Movie News and More...

Here are movies opening this weekend, via IMDB, and ranked according to personal familiarity with the movie and/or actors in the movie. The Simpsons Movie - Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, etc. Directed by David Silverman No Reservations - Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin. Directed by Scott Hicks I Know Who Killed Me - Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough. Directed by Chris Sivertson

The beloved TV family from Springfield is now in the big screen, as The Simpsons Movie debuts across America this weekend. So far, its IMDB rating is a 9.0 and is ranked at #93. It's surprisingly pretty high than I expected. I'm a fan of the Simpsons in the 90's, but haven't seen an episode of the cartoon series in years. I might just wait for the DVD to come out before I see it, but don't let me stop you from watching it! ' Simpsons' make bigscreen bow

Alias and LOST creator J. J. Abrams is slated to direct the next Star Trek movie since 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis , and he'll be directing 2 Spocks in the movie: the older one, played by Leonard Nimoy reprising his role from the movies, and the young version, to be played by Heroes actor Zachary Quinto. However, the script is heavily guarded (Abrams loves secrets, doesn't he?) so we don't know much about what the movie will be all about. Oh, we do know it will open on Christmas Day, 2008. Dual Spocks for Abrams' Star Trek

Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon is set to star in New Line Cinema's holiday comedy Four Christmases, which is scheduled to start filming sometime in late Fall. Witherspoon stars in the movie Rendition , in theaters this October, while Vaughn stars in Into the Wild (September 2007) and Fred Claus (November 2007). Vaughn, Witherspoon set for comedy

This is one of those "weird news" (just my opinion) that you hear once a week. Disney has announced that "it was banning smoking from all its family-oriented films and cutting back on the practice in its adult-themed divisions, Touchstone and Miramax." I am a non-smoker myself, and I do agree that smoking is bad for your health and that it's comparable to using drugs, but this move seems a bit ... silly? I don't think it's the word I'm looking for. Hopefully, this decision by Disney will have some benefits in the future. Disney Kicking the Habit

Here's an interview with Michael Bay, the director of the blockbuster hit Transformers. He talks about death threats from Transformers fans, working with Steven Spielberg, and other stuff. BBC Interview with Michael Bay

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, the latest comedy film by Adam Sandler, topped the American box office during the July 20-22 weekend, pushing last week's number 1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix down to number 2. New musical comedy Hairspray debuts at number 3. ‘Chuck & Larry’ Bests Harry Potter at Box Office Sandler comedy takes US top spot