Recently in Trailers and Previews Category

One of the most eagerly anticipated movies of the year will have a record-breaking extended trailer debut this Sunday November 1, when it debuts on the world's largest video display -- Cowboy Stadium's Diamond Vision Screen - while millions of fans watch it at home. This is one of the biggest sports days of the year, with key NFL match-ups and Game 4 of the World Series). And in the middle of all of that, the three minute and thirty second trailer will play live from the enormous Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision screen. The crowd attending the Cowboys-Seattle Seahawks game will experience the AVATAR trailer live just minutes prior to the noon (Central) kickoff between the Cowboys and Seahawks, on the enormous, four-sided, high-definition screen that hangs above the Cowboys Stadium playing field. At the same time, millions of others watching FOX NFL SUNDAY will see the trailer on-air - making it the largest live motion picture trailer viewing in history. Enjoy!

Tomorrow night, I'll be interviewing Michael Moore at a premiere screening of his new film, "Capitalism: A Love Story." It comes 20 years after his "Roger & Me" changed the rules for documentaries in every category. He did not pretend to be balanced; he did not hesitate to be irreverent, even laugh-out-loud funny, and -- related to the first two points -- he shattered box office records. "Roger & Me" focused on the devastation in Moore's home town of Flint, Michigan, in an economic downturn that seems modest by today's standards. And Flint shows up again, in a twist that will give the audience goosebumps. Here is Moore on CNN this week. I'll report on our session on Wednesday.

In every corner of the world, there's one question that can never be definitively answered, yet stirs up equal parts passion, curiosity, self-reflection and often wild imagination: "What is God?" Filmmaker Peter Rodger explores this query in the provocative non-fiction feature "Oh My God." This visual odyssey travels the globe with a revealing lens examining the idea of God through the minds and eyes of various religions and cultures, everyday people, spiritual leaders and celebrities. His goal: to give the viewer the personal, visceral experience of some kind of reasonable, meaningful definition of one of the highly individual but universal search for meaning and connection with the divine.

Rodger's quest takes him from the United States to Africa, from the Middle East to the Far East, where such fundamental issues as: "Did God create man or did man create God?, "Is there one God for all religions?" and "If God exists, why does he allow so much suffering?" are explored in candid discussions with the various Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and even atheists the filmmaker meets along the way.

"Oh My God " stars Hugh Jackman, Seal, Ringo Starr, Sir Bob Geldof, Princess Michael of Kent, David Copperfield and Jack Thompson. It opens in November.

On the calendar, summer goes on until the 21st, but in movie world summer is over and next week we start a very promising fall. That means fewer explosions, aliens, and dinosaurs (can you name all four summer movies that featured dinos this year?) and more dramas and possible Oscar-contenders. Here is a baker's dozen I am especially looking forward to:

10. "A Serious Man" Anything from the Coen brothers is guaranteed to be unpredictable, and so this story about a professor who is surrounded by frustration and disappointment will be, whatever else, like nothing they have done before.

9. "9" and "Nine" Can't help tying these for (what else) 9th place. "9" is the dystopic Tim Burton film with humans fighting the machines. "Nine" is the Rob Marshall musical with Daniel Day-Lewis as a director trying to manage the competing demands of his work and the many women in his life.

8. "Fame" It's time for a reboot of the 1980 classic about the high school for teen-age performers and this one looks terrific with some always-reliable veterans (Bebe Neuwirth, Charles S. Dutton, Megan Mullally, Kelsey Grammer), some promising newcomers (Kay Panabaker), and a returning veteran (Debbie Allen). Remember their names!

7. "The Men Who Stare at Goats" George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, and Ewan McGregor star in this fact-based satire about a military program to tap into weapons-grade psychic phenomena.

6. "The Invention of Lying" Ricky Gervais is the ideal leading man for a movie about a world in which no one ever lies -- until one person realizes that makes everyone utterly gullible no matter how preposterous his assertions.

5. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"/"Planet 51" Both of these animated family films look like wonderful fun. "Cloudy" is (loosely) based on a classic children's book about food-ish weather and weather-ish food and "Planet" is the story of an alien invasion -- with the earthlings the aliens.

4. "A Christmas Carol" Readers of this site are familiar with my unquenchable fondness for every version of this Dickens classic, Scrooges played by everyone from Alistair Sim to George C. Scott, Michael Caine, Mr. Magoo, and even namesake Scrooge McDuck. I cannot wait for this newest version featuring Jim Carrey as Scrooge and all three ghosts.

3. "The Informant" Matt Damon packed on the pounds to play this too-wild-not-to-be-true story of a corporate insider who turned state's witness in one of the most extensive cases of corporate corruption of the 1990's.

2. "Precious" The advance word is that Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey (yes, you read that right) will both be up for Oscars as well as newcomer Gabourey Sidibe in this story of an abused young woman based on the book Push by Sapphire.

1. "Where the Wild Things Are" Maurice Sendack. Dave Eggers. Spike Jonze. If there was a line to get in to see it forming now, I'd go stand in it. Right this minute.

Special mention: "Capitalism: A Love Story," the latest from Michael Moore. The ever-provocative film-maker always does his homework and as a passionate capitalist who has helped to start four successful small businesses and has written and spoken out for more than 20 years on corporate corruption, I am looking forward to seeing him take on some of my favorite issues.

Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Keith Demko of Reel Fanatic, for this trailer:

This is from the folks behind Good Night, and Good Luck and it looks like a sharp, smart, funny, satire with a sensational cast. Can't wait.