Yes, the trailer pretty much covers all the bases: Small lumps of fur make quips, that guy from The Hangover does a "oh no, here we go again!" face and then Will Arnett shows up for a minute in a black suit and scowls. Sounds like the formula for the perfect summer movie, right? Well, the most baffling thing about G-Force is probably the stellar talent Jerry Bruckheimer (yes, you read that correctly) accumulated. Sam Rockwell just blew me away a few weeks ago in the subdued, creepy Moon comes back as Darwin, the oh-so very generic leader of a group of high tech guinea pig spies that seem to be a splinter group of homeland security.

Ben (Zach Galifianakis), or as I like to call him "Beardy", has been secretly training animals for black ops missions (Cause they totally did that in WWII, you guys) and leeching money for the experiments from the government. So, since the U.S. is all about cutting back on frivolous spending nowadays, Will Arnett shows up to figure out where Richard Gere's pet collection went.

Arnett's surprised and agitated to find Darwin, Juarez (Penelope Cruz), Blaster (Tracy Morgan) and Speckles (Nicholas Cage) doing the best Arrested Development chicken impression they can muster. Just Kidding. They talk, make jokes and you know what Arnett says? He doesn't get caught up on the fact that Beardy-er, I mean Ben, has figured out a way to talk to animals and do his evil bidding, no — Arnett's mad because now the Guinea Pigs can spill government secrets. Secrets, I say! And then in the films cleverest line, Arnett tells Ben that he should treat Guinea Pigs like, wait for it, Guinea Pigs. Wait, I thought that's what Beardy was doing in the first place. Has G-Force just gotten all meta on us?

There's a strangely bountiful amount of weird B-plots in this film like Darwin, Blaster and Juarez involved in a love triangle. And Darwin finding his long lost brother and realizing that he's not the great genetically altered beast Ben told him he was, but in fact, the runt of his litter. I kept expecting to see some sort of montage in which Darwin walks through the rain while seeing his brother's silhouette in shop windows with Nickelback playing in the background, or something. Oh, by the way, it's worth noting that Jon Favreau plays the brother, Hurley. I guess Iron Man isn't giving the guy enough to do, because I've seen him in a few rather mediocre bit parts this year.

Back to the A-plot. Saber, played by Bill Nighy, is the film's red-herring bad guy (because what is a Disney Bruckheimer film without him? Oh yeah, a good Pirates movie). I was told that they used some leftover CG from the third Pirates film to produce his acting in G-Force. Bruckheimer calls that ‘cost effective, movie-making'. Anyway, he's got a plan to have a monopoly on the appliance market and there's some sort of Doomsday clock in each microwave, coffee maker, telephone and other things that aren't really appliances, in the world. The G-Force (G-FORCE!) discovers that they're really deadly robots.

Things that look normal but turn into deadly robots… This was easily my favorite part of the film because of the unique story element pasted onto the ending. I mean, kick ass robots in camouflage? I wish someone would really make a whole movie of just that. Out of left field, the audience discovers that Speckles the mole is actually the bad guy. Which you can pretty much deduce when he says "you can TRUST me, Darwin" cackles and subsequently twirls his mustachio. Then there's a giant Transmorpher (trademark pending) fight at the end.

In short, if you and your kids have seen Harry Potter eight times in the last week, well, go make it a ninth time this Friday because G-Force is barely fit for an original Disney Channel Movie of the Week.

Gamer:

Here's a sneak peek from this deadly video game movie, showcasing the rapport (or lack thereof) between Kable and his young "player":

G.I. Joe:

New TV spots cover the basics. Legs, boobs, nanomites, disaster, explosions, super-power-armor, grim faces — it is on.

Green Hornet:

The Green Hornet's car will be the original 1966 model, but with huge massive weapons that weren't around in 1966, like Gatling guns and stuff. And Seth Rogen talks how campy the film will be. [Cinematical]

Jennifer's Body:

Here's another new image of the sexy-but-deadly-but-sexy Megan Fox. [Cinemablend]

The Time Traveler's Wife:

Here are a few new TV spots that show off this movie's tormented love story:

Asteroids:

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura says he was attracted to this film because "it tells you that there's going to be this big thing in space." And he explains more about the film's storyline:

We've crafted a really strong, deep mythology for the thing. Without divulging too much about it, it's two lead characters – two brothers – who have to go through a seminal experience to figure out their relationship, against this huge backdrop.

[Sci Fi Scoop]

2012:

Some new stills, plus a new poster. [Sci Fi Scoop]

G-Force:

They're guinea pigs. And they fight evil. Behold:

Harry Potter:

And finally, a Harry TV spot:

The Prisoner:

Wired had a one-on-one interview with Sir Ian McKellen, who plays Number Two — although, really, he's actually Number One. And this version of Number Two has a wife and son, and his family is crucial to the reason for the Village's existence. McKellen described his character:

Number Two is very ironic. At times, he's very loving and bewlidered, because he's confused. He's not convinced that he's doing the right thing, because it causes him a lot of pain. And that's the sign of a mature script. Jim was saying in an interview that it is easy to see Number Six is right and that Number Two is a dreadful man. But then, in the next scene, one can see it from a different point of view.

[Wired]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

Harry Potter:

IGN visited the set of this movie and watched a scene in the Great Hall before a big quidditch match. Ron has just joined the team and is feeling the pressure. Explains Daniel Radcilffe:

It's the point where Ron comes in [to the Great Hall] and he's absolutely terrified; a nervous wreck. To restore his confidence Harry pours - or appears to pour - Felix Felicis [luck potion] into Ron's orange juice.

There's an ad-libbed moment where Ron and Harry high-five, to Hermione's annoyance. Also, Ron's new love interest Lavender Brown gushes "You're going to be brilliant today... I just know it!" Ron is dating Lavender because he finds out Hermione kissed Krum. Also, the movie starts out with Harry at the train station, flirting with a waitress, not at Privet Drive. [IGN]

Also, David Yates explains why he left out the original ending, featuring Dumbledore's funeral:

We had [the funeral] in the script at one point and it was a really strange experience. But after the courtyard scene and Dumbledore's died, it felt like going to the funeral just felt like we were suffering from ending-itis. It felt like another end.

[MTV]

The Last Airbender:

A few new shots show us our first looks at Jackson Rathbone (Sokka) and Nicola Peitz (Katara) in their costumes. Plus new looks at Aang and Zuko. [AceShowbiz]

G-Force:

What's the message of this guinea-pig spy movie? Tracy Morgan explains: "at the end of the day, family is everything." [Newsblaze]

And here are some new promo pics. [IGN]

Eureka:

Here's the sexiest scene from this Friday's new episode of Eureka. Jo Lupo in a red dress, doing a torch singer thing... and then she gets really saucy. [Syfy]

Lost:

Titus Welliver says his character, the mysterious guy in black who sits opposite Jacob in that crucial scene in the season finale, has a name, and it's significant in some way. The producers withheld the character's name for a reason. And he explains more about the dynamic between Jacob and his character:

Liz Sarnoff, one of the writers on the show, is actually an old colleague from a show that we did with David Milch, Big Apple, and from Deadwood. Her explanation was that Jacob sees man as being a flawed creature, but that there is always hope, whereas my character has a much more cynical but in some ways realistic view of man. She said, "Now extrapolate from that what you will. Are they waxing philosophical? Are they gods?"

Also, the producers told Welliver not to do any Snidely Whiplash-style "hand-wringing," and to understand that "this is kind of a chess game." [TV Guide]

A TV Guide editor visited Oahu and noticed that the wooden set from which the Jughead was dangling is still in place — and usually this show is meticulous about getting rid of sets when they're no longer needed. The show's producers said "No comment" as to why this set is still around. [TV Guide]

Heroes:

We tracked down the actual casting call for that cello player we mentioned the other day:

25-30, Male. Must be a skilled cellist. A sensitive troubador in Central Park has a magical experience when a stranger plays his cello.... this role might not have any lines.

"A stranger plays his cello?" Is that what they're calling it nowadays? [Casting call]

Separately, Lisa Lackey says Matt Parkman's wife Janice could possibly have superpowers of her own — but if so, they haven't manifested, as of the fourth episode of the new season. [TV Guide]

Smallville:

Monique Ganderton, who's served as Cassidy Freeman's stunt double, has been cast as "Alia," the "femme fatale" and assassin with links to Krypton. [Kryptonsite]

True Blood:

Some set photos from episode 10, featuring some mayhem in Bon Temps including a bit of graffiti. [TrueBlood-Online via SpoilerTV]

Green Lantern: First Flight:

She played the animated Black Cat, now Tricia Helfer is voicing female Green Lantern Boodikka. She explains the character:

Boodikka's a fighter, a protector. She is very honorable in that she does what she thinks is right, even if some things go against the grain. She's certainly not an evil character per se, but she does things that she thinks are good for society. She's not really sexy in terms of her personality, so she's not trying to reel Hal in – that relationship is more like comrades. So I wanted to play Boodikka both strong and sweet.

And here are some pics. [Warner Bros.]

Vampire Diaries:

A couple new clips from this eagerly anticipated vampire drama:

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

The CG Guinea pigs are voiced by a bundle of celebrity voices including Nic Cage, Penélope Cruz, Sam Rockwell and I know you recognized Tracy Morgan. Bill Nighy plays the super villain hell-bent on ruling the world and these fur balls are the only beings who can stop him.

G-Force will be in theaters July 24th.

Raise your hand if the girl guinea pig Juarez (voiced by Penélope Cruz) makes you uncomfortable. I really could have lived my life to the fullest and never seen a guinea pig strut about on it's hind legs and make bedroom eyes into the camera.

The rest of the crew is made up of Blaster (voiced by Tracey Morgan), Speckles (Nicolas Cage ), Darwin (Sam Rockwell) and Bucky (Steve Buscemi). Together this new elite team must stop Bill Nighy and his evil army of Transformers, ok they call it a mechanized machine, but really they're Transformers.

All kidding aside, Will Arnett is pretty funny and and I'm loving the evil phone. The movie will be released July 24, 2009.

[Disney]

No one ever suspects the guinea pig. A group of technologically enhanced furries take on a billionaire bad guy who wants to control the world. The underwater pigs you see below — Juarez (voiced by Penélope Cruz) and Blater (voiced by Tracey Morgan) — are described as "little James Bonds," by Bruckheimer to USA Today. The cast also boasts the vocal talents of Nicolas Cage as Speckles, Sam Rockwell as Darwin, and Steve Buscemi as Bucky. Also making an appearance are Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis and Bill Nighy, who plays the evil doer Leonard Saber. The evil genius builds a mechanized army, and it's up to the pigs to stop him.

G-Force hits theaters July, 24 2009.

Check out the larger collection of pig stills over at USA Today.

If nothing else, the press release smacks of desperation. The Weinstein Company's announcement says the fog coated the LA area "in preparation for the opening of the highly anticipated Thanksgiving release The Mist." Then it says: "A publicity stunt? Or a eerily timed Stephen King-style wake up call to moviegoers? You be the judge!" [IESB] More news:

• Nicholas Cage will provide one of the voices for G-Force, Jerry Bruckheimer's live action/CGI project about a group of super-intelligent animal commandos. Cage will be a mole named Speckles. Steve Buscemi will provide the voice of Bucky the hamster, and Tracey Morgan (Saturday Night Live) will be a guinea pig named Blaster. [Moviehole]
• Stop ragging on my Batman movies, Tim Burton pleads. They were cutting edge, but they never got the respect they deserved. And they still don't. "Nobody really acknowledged the fact that ['Batman'] was slightly different at the time from other comic book movies. So lay off, will you?" [MTV Movies Blog]

• The two biggest SF magazines struggle with declining circulation numbers, says SF/comics author Warren Ellis. Ellis' post touched off a blogstorm about how (and whether) Analog and Asimov's can be saved. Apart from Charles Stross and Tim Pratt, few important writers have launched their careers in either magazine, argues John Scalzi. Not surprisingly, most bloggers think the Internet is the future of short fiction publishing. [Lou Anders]
• The fictional drink that stars in the viral marketing campaign for monster movie Cloverfield showed up in the latest Heroes episode. There are also many behind-the-scenes photos of various Heroes actors vamping with cups of Slusho!, which also appeared in an episode of Alias. At what point does "random" become the operative word in "random clues"? [Slashfilm]