many years later. His acerbic manner is probably why he also excelled in some acting roles, most notably as one of the three men to play Mr. Freeze on the sixties Batman series, and as a German warden of a POW camp in the darkly comedic drama, Stalag 17.

Edward Copeland, a blogger we've mentioned before, has put up his own look at Preminger's films. While it's not a comprehensive list, it serves as a good reminder for Preminger fans into the filmmaker's triumphs and flops, as well as a great starting point for the Otto oblivious. There is love for the noir bits like Jean Simmons as a femme fatale in Angel Face and Where the Sidewalk Ends, which isn't a place for soft grass and children, but for gambling and drama. And, we can't forget his most recognized and remembered work, Anatomy of a Murder.

Copeland also managed to teach me a little about my beloved Twin Peaks . I had no idea the television show had nods to Preminger's Laura, from the name to the pet bird named Waldo and the vet named Dr. Lydecker. Obviously Lynch is a fan, and I now wonder if Angel Face also inspired the naming of Ian Buchanan's character, Dick Tremayne.

[via GreenCine Daily]

It's a new day, and you know what that means -- George Clooney is once again attached to another project in some way, shape or form. Does the guy ever rest? Does he ever just stop and say, "You know what -- today I'm not going to do anything except look in the mirror and make love to my gorgeous reflection." I mean, if I were him, I'd be doing that at least three times a week. In their second deal (in two weeks) with Warner Independent Pictures, Smoke House partners George Clooney and Grant Heslov have picked up the screen rights to John Grisham's (he's back baby!) nonfiction book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.

Grisham, who took some time off from big-screen adaptations following the horrific 2004 flick Christmas with the Kranks, decided to jump back into the Hollywood game -- but only after having several discussions with Clooney, while watching Good Night, and Good Luck with a copy of People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue between his legs. (I made that last part up, but you never know folks ... ) Book (which was published in October) tells the true story of a man who spent 11 years on Oklahoma's death row for a crime he didn't commit. Oh, and here's the best part: One of the eyewitnesses who helped send this man to prison was eventually discovered to be the real perp. I will never understand how someone can actually take the stand in a court room and help convict an innocent man. And to send him to death row, no less. Man, how would Jiminy Cricket deal with that catastrophe? No word yet on whether Clooney will participate in a role beyond producer, but it is nice to Grisham back in the courtroom and away from crappy holiday schlock.

Early this afternoon, Tribeca and ESPN answered my prayers by announcing a multi-year collaboration, the result of which is The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, a "showcase for independent sports films," debuting at Tribeca in 2007. Woo hoo, sports and movies! At the same time! Could anything be better? I think not. Though no specific content details are yet available, the project will feature premieres of sports films (both narrative and documentary), online content, and a series of "community events" aimed at the huddled masses of film nerds who also dig sports.

Based on the sports content at last year's festival -- including Once in a Lifetime (aka hands-down Martha's favorite documentary of the year) and Freedom's Fury, a fascinating Cold War water polo (!) doc -- I have a lot of hope for this project. It's a great opportunity for those making sports films to be the focus at a festival for once, and hopefully will bring more quality to Tribeca as a whole. After all, it's not as if the sports films get a pass -- they have to be submitted just like everything else, and will be judged by the same standards. As long as there isn't a sports quota, the quality should be reasonably high. Fingers crossed.

And you thought he was done with all those sharks. Chris Kentis, who helmed Open Water (but not the stupid sequel) and subsequently convinced some people never to go scuba diving ever again, has signed on to direct Indianapolis, an adaptation of Douglas Stanton's book In Harm's Way. Kentis will once again be teaming up with Open Water producer Laura Lau to finally bring the horrific real-life story to the big screen.

Some of you might remember the Indianapolis story from Jaws -- back in WWII, the U.S.S. Indianapolis sunk due to an attack from a Japanese sub. Of the 900 men on board, most of whom floated at sea for five grueling days, only 317 were found -- while the rest, well, there's a reason why they call them shark-infested waters. Warner Bros. has been dying (no pun intended) to get this project off the ground; at one point Mel Gibson was going to star, with Barry Levinson directing. Unlike Open Water (which had us right next to those two for almost the entire film while they desperately searched for a way to survive), Indianapolis will focus more on backstory, why no one answered the distress call and how the stranded military men were eventually found ... by accident. However, I'm sure they'll come a point where someone gets eaten by a shark -- I mean, that's the fun part, right?

An interesting note on Kentis: He was vacationing in Thailand when the Tsunami hit in 2004, and somehow managed to escape along with this wife and child. Does this dude attract danger or what?

It's that time of year. We are gearing up for Cinematicalmas; the boob tube is a melange of claymation, desperate advertising pleas and Chris tmas trees; and the big screen shows us a little baby Jesus and a festival of lights. However, lurking behind the wholesome faces and sparkling eyes is the more deliciously insidious side of the holidays. For every angel that gets a pair of wings, there's always a John Waters to bring things back to earth with a little raunch, filth and other debauchery.

Two years ago, John Waters gave us his own jingling brand of Chris tmas with A John Waters Chris tmas. There's a little bit of quirky classics with Alvin & The Chipmunks' Sleigh Ride, or Tiny Tim singing about Rudolph. But there are also the likes of Fat Daddy and Santa Claus is a Black Man. Is there anything better than curling up with some hot cocoa during the holidays and listening to some hellsome tunes?

This year, you might have missed an added Waters Chris tmas goodie to help round off the season. He's on a bonus audio commentary for the recent Chris tmas Evil DVD release with the film's director, Lewis Jackson. If you're not familiar with the film, it gives a new perspective to the Santa myth, and what that can do to the mythtaken. We all know how the season will start to feel more like the Twelve Pains of Chris tmas, and when Bob Rivers just can't cut it, at least the Pope of Trash is here to help.

It's not like my parents intended to screw me up religiously, that's just how it went down. Growing up, things were just confusing -- my father was Jewish and my mother converted, which meant her side of the family was Catholic. My father's previous wife was also Catholic, and so my two half-brothers and half-sister decided to live their life according to Jesus. Me? I went to my cousin's Bar Mitzvah when I was, like, six and was totally mesmerized by the fact that a kid could have this huge party dedicated only to him. Thus, I decided to be Jewish -- not knowing anything about the years of Hebrew School I'd have to take on -- strictly for the Bar Mitzvah party. Funnily enough, when I finally did have my Bar Mitzvah, I didn't even know enough people to have a party, so my parents took me on a trip to California -- a place I had always dreamed about traveling to (because, to a kid from New York City, California is on the other side of the world -- so exotic, sunny and full of big Hollywood stars).

Even while I was in training for my Bar Mitzvah, for some reason my parents still wanted me to believe in Santa and open up presents under the Christmas tree. Of course, while I was still in Hebrew School, they'd be gracious enough to hide a menorah in the corner so that I wouldn't forget what the Jews were doing in December. Following the Bar Mitzvah, the menorah was gone, we stopped going to Synagogue, the Christmas trees got bigger and my little sister -- who was three when I officially became a man in the eyes of the Jewish religion -- decided all of this was way too f**ked up for her, and so she became a Buddhist. Still with me? Though my family weren't traditional Jews (in the sense that we actually celebrated the Jewish holidays), our household was forever filled with Jewish humor. One of my earliest memories of my parents was watching them screen Annie Hall over and over again, as my father would shout at me, "Don't worry Erik, one day you'll get this movie." My father also insisted on taking me to see Jackie Mason on Broadway a few times, we traveled to the Catskills, Seinfeld was constantly quoted around the living room and, till this day, there isn't a table that exists in any restaurant where my mother won't feel a draft. (I promise, we're getting to the short films -- just keep reading ... )

Did you know that part of the Weinstein empire is Weinstein Books? I guess there's no better way to secure an amalgam of film possibilities than to have a collection of your own press to choose from. Their most recent acquisition definitely offers some possibilities. They've just obtained the rights to Canadian writer and Toronto physician Vincent Lam's Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, as well as a follow-up novel that is yet to be titled. The former, which was based on Lam's medical school and professional experience, is about four medical students as told through a set of interconnected short stories.

The book, which has won the prestigious Giller Prize, is already set for a new television series in Canada, but that's not stopping the big W company from thinking about its film possibilities. It will be interesting to see what happens with Lam's work. Obviously, those in the U.S. probably won't see the television adaptation, which will help for movie possibilities. However, if this novel does make it to the big screen, I can't help but fear for the outcome.

There's a chance it could be developed with a strong link to its source material, keeping it in Toronto, giving the city a little something more than the backdrop for so very many movies, with a cast that shows the diversity that T-Dot has. Then again, I imagine that the movie version would probably be a loose adaptation that takes the plot out of Toronto (yet would probably film here just for a little irony), where Fitz, Ming, Chen, and Sri become Jack, Sally, Bob, and Jill as played by quirky twenty-somethings from LA.

When I was a kid, my mom used to regale me with tales of how, when she was growing up, she and all her friends and junior relations could all go to the movie theater and, for the bargain-basement price of 10 cents, spend the afternoon watching films: Animated shorts for an hour, newreels, plus two movies back-to-back. Another quarter among you and all your friends would get you snacks for the whole group. John Lasseter remembers those days, apparently, because Disney is bringing them back. No, you won't be spending an entire afternoon at your local cineplex for a dime (fat chance, that), and concessions will still put your bank account in the red, but you will be able to get animated shorts before Disney features at theaters around the country, for the first time in almost 50 years.

Disney will first bring to life an animated short featuring everyone's favorite dorky personified dog, Goofy; future shorts will be hand-drawn animation, computer-generated, or a combination, depending on the story. Pixar Animation Studios, now a part of the giant behemoth that is the Mouse House, is spear-heading the revived interest in animated shorts, but (according to this piece in the International Herald Tribune) the idea to bring back shorts as a training ground for animators came from animation-genius Lasseter himself.

I think this is a fantastic idea. Walt Disney himself used shorts as training tools for animators, and Lasseter's first forays into computer animation were a pitch for The Brave Little Toaster (which led to him getting fired -- read all about it in this fascinating interview with Lasseter on CNN from way back in May) and then The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. for the fledgling Pixar. That short featured the first character-animation cartoon done by computer, and the rest (well, after a decade of fine-tuning the shorts by Lasseter and his team leading up to Toy Story) is Pixar history.

What do you think about this news? Do you think it's cool that you'll get to see a bonus short with your Disney features?

[via Frames Per Second Magazine, with thanks to my animation-geek hubby Jay for pointing me there ]

I've heard more rumors about Idiocracy than any other film this year. The Mike Judge-directed movie had a surprisingly limited release in September -- perhaps because it was considered unmarketable by Fox, or perhaps because Judge and Twentieth Century Fox had a dispute and the release was merely for contractual obligations. No one knows, and Judge isn't talking. And I heard a rumor that the movie might not even get a DVD release, because Fox wanted to wash its hands of the film. I saw the movie twice when it played in Austin, and I thought that it would be stupid not to release the movie on DVD. It's far from perfect, but it's full of enjoyable gags that could lead to a cult following similar to that for Judge's previous film, Office Space.

Perhaps Fox agrees with me, because this morning I found out that Idiocracy is scheduled for a January 9 DVD release. I noticed that the DVD cover art (partially shown above) is very different from the original movie poster from Idiocracy, and I actually find it an improvement. It's probably intended to appeal to the Office Space crowd, especially since the cover also says "From the creator of Office Space, Mike Judge." The DVD looks pretty bare-bones in terms of features: the only listed special feature so far is a set of five deleted scenes. My guess would be that the deleted scenes are the ones that Judge was unable to finish with the necessary special effects because of budget constraints: the scene at the Liberry of Congress, and maybe even the National Fart Museum. Did you really expect a commentary track from Mike Judge, or a featurette on why the movie didn't get a wide release? I feel lucky that we're getting a DVD at all, and thankful that the rest of the country will get a chance to see the movie. Will it tank on DVD, or will Judge fans walk around saying, "Welcome to Costco, I love you!" and making naughty jokes about Starbucks lattes? I'm hoping for the latter.

I have to admit that I'm a pretty big fan of the original Stargate film. Sure, there are one or two cringe-worthy moments -- particularly the one where the "mentally challenged" guy tries to run to safety in glorious slo-mo during a firefight but instead, gets blown up. I'm sorry, but that sequence made me chuckle instead of cry. It was just so much unexpected cheese --- almost as if it came from another movie. I know, cynical and jaded, right? Yeah, that's me. Other than that, and one or two minor issues, the film was a solid piece of Sci-Fi / Action filmmaking that I've watched several more times and continue to enjoy.

I found it a little strange that no sequel to the film was ever produced. Maybe it was too hard to get Kurt Russell and James Spader in the same room? For whatever reason, the producers of the film decided that the interests of the story and the fans would better be served on television -- and thus, Stargate SG-1 the TV series was born. After its debut, the series became a monster hit lasting eight seasons so far and spawning a spin-off of its own called Stargate: Atlantis. And that pretty much brings us up to date on the world of Stargate. That is, until actor Beau Bridges recently let slip some details concerning developments in the Stargate world.

According to our buddies over at Coming Soon, Bridges, while at the premiere of Steven Soderberg's The Good German, was asked what's in the future for the long-running Stargate SG-1 series. His answer: movies. According to Bridges: "They're talking about doing a couple of movies. I haven't actually signed on the dotted line, but there is talk about it." As you may know, Bridges plays Major General Hank Landry on Stargate SG-1, so it makes sense that he would probably know at least some details concerning any future theatrical plans for the current series. According to Bridges, he hasn't actually seen a script yet but when asked if the scripts were finished, he said: "Yes, I think they must be. Yes." So Stargate fans, if you've been waiting for the franchise's glorious return to the silver screen, you just may get you wish.

One of my favorite moments from the film Boogie Nights is when John C. Reilly and Mark Wahlberg are in the recording studio trying to throw together a hot single. They're all hopped up on whatever, and in their minds they're creating the greatest song in history. After watching Reilly in that film, he instantly became one of my favorite actors at the time ... and still is. (I won't go into why I'm totally furious over the fact that the man wasn't nominated for a best supporting Oscar for Boogie, but obviously someone had their head up their ass that year.)

Since Boogie, the man has been in a slew of films (his roles in Chicago, The Good Girl, Gangs of New York and Talladega Nights were all fine performances), but I'm still waiting for him to take on another memorable character -- one that sticks with me the way Reed Rothchild did (okay, that sounded a bit weird). Reilly will next be starring in Walk Hard which -- get this -- will spoof all of those recent musician biographies that have flooded the scene, as well the past few Oscar ceremonies. Now, before you scream out, "Man, I hate those f**king spoof movies, they all suck," do keep in mind this particular film will not be coming from four of the twelve writers of Scary Movie. Oh no, the script was co-written by Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow, with Kasdan taking on directing duties. If you're looking for a connection between the two writers -- both of them penned episodes of Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared back in the day. Kasdan went on to direct Orange County, as well as the upcoming The TV Set and Apatow, well, is the genius behind The 40 Year Old Virgin. Feel better now?

When we first reported on this film back in August, there was no word on a start date. Well, now we're happy to inform you the pic will begin shooting sooner than expected -- this January -- and so there's a good chance it will arrive in theaters late next year. In Walk Hard, Reilly will play the fictitious music legend Dewey Cox. The character is a cross between Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings and, in case you were wondering, Reilly will be performing all of the songs himself. Okay, I'm officially hooked -- who's with me?

Your kids have been marketed to by the studios all year, and this year there's been an exceptionally crappy glut of kiddie films flooding the theaters. It's easy to overlook the classics amid the cacphony of shiny DVD cases pimping the latest crap that just oozed out of the multiplex (I'm talking to you, Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties).

Sure, there are a few gems here and there, but this Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa/winter holiday of your choice, why not reach back a little into the past for some truly great children's films that your kids may not even know enough about to put on their wish list? Here are my picks for DVDs I actually wouldn't mind Santa slipping under our Christmas tree.

Ready or not, Ghost Rider is on the way. Personally, I'm still looking forward to the flick, despite my generally negative attitude and very low expectations. It'll probably be another Elektra, but who knows ... maybe we'll get lucky. And if nothing else, once it is in cinemas I'll be able to stop writing about the sucker. Unless, of course, they start thinking sequels. Nah. Until then, however, I am obligated as your geek beat writer to bring you the latest in Ghost Rider news.

First, the official blog has been updated with a brand new poster. Yes, it is loading in a media player and not an image viewer. That's because it is a lenticular poster. For those of you who've never needed to know the word "lenticular" before now, it means the poster has changing artwork. Weee! It starts with Johnny Blaze's (Nic Cage) face, and turns into the flaming skull. It actually is sorta cool, in a geeky way.

Second, Sony has finally got around to launching a full, official website. It has everything you'd expect from a movie website: character bios, movie trailers, a synopsis, downloadable computer media and little online games. Seriously, I want to meet the guy (or girl) who has Nic Cage as Ghost Rider buddy icon. If you're really that into the Rider, wouldn't you probably want a classic comic book image of him?