The Final Destination, a 3-D version of all of the previous movies in the series chopped into one grisly cinematic Salad Shooter was destined to kill at the box office this weekend, raking in nearly $30 million.  It put aging horror gramps Michael Myers on notice as Halloween 2 bled out with just under $18 million, coming in behind Inglorious Basterds which scalped $20 million for the number 2 spot. 

Audiences figured out how to quit director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) this weekend as his Taking Woodstock took the brown tab and tanked at a measley $3 million plus.  Who is the audience for that movie anyway?   Anyone?

Arrested Development fans (like me) have waited long enough for the movie version of the brilliant TV show to go into production.  Although, I suppose if people had bothered to watch it when it was actually on the air, it would still be on the TV and we wouldn't be awaiting a feature film version.  And, um...I didn't catch up with its greatness until it was on DVD, but that's not stopping me from chastising others for not being there when AD was facing a low ratings "Death Panel" to which it would eventually succumb.

Now Will Arnett, also known as the voice of a thousand financial firm commercials and Amy Poehler's husband is holding up production while he works on a new show with Adam Hurwitz who is producing that new show and also the feature film as he was the creator of the AD TV show.  Confused yet?

Don't be - everyone agrees the movie will eventually go before the cameras to capture the misadventures of the Bluth family as everyone including now-I'm famous-so-I'll-be-a-holdout-ingrate Michael Cera, has now signed on to do the movie.

A sublime episode of Mad Men this evening with Roger and Don finally confronting their lingering tension over Roger's child-bride who drunkenly lost it next to the ice sculpture and then promptly betrayed Don's confidence in her back when she was his secretary. 

There were plenty of lovely moments on tonight's Talent Night On Mad Men.  Roger and Paul showed off their singing talents in various states of intoxication, Pete charmed with his Charleston at the Club and Joan showed her prowess on the accordion to enertain at her first nice dinner party.  As an aside, it was nice to see Joan treated well by other females tonight as her doctor's wives female guests complimented her in just the right way.  Joan could use it after getting clawed down by Roger's child bride who visited Sterling Cooper in her old-timey hair dryer hat.

My favorite moment tonight was "lil' Betty" reading a wildly inappropriate book to her grandfather just before nicking five dollars from him.  She showed that the manipulative apple doesn't fall far from the tree as Don's Daughter later miraculously "found" the money she had stolen.  Though I believe even gramps in his stroke-addled state knew exactly what was going on.

Another great moment was with Peggy and her new older wiser secretary as Peggy told her that she was comfortable with where she was career-wise and a little toke here and there was not going to compromise that.  I also enjoyed Tom Cruise look-a-like drug pusher bringing the arrogant Paul back to earth with tales of the ivy league. 

Tonight's episode didn't really move any specific plot points very far, but was an excellently edited episode many more quick scenes than usual.  Next week's preview promises an acknowledgement by Big Gay Sal's wife that something is wrong in the bedroom.

What did you think about tonight's ep, beloved readers?

It turns out that killing Nazis fares better than Killing Bill (Vol.1 & 2) at the box office as Tarantino's latest provocative piece banked nearly $38 million at the box office this weekend for Quentin's best opening ever.

The film is a lavishly executed action film set in Nazi-occupied France as the sprawling cast spins a thrilling yarn of Jewish commandos joining forces with French and German allies as they plan to kill Hitler at the premiere of a Nazi-propoganda film. 

At more than 2.5 hours, you'll want to use the facilities well in advance as there's little chance you'll want to leave the theater at any point during the spellbinding last hour as all of the varied characters prepare to meet their fates. 

The real story of the pic for me is how Christoph Waltz, a German actor largely unknown in this country fully yanks the film away from Brad Pitt, und denn some!  Waltz plays Nazi Colonel Hans Landa, a painfully precise detective who always sniffs out his prey, be it in a remote French farmhouse, while noshing strudel at a bistro or at a gaudy movie premiere.  Waltz  scampers away with the pic as Brad's go-for-broke performance as the head-Nazi-scalp-hunter from the Great Smoky mountains becomes increasingly one-note. 

Tarantino's ability to weave great action sequences with several scenes of near unbearable tension is unique and on full display here.  Go see it...jetzt!

After a Peggy-lite season opener, tonight's episode returns to further explore Don and Peggy's oddly-tortured-yet-most-respectful relationship as Don encourages Peggy to "use all the tools in her kit" including her sexuality when she blanches at using a "sexy Ann Margaret-type" to sell a new diet soda called Patio ("Try the drink that sounds like a floor!"- laments Don). 

The episode also seems to preview increasing tension between Don and the Brits after they insist Don personally pursue the Madison Square Garden account and then demand the agency pass on it once he lands it.  Also in tonight's mix - what to do about Betty's stroke-addled father as the family comes to visit.  To assuage a very pregnant (yet still smoking and drinking) Betty, Don takes charge as only he can and  metes out his judgement on Betty's feckless brother. 

One of the funniest moments of tonight's ep (outside of Sal's smirk once Peggy is told she's "not fat anymore") is Betty's dad pouring out all of the liquor - the lifeblood of both Sterling Cooper and the Draper Household - into the sink as he announces that the prohibition cops are on the way.

Tonight's episode was much more a return to intriguing form for Mad Men - I loved the ending where Peggy and Don retire to talk about the "Pampers" account - it represented the kind of subtlety that the opener lacked.   And the scene where Don strokes the grass as he lusts after the Maypole teacher was another brilliant masterstroke from a series lousy with them. 

Next week promises big story turns including a payoff to the Roger Sterling-Don Draper tension - signaled tonight by Don's resistance to participating in Roger's pity party over how his new wife two decades his junior is alienating him from his family.

What do my beloved readers think about tonight's episode?  Let us know in Comments!

After the debut of The  Circuit Wolves this week in the Twilight: New Moon trailer, we are now silver-bulleted by the trailer for The Wolfman proper, starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and the British girl from The Devil Wears Prada.  It's a definite period piece and the trailer comes across very traditional old-school Universal monster picture.   With Hopkins featured prominently it plays very much like Remains of the Day of the Werewolf.

The picture has had a cursed time getting to the screen with one delay after another, reshoots, etc.  That's always a bad sign. Always.  But here's hoping for the best as I think werewolf movies are the cat's meow.  Check out the new trailer below in all its hirsute glory.

PS - By The Way - Did you now that BT's full name is Benicio Monserrate Rafael Del Toro Sanchez?!

Barking sharply on the heels of news of The Adventures of The Wolverine Gang remake comes an incoming communique on a subspace frequency that some director you've never heard of is planning to remake Outland, the wildly underappreciated sci-fi film from 1981.  I made my better half (who had never heard of it) watch it with me a few months ago and we both loved it (me again for the first time). 

The movie (which I watched 472 times on HBO one fateful summer) features Sean Connery as a no-nonsense head of security on a mining operation on one of Jupiter's moons who uncovers a conspiracy and then all space hades breaks loose.  Frances Sternhagen (Cliff Claven's mom, she originated the Kate Hepburn part in On Golden Pond on Broadway) plays the mine's crusty old doctor who helps him unravel what's going on and Peter Boyle is dead-on as one angry bear in a rare villainous role as the corrupt CEO of the operation. 

There's no reason for confidence in terms of who's handling the remake.  Michael Davis who directed the non-smash Shoot 'Em Up is at the helm, though there's talk of casting Clive Owen in the title role which would serve at least initially to allay my indignant vapors over another needless remake. 

Have any of you, my beloved readers, loved Outland as I have?

So everybody's talkin' at me...bout this new Tarantino movie featuring Nazi-scalping Jewish folk.  From reports of major cuts to outright critical raves to nasty pans, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to think before I see the dang thing.  I do indeed plan to see it this weekend and offer my review to my beloved readership for you to take as nothing less than gospel. 

What about you crazy kids - are you looking forward to Brad Pitt leading a ragtag gang through WWII-occupied France to separate blonde scalps from the fuhrer's henchmen?

Or has the former video-store worker (hey, just like me!) gone too far this time with the blood und der craziness?

Talk to me in comments, people...