I saw “The Road” a while back and found it utterly depressing. Maybe “The Book of Eli” will be a little more hopeful. That’s a tough challenge when you’re talking about the apocalypse, but it’s got Denzel Washington and Mila Kunis going for it.

Washington stars as a man fighting his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind. The movie also stars Gary Oldman, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Michael Gambon and Tom Waits (who I totally love whether he’s singing or acting).

The movie’s in theaters this Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. Check out the premiere pics below.

Images: Bauer-Griffin

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But, of course, it’s included in the special features on the DVD and Blu-ray, hitting shelves Nov. 17, 2009 from Universal Home Entertainment.

The movie stars Sacha Baron Cohen as an Austrian TV host searching for fame and fortune in America. During the process, he pranks any and everyone who crosses his path.

Really, though, you’ve gotta believe that celebrities can see him coming a mile away. It’s not like Cohen hasn’t been on TV and in movies for years, especially after the release of “Borat.”

Anyway, here’s the clip of LaToya Jackson. I’ll put it after the jump, because,well … you’ll see why. Shield your kids’ eyes. That’s all I’m sayin’…

And check out the bonus clip of Pete Rose on “Bruno.”

More after the jump…

Image: © Universal Studios Home Entertainment

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Until then, here’s a clip from the bonus material, a never-before-seen interview where baseball legend Pete Rose sits with Austrian TV host Bruno, played by Sacha Baron Cohen. It’s an alternate scene not included in the film.

Whether you like Cohen’s characters or not, it always floors me how deeply embedded he is in them. Really, it’s hard to believe he’s anything other than the character you’re seeing on screen.

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In fact, that’s exactly what Bloody-Disgusting says on the official site: “Paranormal Activity is one of the scariest movies of all-time. You will be affected, as it’s hard to ignore the imprint it leaves on your psyche. Nightmares are guaranteed.”

Yeah, real life is frightening enough; I certainly don’t need any extra help in that regard! The story follows a young couple, Katie and Micah (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat … so, is this a real movie?), who are happy and carefree, until they start to investigate some bizarre events occurring at night in their house. To get to the bottom of things, they buy a video camera and set it up to record what’s happening while they’re sleeping. It opens in limited release Sept. 25, 2009.

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It stars Jared Leto as Nemo Nobody, a man who leads a rather ordinary existence with his wife Elise (Sarah Polley) and their three children, until one day he wakes up as an old man in the year 2092. At 120 years old, he’s both the oldest man in the world, and also the last human of a new mankind where no one dies anymore. That doesn’t bother him as much as wondering whether he lived his life right, loved the woman he was supposed to love, and had the children he was meant to have. And he aims to find out.

“Mr. Nobody” doesn’t have an official release date yet, but it’s making the rounds at film festivals, so hopefully, we’ll be able to see it soon. Here’s a pic of lovely Diane Kruger at the Venice premiere, and watch the trailer after the jump.

Image: Francois Durand, 2009 Getty Images via Image.net

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After much discussion, Universal Pictures removed a scene from the movie where Bruno, the flamboyant Austrian journalist played by Sacha Baron Cohen, interviews an unsuspecting Latoya Jackson about several topics, including her brother.

The sketch included jokes about Jackson’s high-pitched voice and his trademark white glove.

I mean, basically, the movie is really over-the-top anyway, so had Jackson not died, the scene probably wouldn’t have been that outrageous. But I’m glad they took it out, because that would have been in really poor taste.

Any thoughts on this? Should filmmakers cut inappropriate Michael Jackson scenes from upcoming movies?

Image Credits: © Universal Studios; Bauer-Griffin

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Movie: Imagine That * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: June 12, 2009
Runtime: 107 minutes	Directed by: Karey Kirkpatrick
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and brief questionable behavior	Gecko Rating:

"Imagine That" is a predictable movie, but it also has some sweet moments of father-daughter bonding.

Eddie Murphy plays Evan Danielson, a successful financial executive who spends more time crunching numbers than with his 7-year-old daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi). He’s divorced from Olivia’s mom, Trish (Nicole Ari Parker), and the two share custody. 

When Evan gets a chance to move up in his company, he has a crisis of confidence that affects his work. It doesn’t help that he has to compete for the new job with his company rival, Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church).

Johnny is this annoying guy who claims to be Native American and is always spouting mystical ramblings about fire, earth, water and spirits. It’s a different sort of role for Church; I think of him in his adult dramatic-comedy roles, like "Sideways" and "Smart People."

Meanwhile, Olivia has just the answers that Evan needs. Her imaginary friends – namely, princesses and a queen – always know which companies are merging or breaking up, and which ones are profitable. She communicates with them via a magic blanket she carries with her everywhere. We’re never sure whether this blanket is actually magic or not, but I guess that’s not the point of the movie.

Anyway, when their predictions start coming true, Evan starts depending on them for financial advice, then passing it along to his clients. Here’s where we get to see some of Eddie Murphy’s classic humor – like singing to the queen to let him into her kingdom and dancing for Olivia to gain access to the princesses. 

All of this provides the catalyst for Evan to bond with his daughter, and it all comes down to a predictable scene where he must choose between his work and his daughter.

Murphy and Shahidi have good chemistry, and the movie has an adequate supporting cast in Nicole Ari Parker and Tom Stevens, who plays Evan’s boss. Another odd casting is Martin Sheen as Dante D’Enzo, the big-wig company owner who must decide whether Evan or Johnny will get the coveted job.

"Imagine That" is a nice enough movie, but you won’t find anything new here. Although Martin Sheen and Thomas Haden Church add interest to the casting, I kept thinking how odd it was for them to be in a family movie (and yes, I know they’ve done family movies in the past).

NOTE TO PARENTS: There’s nothing too objectionable here. Language is fairly mild, including "poop," "stupid," and "oh my God." No violence to speak of, though Eddie Murphy has a few comic stunts. Olivia’s mom is "friends" with a coworker (meaning, she’s going out with him). The overall message is good – that parents should spend more time with their kids.

Image Credit: © 2009 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) are working on six new songs, as well as some “long-self-repressed” studio versions of songs from the movie. Their new album, “Back From the Dead,” will hit store shelves on June 16, and include DVD audio commentary.

“This album title says it all,” notes St. Hubbins. “We’re back from the dead. But we weren’t dead. But we definitely are back.”

Meanwhile, the band’s “one-night only world tour” will start and finish at London’s Wembley Arena on June 30. “If we’re going to do a World tour on only one night, at least it’s this world,” says Nigel.

For more on Spinal Tap’s 25th anniversary, visit www.spinaltap.com, and stay tuned for my interview with Michael McKean.

Image: Amazon.com; Source: ETOnline

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The Best of The Colbert Report contains two hours of Colbert, including:

• The Word (including Merriam-Webster’s 2006 Word of the Year, Truthiness)
• Better Know a District
• Green Screen Challenge
• Stephen Jr. – Flight of a Patriot
• “Papa Bear” Bill O’Reilly Enters the Eagle’s Nest
• Cooking with Feminists
• Meta-Free-Phor-All

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Monday, Sept. 8, 2008. Be sure to include a valid email address. A winner will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winner for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

Image: Amazon.com

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