What's In Store For Robert Pattinson's Post-'Twilight' Future?

HOLLYWOOD— There was a time when it seemed like Paul Walker was the next big thing — before he gave us "Timeline," "Into the Blue" and "Running Scared." Remember when Jon Heder seemed like the biggest star in the world, right before "Just like Heaven," "School for Scoundrels" and "Mama's Boy"? And then there was that Matt Damon guy, another overnight sensation who then went and made a bunch of "Bourne" and "Ocean's" movies.

OK, so things worked out for that last guy. The point is that when you're hot and new in Hollywood, you not only have to act fast — you have to act in good movies. And right now, there's nobody hotter than "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson. So, what's he going to do next?

"I don't know," the newly christened A-lister said to MTV when we asked him if he was trying to "get" anything out of his recent Oscars attendance — be it more recognition, new celebrity friends or even a job offer. "I don't know what to get out of it."

The refreshing thing about RPattz is that he's exactly as the Twilighters like him: honest, self-deprecating and unceasingly handsome. The bad news for his millions of fans, however, is that he pulled out of the film he was supposed to be making right now — and with the news that "Twilight" sequels have him booked through at least late 2010, they have to wonder: Is he waiting too long to make a non-"Twilight" film?

"I haven't worked since the end of 'Twilight,' I've just been doing promotion stuff," Pattinson explained to us on the red carpet at the Oscars.

"But I have a gap in between, so I might do something in there, maybe," he revealed of a small window between "New Moon" and "Eclipse" that could have him filming something new in late 2009. "I'm just relieved that I can kind of do anything [different]."

Of course, Twilighters can look forward to the May 8 release of "Little Ashes," the long-awaited Salvador Dalн biopic he filmed before "Twilight" gave him fame. But as for his pivotal first post-Edward Cullen choice — the one that could determine if he becomes a Mark Hamill or a Harrison Ford — Pattinson said he isn't sure which Hollywood script he'll select.

"I don't know, just scripts randomly appeal to me," he explained of his role-selection process. "I'm not looking specifically at any genre."

Since "Twilight" made him an overnight star, Pattinson has been flooded with hot Hollywood scripts — but, he insisted, there isn't any common element that he is looking for in them. "There're a few things," he said. "And they are all completely different, so I don't know."

Pattinson is surprised, however, by how many "heartthrob" scripts are being sent his way. No matter how many women pledge their allegiance to his dreamy eyes and unwieldy hair, the English actor insists that he just can't think of himself as a beefcake.

"I'm so surprised it's worked out [that way]," he said of his status as a sex symbol. "I was just thinking the whole time that I've never had the personality to fit into that. I'm not really afraid of it, because I don't even know how to play up that aspect."

Still, Pattinson insisted, whenever he does select his first post-"Twilight" role, it likely won't be a traditional Romeo. "I don't know if I could ever be cast in a heartthrob role except for 'Twilight,' " he insisted. "And I didn't even know that was a heartthrob role."

Check out everything we've got on "New Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Demi Lovato Wants To Be 'Funnier' In 'Camp Rock' Sequel

Demi Lovato may be one of the luckiest girls in the world. Not only has she starred with the Jonas Brothers in two movies, "Camp Rock" and "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience," but very soon the Disney princess will be back on set with the guys for the sequel to "Camp Rock."

Although she's excited to get back to work on the sequel, she's still a bit fuzzy on the details. "I haven't seen the script yet," she told MTV News. "I know just as much as you do, and I don't even know when I'm filming it other than this fall."

Though Lovato has no control over what will happen to her character, Mitchie Torres, but she does have some ideas. "I'd like her to stay the same, maybe a little more true to herself," she said. "I guess funnier."

Before she hits the "Camp Rock" set again, she will be hard at work on the follow-up to her album, Don't Forget. "We just started working on the first few songs this week," she said. "It's kind of changing from rock to more soulful and has more bluesy songs, but at the same time it will have rock, but more myself."

Lovato added that the new album will reflect influences from singer-songwriters like James Morrison, John Mayer and John McLaughlin "It's definitely more mature," she said. "There's a lot more instruments. We haven't really done too much work on the album, so I can't really make a lot of observations. What I hope to hear is more music that comes from my heart."

With an album underway, that may mean Lovato's next tour could be the subject of her own 3-D concert movie. "I would like to [do one]! That'd be awesome," she said. But she did have one reservation about doing it: "I've got to remind myself not to sweat somehow, 'cause when you're onstage it might be kind of hard not to sling sweat at someone in 3-D!"

Check out everything we've got on "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Seth Rogen Confirms 'Green Hornet' Director: It's Michel Gondry!

Seth Rogen's high-profile superhero movie has a brand-new director — one of the most distinctive visionaries in Hollywood — and the star can only use three words to describe how he's feeling about it.

"It's f---ing crazy!" he said when we spoke with him Tuesday, accentuating the point with his trademark laugh (which was imitated by Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard backstage at the Oscars).

His new "Green Hornet" collaborator is none other than Michel Gondry, the eye-popping auteur who gave us "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,""Be Kind Rewind," and too many classic music videos to list here. Capping off an exhaustive search, the "Pineapple Express" funnyman said Gondry is the perfect director for his comedic take on the crime-fighting newspaper publisher who first slipped into his green mask in 1936.

"Me and [co-writer] Evan [Goldberg] have always been gigantic fans of [Gondry]," Rogen beamed. "We just like anyone who thinks outside the box, and there's really nobody who thinks more outside the box then he does; he's really a magician in a lot of ways."

Serving as writer, producer and star of the film that begins shooting soon, Rogen admitted that he had always been pulling for Gondry to land the high-profile gig — and even helped the French filmmaker get an inside track. "I've actually been e-mailing with him for a really long time, because he was involved with the project a long time ago," he explained. "With the permission of nobody, I sent him our script ... to get his input and ideally convince the studio to meet with him. They were skeptical of ... I wouldn't say his ability to make a giant budget studio movie, but his willingness to make a giant budget studio movie. But he loved the script, he totally got it, which a lot of [potential directors] just didn't."

Gondry loved the "Green Hornet" script so much, in fact, that he began filming it immediately. "To convince the studio to let him do it, he filmed a fight scene on his own," Rogen marveled. "He just hired stunt men and did it by himself! Just to show some of the stuff he could do, some of the weird filming techniques he has and some of the stuff he can pull off. I mean, this is something he did in two days and it was instantly unlike anything you've ever seen before. It was impossible not to hire him once he presented what he could do for it."

Now, Rogen and Goldberg are looking forward to blending their unique "Superbad" sensibility with a decades-old crime-fighter and a thoroughly modern filmmaker. And while he assured us that the result will prominently feature Gondry's knack for making ordinary things look extraordinary, he was quick to say that the film won't simply be the Gondry we've come to expect.

"My direct quote to [Gondry] right before he met with the studio was, 'You have to convince them they're not gonna show up on set one day and everything is gonna be made out of cardboard,' " laughed Rogen. "And he said, 'I can definitely do that.' "

"["The Green Hornet"] will be a great combination of both of our movies, of both of our styles," Rogen said of the film, which hits theaters June 25, 2010. "It should have the type of conversational tone and comedy that me and Evan have been doing — and some of the action that we have been starting to try to do — along with the wild, visual imagination and funny awkward sensibility that he's been doing."

Check out everything we've got on "The Green Hornet."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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'Street Fighter' Stars Bring Real Action To The Screen

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Imagine that you're a professional thespian, challenged with the opportunity to portray a tiny, pixilated video game character who rarely speaks. Backstory? The character looks like a badass and can throw fireballs. Your motivation? Apparently it's to rip your opponent's spine out and accumulate extra lives.

"The advantage, I think, is that there's already something there — like a platform to grow from," observed 26-year-old "Smallville" star Kristin Kreuk, who plays the title character in the new video-game-to-movie "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li." "The disadvantage? There are a lot of individual viewpoints on how that person should be, because all of these people have a really wonderful, personal experience with that character. Just like anything that is pre-existed, it is a challenge to find your own way through that when there are so many pre-existing ideas."

And, ultimately, portraying one of the iconic characters from the "Street Fighter" franchise (first introduced in 1987) is a matter of capturing the same mix of toughness, eccentricity and affinity that has made millions of gamers fall in love with Vega, Dhalism, M. Bison and all the rest.

"Dion Lam, the way he choreographed everything was incredible," explained Neal McDonough, who plays the evil Bison in the film and gives significant credit of "character development" to the movie's action director. "We put it all up on the screen — we worked so hard and so many hours to get in shape and do the right stuff. And we're very proud of it."

But ultimately, the Street Fighters are tough. And to get into the right mind-set to portray them, you can't be calling in your stuntman every time things get sweaty.

"We didn't have stunt doubles," revealed Michael Clarke Duncan, who plays Balrog in the film. "I wish I had a stunt double, but I didn't."

"I had a stand-in," grinned Taboo, the Black Eyed Peas hitmaker who plays the deadly assassin Vega in his film debut. "But he just stood there."

"I loved my stand-in; he was my size," remembered McDonough, a Massachusetts-born actor who traveled to Thailand to shoot the film. "I walk on the set, I see a guy in a suit, blond hair. I'm like, 'Wow, they found a guy that looks like me!' He turned around and it was this Asian cat. He was 6-3, 130 pounds. I was like, 'Well, it looks like I'll be doing all my own stunts for this movie!' "

At the end of the day, however, there's only one true stunt that the "Street Fighter" actors needed to get right: their signature move. Much like "Mortal Kombat," the "Street Fighter" games raised an entire generation of kids who know that, for instance, you can perform Vega's wall leap in "Street Fighter II" by pressing down for two seconds, then pressing up and any kick button, then waiting until you're in mid-air and pushing the D-pad up, along with any punch button.

"Me and Kristen had a scene where we're fighting on a fence," Taboo said proudly. "Do you remember that part where I slashed the fence? That was a tribute to the game!"

In the real world, however, the actors' signature moves wouldn't be nearly as exciting as Bison's Flying Psycho Fist or Zangief's Siberian Bear Crusher.

"In real life, if I'm on the street?" Kreuk said of her method to taking down an opponent. "Can negotiation count? Conversation. A very nice conversation and we're all good."

"I'd do something subtle like a sleeper hold," reasoned Clarke Duncan. "Not to hurt them, just to subdue them."

"I'd just hug it out," grinned McDonough, the film's villain. "I'm a lover; that's what I do. I'm Bison the hugger."

Check out everything we've got on "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Demi Lovato Would Love To Sing On 'New Moon' Soundtrack

Sure most ladies, if given the opportunity and the talent, would jump at the chance to pen a love song for vampire Edward Cullen. But Demi Lovato isn't going to restrict herself to just one "Twilight" heartthrob.

The 16-year-old Twilighter and "Sonny With a Chance" star let it slip to MTV News that she might be a fan of Bella's werewolf pal Jacob (played in the movie by Taylor Lautner). "Edward Cullen — I would write a love song to him," the singer/actress said, before giddily adding, "Or Jacob Black!"

Lovato also said she'd love the chance to participate in any way possible in "New Moon," the movie's hotly anticipated sequel, though she's sure being on the soundtrack is her best bet. "I think it'd be cool to be in the soundtrack," she told MTV News. "Maybe, but ... it's like anything that would happen that'd be awesome. I don't know if I'd make a good vampire or a good werewolf."

Lovato isn't the only Disney star who has expressed interest in joining the "Twilight" phenomenon. Earlier this month, the Jonas Brothers expressed interest in working on "New Moon" in some capacity.

"The movie was obviously a huge success, and if they asked us to be a part of [the sequel], that would be great," Nick Jonas said about the prospect of writing a song for the movie. "It would be really cool."

Although the guys had yet to see the flick, Joe said, "I have heard it's a great movie."

"We're looking forward to seeing it," Nick added. "We've been a little busy, so it's kinda hard to get the movies, but we'll see it."

"Typically, we'll get the advance DVDs and watch them on plane rides or something," Kevin said of the band's attempts to keep up with Hollywood's latest hits during their busy touring schedule. "So, hopefully, we'll do that."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga's New Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Watchmen' Director Reveals Key Differences Between Graphic Novel, Film

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Imagine filming "Harry Potter," but having no time for the Sorting Hat. Putting "The Giving Tree" on celluloid, but having to change the ending.

Those are the types of quandaries director Zack Snyder navigated while adapting "Watchmen," the beloved graphic novel deemed "unfilmable" by many — including Alan Moore, its creator.

Impressively, the "300" filmmaker has crammed an endless amount of sacred information into the fiercely faithful movie that hits theaters March 6. At our recent "Spoilers" taping, Snyder discussed the ending that he had to tweak for the sake of length. Below, he discusses nine other spoiler-heavy (you've been warned!) additions/subtractions that bridged the gap between the splash page and the screen:

Nite Owl Watches Rorschach Become a Blot
Following their confrontation with Ozymandias, Rorschach is blown to bits by Manhattan. In the novel, Nite Owl misses the kill because he's with Silk Spectre. In the film, Dan Dreiberg watches helplessly as his old partner is killed. "I just felt that I needed a moment at the end," Snyder explained. "That relationship between Rorschach and Nite Owl is a sweet relationship that we establish in the movie. We get a glimpse of what their partnership was like. ... I thought it was nice [for Dan] to see Rorschach die, and also it motivates him to come back in [to confront Adrian] and be mad. You think, for a second, maybe, 'Whoa, this is going to be a superhero movie!' But he has no chance against Adrian."

Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
In the novel, young Laurie has a touching flashback in which she drops a snow globe. And although the scene isn't in "Watchmen," Snyder revealed that the globe is. "In that title sequence, when you peek past the doorway ... you can see little Laurie walking down the hallway to her mother and her stepfather fighting at the end of the hall," Snyder said. "On top of the TV, we built a snow globe that's got the snow, and we actually shook it [before cameras rolled] so fans could see it."

A Short Stroll to Ozymandias' Crib
In the novel, Nite Owl and Rorschach crash their ship in Antarctica, then ride Segway-like hovercrafts over several freezing miles to Adrian Veidt's lair. In the movie, they walk a few hundred feet. "It's because I like that shot where you can see the Owl Ship, and you can pull back and see Karnak in the foreground," Snyder said of the first time we see Ozymandias' enormous fortress of solitude. "I wanted to have geography, for the audience to understand the distances. And also, when they approach Karnak, you can [now] see it as you approach. [Otherwise], it would be difficult for them to fly so far away. It would be some bad flying by the end."

A Hairy Interview?
A bona fide superhero celebrity, Dr. Manhattan goes on a news talk show during a key "Watchmen" moment. In Moore's novel, the interviewer is a generic talking head. In the movie — is that Ted Koppel? "It is Ted Koppel," Snyder confirmed. "I do that a lot in the movie. I try to drill down on pop culture and make you have a reference to your own world."

Kill the Media
Following the revelations during his interview, a frenzied Dr. Manhattan is surrounded by reporters screaming questions. In the novel, he makes them all vanish and reappear outside. In the movie, he makes himself vanish and reappear on Mars. "In the director's cut, he beams them all out," Zack said. "That was just a little time-saving device to move us along in the [story] of Manhattan." But wait, it gets cooler: "In the director's cut, you don't know what he did with those people," Snyder grinned wickedly, implying that Manhattan may have killed the reporters. "You don't see them in the parking lot. We don't PG-13 them; you just don't know where they went."

Janey's Got a Wig
In Alan Moore's graphic novel, Dr. Manhattan's interview goes off track as reporters reveal that he might be giving his loved ones cancer. In the movie, his former lover Janey Slater actually shows up at the TV studio and dramatically takes off her wig, revealing that she's dying. "I just needed and wanted that to be tied back to Janey emotionally and felt that the reporters weren't enough," Zack said of the addition. "There's an interview with her [in the graphic novel], and she reveals a lot of the stuff that she reveals in that speech to him. We took it from that moment; I took all of those ideas and had her confront Manhattan with them instead."

Shrinkage!
In Moore's novel, Rorschach's intense meetings with Cosby-like shrink Dr. Malcolm Long send the good doctor down his own dark, downward spiral. In Snyder's film, the subplot is nonexistent. "That's very indulgent. We didn't quite go that far, but I would have loved to," he said of Dr. Malcolm's scenes at home.

Drinks Are on the Comedian
In the novel, a tense flashback has Laurie confronting Edward Blake and throwing a drink in his face. In the movie, the scene doesn't exist. "Yeah, I didn't put that scene in. I felt that I could only have one Comedian/Laurie flashback," Snyder explained. "So I stayed with the one outside the Watchmen headquarters."

Screeching to a Halt
In both the novel and film, Archie is the vehicle of choice for breaking Rorschach out of prison, but the movie version doesn't give us the ear-piercing Screechers that disable the guards and convicts. "The Owl Ship does have Screechers; you don't hear them," Snyder said. "But in the director's cut, when they are escaping from prison, there's a scene when they are up on the rooftop and Dan says, 'I had to turn the Screechers off, so we're going to be drawing fire soon!' So there's a little reference."

Check out everything we've got on "Watchmen."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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DMC, Russell Simmons 'Not Excited' About Run-DMC Movie

Russell Simmons isn't as enthusiastic as you might think about the planned biopic about his brother's group, Run-DMC. The hip-hop godfather says the film's makers should talk major dollars — or not at all.

"That movie has been a made few times already," Simmons told MTV News. "I don't know if it's that exciting to do that movie at this time. I certainly don't know if a third movie about Run-DMC should be made on a shoestring budget."

All three group members starred in 1985's "Krush Groove" — a film that covered some of their origins — as well as the 1988 shoot-'em-up tale of revenge, "Tougher Than Leather." A new film on the kings from Queens is in the works, also with the working title "Tougher Than Leather." Cheo Hodari Coker — who wrote the script for the film "Notorious" — is crafting an adaption of legendary hip-hop figure (and Run-DMC publicist) Bill Adler's "Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC."

"Most movies made about our culture have been made on a shoestring budget," Simmons said. "Sometimes they're very talented and creative, and they get through it, like 'Notorious.' I don't think Run-DMC's story ... it's not gonna change them if the story is told at this time. It depends on if the studio is as inspired to do it as the producer says he is."

DMC doesn't seem too thrilled about the potential film, either.

"I don't really have anything to do with it," he said about the movie recently. "I'm just happy that somebody thinks I'm important enough to do movie about."

If D had his way, a police officer would crack the Jam Master Jay homicide case, apprehend the criminals and then a movie would be made about the how the murder mystery was solved — not necessarily a big screener about the trio's rise to fame.

"If the movie gets made, I will be involved," Simmons added. "If the movie gets made, it will have the same type of budget of any mainstream Hollywood movie, which almost never happens. So it's really up to them. When they approach us the right way, we can have a discussion. Until then, it's not something we're excited about."

The Queens mogul was thrilled to hear about the group being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Any time you get an honor like that, it's wonderful. It's great that their work is being acknowledged like that," Simmons remarked. "I'm sure for D and for Joey it's very satisfying. I'm sorry Jay couldn't be here to see it. It's a very beautiful thing that people recognize their work like that."

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'Twilight' Star Robert Pattinson Talks 'New Moon,' 'Eclipse' And 'Breaking Dawn'

HOLLYWOOD — In the last 12 months, 22-year-old Robert Pattinson has filmed a hit movie, walked numerous red carpets and plastered his face on the cover of seemingly every magazine except Guns & Ammo. It wasn't until Sunday night, however, that he officially felt like a movie star.

"It's insane," the "Twilight" star grinned, standing on the red carpet while Brangelina went past him. "This is the weirdest. When [the Academy] first told us about [my invitation to present an award], I was like, 'No, no, no. You're joking!' [I thought] I was going to have to do something really stupid, like get gunged [slimed]!"

Fear not, RPattz — the Oscars were not planning to have you slimed, gunged or Punk'd in any way. Instead, he appeared on stage alongside "Mamma Mia!" star Amanda Seyfried to present a montage of great love scenes from the year in film. And while on the carpet, Pattinson said he couldn't wait to get on to the "New Moon" set and start making some new love scenes of his own.

"I think there's going to be some continuity," Pattinson said of the sequel, which will begin filming with new director Chris Weitz next month. "But it's weird, because they are shooting it in a different city [than the first film]. I've talked to [Weitz] a bit, but we've only talked about my character; I haven't really talked about the whole look of it. But Chris is great with visual stuff, so it should be pretty impressive."

But don't think Rob is all sugar and spice and everything nice — asked which "New Moon" scene he's most eager to shoot, Pattinson said he can't wait to dump Kristen Stewart's Bella. "The scene where we temporarily break up," he revealed. "On one hand, it's completely impossible. And on the other, it sets a very different tone to the series. I think it will be good."

It's a good thing that RPattz is so eager to slip back into the peacoat and colored contacts of love-struck vampire Edward Cullen. Because, unbeknownst to us, we were about to break some big news to him that would basically force the actor to clear his schedule from now until late 2010.

"I didn't even know that!" Rob marveled when we told him that "Eclipse" had recently snagged itself a release date a mere seven months after that of "New Moon."

"Yep, and 'Breaking Dawn' is going to be at some point as well," he added, knowing that he'll be playing Edward well into his mid-20s. "Yeah, I'm gonna be Twilighted out by the end of the year."

Check out everything we've got on "Twilight" and "New Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Slumdog Millionaire' Fans, Here Are Five Great (Real) Bollywood Films

Oscar champion "Slumdog Millionaire" is hardly a Bollywood movie. In fact, it bears none of the telltale Bollywood film characteristics. It's dark and gritty. There are no love triangles or exaggerated theatrical monologues. The characters do not escape to the majesty of the Swiss Alps for elaborate, innuendo-filled dance numbers. In fact, the film's sole nod to the Indian film industry remains the dance number in Mumbai's Victoria Station during the closing credits.

But that sequence has legs! You can see more non-Indians attempt to "Light-bulb" to A.R. Rahman's "Jai Ho" lately than ever before. Bollywood choreography is appearing everywhere from "Ellen" to E!'s entire Oscar red-carpet cast and crew. It looks like America is ready to start watching some real Indian cinema, and since that's quite a large category to tackle, here's a little primer for Bollywood beginners:

Bollywood Stars

Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, this is the actor whose autograph little Jamal pays quite a high (gross) price for in "Slumdog." If you were able to genetically combine Anthony Hopkins, Marlon Brando and Sean Connery into one being and add a dash of Liberace to the mix, you would get someone who would resemble the now almost 70-year-old Bachchan. He is the end-all, be-all of Indian cinema and has been for over three decades.

Aishwarya Rai: Staring into her eyes is something like gazing into Bambi's. Julia Roberts deemed her the most beautiful woman in the world, and Time named her among the "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2004. (And you can now see her in theaters in "The Pink Panther 2," sadly.) She married Amitabh Bachchan's son, actor Abhishek Bachchan, and today they make up the Holy Trinity of Bollywood.

Shahrukh Khan: Many of you may recall a dashing gent onstage with "Slumdog" actress Freida Pinto during the Golden Globes, who said that he might get thrown out if he broke out into dance. That's Shahrukh Khan. He's kind of like India's Tom Cruise, minus the Scientology and Oprah couch outbursts. He's easily one of the most bankable stars, equally as effective in playing the hero and even deadlier is the maniacal villain. "Baazigar" is an amazing film of his. Check it out.

Deepika Padukone: She's easily one of the prettiest women on the planet, but to her credit her acting chops have taken her far beyond being just another Indian model-turned-actress. She is today's It girl.

Bollywood Movies

Bollywood fans are among the more die hard on earth and surely some are not going to feel like this list adequately represents the sentiments of the Global Desi population, but here goes:

"Sholay" (1975): Amitabh Bachchan's hit movie still remains the "Citizen Kane" of Indian cinema, a must-see for anyone looking to get down with Bollywood. Knowing this film will get you mad props.

"Lagaan" (2001): Aamir Khan's Oscar-nominated movie is about a colonial Indian village's fight against the British: a war waged in the only true battlefield — a cricket pitch. Trust me. It's good.

"Bandit Queen" (1994): Director Shekhar Kapur ("Elizabeth," "The Four Feathers") tells the true story of one of India's most influential terrorists, who then became a politician. Yes, this really happened.

"Dil Chahta Hai" (2001): A coming of age story of three best buds. It's kind of like "Stand by Me" meets "Love Actually," except without any dead bodies or Christmas spirit, if that makes any sense. Still, it made me want to hug all of my friends and take a trip to Goa, which is paradise if you haven't been.

"Black" (2005): Easily one of the more ambitious Indian movies ever made, "Black" tells the tale of a deaf, mute, blind girl who weathers a dark reality. Rani Mukherjee attempts something apparently never done before by an Indian actress, and Amitabh Bachchan brings his own special, often exaggerated, weight to the project.

So, there you have it. Now, go get your Desi swag on. Jai ho!

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Anthony Hopkins Wants To Star In 'American Idol' Movie

Anthony Hopkins has a brilliant idea that he'd like to share with the world. The self-proclaimed "American Idol" addict is ready to take on the role of Simon Cowell, if an "Idol" movie ever gets made.

"We watch 'American Idol.' We are 'American Idol' addicts," Hopkins told MTV News at the Oscars, adding that his favorite judge is the snide, candid Brit. "Simon [is my favorite] because he's so brutally honest. There's no political correctness with him. He says it as it is."

It's not too much of a stretch. The actor has a lot of experience playing creepy, intimidating guys — he is Hannibal Lector, after all. And to prove he knows what he's talking about, he gave us his best Cowell-esque "Rubbish!" right there on the red carpet.

The Oscar winner's idea immediately earned the approval of Cowell's fellow judge Randy Jackson, who is sending out casting notices of his own to some big Hollywood players. "I'm a huge Anthony Hopkins fan. [ He imitates Hopkins: ] 'Fava beans!' Let's do it," Jackson told MTV News. "I'm not gonna say this, but it's been said that I resemble Will Smith meets Denzel Washington, so ..."

In a recent interview, Jackson proclaimed this season of "American Idol" to have the "most talented bunch [of contestants] we've ever had," so perhaps it could be a good basis for a film.

"We say it every season, but I'm not kidding you," he told AOL. "This is the eighth season of the show. People have seen every other brand of artist. But these kids are different than any other season we've had, and I think these boys are some of the most talented we've ever had."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Heath Ledger's Family Talks About His Oscar Win For 'Dark Knight'

With his role as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," the late Heath Ledger masterfully portrayed a dangerously unpredictable criminal, worthy of Batman's attention. However, his posthumous win at Sunday night's Academy Awards presentation for Best Supporting Actor was anything but unpredictable.

The odds-on favorite to win the coveted statuette, Ledger's victory capped what can only be described as a historic awards season for the actor, who passed away last year.

Accepting the award on Ledger's behalf was his father, Kim Ledger, his mother, Sally, and sister, Kate.

"This is ever so humbling," said Kim Ledger. "We want to thank the Academy for recognizing our son's amazing work, Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan in particular for allowing Heath the creative license to develop and explore this crazy Joker character."

"We proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful [daughter] Matilda," said Kate Ledger.

Backstage, the press corps was asked if they wanted Heath Ledger's family to come in after accepting the Oscar on his behalf — of course, the answer was a resounding "Yes!"

"Obviously, it belongs to Matilda," explained Kate, with Kim adding that the Oscar statue will be placed in a trust until Heath's daughter is 18. "Whatever has to happen in the meantime, will happen. But I'm sure it will go somewhere secure, and then it will end up with Matilda."

Asked if they knew they were raising an Oscar winner, Heath's father Kim remembered, "[His sister] Kate was the actor originally, but Heath was ever the clown. All my kids watched films for some reason, and Heath was like that. He was always acting the fool and playing around like any kid does ... the one thing that stuck out was that he was extremely talented. We didn't know which way he was going to go, but he said he had a huge passion for this."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Oscar Red-Carpet Fashion: Natalie Portman And Sarah Jessica Parker Shine

While the Oscar red carpet was a sea of red and nude tones, there were a few women who decided to really stand out from the crowd. It seemed like each actress who graced the carpet didn't get the memo that the one before her was going to be showing up to Hollywood's biggest night in the same color.

But Robert Verdi, stylist to stars like Eva Longoria, felt that if anyone did the nude tone right, it was John Mayer's lady, Jennifer Aniston. "She looks a little draggish, but she looked the best in that color," he said. "In it, she steals it."

In addition to the onslaught of nude and red, designer Richie Rich noticed that the night was dominated by one-shoulder gowns. "I'm surprised everyone had one shoulder. I don't know who told Hollywood one shoulder was missing," he told MTV News, adding, "I'm not the biggest fan of red. There was a lot of red."

Although many people looked like clones, a few girls got it right. "I think Vanessa Hudgens' dress was fabulous," Verdi said. His favorite of the night, however, went to "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker. "The fit on the bodice is sexy. It makes her chest look hot and sexy. ... It doesn't look like she's running for a carriage."

Meanwhile, it was the ladies who looked like they were going to prom that caught Richie's eye, including Penйlope Cruz. "I loved her dress," he said. "It's the perfect prom dress. She looked amazing." But his choice for best-dressed went to Natalie Portman. "For me, the hot pink ... it was like, 'Wow, punch, wow!' " he said. "She embodied a party. It's like, be colorful and be fun. Be fun and be happy!"

Richie felt Beyoncй should have shaken it up a bit. "She's a pop star," he said. "I don't like when people are so boring. It reminded me of an old-school museum piece."

Verdi didn't feel this was the strongest Oscar night when it came to fashion. "It looked like a stack of napkins at a buffet," Verdi said of Marisa Tomei's dress, adding that Kate Winslet's gown made it appear that there was something wrong with her: "Her one shoulder looked like she had a sling on. I thought she hurt herself on her way in."

Richie felt that one lady didn't live up to her lovely looks: "Jessica Biel is so gorgeous, and I don't think that dress she had on was flattering, and it made it look like she was pregnant and had a baby."

He thought there was another young lady who could have been edgy instead of matronly. "Evan Rachel Wood looked pretty, but I'm like, where's Marilyn Manson?" he said of the actress' ex. "I'd prefer if she were younger and cooler."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince' Strikes Balance Between 'Comedy And Darkness'

In 2007, the fifth "Harry Potter" film ran the boy wizard through a sinister gauntlet of horror-genre trials and political-thriller-style troubles. But when MTV News went on an exclusive visit to the set of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," we learned that the sixth movie in the series has taken a distinctly different approach.

"I think this film strikes more of a balance between the comedy and the darkness," Daniel Radcliffe said in our sneak-peek video segment, which aired Saturday night (February 21) as part of MTV's movie bonanza "Spoilers."

Director David Yates, who also helmed "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," drew an even starker contrast. "We got all the angst out of the way in [film] five," he told us. "Now we're just having a bit of a laugh."

So there will be jokes. There will also be teenage hanky-panky. "Ron gets a girlfriend in this one!" declared Rupert Grint of the progressively less nerdy character he has portrayed for nearly a decade.

The girlfriend in question is Lavender Brown, a fellow Hogwarts student who nicknames Ron "Won-Won" and will be played by newcomer Jessie Cave. "The main kissing scene, where we first kiss, that was done on my third day," said the London-born actress. "So I was slightly bewildered ... And it was kind of a party scene, so it was so, so scary."

Um, make-out sessions? Party scenes? This is still the fantasy story of a schoolboy fighting the forces of evil, right? Worry not, all you "Potter"-philes: The sixth film will be nothing like any of the three "High School Musical" flicks. Yates has promised to deliver plenty of action-packed wizard battles and — spoiler alert! — one adrenaline-pumping scene that might take even hard-core fans by surprise.

"We've also introduced a sequence that wasn't in the book but which we felt we needed — Death Eaters attacking the Weasleys' home where Harry and Ginny are kind of having to defend themselves," Yates revealed. And it's quite frightening and quite fast."

Now that we know "Half-Blood Prince" — which hits theaters July 17 — will, for the first time, bring both the funny and familiar wizard-vs.-wizard action, how will Harry hold up? As he says in the film after Dumbledore confronts him with another new adventure, "Actually, sir, after all these years, I just sort of go with it."

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Must Read After My Death': Much Ado, By Kurt Loder

The new documentary "Must Read After My Death" is a by-now-familiar deconstruction of a "typical" American family, and it prompts the usual conflicted thoughts about the uses of editing: both the personal editing — of attitudes, inclinations and inner obsessions — that we all make in presenting ourselves to the world, and the later editing, by someone else, of these same data, contemporaneously recorded, in order to mount a biographical counterargument. Given sufficiently compelling material — as was the case with the explosive "Capturing the Friedmans," which examined a pair of father-and-son pedophiles — the results of such after-the-fact reassembly can be harshly illuminating. More ambiguous material, however, must be manipulated into significance, and the result, in the case of this film, is questionable.

Following the death in 2001 of his grandmother Allis (her surname isn't given), filmmaker Morgan Dews came upon a vast archive of family documentation — home movies, photographs, tape and Dictaphone recordings and voluminous transcriptions — that Allis had maintained throughout the 1960s. ("Must read after my death" is the instruction she appended.) The stuttery films and faded, scratchy photos show us a suburban American family straight out of the media clichй machine: the smiling young matron Allis herself; her workaday husband, Charley, with his owlish specs and sturdy grin; and their four beaming kids, Anne (the director's mother), Chuck, Doug and Bruce. In the snapshots and films, we see these people at happy play in the backyard of their large Connecticut home, and camping and canoeing on family getaways, and they're so picture-perfect, you know there has to be something dark going on behind the family facade.

And of course there is — why else would this material have been made into a movie? It all comes out in the audio recordings. Charley, who is apparently an insurance-company executive (it's never made entirely clear), spends much of the year traveling. In 1961, when the story begins, he's virtually a harbinger of the decade's coming sexual revolution, sending home tapes relating his adventures abroad with other women, and encouraging Allis to do some adventuring of her own. (She succumbs once, with minimal enthusiasm.) Charley is the type of man who uses his "liberated" behavior as a club to impose his narcissism on his wife. ("It was nice to be young again," he sighs after one fling.) Behind the white-bread smile lurks a type-A emotional bully.

At home, Charley is a domestic martinet, much focused on order and, for the kids, endless chores. He smokes too much, knocks back far too many martinis (the emblematic suburban elixir of the period) and drives everybody crazy. Anne leaves home to escape the endless parental bickering. Bruce compensates by overeating and "growing stout," as Allis puts it. Chuck struggles at school. Doug is miserable. Before long, Allis — who might have been one of the twittery, damaged neighbors in "Revolutionary Road" — comes under the sway of psychiatric shamans (she recorded her group-therapy sessions), and in 1966, she's persuaded to send Chuck, who's prone to fits of mounting rage, to a mental institution. "Somehow, somewhere," she confides to her tape recorder, "something went wrong."

Is this family screwed up? Clearly. ("I understand people who kill their children instead of have them be like this," Allis says at one point.) But is it all-time, stop-the-presses screwed up? Hardly. There's an eavesdropping creepiness to the audio montage that serves as the film's narrative, and Dews has skillfully layered it with the homemade imagery to produce a somber atmosphere of spiritual implosion. (The picture is very well-made.) But ultimately we learn that, although Chuck died after a car accident, Allis never actually killed the kids, and in fact they turned out fine. (Anne even went on to become a "spiritual counselor.") This isn't the sort of uplifting conclusion a director would want for a film like this, obviously, so at the end, when we're told of Charley's death from a heart attack, there's an egregious suggestion — made on the basis of no evidence — that some unspecified "violence" may have been the actual cause of his demise. This limp and distasteful attempt at a last-minute inflation of the story into a ringing verdict on the dark hypocrisy of its happy-smiley period exposes the shakiness of the picture's overambitious premise.

The last we learn of Allis is that after Charley's death, she moved to rural Vermont and lived there alone for the last three decades of her life. Presumably she put her tape recorder in storage. If there's a heaven, though, she may still be yapping away.

("Must Read After My Death" is now playing theatrically only in New York, but it can be rented digitally, in HD, at GiganticDigital.com.)

Don't miss Kurt Loder's review of "Gomorrah," also new in theaters this week.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Was 1999 The Best Year For Movies?

This weekend, Oscar viewers will gather together to recognize some of the greatest movies of 2008. But throughout 2009, MTV News will honor another remarkable class that became some of the greatest films of all time.

All year long, MTV News will mark the 10th anniversary of 1999, presenting memories of the films from the stars who made them — and the artists who still look to them for inspiration. Reading just a handful of the titles released that year seems like a film festival made in heaven: "Fight Club." "The Matrix." "American Beauty." "Being John Malkovich." "The Sixth Sense." "Office Space." "Magnolia." "South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut." "The Blair Witch Project." "Three Kings." "Election." "The Iron Giant." "Boys Don't Cry." "Run Lola Run." "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

Keep your eyes on this space as we'll run tributes to "American Beauty," "Three Kings" and others, as we try to answer a very important question: Was 1999 the best year in movies, ever?

"Yeah, it was; it was absolutely the best year," Minnie Driver told MTV News recently. "I remember seeing 'The Matrix' and being floored by that film, and I was briefly in the 'South Park' movie."

"That was a pretty good year," remembered Mark Wahlberg, who starred in "Three Kings" for director David O. Russell. "There was something in the water. I know people were panicked about the new millennium and Y2K, but I don't know [why these movies all came at once]."

"Transformers" producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, a WB executive in the late '90s, looks back fondly at the era. "I was involved with 'Three Kings' and 'The Matrix' on that list, and it was definitely a time at Warner Bros. where we wanted to do something different, where we felt like things had been the same for a while and it was time to shake it up," he remembered. "Looking back on [green-lighting those films], it was suicide. I ended up risking a lot of my career on it."

But somehow such decisions were implemented, and so filmgoers were treated to movies about a schizophrenic American terrorist, a "found" snuff tape of three students running around in the woods, a Keanu Reeves film that envisioned mankind being harvested by sentient machines and a quirky comedy set inside the brain of John Malkovich. They also saw the emergence of such auteurs as Sam Mendes, the Wachowski brothers, Alexander Payne, Mike Judge, Spike Jonze, David O. Russell and Paul Thomas Anderson.

"That was the year that I think independent cinema had reached mainstream in a great way, and that balance between independent [and studio films] had found a core with all of us and with the audiences and the studios," marveled "Sixth Sense" writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. "Back then, a sequel was a lesser thing. It was just 10 years ago, and now [sequels] are all there is. And to think of making any one of [the 1999] films really from scratch now ... it would be such a huge risk for a studio. They would feel like it's too much of a risk."

"[Those filmmakers] were just gathering their powers, and people were getting encouraged to green-light that type of thing," recalled "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke, who worked on "Three Kings" as a production designer. "People had the guts to get these types of movies made. I hope we can get that kind of magic back."

"Nobody knew what would happen at midnight December 31," "Magnolia" star Luis Guzman speculated. "There was the big Y2K stuff, and all these filmmakers tried to get their films in by the end of 1999. ... There was, like, a big glut of all these good films, because we were supposed to fall into an abyss at midnight or something like that. No one wanted to go down without getting their film out."

Not everyone, however, agrees with the theory that 1999 was the best year ever for movies. Among the dissidents is Kevin Spacey, star of that year's Best Picture Oscar winner "American Beauty."

"No, definitely not," Spacey insisted. "Go back to the year the old 'Wizard of Oz' was made [1939]. There's some people that say that that was the best year in movies ever. These are all arbitrary, and there's a lot of movies that you miss out in between that were great movies."

"1999 was a great year, but what about 1939?" "Blood Diamond" producer Marshall Herskovitz asked. " 'Gone With the Wind,' 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,' on and on and on. 1939 was the most astonishing year; it beats anything. But, 1999 was pretty damn good."

"There are certain years that really stand above and beyond, like 1968 and 1939; 1941 was an amazing year for films," "Ratatouille" star Patton Oswalt suggested. "1972, '73 and '74 I would also put up against 1999."

"Wouldn't you say 1985?" "Family Guy" mastermind Seth McFarlane grinned. "I mean, 'Back to the Future,' 'SpaceCamp,' 'Def-Con 4,' wasn't that all 1985? 'Teen Wolf'? Come on!" (Sorry to disappoint Seth, but "SpaceCamp" came out in 1986.)

"I was 5," Dakota Fanning shrugged when asked about her thoughts on 1999. "I was just getting into acting!"

" 'Being John Malkovich,' 'Three Kings,' ' 'Boys Don't Cry,' 'Office Space,' 'Magnolia' — it was a great year for movies," marveled "American Beauty" Best Director Oscar winner Mendes. "And it was all mid-range [films]; they were all made with ambition, but they weren't made for a lot of money. I wish there were more movies made like that every year."

"It was certainly a great year in movies; I think it was a real golden era in American filmmaking," Paul Bettany said. "There was a sense then that everything seemed possible."

"The truth about movies is that good movies don't get released; they escape," Bettany added with a grin. "And a lot escaped that year."

Will it be a curious night for "Benjamin Button"? Can "Slumdog Millionaire" grab Oscar gold? Will Brad Pitt surprise leading contenders Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn? MTV News has the Academy Awards covered every which way with news, interviews, photos and more. Check out a complete list of the Oscar nominees here and keep it locked on MTVNews.com until the statues are handed out on Sunday, February 22.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Watchmen' Director's Cut To Hit Theaters In July, Zack Snyder Reveals On MTV 'Spoilers'

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California — To quote the immortal words that serve as inspiration for "Watchmen" super-genius Adrian Veidt: "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"

The works unveiled Wednesday night at the Pacific Design Center for a taping of MTV "Spoilers" (airing this Saturday at 8 p.m.) included sneak peeks of the new "Transformers" and "Harry Potter" sequels, "Star Trek" and the entirety of "Watchmen." Despair, however, was the last thing on anybody's mind.

The crowd of more than 300 guys, girls and geeks that packed the design center — many wearing T-shirts and pins bearing the graphic novel's blood-stained smiley-face logo — were greeted by My Chemical Romance and "Watchmen" stars Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and saw the eagerly anticipated flick weeks before its release. Afterwards, "Watchmen" director Zack Snyder took to the stage with MTV's Tim Kash for a Q&A filled with revelations, riotous laughter and references to Dr. Manhattan's crotch.

"When I originally got the script, Adrian died at the end," the "300" filmmaker said, recalling one particularly sacrilegious rewrite that scared him into realizing he'd better direct "Watchmen" if he wanted Hollywood to stay true to the 1986 graphic novel. "That was the biggest fight for me."

Based on the response from the "Spoilers" crowd, Snyder's battles are well appreciated.

On the sexy nude scenes between Akerman and Wilson: "They're not too hard to look at," Snyder grinned. "It's not like they're big, fat people."

On his most beloved directorial tool: "Slow-motion helps me to enjoy the face-smashing even more."

And on his gutsy decision to tweak the graphic novel's conclusion: "The reason why the squid was taken out of the movie was so there'd be more Rorschach, and a little more Manhattan."

As fans lined up in the aisles to ask questions of the affable filmmaker, he revealed new details about his various cuts of the film, eliciting oohs and aahs of anticipation.

"The director's cut is three hours and 10 minutes and comes out in July," Snyder revealed, calling his original edit "considerably more violent than this ... and sexier" and explaining that if the movie does well, the director's cut will get a theatrical release in Los Angeles and New York.

Following that, of course, will be the "Watchmen" DVD in the fall — which will include what he dubbed a "Crazy Ultimate Freaky Edition" boasting such time-omitted extras as "Tales of the Black Freighter," Hollis Mason's death, more Manhattan moments on Mars and dialogue-heavy scenes with the newsstand-bonding Bernies.

But first comes the March 6 theatrical cut of "Watchmen," a hard-R flick that rocked the "Spoilers" crowd. "I have been waiting to see this movie for 20 years," one heartfelt fan told Snyder during the Q&A. "And I just wanted to say thank you for totally making it worth the wait."

The fans did much more than merely watch the Watchmen on Wednesday. "Star Trek" actor Zachary Quinto recorded a special greeting that unspooled on the big screen for the cheering "Spoilers" crowd, followed by some new footage focusing on the skills of director J.J. Abrams. There was also a hilarious, never-before-seen clip of "Land of the Lost" that had Will Ferrell performing the classic show's cheesy theme on a ukulele. And Messieurs Harry Potter and Optimus Prime also came to the party bearing gifts.

On Saturday at 8 p.m., you can join in on all the "Spoilers" fun yourself. But before then, keep an eye on MTVNews.com, Splash Page and the Movies Blog, as we'll be rolling out our interviews with the "Watchmen" cast, as well as the Q&A that had Snyder comparing his official smiley-face pin with Tim Kash's homemade version.

Check out everything we've got on "Watchmen."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

Will Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus And Robert Pattinson Boost Oscar Ratings?

With rumors flying that young stars like Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Robert Pattinson are going to make appearances in one form or another at Sunday's Academy Awards, it seems that producers are attempting to recover from last year's all-time low ratings, perhaps with a little stunt casting.

Efron is rumored to be presenting Best Original Song and hitting the stage with his "High School Musical" co-star and real-life girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens, E! Online reports. Sources told the site that the Disney stars will join Beyoncй and host Hugh Jackman onstage for a musical number directed by "Australia" helmer Baz Luhrman. "Mamma Mia!" stars Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper are also rumored to be participating in the number if their scheduling conflicts are resolved.

The show's producers have said that for this year's broadcast they want to shake things up, so lining up a roster of young megastars may be just the formula to do that. Rumors began surfacing on Monday that "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson will present an award. No word yet on what he'll be presenting or if Kristen Stewart will be by his side.

Of course, we can't forget the presence of the teen queen herself, Miley Cyrus. While Hannah Montana isn't yet scheduled to take the stage to perform or present, E! reports that she will be present in support of "Bolt," which is up for Best Animated Feature.

Reps from the Academy Awards had not responded for comment on the rumored lineup by press time.

Will it be a curious night for "Benjamin Button"? Can "Slumdog Millionaire" grab Oscar gold? Will Brad Pitt surprise leading contenders Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn? MTV News has the Academy Awards covered every which way with news, interviews, photos and more. Check out a complete list of the Oscar nominees here and keep it locked on MTVNews.com until the statues are handed out on Sunday, February 22.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Katyn': Killing Field, By Kurt Loder

In what might normally be thought the twilight of his celebrated career, the Polish director Andrzej Wajda, now 82, has brought forth a movie about the central horror of his youth: the Katyn Forest massacre of 1940, in which thousands of Polish military officers — the cream of the country's intellectual elite — were murdered and consigned to mass graves by the executioners of the Soviet secret police. Even by the hideous standards of World War II, the Katyn atrocity retains a ghastly distinction.

"Katyn" — nominated for a foreign-language Academy Award last year, but just now being released here — begins with a scene that perfectly encapsulates the emotional chaos of the period. It is September of 1939, and two streams of Polish refugees run up against each other on a bridge. One group is fleeing the forces of Nazi Germany, which invaded the country a few weeks earlier; the other group, coming from the opposite direction, is in flight from the Soviet Red Army, which has just launched its own invasion from the east. The situation is instantly clear: There is no escape.

Making her way through the panic on the bridge is a woman named Anna (Maja Ostaszewska), who is searching for her husband, Andrzej (the charismatic Polish star Artur Zmijewski), an army captain. When she finally finds him — a prisoner amid the clamor of an improvised medical facility outside a church — he declines to slip away with her under cover of the confusion. Although the Nazis and the Soviets are in cynical league with each other at the moment, Andrzej believes (correctly) that they will soon be at war. He insists on staying with his troops, who are about to be led off ... somewhere. Anna will never see him again.

In occupying eastern Poland, the Soviets captured more than 200,000 soldiers. Among them were some 18,000 officers, most of them from the military reserves, which, in line with the Polish conscription system, consisted of university graduates — the country's intelligentsia: doctors, teachers, writers, lawyers. The Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin, with his eye already on postwar rule of Eastern Europe, saw the usefulness of eliminating future intellectual dissent. In March of 1940, he signed a directive ordering the execution of all Polish Army officers being held in three Soviet internment camps. Prisoners in the camp near the Russian city of Smolensk were taken to the Katyn Forest, where their hands were bound and they were forced to stand on the edge of mass graves, to be shot in the back of the head. The Soviets were anxious not to let details of this barbaric operation, which went on throughout the spring, become generally known. The Katyn graves only became international news when the Germans unearthed them in 1943 (and loudly attributed them to the Soviets, by that time their enemy). Thousands of corpses were exhumed. Among them somewhere were the remains of Captain Jakub Wajda, the director's father.

Andrzej Wajda's grief and fury appear to have been distilled over the years into an intense desire to bear witness — not just to the savage Katyn murders, which he depicts unflinchingly, but to what he calls the "inhuman uncertainty" suffered by the families who never learned for sure what had become of their husbands and fathers. After the war ended, Poland became a satellite of the Soviet Union, and for the next four decades, although the Polish people themselves knew what had happened at Katyn (and at the other slaughter sites), their oppressors continued to insist that the Germans were responsible for the massacre. Any claim to the contrary invited arrest, torture and possibly death. It wasn't until 1990, when the Soviet empire was beginning to crumble, that the truth was finally, officially acknowledged.

The movie shows us what happened as the horror of the murders fed into the horror of life under the murderers. A lieutenant named Jerzy (the complexly distressed Andrzej Chyra), who survived his own wartime internment and now finds himself entangled in his country's terrible new society, is driven mad with shame. A woman named Agnieszka (steely Magdalena Cielecka), who refuses to stop claiming that the Soviets murdered her brother at Katyn, is coldly dispatched to the torture cells. Life goes on, and there's no escape.

The movie is rich with emblematic moments: tears of despair trickling down a young girl's bleak, expressionless face; a Russian thug ripping a red-and-white Polish flag in two, hoisting the red half as a Soviet banner and then using the white half to wipe his boots. The cinematographer, Pawel Edelman (who also shot "The Pianist" and "Ray"), captures the film's autumnal tones — the oppressive gray skies, the browns and muted greens of the period interiors — with superb technical skill. And the orchestral score, by the great Krzysztof Penderecki, pours off the screen like a night tide of sorrow. Whether or not "Katyn" is one of Wajda's masterpieces is a subject for discussion; it's clearly the work of a master filmmaker, possibly at a late peak of his long career.

Check out everything we've got on "Katyn."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Friday The 13th' Beats Out Romance For Box Office #1

The Box Office Top Five

#1 "Friday the 13th" ($45.2 million)
#2 "He's Just Not That Into You" ($23.4 million)
#3 "Taken" ($22.2 million)
#4 "Coraline" ($19.1 million)
#5 "Confessions of a Shopaholic" ($17.3 million)

Valentine's Day wasn't the only thing causing heart palpitations this holiday weekend, as our favorite hockey-mask-wearing killer returned in Warner Bros.' "Friday the 13th" remake. The slasher film brought in an opening haul of $45.2 million, as eager audiences flocked to see Jason hack and slash his way through more nubile teenagers. "Friday" also sliced up a few box office records: It's the biggest opener for any slasher flick and the highest-grossing horror remake to date.

And while there was still room for romantic comedy on Valentine's Day weekend, it seems audiences preferred their romance with a hint of bitterness, as newcomer "Confessions of a Shopaholic" opened at #5 with only $17.3 million, and holdover "He's Just Not That Into You" stuck it out at #2 with $23.4 million. It looks like the complaints of critics proved true, and audiences weren't buying romance when wrapped in conspicuous consumption.

"Taken" dropped to #3 in its third week of release, though Liam Neeson nearly punched "Into You" right out of its spot with $22.2 million, bringing its take to $80.9 million so far. Neeson also held out against weekend newcomer Clive Owen, whose action flick "The International" couldn't crack the top five, earning a disappointing $10 million.

Though she dropped to #4, "Coraline" didn't see much of a drop in attendance — in fact, she brought in $19 million, more than she earned in her debut last weekend.

With the top five tallied, the heart palpitations weren't just for Jason's victims on- and off-screen, but for movie studio executives. Their hearts are no doubt pounding over what has proved to be not only one of busiest Presidents' Day weekends on record, but the biggest February weekend of all time. It would seem that if you want to make big money from movie lovers on Valentine's Day, offer them a big heart-shaped box of dark and gruesome fare.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen' Trailer: A Shot-By-Shot Analysis

The fallen are getting their revenge. The Fallen is finally here.

If you've got a pulse, it undoubtedly sped up when the new "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"trailer hit the Web recently. In true Michael Bay tradition, the ominous foreshadowing, massive explosions and giant F-in' robots are ... well, awesome.

After our detailed analysis of the "Transformers" Super Bowl ad, we're back with our obsessive shot-by-shot breakdown of all the action. So read on and get yourself ready. Because come June 24, we all might just be giving "The Fallen" a standing ovation.

0:09-0:22: In Paris, some locals talk on their cell phones and enjoy the sights. Suddenly, what looks like a pair of meteors come streaking through the sky. Sacre bleu !

0:23-0:24: Egyptian pyramids. Clearly, Bay is trying to portray this "Transformers" struggle as a truly global phenomenon.

:27-0:29: An aircraft carrier.

0:31-0:32: Meteors land near the pyramids.

0:33-0:36: Six meteors rain down on a fleet of aircraft carriers.

0:38-0:42: As the meteors pelt one carrier, military planes fall overboard.

0:44-0:49: A slow-motion shot of the fallout from the attack. Underwater, we can see the planes and helicopters falling to their watery graves. Which is all fine and good, but are there any Transformers in this trailer, or is this an ad for "Pearl Harbor 2"?

0:51-0:52: This is what we're looking for: As two men sit at a table in what looks like a kitchen, a Decepticon comes speeding through their walls. Yep, it's an additional shot from that Japanese chase scene that was in the Super Bowl ad.

0:53-0:57: The rest of that Japanese shot. This time, however, the scene is held long enough to show us a quick glimpse of three small "flying" Autobots in hot pursuit. The smart money says that one of them is female Transformer Arcee.

0:58-1:00: Title card: "From director Michael Bay"

1:02-1:08: Something really, really big transforming. As we learned from the end of the Super Bowl trailer, the enormous Devastator will threaten the Autobots in this film. That massive beast is made up of six Decepticons (think Voltron), and what you're looking at is Demolisher, a hydraulic mining excavator that forms its torso.

1:09-1:11 Title card: "And executive producer Steven Spielberg"

1:12-1:19: "You don't stop, you don't hide," Shia's Sam Witwicky barks, just as we saw in the trailer before. "You run. You hear what I'm saying?" Only this time, his father (Kevin Dunn) screams back at him: "We're all going together!" We then see a shot of Megan Fox, also from the Super Bowl ad.

1:20-1:26: Sam picks apart a small, metallic bug, then hears something much larger looming overhead. Most likely, the tiny invader in the shot is an Insecticon, a tick-like creature that can dig into other robots and control them.

1:27-1:28: Shia being pinned down by Starscream.

1:29-1:32: A new shot of Bumblebee, transforming and coming to the defense of Sam's dad. In the sequel, he and his wife finally learn the truth about the existence of the Transformers.

1:32-1:35: A quick shot of Scorpinok attacking Jetfire in the desert. After finishing fourth in a USA Today poll on which Transformers fans wanted in the sequel, the popular Autobot will make his series debut.

1:36: The shot of Ravage we've seen before.

1:38: Optimus Prime takes a brutal hit that sends pieces of him flying everywhere.

1:39: Out in the desert, as a military team flees, the Fallen finally appears. It is our first real glimpse (albeit way too brief) of the film's apocalyptic central villain. We see shots of Shia and Megan reacting in fear, but those appear to be taken from a different scene.

1:55: All hell breaks loose, as the Demolisher (and then some semblance of the Devastator) destroys everything in its wake. A bit more footage is shown, and now we can see a dwarfed Optimus Prime hanging from its neck.

1:55-2:09: The words "Revenge Is Coming," transform into the Decepticon logo.

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Slumdog Millionaire' Stars Freida Pinto And Dev Patel Talk Oscars

In just six short months, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto have gone from relative obscurity to patting Jon Stewart's shoulder and gleefully getting down Bollywood-style with Ellen DeGeneres — all a byproduct of the success of their feature-film acting debuts in "Slumdog Millionaire."

In fact, the journey the young stars have taken mirrors that of their characters. The lead, Jamal, is a young lad that overcomes the obstacles of growing up in the slums of Mumbai, India, to find love and national fame on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" The movie itself has gone from being an underdog to challenging big Hollywood productions like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Milk" for the title of Best Picture. Look at the stats: "Slumdog" has taken home four Golden Globe Awards and seven British Academy Film Awards. The Screen Actors Guild awarded the film Best Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture, and Danny Boyle was crowned Best Director by the Directors Guild of America. And the movie has 10 Oscar nominations — not bad odds.

And while the fate of the film will be determined Sunday night (February 22), there is one thing the two stars, ages 18 and 23, can confirm — for their first acting gig, it's certainly been one hell of a ride!

"I feel this has been a dream debut for the both of us," Freida Pinto said. "For this to happen to absolute newcomers ... it's massive." Her elation is definitely justified. Before "Slumdog," Pinto was an Indian model dreaming of a career in acting — another fairy tale brought to life.

For British actor Dev Patel — who first gained popularity for his turn on British TV teen series "Skins" — it was winning over India that proved to be the most rewarding result.

"We thought this was gonna be the toughest audience, especially because I'm the intruder in this film. We just heard that it's the third-highest Hollywood grosser in India," Patel said. Hey, coming in third to "Spider-Man" and "Quantum of Solace," both with considerably bigger budgets than "Slumdog," is no mean feat.

And with all of the success and media coverage, there is yet another element to the twosome's "wow" factor — none of it has gone to their heads. In fact, they are often starstruck while hobnobbing with their Hollywood colleagues.

"It started off with Clint Eastwood ... then there was Sean Penn ... the biggest, biggest thing was Leonardo DiCaprio! It was like a childhood crush," Pinto gushed.

"We were invited to this party, right? And the guests were eating dessert. It was Cher and Kurt Russell! Imagine if you walk into a kitchen there's Cher and Russell! That just messes with you!" Patel exclaimed.

At this rate, these two can look forward to many more of such encounters — Pinto has signed with ьbertalent agency CAA in the US, and Dev Patel will star alongside "Twilight" actor Jackson Rathbone in M. Night Shyamalan's next film, "The Last Airbender."

Check out everything we've got on "Slumdog Millionaire."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Twilight' Director Catherine Hardwicke Tells Why She Turned Down 'New Moon'

Despite being offered a huge sum of money to come onboard, Catherine Hardwicke decided not to direct "Twilight" sequel "New Moon." The director told Entertainment Weekly that she didn't want to make the film under the deadline and budget restraints that would have been placed on her for the follow-up, reports the Associated Press.

She recalls being at dinner with "Twilight" stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in Paris when she got the call from Summit Entertainment, which offered her "more money than I or anyone in my family has ever seen."

But, she added that with the payday came tight budget restraints and deadlines. "I was devastated," said Hardwick, who will release her book "Twilight: Director's Notebook" in March. "I really did feel a strong connection to the people around the world that liked the movie, and to Stephenie and the actors. But I just didn't think I could make a good movie under those circumstances."

A spokesperson for Summit Entertainment had no comment about the report. "New Moon," which is due out on November 20, will now be directed by "Golden Compass" director Chris Weitz, and both Pattinson and Stewart will reprise their roles as lovestruck Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.

For "New Moon," Dakota Fanning has been rumored and shown interest in joining the cast as Jane. And it was recently reported that although Vanessa Hudgens auditioned for the part of Leah Clearwater, that character will most likely not appear in "New Moon."

And in a scenario that would surely fulfill many a fan dream, the Jonas Brothers have recently shown interest in having a part on the "New Moon" soundtrack. "The movie was obviously a huge success, and if they asked us to be a part of [the sequel], that would be great," Nick Jonas told MTV News. "That would be really cool," agreed Joe and Kevin about the prospect.

Check out everything we've got on "New Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Friday The 13th': Slasher Crash, By Kurt Loder

For a guy so committed to the hockey mask as all-purpose eveningwear, Jason Vorhees has amassed a lot of frequent-flier miles over the last three decades. Venturing out from his rural base at Camp Crystal Lake, he's done Manhattan, explored outer space, even spent time in Hell (but then who among those keeping track of his adventures hasn't?). Now, in the new "Friday the 13th," he returns to his woodsy roots, casting an occasional backward glance to see if there's anyone left with an interest in tagging along.

The first thing to be said about this movie is that, despite its title, it is not a remake of the original "Friday the 13th," which came out in 1980. Instead, the new film is yet another sort-of sequel — the 11th, if you count the one in which Jason was heavily manipulated into hooking up with Freddy Kruger. Here, the big lug returns to his woodsy home turf to play his idiosyncratic version of Whac-A-Mole with a new generation of hot, horny and touchingly dumb youths. The movie is so bereft of excitement, invention, or any of the other qualities normally associated with minimally acceptable filmmaking that watching it quickly becomes an exercise in wishing, with mounting excruciation, that it will end. (Spoiler alert: It finally does, kinda.)

The picture begins with a newly staged flashback to the original film, then leaps ahead into the present tense to bring on a new quintet of clueless teens — two hunks, two babes and a nerd — who are wandering through the woods near Camp Crystal Lake in search of ... oh, a patch of wild marijuana, whatever. Since the group includes two nuzzly couples, you wonder at first why there's a fifth wheel — until night falls, and the nerd decides to wander off into the dark woods to look for that marijuana patch, at which point you wonder why on earth you even wondered. Jason looms up, his signature machete in hand, and soon the flora is wet with flesh.

Next — well, "six weeks later" — another consignment of chattery knuckleheads arrives on the scene. They've come to party, and of course so has Jason. In familiar fashion, he begins picking them off one at a time: machete to the head, ax to the head, hand-smack to the head (no, wait, that was me). As the bodies accumulate and the tedium swells, we bide our time waiting for the next requisite interlude of female nudity. Topless waterskiing enlivens one scene, and there's a long coital encounter that's made memorable by the featured actress, Julianna Guill, who was born to be naked, if nothing else.

The director, music-video veteran Marcus Nispel, numbers among his two previous feature credits the dismal "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake (also produced by Michael "Shameless" Bay). Since the original "Friday the 13th" is hardly a sacred text (it was a cheapo rip of the 1978 "Halloween," which seems in comparison a serene meditation on the varieties of cinematic surprise), one wonders why Nispel didn't trash it up and go for some fun. Instead, he's delivered a deadpan and exceedingly dull rehash of some of the hoariest slasher clichйs. Even Jason seems a little bored by it all. The scariest thing in the movie is the threat of yet another sequel at the end. I'd suggest a return to outer space. Much deeper this time.

Don't miss Kurt Loder's review of "Confessions of a Shopoholic" and "The International," also new in theaters this week.

Check out everything we've got on "Friday the 13th."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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