Vote the Movies

The red carpet the other night for the Tom Hanks was a glitzy one indeed. No big surprise, right? The man is so likable he makes Nelson Mandela look like an ass. So yes, the list of big name talent walking the carpet was long but for me two names stood out: Charlize Theron and Julia Roberts. I’ve had some memorable exchanges with both Oscar winners in recent months. You can catch up on the long and unusual history of me and Charlize here.

As for Julia, well if you’re not a loyal Movies Blog reader then you’ll be excused for forgetting the recent moment when the “Pretty Woman” star kinda sorta flirted with me and suggestively cleaned my glasses. Long story short: it was awesome. And sure enough when I ran into Julia the other night we got back right to our favorite pasttime: eyeglass cleaning!

Spock usually doesn’t worry in “Star Trek,” because worry is an emotion, and neither does actor Zachary Quinto — at least when it comes to Swine Flu.

The virus may be causing theater closings in Mexico, possibly affecting opening week for “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” but he is unfazed. Quinto, who replaces Leonard Nimoy as Star Trek’s original half-Vulcan in this month’s reboot by J.J. Abrams, evidently takes his health very seriously, and outlined his standard arsenal of personal precautions that keep him from fretting about the world’s newest pandemic.

“No, because every time I get on an airplane I have a routine,” Quinto told Vulture. “What I do is, I cover the inside of my nostrils with anti-bacterial ointment.”

The ointment is only first part of a process he claims to have tested that has helped to keep him virus free. And he says it works better than Airborne.

“It’s to block any bacteria from coming in,” he explained. “I’m popping Zicam like it’s candy. And I drink, literally, from L.A. to New York, six bottles of water.”

So expect him to be very hydrated as he flies around promoting the new film, which opens here in the States on May 8, following its Sydney premiere several weeks ago. He seems perfectly poised to fill Nimoy’s Starfleet boots and — through his attentive health habits — live long and prosper.

Are you going to follow Zachary Quinto’s recommendations the next time you fly? Do you think he’s making some smart decisions in the face of Swine Flu? Share your thoughts and your own anti-Swine Flu tips in the comment section below!

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One of the most buzzed about films at Sundance was Tommy Wirkola’s Nazi zombie thriller, “Dead Snow,” which pits a few medical students against icy and undead members of the Third Reich. It can be pretty hard to follow up that kind of gutsiness, but Wirkola is already hard at work on a new idea titled “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” and he’s already attracted the attention of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story will follow what happened to Hansel and Gretel after they used their wits to escape from that child-eating witch. Fifteen years later, they’re bounty hunters who slay anything wearing a pointy black hat.

“The idea is, they’ve grown up and they hunt witches,” McKay says. “It’s a hybrid sort of old-timey feeling, yet there’s pump-action shotguns. Modern technology but in an old style. We heard it and we were just like, ‘That’s a freakin’ franchise! You could make three of those!’ ”

Wirkola pitched the idea to their production shingle, Gary Sanchez Production via their newest member, Kevin Messick. Farrell and McKay loved it so much they picked it up, and will produce it with Messick and Wirkola for Paramount. As the Norwegian writer/director hashes out his Hansel and Gretel update, you can check out his “Dead Snow” in theaters this June, and see what you think of Wirkola’s horror-comedy sense.

Readers, do you’d like to see Hansel and Gretel as bounty hunters? Do you trust the taste of Ferrell and McKay?

Hugh Jackman may be a huge Hollywood star, but don’t let that fool you into believing he’s not a bonafide comic book fanboy. Thus, it was with great pleasure that he re-entered the role of Wolverine for “X-Men Origins,” out this Friday. The standalone film allowed Jackman to delve into the early “X-Men” comics to extract what makes Wolverine, Wolverine.

With that in mind, in the video below, Jackman talks about the specific comic books that influenced the movie and how they were depicted on film. When you’re through with that, click here to watch the rest of our “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” interviews.

If you’re like any of us at MTV News, you’re probably wondering what keeps holding up the big screen adaptation of “Arrested Development” from moving forward. Well, now we have our answer: the new Fox show, “Sit Down, Shut Up.”

Mitch Hurwitz’s animated comedy debuted earlier this month, and between writing and producing that series, and developing other television projects, the “Arrested” creator hasn’t had a chance to start writing a script for his Emmy-winning Fox show that was canceled in 2006, says “Arrested” producer/narrator Ron Howard.

“Still waiting on a script,” Howard told MTV News this week. “Mitch’s television company was very successful—good for Mitch—and slowed things up a little bit for ‘Arrested Development’ fans.”

While not actively writing a script, Hurwitz is still keeping the wheels turning when it comes to the Bluth family and their particular brand of dysfunctional dark comedy. “Mitch is into it,” said Howard. “He’s thinking about it. He’s told me some of the ideas. They’re hilarious. But he hasn’t pulled it together into a script—that I know of! Maybe he’ll see this and email me something.”

Howard also said that castmembers remained committed to the project. “Every time I bump into anyone from the show—everybody’s excited,” Howard said, which is great news considering all the “is he in or is he out?” gossip that has surrounded the adaptation.

But don’t expect casting news regarding Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera and others any time soon: in February, Howard told us, “We’ve been asked to no longer divulge anything or get into the game of who’s in, who’s out. People are going to have to see.”

When the movie does get going in earnest, Hurwitz will assume directing duties, while Howard will produce. And, thankfully, he’ll be hanging on to one other position as well. “Nobody can keep me from being the narrator,” Howard said. “That’s my gig, buddy!”

Should Hurwitz ditch “Sit Down, Shut Up” and start writing the “Arrested” script? Or do you love his new animated comedy?

After his turn as a socially awkward dope dealer in “The Wackness,” Jock Peck is showing his versatility these days by returning to his kid-friendly roots in the summer’s eagerly-anticipated animated flick, “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.”

“Dinosaurs, 3D, everything,” hyped the 22-year-old funnyman, never the sort for understatement. “It’s probably the best movie ever made.”

Peck will bring new life to energetic opossum Eddie, as he rejoins Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott and Ray Romano for the third installment of the ridiculously popular “Ice Age” series.

After surviving fallen glacier ruins in “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” the group of beloved animal misfits must now battle it out against a pack of dinosaurs who have managed to escape extinction.

‘“Scrat, Manny, the opossums - they’re all back,” dished the former Nickelodeon star. “I expect to see you there.”

And although Peck’s recent “Wackness” reinvention as a scruffy New Yorker who sold marijuana out of a dilapidated ice-cream push cart couldn’t be any more different, the actor said he enjoys jumping back and forth.

“The whole movie is sick,” boasted Peck. “We’re riding pterodactyls. We’ve got this new character (voiced by Simon Pegg) who is like this Indiana Jones-type leader of the pack.”

Fans of the “Drake & Josh” star shouldn’t expect him to stick to family-friendly roles for long, however, as the native New Yorker is looking to spice things up in the near future with some non “Ice Age” roles.

“I just want to mix it up. I don’t want to be pigeonholed or type-cast into one role,” said Peck. “I would love to do a very eclectic scheme of characters.”

“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” will freeze over a movie theater near you on July 1, 2009.

Which “Ice Age” character is your favorite?”

USA
Feature Film
Director: Roman Polanski
Writer: Robert Towne
Cinematographer: John A. Alonzo
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Darrell Zwerling, Diane Ladd, Roy Jenson, James Hong

Coming across like the baleful lovechild of Raymond Chandler and Karl Marx, Polanski’s majestic, doleful portrait of an enigmatic private detective in 1930s, drought ridden Los Angeles, chronicling his various misadventures after he stumbles upon a multi-million dollar conspiracy, is as depressingly relevant today as it ever was,. Iain.Stott