Sumter Central

The first of Daniel Craig's two year-end punches has already landed around the world, as QoS pulled in $160 million in under two weeks -- and this is before its U.S. opening, where it's set to drown Casino Royale's $40 million debut, Vesper Lynd style. In a contemporary setting, where Roger Moore has croaked that the series has become "too violent," Amy Winehouse can't stay sober enough to record her Bond theme, and Jason Bourne is threatening to become the world's #1 super-spy, we have to admire Daniel Craig's PC nature (such a nice contrast to the vengeance-seeking character he plays here), as well as Marc Forster's rejiggering of the Bond formula by taking the action to South America for the shortest, densest chapter to date.

Say what you will about the original's primitive animation and whatnot, but it tallied up over $400 million in worldwide receipts, so this crack-a-lackin' sequel comes as no surprise -- but did it really require three years to come together? Maybe those psychotic penguins held out for more money. Maybe this time around the creative talent behind the camera will have more going on in the wild (something sorely missing from the first movie). And while we expect a big return here, honestly, we're more primed for Dreamworks' 2009 offering, Monster vs. Aliens.

David Wain (The Ten) isn't nearly as famous as Judd Apatow, but he got his career started the same way (both guys turned oddball comedy shows into cult hits in the early/mid-90s) before taking tentative steps toward the big screen. And from the sound of this movie's premise, it appears that Wain is learning the lesson Apatow aced a few years ago: Get less cerebral with your comedy, rotate key players through your projects, and gun for the hard-R rating. I'm curious as to why these Models earned a winter release when they are clearly a summer-movie confection, though it is a savvy and rather funny counter-programming effort by Universal ...

Here's the dirty little secret of the HSM flicks -- they're actually not half bad, executed with solid professionalism, boundless enthusiasm, and wholeheated willingness to embrace a world of 'dances 'n songs!' (here's a question: does the Generation HSM even know who Xander from "Buffy" is?).It's an immersive musical sensibility that recent big-screen musicals like Dreamgirls and Chicago shied away from with their jazz hands wide open. But will what looks great on TV transfer to the big screen? It's kind of beside the point -- the audience is built-in, with wallets already open, as the Hannah Montana concert movie proved. First Showing has the first trailer ...

This is the higher-profile project from Clint Eastwood this year (Gran Torino, meanwhile, is shaping up as some sort of spin on Tokyo Drift -- for serious) and it's definite awards-bait in the vein of L.A. Confidential and Chinatown, because we all know how much the Academy likes Angelina when she's been institutionalized. Cinematical has great things to say about Eastwood, Jolie, Amy Adams, and the rest of the talented cast and crew after seeing its Cannes debut.

Two of the busiest actors in L.A. get down for Kevin Smith and his legion of sex-hungry fanboys who probably won't take the second to realize that Elizabeth Banks and the slimmed down Seth Rogen look more like sister and brother than potential soulmates. As the f-word pings around theaters in THX, look for Banks to pull a Heigl and outshine her male counterpart; meanwhile here's hoping Kevin S. pulls away from Harvey W. and makes Red State his follow-up project.

Oh, man, how to market a movie about a deceased singer right after the passings of co-star Bernie Mac and supporting player Isaac Hayes? The pressure here is on distributor Dimension Films, good-natured director Malcolm Lee (Roll Bounce, Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins), and co-star Sharon Leal, the Dreamgirls scene stealer who here plays Samuel L. Jackson's daughter and the new singer of the soul group.

No buzz jokes, please. Love & Basketball filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewoodadapted and directed Sue Monk Kidd's highly regarded novel, and the timing for her film could not be better, since I expect it'll appeal to mother-daughter duos (similar to Twilight moms and their progeny) in this femme-friendly year. Plus, could one of the Boatwright sisters find themselves nominated for Oscar?

The fifth installment of the Jigsaw legacy has wrapped production under the direction of David Hackl (the production designer/trap master who has been with the franchise since the second chapter), and details have spilled like so much blood. Official Saw is the best place to go for updates and first looks; our message boards are the place to be if you want to read long theoretical strings about how Rigg will be the new Amanda. We hear there are two twists at the end here, so while you keep your eye on Hoffman, you might just want to keep Rigg in check as well.Update: A typically gnarly scene is available for viewing/embedding here.

I'm wondering if Disney employees think BHC looks kind of kinda juvenile after the refreshing Enchanted became a worldwide hit and was nominated for 3 Oscars. Chihuahua! Or why the trailer, which reveals nothing about the movie, also doesn't indicate that Drew Barrymore's voice is the star of the show. Chihuahua! Or if Raja Gosnell will ever make a non-syrupy movie. Chihuahua!