'Men In Black' To 'Footloose': The Most Memorable Soundtrack Songs That Name-Check Their Movies

When writer/producer/star Seth Rogen was putting the finishing touches on his uproarious action/comedy "Pineapple Express" (due August 8), he commissioned none other than Huey Lewis for a theme song, giving the '80s icon one key request: The name of the movie must be in the lyrics.

"He was like, 'I don't know about that, because "The Power of Love" doesn't have the words "Back to the Future" in it,' " Rogen recalled, shrugging his shoulders. "And then he did it anyway!"

The rockin' results got us thinking about the best (and worst) moniker-dropping songs written solely to shamelessly promote a feature film. With apologies to Oingo Boingo's "Weird Science," "The Never Ending Story" by that dude from Kajagoogoo and the Cult singing about "The Cool World," here are our most memorable soundtrack songs that name-check their movies:

"One Way Love (Better Off Dead)" by E.G. Daily (1985)

Do bands ever play proms anymore? According to every '80s teen movie, no school dance was complete without a really cheesy group that may or may not already be famous (but is still getting booked at local high schools ... hmmm). The '80s-est example has to be E.G. Daily and her backing band in "Better Off Dead," one of John Cusack's first films. Daily was probably best known for her roles in "Valley Girl" and "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," but her performance as a prom singer in a tinfoil-inspired minidress deserves just as much recognition. It's hard to say whether she was asked to squeeze the phrase "better off dead" into the chorus or the lyrics just happened to be there, but it's safe to assume that the studio dictated the song's parenthetical title.

"Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)" by Cobra Starship (2006)

For those too young to remember the majority of this list, Cobra Starship took matters into their own hands by bringing back the name-checking trend with the song "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)." Unlike most of the other songs on this list, Starship's song was entirely voluntary — written without any affiliation to the movie at all. Gabe Saporta and crew were so inspired by the gloriously cheesy movie title that they just had to hit the studio. The song earned its way into the movie's closing credits, and Samuel L. Jackson made a cameo in Starship's music video. Nothing says dance-rock like hundreds of poisonous snakes!

"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. (1984) and "Too Hot to Handle" by Bobby Brown (1989)

Next time you're out in a public place, we dare you to take a deep breath and scream: "Who you gonna call?" Sure, you might get some weird looks, but inevitably a few people will respond, "Ghostbusters"! That theme song, just like the first movie, will be held in our hearts forever as an '80s gem. Less successful was Bobby Brown's song "Too Hot to Handle" from the sequel, which stood the test of time about as well as "Ghostbusters II" did. Brown's neon-filled, cameo-stuffed music video, however, was an appropriate companion piece for Parker's classic clip (was that Peter Falk?) from the original film.

"Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen (1993)

Sorry to bring this party down, but there has never been a name-checking soundtrack song quite as powerful as Springsteen's Oscar- and Grammy-winning track from the 1993 Denzel Washington/ Tom Hanks drama "Philadelphia." Raw, moody and crafted with a minimalist aesthetic, Springsteen rarely performs the song in concert to this day. It captured both its film and its moment in time brilliantly.

"9 to 5" by Dolly Parton (1980)

"Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living," Dolly sang, presumably after chugging down a cup of ambition. She wrote the tune for her acting debut as Doralee Rhodes, and the song inspired women to get through a workday in a male-dominated labor force. Now it just makes us nostalgic for the eight-hour workday. A stage production of "9 to 5" hits Los Angeles in September, and Dolly's description of an office in which "that man is out to get me" will undoubtedly be the show-stopper. That is, if the producers haven't attempted to update the song to something like "7:30 to 6," which just doesn't have the same ring.

"Theme From Shaft" by Isaac Hayes (1971) and "Superfly" by Curtis Mayfield (1972)

One of the few soundtracks to outgross the film it accompanied, "Superfly" was an instant hit. Hayes, meanwhile, kicked in Hollywood's door with an Oscar-winning ode to a black private dick who's a sex-machine to all the chicks. Combined, the two songs capture the true essence of 1970s soundtrack soul. Thanks to those songs, all these decades later, Shaft and Superfly are still remembered as two bad mutha ... shut yo' mouth!

"Footloose" by Kenny Loggins (1984)

Say what you will about the '80s, deep down everbody has a soft spot for Kenny Loggins' leg-shaking song from the movie that made us all want to be within six degrees of Kevin Bacon. The "Footloose" song also has a knack for burrowing deep into your brain and remaining there long after you'd like it to — which might explain why John Lithgow was so intent on banning Bacon's never-ending dance party.

"Goonies 'R' Good Enough" by Cyndi Lauper (1985)

Hand-picked by Steven Spielberg to create the soundtrack for the children's adventure flick, Lauper became so stressed out working 12-hour days that she reportedly wound up in the hospital. This might explain her hit single from the film, which surely wins the award for lyrics having the least to do with the movie. The final two minutes consist of the rainbow-haired songstress endlessly repeating, "Good enough for you/ Good enough for me" (keep in mind, the song is only three and a half minutes long). Naturally, there's no mention of pirate ships, buried treasure or even a "Heeeeeyyy youuuuu guyyyys!" anywhere in the song. Lauper hated the song so much that she didn't put it on a proper album for 20 years. Captain Lou Albano fans, however, will forever treasure its two-part music video.

"Men in Black" (1997) and "Wild Wild West" (1999) by Will Smith

In the history of pop culture, never has there been a man more aware of movie-music synergy than Will Smith. On the downside, both of these songs now feel like an unwelcome visit from a long-forgotten ex and have rendered it impossible to ever listen to Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots" or Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" again without getting caught up Big Willie's alternate, movie-promoting chorus. Hey, come to think of it: Where's our "Hancock" song?

The James Bond themes

Just like the Bond films themselves, some are good (Paul McCartney & Wings' "Live and Let Die"), some are bad (Tom Jones' "Thunderball"), some stand the test of time (Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger"), and others were forgotten by the end credits (Madonna's "Die Another Day"). Still, the best Bond films always give birth to songs that allow us to listen along while some high-profile star (Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Sheena Easton) attempts to force-feed the movie's unwieldy title into a song's chorus. It's just one more reason we can't wait for November's "Quantum of Solace."

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Daniel Craig's Role As James Bond Allowed Him To Become A 'Fool'

James Bond is a man of action, and playing him means Daniel Craig gets to explore many a man's fantasy — world travel, fast cars, fast women. But the lifestyle sometimes takes a toll, and so when Craig took a break between Bonds (after "Casino Royale," before "Quantum of Solace" — check out the "Quantum" trailer right here!), he looked for something a little different and decided to finally play a "Fool."

Craig's friend Baillie Walsh — known for his music videos for INXS, Massive Attack and Oasis — wrote his first feature film, "Flashbacks of a Fool," with the actor in mind. "Luckily, he loved the script," Walsh told MTV News. Craig plays Joe Scott, a movie star more preoccupied by cocaine and group sex than his next gig.

"I'm playing a movie star," Craig laughed. "That might sound a bit arrogant to do something like that. But it's more than that. He was exceptionally successful for a while, but how high up did he go on the ladder of success? To the point where he could have had anything he wanted in his life. That's the point: He threw it all away."

Scott would have been the type of actor you'd expect to see in a franchise like Bond, "but when I wrote it, Dan wasn't Bond," Walsh said. "It makes it more interesting that he is Bond now. And his character — minus some vices — is quite similar to who he is in real life."

The film, which will be released in the U.S. later this year, shows what Craig — or an actor of marquee status like Tom Cruise or Will Smith — could look like if he took his success for granted and started to believe his own mythology at the expense of his family and friends. But Joe Scott gets a chance to reassess his empty life, in which no one, other than a personal assistant played by Eve, actually cares about him. When he gets a phone call alerting him that his childhood best friend has died, Scott looks back at his youth, with the majority of the film taking place in flashback (hence the title). "It's a very simple story," Craig said. "It's about growing up and what we learn when we're children and how that forms who we are as adults. And just the essence of it — about the sh-- we don't deal with when we're growing up, if we don't deal with it, it will come back and get us. It has resonance for everybody."

But the script sat on a shelf for six years while the two friends tried to figure out how to make the movie happen. Meanwhile, Craig's star rose as he got parts in increasingly more high-profile films, including "Layer Cake," which led to him being cast as Bond in "Casino Royale." That, Walsh said, made all the difference, because it meant they could get financing. "Luckily, after his success with Bond, he still wanted to do it," the director said. "And he became an executive producer. His success with Bond enabled the film to happen, to create interest in it, to move it along."

"I just got involved to help drum up the money," Craig said. "You know, pressing the flesh and being nice to people — and you know how much I like doing that. But getting the money is one of the hardest things."

Craig had no such trouble getting the Bond films made — raising $200 million was not one of his responsibilities, he laughed — but he did get more involved with "Quantum" after his experience on "Flashbacks." "That I would be able to sort of dedicate myself and get involved with it and make something of it, that's what made me do it," Craig said. "I wanted Bond to be good."

That process becomes harder and harder as fewer stories are left in Ian Fleming's body of work, Craig said, which is why screenwriter Paul Haggis came up with an original plot for "Quantum" (although the title refers to one of Fleming's stories). "There's nothing left as far as I know," Craig said of Fleming's novels and short stories that have yet to be adapted for film. "The funny thing is, if you read Fleming — which I try to plow through occasionally — there are an awful lot of story lines that have never been used. Obviously, the films are based on the books, but there are still ideas that we can sort of pluck from that are still in there."

But before they figure out the next story line in the franchise, Craig would like a break — from playing Bond and actors who've self-destructed from playing characters like Bond. "I've very much tried to retreat back a bit, and I'm having therapy," he joked. "If I'm promoting a movie, I'll talk about my work, and I'm proud of it, but it's got nothing to do with my private life. I'm not stupid enough to believe that a link between the two wouldn't happen. It's OK. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"

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How Has Looming Actors Strike Affected 'Transformers 2,' 'High School Musical 3,' 'G.I. Joe' And Other Upcoming Films?

LOS ANGELES — In Hollywood, everyone loves a sequel. There's one multimillion-dollar misadventure, however, that few want to revisit.

"The SAG strike can definitely stop you from shooting. It stops everything," "Office Space" writer/director Mike Judge said recently when we asked him about the work stoppage due to hit Hollywood next week. "So I guess it's a pretty big deal."

Just four months after the Writers Guild of America strike brought Hollywood to its knees, the powerful Screen Actors Guild is bracing for the expiration of its contract on Monday, while the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists could share its fate. As before, virtually all work would stop if a strike were to occur, and many of the films and television shows you're eager to watch would return to a sad state of limbo.

"We do have some other movies going, and we have a TV show going through Will and mine's production company," explained Adam McKay, the longtime writer/director pal to Will Ferrell who is currently working with the funnyman on the show "Church of Steve" and movies like "King Dork," "Step Brothers" and an eagerly anticipated "Anchorman" sequel. "We have a TV show shooting in the fall for HBO. We have a new movie that was going to go into production in about two months. So this would knock our legs out from underneath us."

According to various reports, it has similarly affected Ridley Scott's Robin Hood drama "Nottingham" (delayed) and the "Da Vinci Code" prequel "Angels and Demons" (put on hold until after the strike), and has put pressure on talents like Martin Scorsese ("Shutter Island"), Steven Soderbergh ("The Informant"), Peter Jackson ("The Lovely Bones") and Marc Forster (the next James Bond flick, "Quantum of Solace") to wrap things up before the buzzer. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year,""Race to Witch Mountain" and "G.I. Joe" are also said to be rushing through the intersection as the light turns red.

"It's really odd, because we're doing such a big film, and it's taking such a long time," marveled actor Matthew Marsden, whose "Transformers" sequel is going to deal with the strike much like "Demons," using the time to send actors home and work on special-effects shots. "You don't know how long it's going to be paused for and whether we're going to shut down. A lot of movies aren't filming at all, or they're saying that by June 30th, we've got to finish. Well, with 'Transformers,' it's so huge that [director Michael Bay, producer Steven Spielberg and others] can go: 'We'll shut it down and open it back up again.' "

On the television side, there seems to be only one strike-safe scripted program ("24," which canceled a season due to the last strike and now has a full 24 episodes in the can) and a bunch of others who were smart enough to shoot earlier than usual this year just in case. According to Variety, such shows as "Bones" and "My Name Is Earl" embraced such plans, while "Heroes" and "Prison Break" have played reruns and banked new episodes, positioning them well.

"Apparently they've been canceling a lot of promotions so I guess won't be promoting the movie as much," grinned Seth Rogen, the "Pineapple Express" star, who cited the main reason why next month's Comic-Con may be significantly less star-studded than usual. "But whatever. I can live without that."

"[The strike] meant that we are here today," explained Anna Faris, swept up in a massive publicity whirlwind that has the stars of such films as "Pineapple," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," "Step Brothers," "The Dark Knight" and her "House Bunny" doing hundreds of interviews this weekend, even though some of their release dates are two months away.

"All the projects that I'm working on had to finish before it," Faris said of the strike. "Except for the animated film ['Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'], because that will be over the next year that [animators] will be working on that."

Embattled projects also include the comedy "Observe and Report," which Faris and Rogen had to race through earlier this month. "We went into production more quickly than we normally do," she explained of the film, which recently wrapped. "I was brought onboard maybe a week before I was supposed to start shooting — that's a little unusual."

The same applies to Ferrell's "Land of the Lost," the big-budget remake of the classic TV show that discovered striking actors were far scarier than giant dinosaurs. "Oh yeah, they definitely were [racing]," admitted producer McKay with a sigh of relief. "But they wrapped. They're done."

Over the next few months, many TV shows will return, and movies will be released with the usual fanfare. But if this strike lingers for as long as the last one, the well will once again begin to run dry, and Hollywood could be looking at a horror movie that doesn't star Jason, Freddy or Michael Myers.

"I pray that it will not be six months like the WGA strike," said "Superbad" actress Emma Stone. "But at the same time, the writers really banded together and all stood behind it. ... The general idea is that none of us really want a strike. We really hope this gets settled. But if they do strike, hopefully it's not enough time to go on a big vacation.

"Hopefully, we go back to work really soon. Because that was really damaging, the writers' strike, to the industry. We lost $2.5 billion! That's crazy."

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'My Winnipeg': Home In His Head, By Kurt Loder

Nobody makes films that even remotely resemble those of Guy Maddin. Over the past 20 years, the Canadian director has created a pictorial language of stuttery, distressed, halated imagery — the vintage atmosphere of silent movies — that summons waves of memory and obscure longing. In the new "My Winnipeg," his tenth feature, he brings this technique to bear on his snowy hometown, a provincial metropolis about which he has wildly mixed feelings, and which he can't seem to escape, at least in his head. As always, his head is an exotic place to visit.

In voiceover, Maddin tells us that he has returned to "snowy, sleepwalking Winnipeg" in order to exorcise its hold on him. "We sleep as we walk, walk as we dream," he says, reaching back into his childhood and his imagination to show us a profusion of local wonders: children tobogganing down a snow-blanketed garbage mound ("the only hill in board-flat Winnipeg"); the Ballet Club, site of séances back in the 1920s, where the founder danced out messages from beyond; a bridge originally built for Egypt, but which "wouldn't fit the river there"; a surreal field of dead horses, their heads rearing up through the snow as local folk stroll among them.

We learn about his family, especially his mother, a beautician. ("I've often wondered what effect growing up in a hair salon had on me," he says. "In that gynocracy.") As part of this exorcism, Maddin has rented his childhood home, restored it to its original glory ("the crummy sofa, the comfy chair"), and hired a group of actors to portray his family. Since his father is long dead, he arranges, in a dream-state sequence, to have the old man's body exhumed and reinterred under the living-room rug. But it's his mother with whom he's most obsessed — "a force from which I can't turn away for long." (Mom is played by 87-year-old Ann Savage, the unforgettable femme fatale, back in 1945, of the Poverty Row noir classic, "Detour.")

Throughout the film, Maddin cuts away to a train compartment where traveling men sway woozily to the lurching rhythms of their conveyance. It's a dark, mesmerizing image. But are the men on their way to Winnipeg, or are they making their escape? Is Maddin among them? Will he ever be able to say.

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'Wanted': Bullet Time, By Kurt Loder

Here we have a movie that is not a remake. Remember those? And while "Wanted" is a comic book movie, the director, Kazakh filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, has wisely dumped a lot of the schoolboy nihilism that made Mark Millar's six-issue miniseries a sometimes disagreeable read. The picture has other problems, but at least they're fairly original ones.

The plot: James McAvoy plays Wes, a Chicago office drone who hates his loser life: the dead-end job, the hump-busting boss, the whiny girlfriend who's boffing his best bud. Dropping by a drugstore one night, Wes is suddenly accosted by an exotic stranger called Fox (Angelina Jolie), who informs him that his father, whom he'd thought long-dead, was in fact alive until yesterday. "The man who killed him is behind you," she says, eyeballing a sinister figure back among the shampoos and ointments.

There follows a wild shootout-and-car-chase sequence featuring some of the most enormous guns in the history of big-screen pandemonium. The killer, a guy named Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), escapes, and eventually Fox hauls the battered Wes off to a dilapidated textile mill, which turns out to be the headquarters of an ancient fraternity of assassins. These hit folk — bear with me here — trace their origin back a thousand years to a group of medieval weavers, who discovered within the warp and weft of the cloth produced by their magical loom a binomial code revealing the names of dangerous people who needed to be preemptively rubbed out before they could fulfill their evil destiny. Transported to Chicago, the loom is still weaving today, and the rub-outs continue. Okay. Now, Wes' late dad was a member of this homicidal elite — in fact, he was the best of them — and the time has come for Wes to embrace his lethal heritage, join the team, and track down and terminate the elusive Cross. All of this in the service of maintaining a "balance of justice" in the world. Something like that.

Bekmambetov, best known for the Russian neo-vampire movies "Night Watch" and "Day Watch," here helms his first big-budget English-language film. He is a director for whom the term "over-the-top" is a goal, not a putdown. Some of his action effects would surely make a bang-boom specialist like Michael Bay quiver with admiration. I don't think I've seen anything quite like the moment when Angelina Jolie, at the wheel of a hot red kill-mobile, comes screeching sideways toward James McAvoy and scoops him up through the open passenger-side door like a jai alai ball. Or the boldly preposterous sequence in which McAvoy is blocked from blowing away a bad guy by the bulletproof windows of the man's limo, and Jolie, once again at the controls, stomps the gas and rolls their car up and over the limo so that McAvoy can shoot the creep upside-down through an open sunroof.

Great stuff. Too bad the director seems interested in little else beyond virtuoso mayhem — after an hour or so, we start feeling blown away. And I kind of wish Bekmambetov hadn't dropped one of the more enjoyable elements of the comics — in which the assassins are actually a league of supervillains, complete with costumes — and had instead toned down Wes' assassin-training regimen, which entails an endless series of brutal, bloody beatings. Bekmambetov isn't much of a stylist, either. So, while the movie owes a large debt to "The Matrix" (lots of slo-mo "bullet time," among other things), he's unable to approximate that film's sleek visual design. I also found it a little difficult to accept McAvoy as a seething action man (I just can't dispell the memory of his simpering faun in the first "Chronicles of Narnia" movie), and even harder to buy Morgan Freeman, of all people, as the head assassin. And it's not much fun to see the vibrant Angelina Jolie trapped within a character as inexpressive as the stone-faced Fox.

Bekmambetov has a flamboyant talent for this sort of picture, no argument about that; and "Wanted" is certainly more rousing than many another movie unspooling at the omniplex these days. But the film's roiling camerawork and one-note cacophony grow monotonous; and while its conclusion leaves open the possibility of a sequel, I somehow doubt that one will be forthcoming.

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Jason Bateman Says A 'Bent And Twisted' Story Is Ready For 'Arrested Development' Movie

Six months after teasing MTV with news that an "Arrested Development" movie was in the very earliest of stages, "Hancock" star Jason Bateman told an assembled crowd Tuesday night that the Bluths were almost certainly heading to the big screen — and boy will it be strange.

"It's typically bent and twisted," Bateman said of the story concocted by series mastermind Mitchell Hurwitz. "He's got a really, really good idea for the movie version that would not be just simply the equivalent of four episodes back to back to back. It's actually something that would be specific to the medium of film."

A bent and twisted script is exactly what devoted fans of the series would hope for and expect. After all, "Arrested Development," which was canceled in February 2006, introduced such topics as the Never Nude, the puppet Franklin Delano Bluth, and "a family friend with only one arm!"

Bateman smiled. "Who thinks up that [stuff]?"

So what's the holdup? Not Bateman, certainly. And not anyone else actually involved in the show, he insisted. It's the Bluths' biggest problem that threatens to delay the film indefinitely: money.

"We all want to do it. All the actors want to do it, the writers want to do it, and the boss wants to do it. And they are working on making a deal, probably as we speak," Bateman said. "But it's a long, sort of drawn-out, complicated business process. 'Arrested Development' is such a specific tone, it doesn't lend itself to mass appeal, as played out by the fact that it's canceled. So it has to be done for a price. They can't spend the money they spent on 'Hancock.'

"So they have to shoot it for a small price, and we have to figure out if we can do it for that price," he continued. "They're working it out, and hopefully we'll be able to know something in the next month."

In the meantime, keep the series alive, Bateman said — even if you do it by accosting him in the streets.

"When people come up to me [to talk about 'Arrested Development'], I'm right there with 'em," he laughed. "There's some narcissism in it!"

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'WALL-E': Heavenly Creatures, By Kurt Loder

Pixar pictures are becoming awfully same-y, don't you think? The perfectly formed stories; the irresistible characters, brimming with personality; the animation so fiendishly detailed, you want to reach into the frame and pick things up and hold them in your hands? Will this tedium never cease?

Let's hope not. Pixar's latest animated feature, "WALL-E," is one of the studio's best — which is really saying something, I know, but there it is. The story is set on a future Earth that's been trashed and abandoned by its human inhabitants, who took off on an extended space cruise 700 years ago, sending back occasional rocket-ship probes to gauge whether their rusty, dusty home orb has sufficiently recovered from ecological ruin to sustain repopulation. So far, the reports have been negative.

Before splitting, the Earthlings deployed a legion of small, self-contained trash-compacters: a species of cleanup machine called Waste Allocation Load Lifter — Earth Class. Now, the last remaining WALL-E labors alone, zipping around among the towering piles of detritus, striving mightily to tidy up. From time to time, it — well, he — comes across little treasures that catch his goggly eyes: a Rubik's Cube, a wad of bubble wrap, a string of Christmas lights. These he hauls back to his home in a big mobile Dumpster, where he wiles away the nights snacking on imperishable Twinkies; happily bleeping at his only companion, a cockroach; rerunning an old VHS tape of "Hello, Dolly!" and pining for ... something. Romance?

This is not long in arriving. When the faraway humans' latest probe ship arrives, it disgorges a gleaming white pod called an Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator. EVE, as she shall of course be called, is standoffish at first, preoccupied with flitting about in search of the greenery that would constitute an all-clear for the Earthlings' return. Soon, however, her big blue TV eyes are contemplating the adoring WALL-E in a more affectionate light; and after he presents her with a small, leafy plant he's discovered and has been nurturing in a cast-off boot, he, she and it are soon hyper-driving their way back to the humans' mothership. The Axiom, as this vessel is called, is an outer-space version of the floating resorts that cruise aimlessly about the Caribbean: All wants are fulfilled, and the sated passengers — lolling in low gravity and plied with endless junk food (Cupcake in a Cup!) — have swollen into something like post-human manatees, borne about the ship in hovering lounge chairs. Can EVE and WALL-E rouse them from this luxurious squalor and lead them back to the home planet they know only dimly? Let's leave that question to answer itself.

The picture is truly brilliant on several levels. The first half is virtually wordless, and it has the spare, kinetic beauty of silent movies, tapping into pre-verbal pleasure centers we've half-forgotten we have. The characters' anthropomorphic qualities never lapse into simple-minded cuteness, but remain rooted in their mechanical nature. To watch WALL-E rubbing his clamps together in clinking concern is to be charmed beyond all resistance; and his marveling response to the vast, junk-free reaches of outer space makes your heart swell in sympathetic wonder. Pixar has once again burst the boundaries of the animation ghetto, creating a world so intricately worked-out, so ravishing, that we don't feel we're just watching it — we're visiting. And at the end, in that rarest of responses, we don't want to leave.

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'Dark Knight': Is It Good? We Rate The Batman Flick On Key Superhero-Movie Factors

Four things you should know before you read this article: I've seen "The Dark Knight." You haven't. I promise not to spoil anything in the paragraphs that follow. And yes, I do realize what a lucky bastard I am.

Rather than a traditional review, when it comes to the year's most anticipated film, you just want to know one thing: Is it good? With that in mind, here are eight key factors that make a superhero movie sink or swim, and the movie's ratings — from 1 to 10 (10 being best) — in each category:

The "Wow" Factor

This is the strongest category for Christopher Nolan's new masterpiece. Your mouth will drop every time Heath Ledger's Joker walks onscreen, you will want to own a Batpod, and you'll marvel at the increased powers and flexibility in Batman's new outfit. Nolan engineers some brilliant chase scenes, cuts together violent montages reminiscent of "The Godfather" and mixes in enough beautiful cinematography to make the film feel Oscar-worthy. Do yourself a favor and see it in IMAX. Rating: 10

The "Cheese" Factor

Nolan's greatest triumph with "Batman Begins" may have been banishing any semblance of camp from the franchise. History has shown, however, that the longer a "Batman" incarnation continues, the more cheese begins to sneak in. While "Bam!" "Pow!" "Biff!" and nipple-suits are nowhere to be seen, there is an increased reliance this time around on evil henchmen. As these faceless minions are beaten to a bloody pulp time and again by Batman, you might find yourself a bit concerned. While it's doubtful that Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze will be the villain in the next film, all those lackeys seem like a baby step toward Schumacher-ville. Rating: 7

The "Quote" Factor

Like Jack Nicholson before him, every line out of Ledger's mouth feels like it should be on a T-shirt. Every word from the mouths of Michael Caine (as Alfred Pennyworth) and Morgan Freeman (as Lucius Fox) are pearls of wisdom. But the Batman himself speaks a bit stiffer than in the last film, and Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent/ Two-Face won't have you changing your e-mail signature anytime soon. Rating: 7

The "Surprise" Factor

Even if you're the sort of Internet geek who has read every MTV.com Batman story over the past few years, freeze-framed the trailers obsessively and participated in all the guerrilla marketing, you'll still find plenty of unexpected pleasures in "Dark Knight." My only hesitation in this category's grading is that the ending isn't nearly as surprising or unpredictable as that of "Batman Begins." But suffice it to say: Chris Nolan has no problem killing any character at any time. Rating: 7

The "Comic Book vs. Movie" Factor

Much like "Batman Begins," Nolan continues to reinvent the characters as he sees fit. When it comes to the Joker, every move made by Nolan and Ledger is a masterstroke. Unfortunately, Two-Face often pales in comparison. For the most part, however, all of Nolan's choices are as good as, if not better than, his source material. Rating: 8

The "Repeat Viewing" Factor

When this movie ends, you'll want to leave the theater, buy another ticket and go back in for the next show. The film moves very fast, and the plot often becomes quite complicated for a "comic book" movie. Repeated viewings should provide further insight into the motivations of certain characters and will also allow you to savor the finer moments of Ledger's bizarrely beautiful performance. That said, is this the kind of movie that places a reference to the Flash way in the background, fueling team-up talk for sharp-eyed fans? You'll have to go see "Iron Man" again for that kind of thing. Rating: 7

The "Darkness" Factor

There is some messed-up stuff in this movie, and I mean that in the best possible way. Conversely, there are also a few too many deaths that occur off-camera. Ultimately, the film uses Joker's insanity, Harvey Dent's honor and Batman's struggle somewhere in the middle to explore the thin line between hero and villain. You'll leave the theater not only discussing all the cool gadgets, toys and action scenes, but also the psychological tipping points of these men. Ultimately, such intelligence is the most powerful weapon in the "Dark Knight" utility belt. Rating: 8

The "Sequel" Factor

Overall, "Dark Knight" is superior to "Batman Begins." Much of this stems from the film's eagerness to pick up within moments of the last film's conclusion, without any need to explain the origins of anyone. Once the film gets going, you'd better keep up, because things move more rapidly than in "Begins." It's the best "Batman" movie ever made, hands down. Rating: 9

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Charlize Theron Is No Comic Book Geek, But She Promises 'Hancock' Is 'As Unusual As They Come'

If you believe the advertisements for "Hancock," the Will Smith superhero flick destined to dominate July 4th weekend, then Charlize Theron has got a thankless supporting role as Jason Bateman's wife. Never trust the ads. There's more going on with this quite original movie than meets the eye.

And the same can be said for the beautiful and statuesque Theron. She swears like a pirate and has a wickedly dark sense of humor that belies her sweet exterior. Plus, she's one of the most engaging interviews in the business if you find her ready to spar. That she was when MTV News caught up with her for the first time since a memorable March interview in which the Oscar winner revealed she'd never heard of "The Hills."

This time around, we couldn't help asking if she'd caught up on LC and Heidi, and whether she's still got the sexiest potty-mouth in Hollywood.

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Katharine McPhee Goes Back To 'American Idol' Roots With 'House Bunny' Sing-Along

LOS ANGELES — Katharine McPhee has a new song coming out, but you won't be able to find the tune at your local record shop. It's a cover song of the 1982 classic "I Know What Boys Like," it has a "We Are the World"-worthy group of celebrities providing backing vocals, and you can hear it soon — at a theater near you.

"Yes, I will be singing, along with the other ladies," McPhee said of the track when we visited the set of her August 22 flick "The House Bunny," which back then was planning to name itself after the song. "[We'll] be bringing back an old song to life. It's a lot of fun."

For those unaware of the original track, "Boys" was a landmark in the '80s new-wave movement, recorded by Akron, Ohio, band the Waitresses. Mixing playful lyrics, jazz-influenced saxophone and a snotty "nyah-nyah" chorus, the track remains a mandatory inclusion on any '80s compilation. This time around, McPhee has updated the track alongside co-stars Emma Stone, Rumer Willis, Kat Dennings and others.

"She does know," Anna Faris teased her co-star. "We've confirmed it: She does know what boys like."

"We had a ton of fun in the studio, with the girls going in there and giving it their all," McPhee said. "It's very cute, so I had a blast. And it was a lot different than making a record. There was no pressure; it was just a fun thing."

The flick follows Shelly (Faris), a Playboy Bunny who gets tossed out of Hef's house and ends up becoming house mother to the Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority girls. Once the makeovers are complete, the laughs have been had and the lessons are learned, the film's actresses engage in an impromptu music video, with McPhee's "Boys" providing the soundtrack.

"I actually didn't know the song," she explained of the Waitresses' original. "So I had to learn it."

"Not only do I sing it, but a bunch of the girls, we all went into the studio together," the former "American Idol" star explained. "That was another great memory. And Emma rapped!"

"We wrote it out," Stone responded, insisting she's no freestyler. "There'll be no rap album for me, I don't think. I think M.I.A.'s doing it well. If I could be a little more like M.I.A., then maybe I'd try to rap. But I'm going to stick to what I know."

Still, McPhee (who is making her acting debut in "House Bunny") insisted that the 19-year-old "Superbad" star holds her own on the track. "Emma was down with it; she was a really great rapper," McPhee explained, insisting that Stone was the new 50 Cent.

"I did channel him a little bit," she said. "I was a little 50 Cent-like. But I was more like 10 or five. I was, like, nickel."

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Will Smith Says He Would Play Barack Obama On The Big Screen 'As Soon As He Writes The End Of The Story'

Will Smith has played Muhammad Ali, a man in black keeping the world safe from alien invaders, the last person on Earth and, in his new movie "Hancock," a boozy superhero with image problems.

But is the king of the Fourth of July opening ready for the biggest role of his career: Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama? In a word, yes.

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Comment below, or upload your response video at fnmtv.com. We'll put the best comments and videos on TV!

"It's right here," Smith said, holding up his legendarily prominent ears, which are not unlike Obama's lobes. "That's the key. That's the key. America loves ears, you know? Mickey Mouse started it; Goofy and Dumbo followed behind. And America just loves the ears."

All kidding aside, Smith said he's more than willing to sign on for a biographical retelling of the Obama life story, but, he said, not until the tale has a Hollywood-worthy third act. "As soon as he writes the end of the story," Smith said.

Unlike some of his fellow action brethren, though, such as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Smith said he's content to keep his political aspirations confined to the screen. Reminded that Obama has yet to pick a running mate, Smith demurred, saying that's not his game. "Naw, I ... you know, I enjoy being in the movie-star position," he said. "Movie stars tend to have a little bit higher approval rating than politicians."

Back in November, during his MTV/MySpace Presidential Dialogue, Obama was asked who he would like to see play him in a biopic. After asking forum co-host and MTV VJ Sway if he'd be interested in the gig — who turned him down when Obama said he'd have to get a haircut — the senator said Smith would be the right choice, if only because "his ears match mine."

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'Wall-E': Environmental Cautionary Tale Or Just A Robot Love Story?

It's a love story about two lonely robots that may very well represent all that is left of life on Earth, a science-fiction fable about what makes us who we are. It's a tale, according to writer/director Andrew Stanton, about "a little machine with a soul [that] over time finally asks that question: 'There has to be more to life than what I'm doing.' "

"Wall-E," Pixar Animation Studios' latest opus, is certainly all those things, but it's also a movie that "presents a wonderful message about environmental stewardship and conservation," containing "unsubtle jabs at corporate megapowers, out-of-control branding, insidious advertising and rampant consumerism," as CHUD.com's Devin Faraci pointed out in an editorial on his site Monday.

The movie deals with a Waste Allocation robot left on Earth to dig the planet out from under mountains of trash, while what's left of humanity passes the time as gelatinous blobs of flesh in a luxury space cruiser. Both the planet and the people from it are victims of rampant, uncontrolled consumerism.

Given that premise, Faraci and Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood-Elsewhere.com have both chided the film's talent, beginning with Stanton, for reportedly refusing to acknowledge the central themes of "Wall-E" as anything other than byproducts of a Disney love story.

Maybe some of the voice actors didn't get the memo?

"It absolutely is a cautionary tale," said Fred Willard, who appears in the film as the CEO of the insidious Buy n Large, the company seemingly most responsible for Earth's sorry state. "You can suddenly say, 'Boy, it looks a lot like scenes we're already seeing around the world,' with all these floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and natural disasters, which are caused a lot by our economy and damaging our resources. I hope it implants in young people's minds to keep our planet clean and be more conscious of the environment."

"It's also something that is very realistic," added Kathy Najimy, who voices Mary, one of the spaceship's inhabitants. "It's not like 40 billion years from now, we may have this problem. We have this problem right now, if you're talking about the population of junk on this Earth and what Wall-E does for a living."

Stanton himself, while insisting that making an environmental film was not part of an "agenda," acknowledged to MTV News that "Wall-E" had elements that made it somewhat of a warning.

"It's science fiction, not science fact," the director said. "[But] I think that all really good sci-fi films make certain observations about ourselves that just seem like a little bit of a truth about us. You use that to tell your main story ... to amplify the story."

In fact, the only actor with whom MTV News spoke who refused to recognize the film's environmental message was Pixar good-luck charm John Ratzenberger. Asked if he thought the film was cautionary, he said, "No. I think it's fantasy."

But at the end of the day, not putting the environmental message front and center is a good thing, Najimy and Willard said, because the message is front and center in the movie — and it's the movie, not the voices behind it, that has the potential to shape audiences' minds forever.

"It's not scary, and it's not without solutions. I don't like to pose a problem just for the sake of fear," Najimy said of the environmental message. "I like when I'm shown what the problem is or might be and then the ways that I can be part of fixing it."

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'Twilight' Rides: Bella's Beat-Up Pickup Comes To Life On Book-Turned-Movie's Set

PORTLAND, Oregon — A few Twilight Tuesdays ago, we introduced you to one of the iconic automobiles in Stephenie Meyer's blood-soaked, heart-wrenching realm: the Mercedes S55 AMG driven by Dr. Carlisle Cullen. But if that kick-ass automobile is the Millennium Falcon of "Twilight," then this week's special guest is the franchise's iconic U.S.S. Enterprise.

There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new — well new to me — truck. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my surprise, I loved it. I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged — the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed. - Bella's narration from "Twilight," Page 8

"Bella's truck is bigger and it's different," "Twilight" star Taylor Lautner explained when we caught up with him on set, giving us a tour of the iconic auto. "You'll see Edward in the Volvo, and [Carlisle's] Mercedes, and the Range Rover and all those expensive things, and Bella pulls up ... with this red truck. It's just this old truck — and I love it, because it shows how she's different from everybody here."

I cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to me. - Page 14

When MTV visited the Portland set, we found Bella's reddish-orange '53 Chevy pickup resting quietly in a driveway alongside the mansion being used for the Cullen garage and meadow scenes. Much as it is described in the novels, it looked like it would require a tow truck if it wanted to go anywhere. Seeing the vehicle in person sends an extra shiver down a fan's spine, since most of the "Twilight" vehicles were suggested to Meyer by her brothers Jacob and Paul, but the Chevy came straight out of her own imagination. Naturally, the Internet was recently flooded with fans grabbing video and photos of themselves next to Bella's ride during the days it was on the streets. (For more on "Twilight" fans, check out this week's Twilight Tuesday blog post!)

"Bella's truck is awesome," marveled Ashley Greene when we spoke with her. "I've gotten to see all the Cullen cars, and that was pretty cool."

"But she's very different from the Cullens," Lautner explained of the truck's relationship to its owner. "[That's why] the truck's very interesting. It's old, and it's beat-up."

When I got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home I had in this damp green hole. I sat inside for a while, just staring out the windshield blankly. But soon I was cold enough to need the heater, so I turned the key and the engine roared to life. I headed back to Charlie's house, fighting tears the whole way there. - Page 28

The truck is the sanctuary of Isabella Marie Swan, particularly during those difficult first days at Forks High School. It helps her navigate the rain-slicked streets of the town — and, during one pivotal sequence in the novel (and movie, as seen in the trailer), it almost leads to her death.

I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I heard an odd sound. ... Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, starting at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes. - Page 57

"It's from Jacob," Lautner explained of his significance to the vehicle, purchased from Jacob's dad by Bella's father, Charlie (Billy Burke). "Jacob is part of the Quileute tribe, so they're not really rich or anything. So that's why he's driving an old beat-up truck too."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see you behind the wheel, Jake," [Charlie] said disapprovingly. "We get permits on the rez," Jacob said. - Page 236

In a beautiful display of art imitating life, the 16-year-old Lautner appeared on the "Twilight" set just days after earning his own driver's license, eager to prove to the film's producers that he could get behind the wheel. Just like Bella, his first days of driving were spent behind the wheel of the '53 Chevy.

"I've got my license in my back pocket to show them I'm OK, and I won't kill them — hopefully," he said. "And I'm going test out driving Bella's truck.

"It's really old and beat-up, and that's the one without the power steering," he said of getting used to Bella's ride. "So I'm going to be driving with my dad right next to me."

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Clint Eastwood On 'Changeling' With Angelina Jolie, 'Gran Torino' And Reuniting With Morgan Freeman

It's tempting to qualify Clint Eastwood as the finest filmmaker still working in his or her late 70s, but it somehow diminishes what he's been able to accomplish. Just look at his work in the last two decades: "Unforgiven," "Mystic River," "Million Dollar Baby," "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima." Take out the age qualifier and ask any film lover: He's one of the best, period.

And while he's happy to look back (check out part one of our Eastwood interview all about the new "Dirty Harry" DVD), it's very clear his eye is on the future. With "The Changeling," starring Angelina Jolie, set for a fall release, he's about to shoot another film astoundingly also set for release in just a few months, "Gran Torino."

Little has been known about the project until now. Eastwood revealed to MTV News why "Torino" inspired him to act again, why Jolie was cast in "Changeling" and whether he's entertaining thoughts of retirement.

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'Get Smart' Gets #1 Debut At Box Office, While 'The Love Guru' Bombs

The Box-Office Top Five

1. "Get Smart" ($39.2 million)
2. "Kung Fu Panda" ($21.7 million)
3. "The Incredible Hulk" ($21.6 million)
4. "The Love Guru" ($14 million)
5. "The Happening" ($10 million)

Inspired by the classic television show of the same name, "Get Smart" scored big this weekend, easily beating all challengers to come in at #1 at the domestic box office. How good did it do? Would you believe that it made a million dollars for every year it's been off the air? Missed it by that much.

No need to send down the Cone of Silence; with $39.2 million, the revamp exceeded expectations on its way to becoming the biggest live-action opening in Steve Carell's career. (And for the record, "Get Smart" last aired 38 years ago.)

In second place, "Kung Fu Panda," starring Jack Black and Angelina Jolie, continued to hold strong, falling only 35 percent in its third weekend. With $21.7 million, the animated action flick soared past $150 million domestic, making it a solid bet to hit $200 million by the end of its run.

"The Incredible Hulk," meanwhile, should be so lucky. Thought by analysts to have the potential for more box-office stamina than its predecessor, Ang Lee's "Hulk," the Edward Norton movie fell a whopping 61 percent in its second week. That number is an improvement from Lee's "Hulk" — but only slightly. At issue may be the character himself. Although immensely popular in comic book form, Hulk isn't much of a cinematic hero. Our solution? Listen to director Louis Leterrier and make him a villain already.

The biggest story of the weekend, however, isn't green — it's a lack of it. Returning to live action after a lengthy hiatus, Mike Myers' brand of schlocky humor proved to be box-office kryptonite as "The Love Guru" was good for just $14 million. Despite making a wide range of appearances, including a stint as host of the 2008 MTV Movie Awards 2008 MTV Movie Awards, Myers' shtick obviously wasn't working with audiences or journalists, who universally panned the film while deriding its star. Perhaps he should hire a new publicist?

"The Happening" came in fifth place with $10 million, pushing it past $50 million in its second weekend.

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Clint Eastwood Talks About How He Ended Up In 'Dirty Harry,' Whether He'd Return To The Iconic Role

He's been known by many names — including, ironically, a man who didn't have a name — but none fits him better than Dirty Harry. Clint Eastwood may have long ago traded his signature .44 Magnum (you might have heard that it's the most powerful handgun in the world) for a director's chair and worldwide acclaim as one of our finest auteurs, but he's more than happy to ruminate on the role that perhaps best-defined his career in front of the camera.

On Monday (June 23), the film "Dirty Harry" turns 37 and has never looked better, thanks to a just-released special-edition DVD set. Collected together with its four sequels (check out "Sudden Impact" for the famous "Go ahead: Make my day" line and "The Dead Pool" for an early Jim Carrey turn) or available on its own, the original stands as a unique document from the era in which it was born.

Eastwood reminisced with MTV News about the legacy of "Dirty Harry," how the famed cop was almost played by a beloved crooner and whether Harry Callahan will protect our streets again. Never say never.

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Independent Movie-News Sites Declare War On <i>Variety</i> And <i>Hollywood Reporter</i>

It's the classic story of an all-powerful empire battling upstart rebels who want more freedom for the masses. Words have been exchanged, lines have been drawn, and the most sizable battle in this war is under way. It's the kind of plot that would make for a great movie — but who'd break the casting news?

Recently, Collider.com Editor in Chief Steven Weintraub fired a shot across the bow of Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, two traditional media magazines that have been covering the film industry for a combined 181 years. After providing untold thousands of links to the trade magazines' sites when referencing news they first reported, Weintraub and several other popular film Web sites formally declared that they were sick of not being given the same courtesy.

Now, a fast-growing number of "new media" sites are boycotting the "old media" magazines that pioneered film journalism. And things are starting to get ugly.

"The battle is worth fighting, because we're doing actual journalism, and we don't get the credit we deserve," insisted Weintraub, whose site launched in July 2005 and has since broken major stories of film deals, castings and behind-the-scenes drama. "Unlike the trades, we have to fight to land any story."

"There's inevitable resentment between the bloggers and Variety," Variety Editor in Chief Peter Bart said. "If someone has a big story in the entertainment business, the first thing they are going to do is get it to Variety. They are not going to start saying, 'Which bloggers can we feed?' "

Although there have been plenty of incidents over the years leading up to this war, the breaking point came recently when two movie stories broke. On May 24, 2007, Collider.com broke the news of the development of a "Lone Ranger" movie, which The Hollywood Reporter reported as news 10 months later without any acknowledgement. Around the same time, LatinoReview.com unraveled a cryptic quote that "Juno" director Jason Reitman had given to MTV.com about his next project to expose his attachment to the book "The Air Up There," only to have their investigative work picked up by Variety, without mention of the seven-year-old Web site.

"We are damn good at what we do, and deserve some common courtesy," Latino Review reporter "El Mayimbe" said of the Reitman story. "Link to [the trades] every day? No, we won't."

"The Latino Review situation was like an electric current to the testes," sighed Clint Morris of MovieHole.net. "You can't help but get worked up about that. You go to work, you sweat over your job, you go home. Who gets your pay and credit? The fat f--- down the road with front-row tickets to the Celine Dion concert."

As of this writing, Collider's boycott effort has been joined by such well-traveled geek sites as Latino Review, FilmSchoolRejects.com, ScreenRant.com, SlashFilm.com, FirstShowing.net, IESB.net, MovieHole.net and Bloody-Disgusting.com. As it continues to gain momentum, the boycott could cut into the significant traffic sent to Variety.com and HollywoodReporter.com by sites that once linked to them several times a week.

"Print still holds its own," Bart said of the state of his magazine, as this boycott was getting under way. "With all the [Internet] change, the circulation of Variety is just where it was 30 years ago."

"If anything, this will send a message to Peter Bart and the higher-ups at Variety that we do exist," explained Neil Miller, executive editor of Film School Rejects. "We should be recognized, and we are not going to stand for this blatant disrespect that they have shown us as independent movie Web sites."

"You can't link to everybody; there's a lot of cyberspace," Bart countered. "Absolutely, we do link to a lot of people, and on the rare cases when someone beats us, we are delighted to mention them. ... People out there are working at home on their computers; [they] want the attention and deserve it."

While The Hollywood Reporter turned down interview requests for this story, the following statement was issued: "We are committed to upholding our editorial standards amidst the challenges of the fast-paced media world. We respect the efforts of film-focused blogs, and work hard to ensure that information published in The Hollywood Reporter that is derived from other sources is routinely and properly credited."

The sites involved in the boycott, however, claim that such statements are lip service, and the trades rarely update their stories with proper credit when contacted by the indie sites.

"We have tried countless amounts of time; they never respond," IESB.net owner/editor Robert Sanchez complained. "[For the film 'G.I. Joe'] we broke the news on Stephen Sommers directing, Stuart Beattie as the writer and the castings of Destro, Zartan, Cover Girl and Storm Shadow. The Hollywood Reporter ran a story on the Destro casting the very next day."

Since the boycott was announced, however, signs have emerged that the Hatfields and the McCoys might be willing to put down their guns. The Reporter credited AintItCoolNews.com in a recent item about Robert Rodriguez's new TV show, while a Variety blog recently pointed its readers to "Hulk" stories at Film School Rejects and Cinematical.com. And such trade reporters as Borys Kit and Anne Thompson have offered recent support for film sites.

"Whenever a Web site breaks any kind of news that gets picked up more widely, the mainstream media seem only to credit their counterparts," observed Sci-Fi Wire news editor Patrick Lee, insisting such links are only the tip of the iceberg. "Web sites are somehow considered less than legitimate, or easily poachable."

It's an ongoing battle that will define the future of how moviegoers receive news on upcoming releases, a hunger that seems to grow with each passing year. So we asked both sides: How will the relationship between the trades and the sites change in the years to come?

"Little will change. The big guy is always going to be the big guy; the little guy is always going to be the little guy," Morris said. "Though, I'll gladly take Bart's spot on 'Sunday Morning Shootout.' "

"I think we'll all grow together. I really do, and I think to some degree we want it," Bart offered. "I would like to have us develop a blog of blogs, where we get a highlight reel of the best blogs that deal with the entertainment media. I think that will happen before long, and I think that would ameliorate some of these concerns."

"I see an integration of the two mediums; not necessarily a partnership, but a last desperate attempt at survival for the trades," Film School Rejects associate editor Brian Gibson insisted. "I can see some of the sites being purchased, or their writers being hired by the trades. This could cause a positive influence on how the trades view online journalism. ... I just hope that by the time that they attempt to show us respect and courtesy, it isn't when they are on their way to the unemployment line."

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'Get Smart': Maxed Out, By Kurt Loder

Why do they keep doing this? Why do they keep brewing up movies from the soggy dregs of old '60s TV series? Like other such awkward projects ("Wild Wild West," "The Avengers"), the new "Get Smart" is uncertain exactly what it wants to be. The original show, created by gag maestros Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, began airing in 1965, in the midst of a spy-movie craze that had been launched by the first three Bond films. That very particular cultural context being long gone, this movie is left with a narrative premise — secret spy agency battles international bad guys with a barrage of shpritzy one-liners — that has no contemporary cognate. And so the filmmakers have striven mightily to refashion their antique material into something, anything, else. What they've come up with is an uneasy amalgam of slapstick comedy, half-hearted romance and, most desperately, rampaging action. The picture is funnier than you might expect, though, and if your expectations are bare-minimal, it might occasionally pass for hilarious.

Fans of the original TV show may be puzzled by this lackluster update (it's not worth getting angry about). But of course they aren't the film's target demo, which is a new audience that's too young to remember the old series and must therefore be courted with more up-to-date inducements. Fortunately, the movie has a sharp cast: Steve Carell as the bumbling spy Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway as the beautiful Agent 99, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (his old wrestling handle soon to be an unnecessary credits appendage) as the stalwart Agent 23, and Alan Arkin as their flustered chief, Chief. A few tokens of the old series have been carried over: Maxwell's silly shoe phone, the malfunctioning Cone of Silence, the telephone-booth entrance to the headquarters of the underground agency, which is still called CONTROL (an acronym that still stands for nothing). But there's no attempt to simulate the '60s: The story has been updated to the age of the iPod. Unfortunately, this adds a new layer of implausibility to a tale that was only loosely moored in any recognizable reality to begin with.

The gags that work, however, are almost worth sitting through the ones that don't. (Maxwell's acing of an agency test with an essay on existentialism — even though, as he says, "I left that section blank" — has the shape of a joke, but doesn't scan when you think about it.) There's plenty of vintage ba-da-bing ("Welcome back. How was the assassination?"), and Carell's gift for physical comedy puts across such slapstick set pieces as a one-man mini-crossbow struggle in an airplane lavatory (don't ask) and an elaborate and surprisingly sweet dance-off in which he partners with the very large and entirely lovable actress Lindsay Hollister. Johnson once again demonstrates a precise light-comic touch; and the veteran Arkin, now 74, has, of all things, a couple of funny fight scenes.

Unfortunately, Hathaway's character — here upgraded from the adoring sidekick of the TV show to a thoroughly modern butt-kicker — is written with blithe disregard for the need to make at least a little bit of sense. She spends most of the movie sneering at Maxwell, her unwanted new partner, and then, for no persuasive reason, suddenly falls in love with him. Since Hathaway and Carell have no particular romantic chemistry, this attempt at forcing a relationship is a watch-checking waste of time. Hathaway is too talented to be given such short shrift.

As is the plot — something about a terrorist scheme to nuke the president of the United States (James Caan, putting in a pointless appearance) during a symphony concert in Los Angeles. (Los Angeles?) The terrorists here are a vaguely constituted crew of goons bearing no resemblance to the terrorists we know so well today. These people, members of the rival spy agency KAOS, are Russians (I think), although they're led by a character named Siegfried (Terence Stamp, underutilized), who appears to be German. By about halfway through the movie, this strained scenario begins to drag woefully. And a sudden avalanche of road-chase action at the end, despite some impressive stunt work, is a big-bucks climax that seems to come careening in from another movie. Not necessarily a better one, either.

"Get Smart" is a piffling summer diversion. Unsurprisingly, Steve Carell is the best reason to see it. But even his distinctive comic persona — the deeply deadpan puzzlement, the occasional, unexpected glow of human warmth — may not be reason enough.

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel Live Out A Pop Song In '500 Days Of Summer'

What can you say about Zooey Deschanel that hasn't already been said? She's lovely, she's talented — she's positively one of a kind.

Well, OK, she's not exactly one of a kind on the set of her newest film, "500 Days of Summer," where MTV News was treated to 16 identical Zooeys, including the genuine article herself, all dressed in the same blue dress with a cute little headband holding back their black, shoulder-length hair.

Now, 16 Zooeys aren't a common sight in downtown Los Angeles, especially just a few blocks away from Skid Row (or anywhere, for that matter). But then, neither is a Hall & Oates sing-along or a parade of dancers led by Deschanel's co-star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But wander onto the set of this new genre-twisting romantic comedy on any given day, as MTV did Wednesday, and you're likely to see all that and more, Gordon-Levitt playfully announced.

"I play the character of Tom. He's a hopeless romantic, a lovesick young man who falls in love with [Zooey's character] Summer, and he gets dumped," Gordon-Levitt revealed. "The thing is, the movie is all from the point of view of this guy, and this guy has watched way too many movies and listened to far too many pop songs. So his life becomes a pop song."

(Zooey gave us an update the second album from She & Him, her band with M Ward.)

And he means literally: His character not only breaks out in song at several points but even leads at least two rousing dance numbers during the course of the movie, including an especially complicated routine after the couple spends their first night together.

"Yeah, the time he finally sleeps with the girl, it breaks into a dance number," Gordon-Levitt smiled. "I get to be that dude!"

"He just got the girl he didn't think he could get, and he wakes up the next morning and it's the greatest day ever," writer Scott Neustadter added. "That's where the dance number comes from. That feeling is something you can relate to. You've never been in a parade, dancing, but you can relate to that feeling of 'What a great morning it is' or 'I'm the center of the universe because I did what I never thought I could do.' "

Neustadter and director Marc Webb call it the "kitchen-sink mentality," the film's relentless pursuit of any sort of levity. But the singing, the dancing and the 16 Zooeys are all part of a master plan, Gordon-Levitt insisted, a style that takes its cues from romantic comedies like "Annie Hall" and "High Fidelity."

Whereas in most movies the plot forces the action forward, here the plot sometimes forces the action backward, or sideways, or not at all, the actor said, since the film isn't actually about what happens at all, but about how his character remembers what happens.

"It's a story chopped up into 500 days, but you don't see all 500 days from beginning to end, from the time they meet until the end of the story. It's not told in order. It's more like him thinking back on these 500 days with this girl, Summer. One day reminds him of another day," Gordon-Levitt explained. " 'I remember when I walked to work because I was all happy because we just had sex for the first time, and that reminds me of that day 100 days later when we'd already broken up and I was horribly depressed.' That's the way the story is told."

In the scene we witnessed, for instance, Tom is taking the bus the day after Summer breaks up with him. And as people still in love are wont to do, he begins to see her everywhere. Hence the 16 Zooeys, all fitting his idealized version of the girl he loves.

Silly? Absolutely. But that's just the way it should be, Gordon-Levitt said.

"Not that love shouldn't be overly romanticized, it should be. But there's a way to do it in a childish way, and there are ways to do it in a more manly way," he said. "I guess that's what '500 Days of Summer' is all about."

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Seth Rogen Says Kevin Smith's 'Porno' Is Having Trouble Getting An R Rating Instead Of NC-17

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Are Zack and Miri making a controversy?

MTV News recently caught up with fast-rising funnyman Seth Rogen, who is busy these days making his first Judd Apatow-free films since the super-producer aided his "Knocked Up"/ "Superbad" breakthrough. And while he always stays true to his reputation as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, the star admitted that it's been a little bit harder lately to keep that famous smile on his face.

"The MPAA is gunning for us, I think," sighed Rogen, discussing the current difficulties he and director Kevin Smith are encountering during the rating process of their highly anticipated October comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno." "It's a really filthy movie. I hear they are having some problems getting an R rating from an NC-17 rating, which is never good."

Sure, the title alone would seem to indicate a natural conflict with the Motion Picture Association of America. But the film, about two platonic friends whose monetary needs have them making a sex tape but eventually falling for each other, sounds like vintage romance-through-rudeness fare from writer/director Smith. And if he was able to give his fans all those fellatio jokes in "Clerks," the finger-cuffs references in "Chasing Amy" and the donkey-show performance in "Clerks 2," then what's the problem?

"They are really f---ing around with us," Rogen said, only half-joking. "Those di--s!

"A guy f---ing a donkey, they ain't got no problem with," he continued. "But a man and a woman having sex they seem to have real issues with, for some weird reason. It's insane. It's completely insane."

It might be a bit out of character to hear such comments from a comedian beloved for his hearty laugh and easygoing attitude, both of which were most recently glimpsed when he smoked "weed" with James Franco at the MTV Movie Awards. But the fact remains that the MPAA has a long history of censoring love scenes in films like "The Cooler" or "Team America: World Police," while permitting graphic violence in R-rated films like the "Saw" or "Hostel" series.

"They [fight against] sex stuff. Isn't that weird? It's really crazy to me that 'Hostel' is fine, with people gouging their eyes out and sh-- like that," Rogen shrugged. "But you can't show two people having sex — that's too much."

We weren't able to reach Smith or the MPAA for comment on Rogen's remarks. But Rogen, who is also busy these days shooting the comedy "Observe & Report" opposite Anna Faris, added that no matter which rating "Zack and Miri" carries when it opens nationwide on Halloween, he's done with the mysterious, anonymous board that makes such judgment calls.

"The MPAA? It's my mission to sue the MPAA and take them down," he insisted. "I don't know how to go about doing that. But to me, it seems like it's something that has to be taken care of."

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