One thing I always liked about the series were the moral lessons. Would you ever think about having a more challenging social message, maybe in the next Star Trek movie?

Kurtzman: The thing that is genius about Trek, and we've talked about this a lot, is that there was always a veiled message story. You never felt like you were getting beaten over the head by whatever the topic was. The bridge crew itself was this kind of idyllic world, there was a Russian, and in the middle of the Cold War everyone was working together. We feel like if you're going to tell a message in Trek you have to veil it in a really, really clever story.

So what was the message of this movie?

Orci: It sort of reflects where we are when Spock reflects at the end and kind of says, "I've kind of left you in a dark world, keep your chin up." The destruction of Vulcan in Trek lore to us is kind of the equivalent to a September 11th and the Holocaust all rolled into one. How does this crew deal with that? Is it a cynical decision that leads to a war with Romulus? Or is it a singular problem problem solving situation, with the person who really did it?

Are there any social issues you'd like to tackle in the next Star Trek movie?

Orci: It has to be a mosaic, we don't want to make anything a single issue. It would be a mosaic of... of our Southern California upbringing [laughs].

Kurtzman: Different philosophies... I agree, its hard to sort of pin point that we want to make a movie about one thing...

Orci: Adoption! [Jokingly]

You read it here first, the next Trek is all about adopting space babies, and the rough life of an alien orphan in a foster spaceship. Still I like that the two chose to put a positive spin on the film after all the destruction, because what is Trek if not uplifting?

It was pretty much all good news for Coraline, which raked in an impressive average of $7,105 per screen. Henry Selick's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's book came in third for the weekend, better than expected, and much better, on a per-screen basis, than other stop-motion animation films like Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit. (Here's a handy chart.) Also, more than 70 percent of the movie's take came from 3-D screens, proving that people were willing to go out of their way and pay extra to see it in the best format.

Push, meanwhile, had a "moderate" opening with $10.2 million, says Rotten Tomatoes. It came in sixth for the weekend, with a "decent" $4,410 per screen. Besides Blart, Coraline and He's Just Not That Into You, the movie lost out to Pink Panther 2 and Taken. Sci Fi Wire puts a braver face on the news, saying Push's opening exceeded expectations, which had put the gross in the $6 million to $8 million range. (EW calls Push's gross "good enough.")

As for the long-awaited Fanboys, it basically failed to register, making a total of only about $164,000.

In Push, Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) plays Nick, a ne'er-do-well telekinetic "Mover" hiding out from a secret government agency called Division. He meets the young clairvoyant Cassie (Dakota Fanning) who convinces him to help find a mysterious girl and her case, which are the key to stopping Division's evil schemes. There's just one catch: Cassie can see the future, and in the current timeline, both she and Nick die.

When I interviewed director Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin) about this new film, he talked about the "realism" he brought to this tale of psychics fighting against the government. You'll be happy to know that Push, at no time, feels like a work of realism. What it does have, however, is a determination to take its premise and its characters seriously at all times.

What I mean is, the film treats telekinesis and clairvoyance exactly the same way it handles guns and airplanes: they're tools, and the building blocks of a thriller. There's a moment, early on the movie, where somebody talks about trying to avoid being tracked by a "Watcher," and it feels nicely matter-of-fact. At no point in the movie is the fact that everyone has superpowers made into a big deal. They have superpowers the same way they have guns, cars, telephones and explosives.

At the same time, the film's backstory felt fleshed out enough that I kept wondering if I'd wandered into a long-established universe. The worldbuilding, involving government experiments and a complex chess game between different types of psychics, felt efficient and just detailed enough. The universe felt like it had consistent "rules," and was an interesting enough setting that I found myself thinking I wouldn't mind spending time there, in spite of my loathing for sequels and spin-offs.

And then there's McGuigan's direction, which definitely borrows a lot from his idol Wong Kar-Wai. There are lots of spooky scenes of people wandering seedy Hong Kong hallways or running through super-crowded alleyways, and if you squint it feels like an outtake from Chunking Express. The action scenes avoid shaky-cam or jump cuts, and you can actually tell what's happening most of the time. (Which is part of what I meant by "old school" above.) McGuigan uses CG effects, but keeps them mostly subtle. There's no green-screen. A warning, though: There are a couple of scenes of Evans and Fanning just walking down a corridor in slow-mo, which ought to be against the law.

By now, you can glean that I really liked Push. It wasn't a transcendant masterpiece, exactly, but it was a supremely entertaining couple of hours, and a lot more fun than most action-adventure films I'd seen. I warmed up to the characters, even if Evans' hard-bitten rogue act felt a bit well-worn. The storyline's twists and turns kept me guessing, even if they felt slightly nonsensical on a few occasions. At its best, the film is a stylish ride, and at its worst, it's still a fun movie.

The other thing I really liked about Push was the way it handled the "changing the future" storyline. If you've watched Heroes, or a number of other shows and movies, you'll be wary of stories where someone sees a bleak future and tries to change it. That way, so often, lies confusion and wank. But this storyline was the strongest part of Push, for a couple of reasons.

First of all, McGuigan keeps it visual in a way that I've never seen other narratives manage. Fanning and her rival clairvoyant are constantly drawing pictures of the shifting future in their notebooks. But even better, we see flashes of their future-visions, through a kind of haze, and you can see how they change. At one point, early in the movie, a bunch of Chinese gangsters/spies are about to murder Evans' character, Nick. But as they're killing him, their pet psychic can see the future changing - as Nick dies, the future in which the gangsters achieve their objective fades out as well. (It's hard to describe, but very clear in the actual execution.) The relationship between people's actions and the shifting futures is kept fairly concrete.

And secondly, this power of clairvoyance becomes, in the end, just another form of surveillance. (Like the "Sniffers," who can track you by sniffing your belongings.) It turns out the clairvoyant "Watchers" can only predict your future if you have made a decision to do something - if you don't make any decisions, they can't predict what'll happen next. In other words, clairvoyance is just another form of espionage that can be outsmarted or gamed.

It would not be a bad thing if Push becomes a sleeper hit and inspires a ton of copycat superpower movies. With a million superhero epics on the horizon - most of them looking almost unbearably cheesy and overloaded with too many comic-book villains per movie - it would be great if directors and writers took a few cues from Push. Especially if directors treated action sequences the way Push does - not as excuses for the story to grind to a halt for 20 minutes while the VFX people go to work, but as a continuation of the story. The movie's final showdown is huge and fairly spectacular, but it also contains actual plot developments.

It's definitely not a perfect film - I already mentioned that a couple plot twists felt slightly arbitrary. Plus, McGuigan is so eager to milk every last bit of color out of his Hong Kong setting, that he often comes annoyingly close to "exotic Oriental" imagery. (And I got a bit tired of the "deadly screaming Asian people" motif - one of the main ways the Chinese superpeople can kill you is by bugging out their eyes and screaming until your blood pours out. It gets a bit old.)

Also, as commenter OlavRockne points out, there's an annoying voice-over at the beginning, with a giant infodump. And it's a tad confusing - the movie starts out with a flashback to "ten years ago," then jumps forward to "now." And then it jumps forward again, to "two days from now." But it never goes back to "now." The whole movie takes place two minutes in the future, man!

But Push tells a straightforward story, with tons of clever plot twists that keep you wondering what'll happen and mostly make sense. The movie's action uses superpowers in a clever way, without excessive cuteness. You care about the characters, sketchily drawn though they are, and you get caught up in the action. This is all fairly basic stuff, but it feels downright revolutionary to see a film doing it well. Definitely give Push a look - it might be the best straightforward superpowered adventure we see for a while.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine:

French magazine Climax had a cover story about this movie, and true to their name, they celebrated with tons of pics of Wolvie having an orgasm. (I think they're all new, except maybe the one of him standing. Way more pics in the print magazine.) My French is super rusty — hard to believe I used to read Sartre in the original French — but here's what I could glean.

There will be tons of angst and darkness. Actually, this quote from director Gavin Hood sounds very Sartrean in French: "Wolverine m'attire car il est en conflit avec lui-même et sa vraie nature. Il souffre d'un rage existentielle hors du commun." (Wolverine appeals to me becuase he's in conflict with himself and his true nature, and he suffers an existential rage.)

There's a roundup of the movie's mutants: Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), William Stryker (Danny Huston), Beak (Dominic Monaghan), Kestrel (Will.I.Am), Silver Fox (Lynn Collins), Blob (Kevin Durand), Scott Summers (Tim Pocock), Agent Zero (Daniel Henney), Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Emma Frost (Tahnya Tozzi). As far as I can tell, it's just summarizing who these people are in the comics. Note: I'd heard reports that Scott Summers was in this film, but is this the first official confirmation? [SpoilerTV]

The Book Of Eli:

Some more casting news about this post-apocalyptic samurai movie starring Denzel Washington as the guy who has the book everybody wants. Dumbledore actor Michael Gambon has signed on to play one half of a couple who hold onto old traditions in spite of the whole "post-apocalyptic" thing. [Reuters]

Astro Boy:

Two new images from the CG animated movie, tying in with its promotional appearances at New York Comic Con. Bigger images at the link. [AICN via Slashfilm]

Push:

Here's a new clip from this awesome psychic smackdown movie:

Doctor Who:

Call this an incredibly minor spoiler. New Doctor Matt Smith says he's read a couple of scripts from season five, written by Steven Moffat, and "they rocket along." He also says they're "inventive and witty." (So the spoiler is that the scripts aren't slow moving and unoriginal, I guess.) Also, Smith says he wouldn't mind having his costume look a bit like 1970s star Tom Baker's. [BBC]

Heroes:

Another development in the "blonde women want to leave the show" rumor-fest. Hayden Panettiere came out and denied that she wanted to do a cheerleadery backflip away from the series. Or rather, she said she doesn't know anything about those rumors, which is almost the same thing. Almost. [MSNBC]

Here's a sneak peek from Monday's episode, "Trust And Blood." [HeroesTheSeries]

And here's our first peek at Smallville's John Glover as Sylar's dad. [Heroes Spoilers]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Friday night's episode, "The Hidden Enemy," sounds like it may be one to catch, since it sets up an intriguing plot development for future installments. Cody and Rex discover that one of their fellow clones is leaking information to the enemy, and they have to uncover the traitor before he thwarts the Republic's efforts to liberate Christophsis from a Separatist siege. Says director Steward Lee,

The clone's logic is understandable... He no longer wants to be just a slave to the Jedi, and wants to try and break that infrastructure. He thinks he's doing the right thing for all the clones and that the sacrifice is worth it.

Adds writer Drew Greenberg (Buffy, Dexter, Firefly):

Even the guy who turns out to be the bad guy makes the case that he was doing it for his brothers. This is about what it means to be a clone and what it means to be part of that brotherhood." And Lee says the Clone's rejection of the task he was bred for "creates an interesting beginning of something to come.

[Lucasfilm]

Eleventh Hour:

Plot descriptions for the Feb. 19 and Feb. 26 episodes:

1x14, "Minimata": A healthy helicopter pilot who flies for a local TV station goes blind during a live traffic report, which results in a deadly crash.
1x15, "Electro": "Thirty people are struck by lightning during a 10-minute thunderstorm."

[SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Alasdair Wilkins.

Iron Man 2:

It's still up in the air whether Mickey Rourke will accept a pittance to appear in this sequel, but in any case the character he'd be playing isn't Crimson Dynamo, says Robert Downey, Jr. So, is he Whiplash? Downey can't confirm or deny that. Maybe the character is "some semblance of both" Whiplash and the Dynamo. In any case, Downey insists that the movie won't fall into the "too many villains" trap. The real enemy comes from within, and the film is all about Tony Stark confronting the responsibility that comes with his great power, yadda yadda. The film is much stranger, and more fun, than the first one, Downey promises. [MTV]

Terminator Salvation:

And here's a new pic of John Connor hunting for Hydrobots in an underground tunnel. Bigger version at link. [Slashfilm]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

An anonymous source sends us this info:

In Transformers 2, they renamed Blackout, Grindor. And the Audi R8 is NOT Barricade, or female, its a Decepticon Sniper, forgot the name. But there are A LOT more Transformers like Protectrons (not Fallout 3) (though that may only be in the game.) And yes, Megatron IS back, and so is the Allspark.

Pretty much the whole shaker full of grains of salt is indicated, but there you go anyway.

Meanwhile, a phone survey asked people how they would feel about particular plot developments in the sequel, including Sam trying to have a normal life, his parents going to Paris, Sam going to college, Starscream returning to Cybertron to lead the Decepticons, Starscream bringing a Decepticon army back to Earth, the Decepticons using an Allspark fragment to revive Megatron, and the "fallen" Megatron seeking revenge. Oh, and the Decepticons decide to take over the entire universe, so Optimus assembles a huge Autobot army to stop them. [TLAMB]

Push:

Here's how Chris Evans describes his character, Nick Gant, in Friday's new superteen movie: "He’s had a lot of pain in the past. He’s closed off to his emotions." [North By Northwestern]

Dollhouse:

Actor Tahmoh Penikett hints that his character, FBI agent Paul Ballard, interacts with Eliza Dushku's Echo in several different situations early on in the series. As Ballard investigates the mindwiped slaves-for-hire operation, he receives an anonymous tip-off about Echo, but isn't sure how seriously to take the information. [Sci Fi Wire]

And Fox Broadcasting posted three little featurettes called "Enter The Jossverse":

How does Topher see his work in programming the mind-wiped Actives? Fran Kranz explains: Topher

sees it as an artistic, creative process. When he builds these personalities, I like to look at it like he’s building a brain. He’s using real parts of real personalities. Nothing is completely artificial. They’re pieces of real people. They’re kind of his color palette, and his final product is a complete person. The show meditates on this, obviously.

And where exactly does Topher get those "pieces of real people?" Says Kranz:

There is a place in the Dollhouse called the Attic that stores failed Dolls and personalities. There’s like a whole warehouse where actual bodies are kept... there is one episode where a friend of someone working in the Dollhouse downloads his or her personality intentionally for the sake of maybe using it later. So that just goes to show that people can come and download their personalities and clearly go on existing as functional human beings too.

Also, he says it gets much funnier after the pilot. [L.A. Times via Whedonesque]

Lost:

Jewelers, rejoice! It sounds as though Juliet and Sawyer may be having some rockin' times together. Or at least, actor Elizabeth Mitchell tells TV Guide that Sawyer suffers a lot in the new season... but then he gets to have some fun. Asked whether she's the person he has fun with, she refuses to answer. But then she adds that Juliet definitely gets "down and dirty" with someone. [The ODI]

I think we already mentioned the show was casting a ten-year-old version of Ben. Apparently this is a super-gifted science student and piano player who's deeply depressed, and just wants to make his parents proud and win their love. [EW]

Fringe:

We won't get any answers about the Observer any time soon, but we will get some closure on Mr. Jones in the next four episodes, and it's "very powerful," says John Noble. The show will be tackling time travel, genetic manipulation and teleportation, he predicts. [Sci Fi Wire]

Heroes:

Producers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite answered fans' questions again. At some point, we'll find out how Arthur and Angela managed to trick Sylar into thinking they were his parents. Neither Claude nor Echo will show up in Volume 4. We may see the dystopian future from "Five Years Gone" come true, since Nathan has turned against his own kind. Claire and Sylar will cross paths again, and their dynamic "is more interesting than you could imagine." (Does that mean sex?)

Arthur stole Molly's ability, and that's how he could find Hiro and Claire in the past — so does this mean Molly is powerless now? Sylar now uses empathy to absorb people's powers, and he has to concentrate to do this — so just crossing paths with another super-person doesn't automatically grant him their power. Not only Meredith, but Flint also, may have survived the explosion at the end of Volume 3. We won't learn who the mother of Sylar's alternate-future baby Noah is in Volume 4. And the dynamic between Hiro and Ando will keep changing drastically, now that Ando has the power. And the bike. [Heroes The Series]

Meanwhile, returning producer Bryan Fuller says he's crafting a major storyline for Ali Larter in season four, if the show actually gets a fourth season. This will reward Larter for being such a good sport — recent filming required her to stay in freezing water for four hours. But Fuller added the show is under pressure to eliminate one or two original cast members. [Watching Heroes]

We'll soon meet Sam, owner of Sam's Comics, and he'll have a storyline with Claire. [The ODI]

And here are some promo photos from next Monday's episode. [SpoilerTV]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

We will definitely find out this year what happened with FutureDerek and that spooky basement, promises Brian Austin Green. [Sarah Connor Society]

Smallville:

In episode 19, the one where Lois starts pretending to be a superhero named Stiletto to smoke out the red-blue blur, Chloe separately starts knowingly harboring the fugitive Davis Bloome, aka Doomsday. And she feeds him a surprising person as an evening snack on his first day under her roof. [EW]

Also, there are some script pages from that episode. The two punks that Stilletto (aka Lois) trounces are Bruno Manheim and his sidekick AJ. AJ gets arrested, and meanwhile Jimmy goes to work as a waiter at the Ace Of Clubs, the trendy nightclub run by Bruno's boss Milano. Bruno eventually decides to move up in the world and shoots Milano. Meanwhile, he and the newly sprung AJ decide to get their revenge on Stiletto. They rough up Jimmy, beating him nearly to death in their drive for answers. And then they chase Chloe around as well. Eventually Clark shows up to save the day, but Bruno pistol-whips him and he goes down. [SpoilerTV]

Supernatural:

The last three episodes of the season can be summed up as "Dean Vs. Sam." Also, the kid who plays Mary Louise Parker's son in Weeds will play a ghost sometime this spring. [EW]

Additional reporting by Alasdair Wilkins.

Terminator Salvation:

Here's a new image of the movie's T-600 model Terminator, from Gamepro Magazine. [Gamepro via Slashfilm]

Here's how Common describes his character:

Barnes is part of the resistance. He’s fighting to help save the world against the Terminators, and he’s really like a revolutionary human being and really learned a lot on the post-apocalyptic world.

[Just Jared]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

A Navy Seal who's an extra in the film says he filmed a battle scene with the Decepticons, where he has to get some villagers out of the area to save them from the Decepticon attacks. And then he and the others "had to protect Optimus Prime's corpse." OMG! Later, when people accused him of revealing a ginormous spoiler, he backtracked and said it was just "Optimus Prime's body," and maybe he's not actually dead. Like, I dunno, maybe Optimus is just napping? Also, Optimus gets dropped off by a Chinook. And Josh and Tyrese argue with the president via the flightline. More pics at the links. Update: Apparently the forum post now says "Optimus Prime's body" instead of "Optimus Prime's corpse." [IESB and Transformers Live and TFormers]

Spider-Man 4:

Sam Raimi says he may be looking to film some of the "second unit" stuff for this sequel in Michigan. Not sure if this means the film includes some wide-open spaces at some point, or if Detroit is going to be gussied up as Manhattan. [Coming Soon]

Push:

In Friday's super-teen movie, the relationship between Dakota Fanning's and Chris Evans' characters is at the center of the story, and almost all of her scenes are with him. Also Fanning's character gets drunk in one scene. And she uses a gun at one point, as protection from a "crazy woman who doesn't know who she is." [Teen Hollywood]

Battlestar Galactica:

Here are some promo pics from Friday's episode. (Side note: I love this comment: "Looks like Lee lucked out, a mousse created from algae has been invented.") [SpoilerTV]

Dollhouse:

A new promo for Joss Whedon's show, plus Terminator, tries for a Grindhouse/exploitation feeling and way, way overshoots.

Lost:

Some clips from tomorrow night's episode. [Doc Arzt]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

A recent set photo of Thomas Dekker and Lena Headey. Only really spoilery because neither of them is dead or mutilated, I guess. [Sarah Connor Society]

Heroes:

Okay, so I know I promised that Claire's bio-mom was really dead and wouldn't be back... but now actor Jessalyn Gilsig is quoting the producers as saying her character survived the big Primatech fire. "They have driven it home to me that it's Heroes, and so I am not dead," she says. (But it doesn't sound like she's in any of the episodes filmed so far, which is most of the season.) Also, Sylar's new sidekick Luke (Dan Byrd) shows up next week, and he's a human microwave. [E! Online]

Supernatural:

A few more deets about the upcoming episode called "Jump The Shark" — which is supposedly the one where we meet the third Winchester brother: it's also an episode where the brothers try to help a young man named Adam, who's upstanding but has made a "sharp left turn," meaning he's become some kind of supernatural freak. [E! Online]

True Blood:

The show is seeking someone to play Godric, a vampire who was born sometime before Jesus, but who looks about 15 years old. [E! Online]

Additional reporting by Alasdair Wilkins.

Push, the movie about a bunch of mind powered teens on the run from the evil Division (which most likely uses the brain powers of vision, telekinesis, sonic screaming and memory-implanting for evil). In these three new clips, see Dakota (Cassie) who has the power to see the future, and Chris (Nick) who has the power to move things with his big mind, fight evil and search for answers. Push, directed by Paul McGuigan, will be out in theaters on February 6th.

They're In The Market!!!

We Need You To Find This Lady

Fight!



Thanks to Trailer Addict for the clips.

Push, which comes out Feb. 6, is a total departure for McGuigan, who's known for films that are somewhat more rooted in reality. "I've never done an action sequence before, even though people think I have," he confesses. When the studio sent him the script originally, he wasn't sure why he was chosen: "I was a bit like, 'It's so funny. Why are you sending this to me? Nobody's dead on the first page.'"

But the producers wanted McGuigan to do the film because he could bring more realism to the premise, about kids who've got mental powers (like telekinesis, clairvoyance and mind control) as a result of government experiments. Instead of relying too much on CG effects, McGuigan wanted to make the film as real and naturalistic as possible. That meant lots of wire work — when you see star Chris Evans being flung around the ceiling — he's really being tossed around — and McGuigan's trademark camera-follows-the-actors style. In the end, the film does have about 500 CG shots, but uses practical effects way more than most similar films.

(Evans did a lot of his own stunts, but his stunt double got tossed so hard a few times, McGuigan wasn't sure if the guy was going to get up. But "he's from Australia, so who cares?") Here's one of the film's standout sequences, a telekinetic gun fight:

A more realistic approach also meant treating things like telekinesis — and the ability to make people bleed out using your mind — as if they were real phenomena. It helped that McGuigan went on the internet and found tons of sites where people were talking about the reality behind mental powers. And there were plenty of conspiracy sites where people claimed the government really did experiment on people after World War II to try and create superhumans.

McGuigan has always said Wong Kar-Wai is his favorite director, so it was terrific to get to make the entire film in Hong Kong, where Chris Evans' character has to hide out from the government agents chasing him. "You can hide in Hong Kong, there's millions of people in the streets. It's hard to track one person." McGuigan drew on Wong Kar-Wai classics like Chungking Express. He also avoided using real extras as much as possible — instead he relied on Hong Kong's own bustling masses, who barely reacted when they saw a kidnap or arrest happening nearby on the street. Instead of closing the street to film, McGuigan had special "hide cameras" made, which he could put on cars and streetlights, so bystanders wouldn't know he was making a movie. Instead of getting people to sign a release form, he had a "really really small notice" that said, "You are now entering a filming zone."

Another way that McGuigan reached for realism in Push was through the actors' throw-away performances. He rants about shows like 24, which have all the actors hissing through their teeth and chewing the scenery. "I don't know if you've ever seen 24, [it's] the worst acting I've ever seen."

Star Dakota Fanning, in particular, brings the whole sense of being fourteen years old to her punky character: all her hormones are going and she's intense and obnoxious and loveable all at the same time. "She's amazing," McGuigan says of Fanning. "I don't think I could have done this movie if she'd said no. I couldn’t have seen my way around it." And she knitted the director a scarf, which never happened with previous stars Bruce Willis or Josh Hartnett.

I asked McGuigan how overt all the stuff about the government experimenting on people and trying to create superhumans is in the film, and he said it starts off with a pseudo-documentary. "We explain the timeline, that after WWII and [during] the Cold War, the government experimented on humans. We take it that it went a bit further than we know." He delves a bit into the horrors of people being tested like lab rats, with the upshot being that they may be able to move a cup with their minds, but they also may be disabled or disfigured as a result. All because the government sees that power as a potential weapon.

And McGuigan is very up front about believing that governments are utterly corrupt and "aren't to be trusted... The government is evil."

I asked him if he saw any similarities between his film and Incredible Hulk, which also had the government experimenting on people to give him superpowers, and he insisted that his film is both more realistic, and a fresh take on the genre — partly because it's not based on an existing comic book. (Push is spawning a comic-book spinoff, but has no comics source material.) "The Incredible Hulk was a piece of shit," he said. He compared the CG-heavy giant fight scene at the end to a Tom And Jerry cartoon.

Another way the film strives for realism: it establishes very clear rules about what people can do with their powers, and then sticks to them very carefully. At the start of the movie, the super-powered characters aren't very good at using their powers, but they get better as the film goes along, and that's a big part of the movie's arc. "You can't change the rules because it suits you," says McGuigan. "You just can't make them up as you go along, because people like you will fucking crucify us."

What's changed, at the start of Push, is that people like Chris Evans' character, Nick Gant, are inheriting superpowers from their parents. The film refers to Gant as a "second-generation Mover" (or telekinetic.) That poses a challenge for the mysterious government agency Division, led by Djimon Hounsou, who are tasked with keeping all the people with superpowers under government control. Meanwhile, there's a superpowered arms race: the Chinese have their own superhumans, with different abilities, like "Bleeders," who can make you bleed out.

Finally, I asked McGuigan about those internet rumors that he was working on a movie based on Deathlok, Marvel Comics' cyborg character. "It wasn't a rumor, it was true," says McGuigan. He'd been working with Marvel and writer David Self on a Deathlok movie, but then Marvel put it on the back burner. "I was really into it, but Marvel changed their mind."

McGuigan got pretty excited about working on Deathlok, and he has all of the character's back comics. The biggest challenge in doing a Deathlok film would have been the fact that the killer cyborg is always having conversations with his on-board computer. "In a way it felt like Knight Rider, where you have the machine talking to him." It would have been a challenge to make that work on screen. "The script was really good. David Self is no slouch, he's a great screenwriter. And the whole idea of nanotechnology was fasinating." The movie included a "weird professor" character, who created Deathlok because he wanted to go down in history as another Da Vinci. (And McGuigan had envisioned Robert Downey Jr. for that character, which would have been a very different role than Tony Stark.)

"It would have been a good movie," he adds. "Maybe they'll still make it with somebody else."

Star Trek:

So just how much of a crazy space orgy will this movie be? Journalists asked star Chris Pine, in the wake of his statements about this being a "sexed-up" version, and he said:

It is a different Star Trek, but there's no crazy sex scene. There may be some bare midriffs, but you know it's been a long time since the bikini was invented, so I don't think we're going to ruffle any feathers.

You can stop camping out in line now. [E! Online]

Watchmen:

A behind-the-scenes look includes a few interviews, and maybe a tiny amount of new footage. [Reelz]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

Screenwriter Roberto Orci confirmed that Ravage is in the film, and that there's a "Pretender," a Transformer in human guise, in the film. That seems to line up with all the speculation that Alice, the character played by Isabel Lucas, is really a robot in disguise. (With the giant tongue, and the hypodermic tail, etc.) Also, Orci says the movie is more extreme in both its serious stakes and its crazy comedy. Crazay! [IGN]

Push:

A couple of new TV spots show more of this upcoming movie's crazy telekinetic fighting and mind-warping:

Lost:

The show began with a plane crash on an island in the South Pacific, and it'll end with an epic conclusion on a global scale, says Matthew Fox. And all six seasons, together, will give you an amazing character arc. His character will wind up finding redemption. [Style]

An upcoming TV Guide cover story includes major spoilers. Like, when Kate finally reunites with Sawyer, they're on a patio and she acts like she's seeing a ghost. Kate really thought Sawyer was dead. Also, Yunjin Kim hints that not all of the Oceanic Six succeed in getting back to the island. Locke is only in half of the dozen new episodes that have been shot so far, but he's had great material to work with. And we see Locke's death midway through the season.

The show's time travel won't ever be as goofy as it is on Heroes, but some characters do succeed in changing something major in the past, which is a huge turning point in the storyline. We discover more of the history of the island's earlier inhabitants, and Juliet comes across ruins from an ancient civilization. Plus, we meet more Dharma Initiative people, one of whom may be Sawyer's new love interest. And we'll see more of the consequences of attempting to approach the Island from the wrong compass bearing, as the O6 try to return.

We also discover there are people "whom Ben fears, and to whom he must answer," says actor Michael Emerson. We'll learn why the Swan Station exists, and gain a better understanding of the monster — including the fact that the monster was able to "pull memories from a character's life." The four-toed statue reappears, but four-toed answers will have to wait until season six. And we'll discover the characters have no control over their ultimate fates, only the choices they make on the way there. [TV Guide via Doc Arzt]

In the season's first couple hours, Hurley asks the questions the audience would like to ask, and explains to the audience what's going on in a clear, funny way. We won't see all of the bad stuff that resulted from the Oceanic Six leaving the island in season five — some of that will be in season six. Also, Ben may be able to return to the island, but not allowed to. And we may get to see what happens to him if he tries to. And Daniel Dae Kim is still a "series regular," but doesn't appear on the season five poster — make of that what you will. [Chicago Tribune]

Fringe:

Fox President Kevin Reilly told the press corps that the remaining episodes of season one will deepen the mythology and mystery for people who've been paying attention, but every single episode will be a standalone adventure that resets at the end. [LA Times]

Here are six pics from episode 12, "No Brainer," plus one more pic from episode 11, "Bound. (The outdoor running pic.) [SpoilerTV and Fringe Spoilers]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Lucasfilm sent us this awesome clip from Friday's new episode, featuring Aayla Secura. She looks awesome — although I admit that's not the voice I had in my head for her. [Lucasfilm]

Heroes:

When Sylar meets his real dad (John Glover), they're outside, in a tarpaulin shack, in the pouring rain and crazy mud, says Zachary Quinto. [EW]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

Still more reports that a "major character" will die soon. I wish it was Riley, but it'll probably be Derek instead. (Does Riley even count as "major"?) [EW]

Eleventh Hour:

In episode 12, "Eternal," a millionaire dies and an autopsy reveals two fully developed hearts in his chest. (Dude! The long-awaited Doctor Who crossover!) [SpoilerTV]

Supernatural:

The episode that introduces the third Winchester brother will be called "Jump The Shark." And we may already have mentioned that Dean's hookup Anna will be back, "presumably to hit that again." [EW]

Kyle XY:

Here are five sneak peeks from next week's episode. OMG, Josh and Andy really did do it!!

Big Man Japan
A nobody who moonlights as a giant superhero has to battle all sorts of beasties but also has to deal with a growing mob of superhero haters, and an Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather. BMJ will be out in March.

Pandorum

The amazing, astounding, fantastic Ben Foster is stranded on a spacecraft with his coworker Dennis Quaid — and there's something aboard that wants them dead. Release date is September 4.

The Princess and the Frog

Hooray for old timey animation! Disney returns to the princess animations with a New Orleans set Princess in the Frog fairytale out December 25.

Push

It's like Heroes, the movie. Everyone has a brain power in Push, be they Movers or Sniffers (sadly, no Shakers) The powered film comes out February 6.

Crank: High Voltage

Wow Crank 2 just got a whole lot more insane. Will they be stop motion animating Jason Statham, but huge? God, I hope so. Crank 2 is out April 17.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

Kristin Kreuk masters the high-kicks, in her own Chun-Li Street Fighter origins story, due out February 27.

17 Again


Matthew Perry gets shrunk back down to the age of 17, and injected into his own teen's high school, to try and "fix" his crumbling family. That's in theaters April 17.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian


Bill Hader and Amy Adams join the museum cast as General Custer and Amelia Earhart (or rather, the wax figures of these historical figures that come to life after the museum closes). Museum 2 is out on May 22.

Fanboys


A group of serious fans try and break into George Lucas' Skywalker ranch, and mayhem ensues, on February 6.

Coraline


Neil Gaiman's story about a young girl who visits an alternate world comes to life in breathtaking 3D stop-motion animation, out February 6.

2012


John Cusack cools his heels while the wold ends around him, in one terrible natural disaster after another, in 2012. It's out on July 10.

Knowing


Nicolas Cage uncovers a time capsule that details in numbers when everything awful will happen on Earth. Knowing will be released on March 20.

They Came From Upstairs


Ashley Tisdale and her family have an awesome spring break, before an alien invasion happens. Or maybe after, it's hard to tell. Either way, we'll find out on July 31.

Race to Witch Mountain


Dang teens and their alien abilities to move things with their minds. This reboot of a an old Disney classic is released on March 13.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


The magic boys and girls are back in school, and ready for the fight to end all fights, yet again. Harry is out on July 17.

Cirque du Freak


John C. Reilly is a vampire who runs a circus with Salma Hayek, and your chances of seeing Hayek do something sexy are pretty much guaranteed. There is no release date yet.

More pics at the link. [L.A. Times]

Note: As always, this includes a few fantasy movies that are set in the present day, involve technology, or feature an urban setting. Feel free to let us know what we missed!

January:

Outlander (Jan. 23)

What's it about? An alien (Jim Caviezel) crashlands in the middle ages, and has to rally a bunch of Viking warriors to fight an escaped alien monster. Dude.

Early indications: The long, long delay in its U.S. release may not be the best sign for this film, or it may just mean the Weinsteins don't know what they have on their hands. Early reviews have been sort of lukewarm. Clips look fun and cheesy, mostly in a good way. My guess is, it's either a fun ride, or it's this year's Doomsday. Either way, I'll be there on opening day.

February:

Coraline (Feb. 6)

What's it about? Based on the Neil Gaiman book, this stop-motion animated movie follows a girl (Dakota Fanning) who finds a secret door to an alternate version of her real life.

Early indications: Meredith just saw it and said it was amazingly beautiful and cool. John Hodgman seems to be having a blast as both versions of Coraline's dad. Check out this trailer:

Push (Feb. 6)

What's it about? Teens with mental superpowers (like telekinesis and clairvoyance) flee from a secret organization that wants to exploit them. Luckily, they wind up in Hong Kong, where cool fight scenes just naturally happen. (It's true. I used to live there.)

Early indications: At first it looked like Jumper meets Heroes, but everything I hear about this film's weird use of mental powers (false memories, spontaneous embolisms, telekinetic gunfights) sounds more and more fun.

Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li (Feb. 27)

What's it about? It's a Street Fighter spinoff, focusing on the kicky young fighter (Kristin Kreuk).

Early indications: Well, we just posted the trailer at last. And apparently, there's a whole coming-of-age story about Chun-Li overcoming her thirst for revenge. Best case scenario: it could be a fun-but-dumb action movie. You don't really want to know what the worst case scenario is.

March:

Watchmen (March 6)

What's it about? Like you don't know. The graphic novel, by Dave Gibbons and that guy who wants nothing to do with it, gets an adaptation by Zack (300) Snyder. In an alternate 1985 where Nixon is still president, someone is killing current and former superheroes, and it turns out to be part of a bigger coverup.

Early indications: The footage looks very, very pretty. Snyder, and all the actors, are totally committed to presenting the story and characters as they are in the graphic novel (with one important change.) The only question, really, is will all of those random pieces of brilliance build up to a shining mosaic, like they do in the comic, or will they remain just random pieces of brilliance? (Oh, and will Fox let the movie come out on time?)

Race To Witch Mountain (March 13)

What's it about? A reboot of the classic old series, where a cab-driver (The Rock) picks up two telekinetic kids who have to get back to their spaceship before the government (and a Master Chief-looking guy) hunt them down.

Early indications: The trailer is cute, with the requisite robo-talking kids. It's a Disney movie starring The Rock. What do you want?

Knowing (March 20)

What's it about? Nic Cage is a guy whose son digs up a time capsule that includes some mysterious numbers which some kid wrote down in the 1950s. They predict every disaster that's ever happened — including some doozies that are on the way.

Early indications: The trailer hasn't wowed me; it looks a lot like National Disaster. On the other hand it's Alex (Dark City) Proyas.

Monsters Versus Aliens (March 27)

What's it about? A 3-D animated adaptation of the comic book Rex Havoc And The Ass-Kickers Of The Fantastic, this film follows a group of monsters (including Hugh Laurie's Dr. Cockroach PhD) who have to defeat an invading alien (Rainn Wilson).

Early indications: We couldn't possibly be more excited about this one, based on the trailer and featurette we've seen.

April:

Dragonball (April 8)

What's it about? Goku (Justin Chatwin) has to hunt down seven Dragonballs before the evil Lord Piccolo (the weirdly made up James Marsters) gets them. They fight, and fight, and fight and fight and fight.

Early indications: Every time we post about this movie, the collective eye-rolling sounds like a million Dragonballs rolling toward a bottomless money pit.

Crank: High Voltage (April 17)

What's it about? Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) didn't die at the end of Crank, all indications to the contrary. Instead, he had his superpowered heart stolen by an elderly Chinese gangster, and replaced with a car battery or something. Chev has to keep jolting himself with electricity to stay alive, but he still finds time to hang out with strippers.

Early indications: This movie is the reason Jason Statham exists. Forget dross like Death Transporter — he should be shocking us and his battery heart at the same time. If this film isn't a disgusting, bizarre mess that I want to see three times, I'll be terribly disappointed.

May:

X-Men: Origins: Wolverine (May 1)

What's it about? What it sounds like — the origin of Marvel's stabbiest mutant, whose skeleton (and claws) get replaced with super-hard adamantium in a military project. And then he goes rogue. Of course.

Early indications: Well, it has a Wolvie jumping from a burning truck onto a helicopter. And merc-with-a-mouth Deadpool shows up. My guess is, it'll be slightly better than X-Men 3.

Star Trek (May 8)

What's it about? We get to see James Kirk (Christopher Pine) evolve from arrogant flakewad to suave leader of men and women. Plus, Leonard Nimoy's elderly version of Spock shows up to help out the younger, prettier version played by Zachary Quinto.

Early indications: You already know if you're excited for this shiny, retro-looking Trek, complete with an "Apple Store" bridge. On the one hand, some of the comedy sounds pretty broad and Pine's Kirk may actually be too immature for his own good. On the other hand, the space battles look better than any we've seen in years, and Quinto actually seems to work better as Spock than he does as Sylar these days.

Terminator Salvation (May 22)

What's it about? It's 2018, and John Connor is stepping up to lead the fight against Skynet. But the presence of another time traveler named Marcus (Sam Worthington) throws all of Connor's convictions into doubt.

Early indications: Lots of skeptics seem to have been converted by the early footage, and our first glimpses at the Harvester, the Moto-Terminators and the Hydrobots. At the very least, there will be cool robot attacks in a ruined wasteland, and there may actually be a meaty story about John Connor struggling with his destiny amidst alternate timelines.

June:

Land Of The Lost (June 5)

What's it about? A remake of the Krofft Superstore show about explorers who find of dinosaurs and reptilian Sleestaks.

Early indications: We read some of the script, and it read like a standard Will Ferrell buddy comedy, with Anna Friel along for the ride. The Sleestaks look cute, at least.

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (June 26)

What's it about? A sequel to the Shia LaBoeuf vehicle about big robots that turn into cars, among other things.

Early indications: If you disliked the first Transformers, you'll probably hate this one like eye cancer. I kind of liked the first movie, but this one may or may not deliver. On the one hand, it has more robots and bigger robots, plus more delving into Transformer mythology. On the other hand, Jonah (Superbad) Hill took one look at the script and bailed out of the film.

2012 (July 10)

What's it about? John Cusack is a cab driver/aspiring writer who discovers the world is ending, in this movie by Roland (Day After Tomorrow) Emmerich.

Early indications: Well, the trailer looks kind of silly, but the early script reviews are totally damning. At this point, an Emmerich film would need glowing early buzz to get me excited anyway.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (July 17)

What's it about? The latest film (delayed from last December) in the Harry Potter series follows the young wizard as he finally learns the secrets of the virtually unkillable Voldemort.

Early indications: It's directed by David Yates, also helmer of 2007's Order Of The Phoenix and next year's Deathly Hallows. The featurettes and trailer look pretty great.

They Came From Upstairs (July 31)

What's it about? A group of teens on vacation (including High School Musical's Ashley Tisdale) discover an alien invasion is happening, and they're the only ones who can stop it. Because everyone else is under alien mind control. Or something.

Early indications: Well, it's got a cute chick, and a cute CG alien (right). If you like HSM and alien invasions, it might be pretty good.

G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra (August 7)

What's it about? An elite squad of soldiers (wearing power armor) face off with the terrorist organization Cobra, which wants to unleash a nano-bomb full of nanites that will eat everything in their path. And there are ninjas. And a Baroness.

Early indications: It has silly costumes. It has Marlon Wayans as Ripcord, in a comedy subplot. It has Christopher Eccleston and Joseph Gordon-Levitt acting their little hearts out as the villains. The only person who's seen a trailer so far called it "horrible."

September:

Game (Sept. 4)

What's it about? This delayed film follows Gerard Butler (300) as a convict forced to take place in a real-life video game, where he's controlled by viewers thanks to a chip in his head. But there's an underground movement, led by Ludacris, fighting to end this injustice and close Thunderdome or whatever.

Early indications: Early reviews say the film is beyond boring.

9 (Sept. 9)

What's it about? A group of rag dolls struggle to survive under attack from deadly robots, in a world where humans have died off. It's an expanded version of an acclaimed short film, produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Tim Burton.

Early indications: Few people had even heard of this film a month ago, but since the trailer came out, it's suddenly become a hotly anticipated film. Weirdly, it does look like the sort of thing both Bekmabetov and Burton would love.

The Surrogates (Sept. 25)

What's it about? Based on a little-known graphic novel, this movie takes place in a future world where nobody goes out — instead they use robotic "surrogate" to interact with the world. A cop (Bruce Willis) is forced to venture outside himself, for the first time in years. Complete with horrible wig.

Early indications: The first images look intriguing, and our exclusive first look at the robots was intriguing. Producer Elizabeth Banks (star of Zack And Miri) says it's Blade Runner-ish. On the other hand, director Jonathan Mostow is best known for Terminator 3.

October:

Zombieland (Oct. 9)

What's it about? Weirdly, there are two movies called Zombieland in production. This isn't the zany Woody Harrelson movie, which comes out in 2010. Instead, this one stars Brad Dourif (the psycho from Star Trek: Voyager and many horror movies) as someone who turns a funeral home into a zombie tourist attraction.

Early indications: No clue. Brad Dourif gives good psycho though.

Astro Boy (Oct. 23)

What's it about? A CG animated movie based on the anime classic about a Pinnochio-bot who gets turned out of his home and goes on wacky adventures.

Early indications: The super-brief teaser trailer looked fun, and the concept art promises some demented-looking robots and painterly vistas.

November:

The Box (Nov. 6)

What's it about? Based on a Richard Matheson story (and a Twilight Zone episode), this film follows a young couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) who get a box with a button. If they press the button, they get a jillion dollars — and someone they don't know dies.

Early indications: It's directed by Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko). Maybe having to stick somewhat more closely to a Matheson short story will lift Kelly out of his Southland Tales delirium. We can hope.

The Wolfman (Nov. 6)

What's it about? Benicio Del Toro is a wolfman. Grrr.

Early indications: Yet another movie hit with delays, this time due to post-production problems with the transformation effects. Judging from the quotes on IMDB, it sounds like Anthony Hopkins and Del Toro get to gnaw scenery, with lines like "I am what I say I am. A monster," and "The prodigal son returns," and "I will kill all of you!"

New Moon (Nov. 20)

What's it about? The second movie in the uber-successful Twilight series, based on Stephenie Meyer's mega-selling books.

Early indications: Well, director Catherine Hardwicke got dropped, supposedly because she wanted to spend more than 50 cents and a few minutes on special effects. I honestly don't know how they can have this film in theaters by November.

Planet 51 (Nov. 20)

What's it about? Another animated film. The Rock is an astronaut who lands on an alien planet where it's the 1950s and everybody's xenophobic. Everybody thinks he's an invader. So he has to befriend a little alien boy.

Early indications: Well, it might be better than Space Chimps. The early stills look sort of cheap but cute. See above: it's a kids' movie with The Rock.

December:

Avatar (Dec. 18)

What's it about? The film James Cameron has been working on for the past ten years, where a disabled ex-marine (Sam Worthington) takes on an "avatar," or alien shape, that lets him walk among the aliens on a distant planet. Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana co-star.

Early indications: Cameron has been talking up the enormous technical breakthrough in 3-D filming and motion capture his film will involve. Weaver sounds jazzed about her character and the overall storyline. But even Cameron himself warns: "I don't know whether it will be a great film from a narrative and critical standpoint. The experience of Avatar will be an experience unlike any other movies." My guess is, it won't be as great as Aliens or Terminator 2, but it could still be the best film of the year.

No release date:

The Road (??)

What's it about? The adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel about a father and son struggling to survive in a world where everything's fallen apart.

Early indications: Yet another delayed film, because of post-production issues. It looks like the film will really push the bleak setting and dissheveled protagonists to the limit. Early script reviews say it could be the most important post-apocalyptic film — and the darkest — of all time. If they don't ruin it in the editing room.

This is Kira, the girl that everyone is after. She's the only mutant person to escape the secret halls of brain experiments at an unnamed agency. Plus, she's carrying a deep, dark secret that evil Pusher Djimon Hounsou would move heaven and hell to keep from coming out.

Nick, played by Chris Evans, is a Mover who used to work with the CIA, now he mostly hangs out with Dakota Fanning's Watcher, named Cassie Holmes.

Think of a Sniffer as a psychic blood hound. Push has two classifications of mind power people: those working for the creepy private agency and hunting down poor Kira Hudson, and those trying to survive with only their wits and mind-powers to save them. This movie has Sunday TBS movie written all over it.

To figure out the secrets behind all the Push powers, including the difference between a Wiper and a Watcher, check out Superhero Hype. Push will be in theaters on February 6th.

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

OMG toy spoilers! Some guy got hold of an action figure for Scrapper/Dirtboss, the Transformer that turns into a forklift. And here's his review (skip the first two minutes of him ranting about something or other). [TFW2005]

Land Of The Lost:

Here's new poster for the crazay Will Ferrell vehicle. (Bigger and non-cropped image at link.) [Cinematical]

Push:

And here's a psychedelic poster for the Heroes-esque movie, which opens February. [Filmofilia]

Battlestar Galactica:

The revelation of the final Cylon will be a let-down, Ron Moore promises:

It will never be as powerful as the build-up. I resigned myself to that a long time ago. The "Who Shot JR" of it all is an instructive lesson: No matter who it is, it's still going to be a bit of a letdown. But I decided that precisely because of that, it wasn't going to be in the final episode. I didn't want that to become the entire series. I'm sure there will be a variety of reactions. Some people will love it, some people will hate it. But I think when you see how the revelation fits into the overall mythology of the show, when all the questions are answered by the end, then it'll make sense and you'll think, "Oh, well it kind of had to be that person."

[AMC]

Meanwhile, Tahmoh Penikett hints that Helo dies at the end of BSG. At least, he says letting Helo live would be "kind of predictable," and he said a couple months ago that he had talked Moore out of doing the predicatable thing with Helo. Hmm. There will definitely be some loose ends at the end of the show, Penikett adds. [E! Online]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

You might have noticed daddy Kyle Reese in the trailer that aired after the last episode. Apparently, Kyle plays a big role in the next episode, airing Feb. 14, but won't be a series regular after that. [E! Online]

Lost:

The official descriptions and guest lists for the season's first two episodes came out:

"Because You Left": The remaining island survivors start to feel the effects of the aftermath of moving the island, and Jack and Ben begin their quest to reunite the Oceanic 6 in order to return to the island with Locke's body in an attempt to save their former fellow castaways.
Guest Cast: L. Scott Caldwell as Rose, Sam Anderson as Bernard, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, William Mapother as Ethan Rom, Francois Chau as Dr. Marvin Candle, Sonya Walger as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte Lewis, William Blanchett as Aaron, Sean Whalen as Neil Frogurt, Tom Irwin as Dan Norton, Michael Dempsey as foreman, Stephanie Smart as ticket agent, Leslie Ishii as woman, Cindy Paliracio as TV anchor, Brad Berryhill as anxious guy, Sven Lindstrom as crew member, Chantal Boomla as counter girl, Jeremy Colvin as security guard.

"The Lie": Hurley and Sayid are on the run from the cops after stumbling into trouble at the safehouse; the island survivors come under attack by unknown forces; and an old friend offers some shocking advice to Kate in order to ensure that "the lie" remain a secret.
Guest Cast: Michelle Rodriguez as Ana Lucia, L. Scott Caldwell as Rose, Sam Anderson as Bernard, Sonya Walger as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte Lewis, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Lillian Hurst as Carmen Reyes, Cheech Marin as David Reyes, William Blanchett as Aaron, Sean Whalen as Neil Frogurt, Tom Connolly as Jones, Mary Mara as Jill, Dana Sorman as Darlene, James Jeremiah as police officer, Stephanie Conching as nurse, Matthew Allan as Cunningham, Todd Bryant as Mattingly.

And apparently sometime during season five, Kate and Aaron will be visiting Cassidy and Clementine, most likely in response to Sawyer's last request to Kate. Also, here are some promo pics from "Because You Left." [The ODI]

Also, there are incredibly blurry photos of some filming on "Hurley's golf course," including some Dharma people and Sawyer. The photographer writes, "I also got to see hurley jack kate." (Do you think "jack" is a verb or a name there?) [SpoilersLost]

Finally, at the tail end of a Carlton/Damon video, there were screencaps showing two new characters, Caesar and Ilana. [The ODI]

Heroes:

So we weren't the only ones confused about that Sylar-related spoiler the other day. Turns out Sylar is only on a quest for his real parents, not his powers. Sylar has lost his powers (for the second time), but he'll get them back before too long. Phew, that's a relief. [E! Online]

Also, Adam/Kensei is really, really, really, reaaaaallly dead. [TV Guide]

Fringe:

A new trailer you might not have seen:

Smallville:

Screw Maxima and the Legion — in episode 8x14, we finally get to meet a crucial figure in the Superman mythos. I'm referring, of course, to jerky reporter/sportscaster Steve Lombard, who'll be played by Ray Galletti. [KryptonSite]

So we mentioned that in the episode "Hex," Chloe gets turned into Lois, and she shared a meaningful look with Clark while in Lois' body. Turns out there's more to it than that. Chloe gets put into Lois' body because she wishes she had Lois' "easy" life, and a magician (Zatanna, probably) grants her wish. At the end of the episode, Chloe comes to an epiphany. And Clark gets a wish too. (To make people forget him revealing his true identity? Or something else?) [TV Guide]

And here's a new trailer for the next episode, "Legion." [OSCK]

Supernatural:

If you're sad about the amount of screentime Jared Padalecki has gotten lately, rejoice. The next two episodes are equal parts Sam and Dean, and then the third episode features tons of emotional upheaval for both teen Sam and grown-up Sam. [TV Guide]

Eleventh Hour:

Good news for everyone who's tired of Rufus Sewell's two-note performance. He gets a third note in "H2O," the Jan. 16 episode: psycho! "An epidemic of sudden, violent outbursts by law-abiding citizens draws Dr. Jacob Hood to a quiet Texas community to investigate - but he soon succumbs to the same erratic behavior." [SpoilerTV]

The Day The Earth Stood Still:

When all seems lost, an unusually serious John Cleese shows up to talk to Klaatu in this movie remake. And, according to director Scott Derrickson, Cleese tells Klaatu that "it is human nature for us to destroy each other. But it is also human nature to have to get into those really difficult messes before there is enough motivation and enough admission of the truth to make the significant changes that are necessary for us to evolve." [Discover Magazine]

Dragonball:

Emmy Rossum says the movie's big Goku/Piccolo fight is awesome. And her character is an intellectual scientist who rides a motorcycle and fights using martial arts. [DBTheMovie]

Transformers: Revenge Of Fallen:

Tyrese Gibson shoots down rumors that his character dies in the new movie, because "I am too sexy to die." [TransformersLive]

Another day, another toy spoiler. This time, it's the toy that supposedly shows how Laserbeak will look in the new movie. Laserbeak!! More pics at link. [TFW2005]

Push:

Here's a new international trailer for this Hong Kong superteen movie, that includes a bit more telekinetic fighty action.

Doctor Who:

The official site has been updated with a game that unlocks some new pics from "The Next Doctor," and a script excerpt featuring a sinister figure turning up at a funeral. [Planet Gallifrey]

Meanwhile, what's the deal with the "Other Doctor"? David Morrisey sort of doesn't explain. Except more hints that his Doctor has "major issues." [SpoilerTV]

Flash Forward:

A new casting call gives a couple of plot hints for this David S. Goyer/Brannon Braga show where everyone in the world blacks out for 2 minutes and has a vision of the future. (Based on the Robert Sawyer novel.)

A sassy British agent, Agent Banks, is having a meeting with Gough about a case, Gough's vision of the future. Gough contacts her, and she confirms that she shared the same vision in every particular. Meanwhile, a South African woman, Kathleen DeVries, calls Dominic (John Cho) to warn him of his appearance in her own disastrous future vision. [SpoilerTV]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

That Navy sub episode we mentioned includes a pair of identitical twins playing Navy sailors. It's hinted that there may be identical models of Terminator infiltrating the U.S. military. (Why would that be useful? More likely, it's the real human and the cyborg replacing her, which the show's already done a few times.) [E! Online]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Here's a promo pic from Friday night's episode, where Jedi Master Kit Fisto explores the "Lair Of Grievous," along with his former Padawan, who's tempted to go to the dark side. The clips on the Clone Wars movie DVD made me pretty excited about this one. [Warner Bros.]

Stargate Universe:

The first episode of this youngsters-trapped-in-space spinoff is called "Air," and it introduces the young team and gets them aboard the Ancient ship Destiny, which was sent out aeons ago to explore worlds that another ship had previously seeded with Stargates. [GateWorld]

Smallville:

New casting sides reveal plot details for 8x17, "Hex." Oliver meets Cassie, a witch who has lots of pictures of him. She needs Ollie to steal something for her — an item which Lex Luthor collected before he disappeared. (Sounds like she's Zatanna? She talks about her dead magician father.) Cassie offers to bring Ollie's dead parents back, and he tells her the object is too dangerous for her to possess. [SpoilerTV]

Heroes:

Daphne isn't on that plane that crashes during the "Fugitives" arc, killing a bunch of people. Instead, she's looking for our heroes, including her true love Matt Parkman. And the people chasing the heroes are being paid by the government. [E! Online]

Meanwhile, it's still true that a perky blonde heroine (involved in a hot romance) appears to die, but it's all a coverup. And Peter will get his abilities back within a few episodes. And in "Fugitives," we'll learn that Nathan and Tracy's main objective isn't just to create supersoldiers, it's more to do with command and control issues. Having soldiers at Guantanamo Bay who can literally see through people could turn out to be very useful. [E! Online again]

Chuck:

In an upcoming episode, Morgan passes off the task of hiring a new coworker to Jeff and Lester, who trick some Sports Illustrated models into thinking they're actually trying to hire a cover girl for the Buy More catalog. And when the girls find out they've been had, they take it out on Chuck, smacking him across the face. In that same episode, Morgan has to disrobe right after the aforementioned models, which is not a good comparison. And he drags his feet on moving in with Anna. And here's video. [E! Online]
 
 
Supernatural:

Dean plays chess with the Grim Reaper in the upcoming "Death Takes A Holiday." [E! Online]

The Survivors:

In an upcoming episode, according to star Julie Graham, "we come across a group of travellers and one of the women is pregnant. She lost her children to the virus but is expecting again. We had these beautiful twin boys on set taking turns to play the newborn son." [People.Co.UK]

Knight Rider:

What's in store for the last batch of episodes of this chatty car show? Admit it, you're curious. Star Jason Bruening has some hints about the appearance of KARR and the non-appearance of most of the show's supporting cast. [Knight Rider Online]

Additional reporting by Katharine Duckett.

The series, which previews February 2009's movie, is co-written by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman, with art by Bruno Redondo. You can find out more about the series here.

Push #1 Preview [MySpace]

For one thing, Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Sunshine) is a lot more entertaining to watch than Hayden Christensen, and Dakota Fanning does creepy clairvoyant well. So in case you missed our previous Push coverage, Evans and Fanning are superpowered kids on the run from the Division, the secret agency that created them. Evans plays Nick, a telekinetic "Mover," and Fanning plays Cassie, a clairvoyant "Watcher." They're looking for Kira, a "Pusher" who can put fake memories into your mind, in Hong Kong.

Director Paul McGuigan showed some footage for reporters, and Division agents have more wacky superpowers including Sniffers, who can see the history of an object by smelling it. (Ha.) And Bleeders, who can cause massive internal bleeding and attack Nick. Also, our heroes team up with a fourth superkid, Hook, who's a "Shadow," with the ability to mask his ability from Sniffers and Watchers.

Also, we see a flashback to a punk street kid version of Cassie (with pink hair) who wants to rescue her mom, who has been captured by the Division. And Cassie has foreseen that Nick is the key to saving her mom. We see Kira almost get captured by Division agents, but she plants a fake memory in one agent's mind that he had a brother, and the other agent killed him. Later, that agent is tricked into killing himself by his boss, another Pusher who makes the agent believe his gun isn't loaded and then convinces him to put it in his own mouth.

Finally, McGuigan showed off some kinetic fight scenes, including Nick's gun battle with another telekinetic, Victor, who makes Nick's guns go off by themselves and projects telekinetic shields to protect himself. Then there's a huge climactic fight scene on a construction project, with Kira the Pusher shooting a big machine gun and Nick escaping from a car trunk and having a big showdown with Victor. It actually sounds pretty fun. [Sci Fi Wire]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

This isn't exactly a leak of actual info, but someone over at the TFW2005 forums has come up with a pretty detailed summary of what he/she thinks happens in the Transformers sequel, based on leaked info and set reports.

Sam goes to college, and Bumblebee is frustrated that he has to be a car all the time, and can't "be himself" with his buddy. Bumblebee almost gets caught as a robot a few times, and meanwhile Sam bonds with his new roommate. Sam starts to go wiggy, and meanwhile this hot chick named Alice starts warming up to him — and Mikaela is far away. Sam is torn! And then Soundwave, in satellite form, sends Ravage down to attack Sam's college. Sam barely escapes, and turns to Alice for comfort — but there's more to her than meets the eye. Oh noes! Sam tells the wrong person what he's seen, and winds up in a mental asylum.

Sam's roommate has to team up with Bumblebee to find the other Autobots, and Optimus Prime is convinced a Cybertronian legend about "The Fallen" is coming true. The Autobots bust Sam out of the bughouse. From Sam's ravings, Optimus realizes the Fallen is on Earth, and the search is on. They team up with Tyrese, Simons and Lenox. At the Smithsonian, they meet Jetfire, a Decepticon rogue who's in hiding there, and they convince Jetfire the Fallen is the bigger threat, so he joins the Autobots.

Meanwhile, there are two Decepticon factions. Screamer wants to team up with the Fallen, while Ravage wants to revive Megatron. There is lots of fighting, and Simons is killed. People realize this is super serious. And then everyone winds up in Egypt, where the Fallen is buried. Starscream, the newly revived Megatron and all the Autobots have a big fight. And then the Fallen wakes up, and everyone has to deal with it.

(This doesn't explain the China scenes, nor does it explain the Paris stuff, which supposedly includes Sam's parents on vacation there.) [TFW2005]

Dragonball:

Here's a new Spanish poster for Dragonball. Bigger version at the link. [DBTheMovie]

Push:

Are you excited by this story of superpowered youth running from the man in Hong Kong? Here are a few sexy pics to get you amped up. More at the link. [Empire]

Kick Ass:

Reader Michael managed to get us some video of the filming of Mark Millar's super-violent superhero movie Kick Ass. Watch Aaron Johnson hang around in his Kick Ass outfit and then standing on a tire. [Thanks Michael!]

The Book Of Eli:

According to Cinemablend, this new Denzel Washington vehicle is a post-apocalyptic Western about a man who fights his way across America to protect a "sacred book" that holds the secrets of saving humanity. [Cinemablend]

Dollhouse:

Joss Whedon's new show about mind-wiped puppets for hire is casting two new characters for episode 7, and they may be recurring. One is Leo, a cute politically active guy with a slight Pacific Northwest nature-boy air about him. The other is Sam, an African American college student, age 20, who worked hard to get out of the 'hood and wants to stay out. [SpoilerTV]

Lost:

Speaking of casting, Lost is seeking someone to play Amy, a character we'll meet in episode eight, who'll appear in at least four episodes afterwards. Here's her description:

A smart, attractive and charismatic Caucasian woman somewhere between 35-42 years old. She is outdoorsy and adventurous. She is comfortably successful at her job. Her love life is complicated and a reflection of her own complex nature. She is a woman many men find attractive and she likes qualities of each of her suitors but is looking for the whole package. Other women find her funny and honest.

[Doc Arzt]

Meanwhile, Lost was filming another scene involving Locke, and it looks like he gets into a car crash. Witnesses saw him standing, somewhat bloodied, and surveying the remains of his blue car. At the same time, a disused parking lot was filled with cars with Oregon license plates. All of these Locke scenes are probably from episode six, "The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham." [Hawaii Weblog]

Smallville:

In episode 10, "Bride," Oliver thinks he's tracked down Lex, but when he goes to Cuba to find Lex, he winds up finding Lana instead. Meanwhile, Clark and Lois get closer. And Doomsday crashes Chloe's wedding and tries to kidnap her. [SpoilerTV]

So what's the deal with Green Arrow exactly? Let Justin Hartley explain. [CW Source]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

How exactly does former FBI agent Ellison interact with Sarah Connor and her family? Actor Richard T. Jones explains: "I'm getting closer and closer, and they're trying to run from me, but I'm reeling them in like a big fish." [Sci Fi Magazine, via SpoilerTV]

Here are a few pics from episode 9, "Complications." [SpoilerTV]

Chuck:

Here are some pics from episode eight, "Chuck Vs. The Gravitron" and episode nine, "Chuck Vs. The Sensei." The latter batch seem to be our first look at the Awesomes, Captain Awesome's parents, played by Bruce Boxleitner and Morgan Fairchild. [SpoilerTV]

Heroes:

Work on volume four, "Fugitives," is roaring ahead. Now the superpowered soap opera is seeking someone to play a computer analyst at a high security facility in episode 16. (The casting call is very specific about how tall this person should be, making me wonder if one of our heroes changes clothes with him.) [SpoilerTV]

Life On Mars:

How much more can this time-traveling cop show delve into Sam Tyler's childhood? A lot more! In episode seven, "The Man Who Sold The World," Sam discovers his father, Vic Tyler, might be involved in the kidnapping of a baby from a prominent family. Plus Sam discovers a dark secret about his own childhood. [SpoilerTV]

Fringe:

Olivia actually demands to go back into the tank in the hopes of stopping Agent Scott from appearing to her any more. [TVSquad]

And here's a new trailer for the next episode. [Fringe Television]

Oh, and here are some preview pics from episode eight, "The Equation." [SpoilerTV]

So yeah, the story revolves around a group of people who were born with uncanny abilities, like telekinesis, telepathy and the ability to see the future. And there's a secret organization that hunts them and wants to make use of their powers. And someone has painted the future, in which our heroes die. So it's up to them to change the future. So far, so Heroic.

Actually, some of the details are a bit different. Chris Evans' character, Nick Gant, isn't just a mutant — he was genetically altered to be a government assassin. His father is murdered, and he swears revenge against the government agency that created him. Hiding out in Hong Kong, he pulls together a group of "rogue psychics" to take down the secret organization Division. As you see in the trailer, he teams up with Cassie Holmes (Fanning), and besides the missing girl, they're also looking for a suitcase that holds the key to defeating Division. Along the way, they learn about Division's newest project, a drug called R16, which could "shift the tides of psychic warfare."

You can watch the trailer in HD at the link. [Apple trailers]

The solicitation reads,

In anticipation of next year’s blockbuster new movie Push, comes this action-packed prequel miniseries! A secret war is about to begin, fought on battlefields obscured in shadow . . . and the weapons in this new conflict will be the human mind! The United States government set up the ultra-secret Division to fight this war and take the forefront in this unique arms race. Enter agent Ezra Lowe, an operative in the Division trained from an early age in psychic warfare, until one mission went horribly wrong...

From writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman (THE HIGHWAYMEN, Genius) and newcomer Bruno Redondo comes a brutal tale in the first chapter of a secret war!

The first issue hits stores on November 12th, with the second arriving two weeks later. Although the image accompanying the official soliciation is a generic placeholder, Jock's artwork for the first issue, above, premiered on the Standard Attrition blog.

Push #1 (of 6) [DC Comics]

Iron Man 2:

Robert Downey Jr. made some incredibly vague comments about the sequel to his hit movie Iron Man. The sequel won't follow the "superhero formula," and instead will explore how the super-armor powers affect Tony Stark's life and the family he gathers around him. And we'll get to see lots of different viewpoints, as we explore the forces that are at work in Tony's world. [IESB]

Terminator Salvation:

The fourth Terminator movie ends on a cliffhanger. Moon Bloodgood's character, Blair, gets shot in the leg and has a limp. And Kate Connor (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a doctor. Also, the film takes place in 2018 and the Schwarzenegger-esque T-800s aren't supposed to show up until 2029 — so if they show up early, "that's a problem for John," says director McG. [MoviesOnline]

Transformers: Return Of The Fallen:

Supposedly the villain from the first Transformers movie, Megatron, will pop up in the second film. But this time around, he'll be a tank. And one draft of the script had the good-guy Autobots bringing Megatron back to help deal with a bigger menace. [CHUD]

Death Race:

Here's the international poster for the prison-race movie Death Race. Not that spoilery, I guess, except that it makes his sidekick Case (Natalie Martinez) seem way more significant in the film than other posters I've seen. Plus there are traffic lights. Or is that some kind of racing "Go" light? [SpoilerTV-Movies]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Warner Bros. sent as a press release about the Clone Wars movie, which launches the TV series. Anakin is no longer a padawan, but a full-fledged Jedi knight (despite all the evidence to the contrary in Star Wars III) and Yoda assigns Ahsoka to be his padawan. She challenges both Anakin and Obi-Wan, refusing to do things their way. She becomes a mentor to her would-be mentors. She takes on a similar role to Luke in the original trilogy and Anakin in the prequels. Many people believe Ahsoka is too young to go into Jedi training, but the war has stretched resources so thin that Ahsoka wins an early promotion. "We come across Anakin and Obi Wan stranded in this big battle without many supplies, and all they get sent to them is this young girl," says director Dave Filoni. [Warner Bros.]

Plus, here are a couple of pages from a new book about Clone Wars, which give away a few hints about Ahsoka. [TheForce.Net]

Push:

Speaking of teen girls with attitude, Dakota Fanning plays a punk-rock teenager, Cassie, in Push, the psychic-kids movie. She's a "Watcher," a clairvoyant who sees snippets of the future and then tries to reach that future before people's actions in the present change what she's seen. She's on her own in Hong Kong, hiding from a secret government agency that wants to exploit the superpowered teens' powers. And she's trying to save her mom. [Sci Fi Wire]

Dragonball:

Here are four new promo images from the live-action Dragonball movie, including new views of Goku and Chi Chi. [HoyCinema and MovieSoon via FirstShowing]

Doctor Who:

So you remember the extended version of the trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas special, which we mentioned seeing at Comic-Con? It's on YouTube now, in multiple versions, and this is the least bad version. Note the speaking role for the evil Miss Hartigan, plus the first views of new companion "Rosita" in action.

Heroes:

How badly do you want to see the first 15 minutes of the Heroes season premiere? Badly enough to sit through a quarter of an hour of cameraphone vid? Really? Well then, here you go. [Heroes The Series]

Fringe:

Fox Broadcasting put a bunch of clips from Fringe, this fall's evil-science-conspiracy show from J.J. Abrams, on YouTube. The first and second clips are similar to ones we've posted before, but the others are new. Plus here's a segment on the making of Fringe from Entertainment Tonight. [Entertainment Tonight clip via SpoilerTV]

Stargate Atlantis:

The 17th episode of Stargate Atlantis season five, which airs in early 2009, introduces a new character, a Marine named Lt. Williams. He doesn't even get a first name, and if you were cynical, you might not be placing too much stock in his longevity. Why are you so cynical? I'm not even going to mention that Lt. Williams goes off on his own to explore a supposedly abandoned Wraith vessel that has turned up near Atlantis. Or that part of the wall melts and a gruesome-looking Wraith without his mask lunges out and attacks Williams. I certainly won't bring up that by the time Major Lorne and Col. Sheppard show up on the scene, there's nothing left of Williams except his rifle. Nope.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jennifer Keller is being pressured to expand her knowledge of Wraith physiology. She admits to Rodney McKay that she's suffering a lack of self-confidence, and McKay takes her hand as he encourages her. The two have been growing closer. [SpoilerGeeks]

Additional research by Lauren Davis.