I've always felt there was something oddly compelling about public access television. Essentially, the FCC requires cable companies to provide training, equipment and air time for pretty much anyone (Wikipedia has an in-depth explanation of the practice here). I guess I just like the idea of a medium that has practically no standards. With everyones expectations set at zero, things can only improve, right?

T.V. The Movie is a low budget indie that appears to have grown out of The Adam Bomb Show -- a public access program inspired by The Tom Green Show featuring interviews, comedy sketches and local bands -- which broadcasts on Comcast Channel 25 in Santa Maria, CA. The film is so below the radar that, as of this writing, it doesn't even have an entry on IMDB. I'm unclear on what Rapscallion Films hopes to do with this movie, whether they're looking for a distributor or perhaps hoping to market the film themselves. I think the former might be a bit difficult as they use a guy dressed like Sesame Street's Elmo throughout the film, and at one point he brandishes a gun during a drug store robbery. I can see where that might turn distributors off. Further complicating matters is the fact that T.V. The Movie is also the name of a completely different 2006 movie starring Steve-O from Jackass.

They say truth is stranger than fiction. To that I say "you obviously haven't seen Naked Lunch," but reality is certainly a fertile ground for film makers and today we've got five trailers for films based, to varying degrees, on real events.

The Perfect Game
I've never enjoyed watching sports so baseball movies usually leave me cold, but this one has a couple of things going for it: a true tale of a bunch of kids rising up from poverty to become world champions, and former drug culture icon Cheech Marin playing a priest. Based on true events, a former coach for the St. Louis Cardinals (Clifton Collins Jr.) takes a group of poor Mexican kids under his wing and teaches them the fine art of baseball, which ultimately leads them to the 1957 Little League World Series. There are the usual sports metaphors: "Love ain't like baseball," says Collins' character. "Yes it is," replies one of his bright eyed proteges. I'm teetering between cute and cringe-inducing on that one, but this kind of rags to riches story is pretty appealing and the period setting is pretty cool. The Perfect Game hits theaters on August 8.

It was a good weekend at the box office for both of last week's newbies, marking the first time in history that two films opening on the same weekend pulled in over $50 million each. Here's the top five:

1. Wall-E: $63 million
2. Wanted: $50.9 million
3. Get Smart: $20.2 million
4. Kung Fu Panda: $11.7 million
5. The Incredible Hulk: $9.6 million

Only one major release this week, but we've also got one going into wider release.

Hancock
What's It All About: Will Smith plays Hancock, a hard drinking anti-social superhero, and a PR agent played by Jason Bateman sets out to repair Hancock's public image.
Why It Might Do Well: Will Smith may not always have the Midas touch (I Am Legend left me cold) but he's got quite a few successful blockbusters under his belt, and people are loving the superhero flicks these days. I've liked Bateman's work a lot since Arrested Development, and I'm always glad to see him. Also, Cinematical's own Kim Voynar has given the film her seal of approval.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Unlike most big-budget superhero movies, this one doesn't originate from another media like comic books, so it doesn't come with the core fanbase of an Iron Man or an Incredible Hulk. Also, the 36% fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com is not encouraging.
Number of Theaters: 3,900
Prediction: $45 million

And going into wider release this week...

I first discovered this slasher satire (recently released to DVD by Legend Films) during one of its many runs on cable in the early '80s. I recall liking it at the time, but I was a college kid with a fondness for beer, so I probably watched it through a hop and barley flavored filter. There's an obvious Airplane influence, though the laughs never flow as freely and the premise runs out of steam early on. The film's nostalgia appeal is probably its biggest selling point these days, and viewers watching it for the first time will probably wonder what all the fuss was about. Still, I'm glad I had a chance to reacquaint myself.

Since it was released in 1981, it's interesting to see how many of the sub-genre's cliches were already in place. The horror begins on Jaime Lee Curtis's birthday, as a randy young babysitter named Judy receives threatening phone calls from an asthmatic-sounding character who calls himself The Breather (voiced by Richard Belzer). Soon her boyfriend arrives and both of their fates are sealed when they decide to have sex (this IS a slasher film after all). The two are done in by the clever and deadly application of a paper clip and a garbage bag. Like all good slashers, The Breather has a trademarked look, though the green rubber gloves and galoshes just don't have the same impact as a goalie mask.

I love a good horror flick, but it's rare that I can find five trailers with some kind of connection to horror worth talking about in a single week. Huzzah! This is just such a week. Take a look at these Tales to Horrify.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead

This light-hearted take on vampirism reminds me a little of Roman Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers, with the "theater of vampires" bit making me think of Interview With The Vampire. I gotta say this looks awesome. An unemployed actor played by Jake Hoffman (son of Dustin) lands a job directing a bizarre off-Broadway version of Hamlet. The play has actually been written by a Romanian vampire, and things get complicated when the lead actor suddenly becomes one of the undead as well. Ralph Macchio is in there too playing a mobster/vampire hunter and, according to Monika's post from a few months ago, Sean Lennon has written the score. This looks like a classy production all the way through.

Mirrors

Mirrors are everywhere, but there's still something inherently creepy about them. Kiefer Sutherland plays an ex-cop and some kind of malevolent force is using mirrors as a gateway into his home to threaten him and his family. There are some creepy moments here, but I'm not sure about this one. These days I see Sutherland and I can't get past his Jack Bauer character, and that kid in the trailer is trying way too hard to sound cute. This is also from the director of High Tension, which is not a score in the plus column for me. The trailer is pretty slight, so I'll have to see more. Here's what William thought.

Steve Carell scored big this week recreating the role of Agent Maxwell Smart in Get Smart, providing the best opening weekend ever for a film with Carell in the lead. The Incredible Hulk fell into second place for its second week but Hulk and Kung Fu Panda both outdid last week's other new release The Love Guru. Here are the totals:

1. Get Smart: $38.6 million
2. The Incredible Hulk: $22.1 million
3. Kung Fu Panda: $21.9 million
4. The Love Guru: $13.9 million
5. The Happening: $10.5 million

Two wide releases this week, a heartwarming comedy for the whole family and a stylized action adventure shoot-em-up for the older crowd.

WALL-E
What's It All About: Disney/Pixar is back with the tale of a lovable sentient trash compactor. WALL-E has been alone on the abandoned Planet Earth for hundreds of years, but he discovers a new purpose when he meets a robot named EVE. Apparently WALL-E has stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, a solution which the human race eagerly awaits.
Why It Might Do Well: The trailers look promising and WALL-E is written and directed by Andrew Stanton, who served in the same capacity on Finding Nemo, Pixar's most financially successful film to date. Plus, our star has the cute going on.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov described a condition called The Frankenstein Complex, which is a fear of robots -- but look at the little guy. Did I mention he's cute? This is easily next week's number one flick.
Number of Theaters: 3,900
Prediction: $70 million

There's a lot to be said for truth in advertising, and few people could come away from a film called Blood and Sex Nightmare (due for release on August 5 from Bloody Earth Films) with the outraged cry: "I was expecting a carefree romp with Sandra Bullock!" Yes, this one delivers on its promise of blood and sex (often at the same time), but is that enough?

Amy (Julia Morizawa) has just returned to her boyfriend Nick (Andy McGuinness) after traveling to Japan for her father's funeral. Despite having been together for some time, the two have not had sex yet because Amy doesn't feel ready. Nick suggests they spend some time at Pleasure Mountain Adult Retreat, a getaway resort for couples (or any number of people) looking to spice things up. The retreat is a simple affair consisting of small cottages, but the other guests are an entertaining bunch with one couple doing bondage photography and a threesome acting out a bizarre sitcom fantasy complete with canned laughter.

Once again using my own take on the classic Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon, I'm bouncing from one trailer to the next via connections both insignificant and profound. Let's start with...

Pink Panther 2
When I first heard about the 2006 Pink Panther remake I, like many, cried "blasphemers!" Who could possibly fill Peter Sellers' shoes as the endearingly idiotic Inspector Clouseau? Well, if anyone could do, it it would be Steve Martin, and even if the film wasn't a total success Martin brought some inspired silliness to the role, and now he's back for more. This teaser trailer is kind of funny, though I don't care for the more up-tempo version of the classic Pink Panther theme (was that in the last film? I don't remember). The good inspector sneaks into a sold out movie, and while I won't give away the joke, I will say that it will definitely work better in theaters than online. Eugene posted about the trailer here.
And speaking of remakes...

Death Race
It's unfortunate that this one starts with one of the worst cliches of all time. "The rules are simple," says one character, "there are no rules." Gag me. I've always liked Death Race 2000 from 1975, and while this new version apparently strays pretty far from the original, it looks to be a fun bit of brainless action. Jason Statham is a former NASCAR champion who has been framed for his wife's murder so he can participate in a three day auto race for convicted felons. In its few years of existence Death Race has garnered a bigger audience than the Super Bowl. Cars are armor plated and armed with a potpourri of exotic weapons. The trailer is non-stop action and if the film is the same I'll be willing to overlook that godawful cliche. Here's Erik's take.
And speaking of Jason Statham...

The Incredible Hulk took first place last weekend, but notably pulled in about $6.5 million less than Ang Lee's 2004 Hulk. M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening took third but still exceeded expectations. Here's last weekend's top five:

1. The Incredible Hulk: $55.4 million
2. Kung Fu Panda: $33.6 million
3. The Happening: $30.5 million
4. You Don't Mess with the Zohan: $16.4 million
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $14.7 million

Both of this week's new releases are comedies, putting them in direct competition with one another, so this should be interesting.

Get Smart
What's It All About: Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway star in this adaptation of the classic 60's spy comedy. Carell is Maxwell Smart, an eager but inexperienced analyst for an espionage agency called CONTROL. Max is suddenly promoted to field agent when the evil organization KAOS learns the identity of nearly every Control agent in the world, and he is teamed with the lovely agent 99 played by Hathaway.
Why It Might Do Well: There's nostalgia appeal at work here, plus Steve Carell's presence will stir up memories of hits like The 40 Year Old Virgin and he's still got plenty of fans from NBC's The Office.
Why It Might Not Do Well: How well a spy caper created during the Cold War translates to the 21st century remains to be seen. Also, the 58% rating at rottentomatoes.com isn't thrilling me.
Number of Theaters: 3,700
Prediction: $40 million

For a movie that's taken this long to make its bow on DVD way back onto DVD after being out of print for years, 1996's Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is a disappointingly barebones disk without so much as a trailer for an extra. MST3K without extras, however, is still MST3K, and for this B-movie junkie that's something pretty special. The film was, of course, based on the then current TV show running on Comedy Central which eventually jumped over to the Sci Fi Channel where it ended its 10 season run (11 if you count "Season 0" which ran in Minneapolis only) in 1999. Basically, you take a guy, strand him in space and stick him in a movie theater with two robots to make fun of cheezy old movies. More often than not, hilarity would ensue.