I’ve really got to hand it to you all. You are making it harder and harder for The Kidd to narrow all of the entries down to the absolute best until I’m maxed out on tickets. In fact, only 35 of you were supposed to find your names on this list, but I was able to dig down deep and snag an extra 5 passes, because this just got so tough, and now, as a result, 40 of you can thank your dynamic duos for standing out enough that you guys (and ladies) are set to see THE OTHER GUYS with this guy.

Surprisingly, quite a few people just didn’t get the point of this contest, pulling together 2 completely random-ass people and packaging them together as their best tandem. But what I was looking for was a pair that actually went together, making them a tremendous team that has stood the test of time. In addition, if you sent me in more than one duo, your entry was dismissed. If you can’t make a decision as to which is your favorite, then I’m not going to do the work for you.

In the end, after some wrestling over the last few in and the last few out, here are your winners:

• Stephanie Cagnina – Mr. & Mrs. Smith
• Christy Camacho – Cheech & Chong
• Joshua Carman – Bert & Ernie
• Rocio Casales – Luke Skywalker & Han Solo
• Emilio Collyer – Pinky & The Brain
• Michael Contreras – Bill & Ted
• Edward Delgado – Jay & Silent Bob
• Barbara Escobar – Bonnie & Clyde
• Angela Garcia – Dale Denton & Saul Silver (PINEAPPLE EXPRESS)
• Jennifer Giancarlo – Starsky & Hutch
• Camila Goez – Starsky & Hutch
• Janessa Gomez – Scooby-Doo & Shaggy
• Michael Gonzalez – Mario & Luigi
• Armando Guerrero – Jules Winnfield & Vincent Vega (PULP FICTION)
• Mauricio Hawkings – Aladdin & Genie
• Yanitza Herrera – Tango & Cash
• Dave Izquierdo – Ham & Cheese
• Pedro Izquierdo – Jules Winnfield & Vincent Vega (PULP FICTION)
• Jonathan Lopez – Marcus Burnett & Mike Lowrey (BAD BOYS)
• Adiannis Marin – Scooby-Doo & Shaggy
• Diana Martinez – Bert & Ernie
• Robert Miqueli – Beavis & Butt-head
• Yamile Morlote – Jules Winnfield & Vincent Vega (PULP FICTION)
• Joe Naya – Jay & Silent Bob
• Chris Norfolk – Marty McFly & Dr. Emmett Brown
• Jose Otano – Lloyd Christmas & Harry Dunne (DUMB & DUMBER)
• Denise Perez – Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson
• Lilian Perez – Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino (GRINDHOUSE)
• Adriana Ponton – Beavis & Butt-head
• Jessica Ramirez – Mr. & Mrs. Smith
• Ashley Rodriguez – Harry Lockhart & Gay Perry (KISS KISS BANG BANG)
• Claudia Rodriguez – Carl Fredricksen & Russell (UP)
• Peter Schlaugat – Bert & Ernie
• Crystal Secor – Riggs & Murtaugh (LETHAL WEAPON)
• Darlene Serrano – Laurel & Hardy
• Danica Sierra – Cory Matthews & Shawn Hunter (BOY MEETS WORLD)
• Sarah Socarras – Romy & Michelle
• Marcus Thomas – Dante Hicks & Randall Graves (CLERKS)
• Dorly Valenzuela – Pinky & The Brain
• Michael Winograd – Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid

That’s it. That’s the list.

Congratulations to you who find your name listed. Even as I was writing up the full list, I was waffling back and forth on the final couple, so consider yourself lucky, because, for all you know, you were the last name typed. Either way, I’ll take a horseshoe up my ass if it means sweet victory, and your winnings means tickets (for you and a guest) to the advance screening of THE OTHER GUYS on Tuesday night, August 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the AMC Aventura 24 in Miami.

Here are your ticket pick-up instructions:

The Kidd will be outside the theatre entrance to AMC Aventura 24 starting at 6:00 p.m., all the way until 6:45. Show me your photo ID, so I can verify that you are who you say that you are, and you’ll claim your winnings. All passes must be picked up by the name we have on our list, and passes are non-transferable. NO SUBSTITUTES!!! Also, once the clock ticks 6:45, your passes will be gone, distributed to random people who happen to be in the right place at the right time, so be there early and on-time, or you’re going to be without a ticket into the show. You have a 45 minute window to pick up your tickets, so don’t be late.

In addition, if your name is on our list, we expect you to pick up your passes. We want to make sure we have as many Kiddos in that packed house as possible, and your entry into this contest told us that you were absolutely, positively sure that you could make it. We expect you to make it. Because of the demand for this film, if you no-show this screening, you will be ineligible to win passes of any kind from me until the end of the year. However, in the event that you don’t think you can make it, I will give you until midnight on Sunday night to notify me via e-mail at Billy@InfamousKidd.com, and I’ll consider it no harm, no foul. From there, I go to the standby list of those who didn’t make the cut, and picking the best of the best from those who were originally left out, someone will be getting a second chance at THE OTHER GUYS.

Remember… just because you have won passes does not mean you have won seats, as the screening is first-come, first-served. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., so the earlier you show up to grab your prize, the better off you’ll be. Just know that The Kidd doesn’t control the door, so it isn’t up to me who gets in and who doesn’t at that point. I’ll get you in the line, but when you show up is really going to determine if that means you get inside the theatre. You might even want to have your guest get in line and stay there, while you pick up the passes. I cannot stress this enough – SHOW UP EARLY! This will be a packed house, and, in order to guarantee that the theatre is full, it has been overbooked, so it’s very likely that people may be turned away at the door who don’t get in. You don’t want to be one of those people. So I cannot stress enough for you again to get there early, because, as you can see, we’re packing as many of our readers into that theatre as possible, and I absolutely would love for all of you to be inside once the projector starts rolling.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. If you cannot make it, absolutely e-mail me.

Otherwise, I will be seeing you all Tuesday night for THE OTHER GUYS.

It’s been a little while since The Kidd popped up on the radio airwaves, but the drought is about to change. The Kidd has been asked to appear today at the SoFloRadio.com’s 1-year anniversay celebration, marking their first 365 days on the invisible internet airwaves. Of course I didn’t exactly tell them when I’d be coming, because you deserve to know first.

Therefore, tune into SoFloRadio starting at 2 p.m. EST today, as The Kidd is going to crash the party, and unleash 60 minutes of mayhem on Jorge Rodriguez, The Beast, and whoever the hell else is lucky enough to be in attendance.

If you want to stop by and check out the festivities, because you happen to be in South Florida, then head on over to Power Smoothie Aventura in the Promenade Shops at 20335 Biscayne Blvd. in Aventura, and you can witness the magic live.

But, if you can’t swing by, stream the show live on the internet, because that’s the only way you can get it anyway, and, since you’re online reading this as it is, you’re one step ahead of the game.

Wes Craven sure is getting the hang of this Twitter thing. Previously, he’d been dropping a few sneaky statements and a revealing set pic, but, at this moment, he’s going much bigger than hints here and there.

The SCREAM 4 director has taken to tweeting the first fairly official image of the Ghostface Killer on the set of the next installment in the series, and, while there are no details to gather from this image, there is something eerily comfortable in being able to see something we’ve grown so comfortable with.

I’ve been excited about the idea of reviving the SCREAM franchise with a new fresh trilogy since the idea was first hatched, but it’s been nothing but concepts and theories from that point on. This is the first real tangible evidence that we are re-entering the world of SCREAM, and it definitely invokes all types of nostalgia to get you excited for the next step in this story.

Every once in awhile, it’s nice to see a familiar face, even if that familiar face is more than capable of pulling out a knife and killing you until you die from it. April cannot get here soon enough, because the more I see of this, the more amped up I get that we’re going back to Woodsboro.

It’s a scream, baby!!!

This November, Disney will release its next animated feature film TANGLED, which is based on the story of Rapunzel, only The Mouse didn’t want such a female-driven title in fear of driving away the potential young men audience and having a repeat of the underwhelming box office numbers that came with THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. After all, that’s clearly the mindset that prevented THE LITTLE MERMAID from becoming one of those modern Disney classics.

In any event, the new teaser poster for TANGLED has hit (courtesy of Yahoo!), and… DAMN!!! That’s a lot of hair!

I’m not exactly sure how The Mouse is going to have this classic tale play out, but I’m getting a strange vibe, primarily from the fact that Rapunzel and her dude are being smothered by her extended mane, and yet the only expressions that I can see are not of concern or worry but of devious intent.

Maybe I’m too old-school, but, when it comes to family film posters, the last impression I really want to get from it is that the characters desperately want to strangle me with hair.

I bet you thought that both of your balls (or boobs, ladies) would fall off before you ever saw the day an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie was remade. Well, even if you made such a wager, your men and lady parts are staying intact, because Columbia Pictures is absolutely moving forward on a remake of TOTAL RECALL, hiring Len Wiseman to direct the new version. Wiseman has been responsible for nothing good to this point of his career – 2 UNDERWORLD flicks and LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (arguably the worst in the John McClane series – so for him to get such a big picture laid on him speaks volumes about the direction of TOTAL RECALL. Either the execs at Sony are smoking a bunch of crack, or the TOTAL RECALL remake is going to suck.

I’ll give Wiseman his due on 1 front. He is able to shoot some action very well, making it look pretty cool, which is one of the things the 4th DIE HARD had going for it above the other films in the franchise. The actions sequence, while far less realistic, were at least stylistically more pleasing to the eye. But, for those of you who remember TOTAL RECALL for more than the chick with 3 tits and the dude with another dude growing out of his midsection, there’s a lot more to this story than cool action.

This makes The Kidd wonder if they’re looking to stick closer to the material TOTAL RECALL was originally based on, the Phillip K. Dick  story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” instead of Arnold’s flick. I’m not sure it really matters though, as I start to feel a bit nauseous when I hear the terms “new, contemporized adaptation.” I get the feeling that we’re getting the exact same Schwarzenegger movie beat for beat in a shinier package, but without the Schwarzenegger… or Sharon Stone for that matter.

Nothing about this announcement rang bells of excitement over at the Infamous Headquarters, and I get the feeling this is one of those we-ran-out-of-ideas ideas rather than a good one. Therefore, no matter what goes down on this project, I’m not expecting much. But at least we have one good TOTAL RECALL movie under our belt. If this remake is what keeps Len Wiseman away from any plans for a GEARS OF WAR movie adaptation… well, sacrifices need to be made.

Here’s Columbia’s full press release on the matter, complete with Len Wiseman ass-kissing:

LEN WISEMAN TO DIRECT “TOTAL RECALL”

CULVER CITY, Calif., July 29, 2010 – Len Wiseman is in final negotiations to direct Columbia Pictures’ Total Recall, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures. The film will be a new, contemporized adaptation of Total Recall, which was based on the story, “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. Kurt Wimmer is writing the screenplay. Neal H. Moritz will produce through his Original Film banner.

Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, “Len has an incredible love of the genre and a great gift for action. He’ll bring a contemporary feel to the film while taking care with everything we love about Philip K. Dick’s original story.”

Moritz said, “I have been trying for years to work with Len and fortunately we finally found a great project that he loves as much as we do. Len is terrifically talented and we know he is the right director to re-imagine Total Recall for a new generation of fans.”

Wiseman added, “I’ve always been fascinated with Philip K. Dick’s short story, and I’m excited at that prospect of diving even deeper into the type of world it evokes and the questions it asks. I love that the most crucial mystery our character is trying to solve is the one of his own soul.”

Toby Jaffe will oversee production on behalf of Original Film. Tolmach and Sam Dickerman are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio. Columbia Pictures secured the rights to Total Recall from Miramax. Wiseman is represented by ICM and attorney Howard Abramson.

LEN WISEMAN began his career in the art department on the blockbuster films Godzilla, Stargate, Men in Black, and Independence Day. With his natural visual flair and eye for design, he was soon behind the lens directing commercials for PlayStation, Time Warner, Oracle, Intel and Activision, which quickly lead to a career in music videos, working with such artists as Quarashi, Rufus Wainwright, Megadeath, En Vogue, Static X, Paul Oakenfold, and Brooke Allison.

Wiseman went on to write and direct Underworld, which was so well received that he went on to direct Underworld: Evolution, a film he also executive produced. He went on to produce Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. His next directing project was the blockbuster hit Live Free or Die Hard.

He most recently directed the pilot for “Hawaii Five-O” and is co-writer and producer of the upcoming Underworld 4.

This week’s rendition of Giveaway Friday is going to deal with the ridiculous flow of information to come out of San Diego for this year’s Comic-Con. The Kidd had to dig deep into his stash to come up with something pretty cool to send you off into this weekend with style, and I think I managed to come up with a couple of bad-ass prizes. Up for grabs are 2 shirts from films that showed pretty well at last year’s Comic-Con: KICK-ASS and THE LOSERS. And, while I realize THE LOSERS didn’t exactly live up to expectations once it hit theatres, the retro style of the t-shirt is pretty sweet. Therefore, if you choose to play this week, you’re leaving it up to the luck of the draw, because, if you win, you’re either coming away with a KICK-ASS Hit Girl shirt or a retro-styled shirt from THE LOSERS.

You have 2 separate chances to claim 1 of these shirts, so how do you win? Here are your instructions:

• Follow The Infamous Billy The Kidd on Twitter
• Watch my account vigilantly, between the hours 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30. During that window of time, The Kidd will ask 2 different questions based on the happenings at this year’s Comic-Con. If you’re the first to reply via Twitter with the correct answer, 1 of the shirts is yours. Which one? No one knows for sure until you get it.

All questions will begin with “GEEKTASTIC”

Your answer absolutely MUST start with @infamouskidd. Anything else, and your answer will not count.

Plus, at the end of your answer, you must add the hashtag #infamouskidd

Also, you can only win once, and, for each question, only your first answer will be accepted, and only U.S. residents are eligible to win.

If you are named the winner, e-mail The Kidd with your shipping address, and your winnings will be sent out to you ASAP. If I do not hear from you by the end of the contest’s time block, your unclaimed prize will go back up for grabs.

If you’re in the dark about what went down at Comic-Con, you might want to start reading and catch up, because you never know what The Kidd may pull from his bag of knowledge for the purpose of awarding these 2 awesome shirts.

Good luck.

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is a somewhat difficult movie to review, because, without being able to see how a lot of the jokes play out in the context of others, it might not come across as funny to you. But rest assured, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is absolutely funny. I would even go so far as to say it is downright hilarious. I’ll even go into forbidden territory, and say that you will LOL from beginning to end (yes, I actually went there). This summer has been lacking a lot of things – good movies, for one – but there has been a glaring hole this season, with a truly good comedy missing. That no longer is the case, as DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is brilliant, and a great deal of the credit goes to Steve Carell, who puts on a comedic performance that consistently brings the laughs, something that’s been missing from his last few movies.

The premise of DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is fairly simple. Tim (Paul Rudd in a rare role as the comic straight man) is a “stockbroker,” who is looking to move up in the ranks of the company he works for. After taking a big risk during a staff meeting, he gets invited to play with the big boys, but, before he can officially receive any promotion, he’s going to have to wine and dine with the higher-ups. That means accepting an invitation to a special dinner his boss hosts monthly, where each person is required to bring a very special guest literally. It’s a dinner for idiots, with each company exec trying to find the biggest idiot they can find in order to top the other idiots. Yes, this is what asshole rich people apparently do in their spare time. They find others who could easily be considered strange… or bizarre… or creepy, and they invite them in for a dinner, so they can laugh at their misfortune and make fun of them. Upon telling his girlfriend/almost-fiance what the plan is, she puts him on the spot as having to decide whether he’s the good person she thought he was or the asshole the rest of his co-workers are. As he struggles with the decision, he literally runs into Barry (Steve Carell at the top of his game)… with his car. After seeing the detailed dioramas Barry makes using dead mice in re-creations of various artistic masterpieces, Tim realizes he’s struck gold, and decides to go forth with the dinner anyway. The rest of DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is about the moral conflict Tim must battle, in trying to hold onto the fibers of himself that know he should do the right thing, while contemplating making the tough decisions that could help his career… and it all happens as Barry becomes an totally destructive force in Tim’s life right from the get-go.

The biggest issue created here, by misunderstanding as usual, is Barry inviting a crazy stalker bitch, played wonderfully and psychotically by Lucy Punch, back into Tim’s life, making for a messy situation where Tim’s fiance believes he’s cheating on her. That leads to Barry constantly trying to make things better, but, in each attempt, only succeeding at making it all far, far worse.

The dynamic between Carell and Rudd is what makes DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS really work, and there wasn’t a lot of room for error in creating their relationship/friendship. Rudd nails the balance Tim needs in walking that fine line between what is right and what is necessary. If he strays too far in either direction, the structure of the film will crumble. Being too moral deflates any sense of conflict within the film, but being too immoral paints him as a cold douchebag. It’s Tim’s heart that allows us to have sympathy for Barry, regardless of what a train wreck he is. Usually, we get the wise-cracking smartass Paul Rudd character, who seems so nonchalant about everything and exudes a certain don’t-give-a-shit attitude, and there are shades of that Rudd we’ve come to get comfortable with over his last few films. However, it’s Rudd’s ability to dial it down here that is his most valuable quality, allowing Carell plenty of room to shine. Rudd needs to be far more background with Carell on-screen, so as to not attempt to overshadow him in any way, and director Jay Roach was able to create a perfect give-and-take interaction throughout SCHMUCKS between them, that works in the film’s favor. Rudd isn’t reduced in any way, but, when he has to be lesser, he takes that spot, working to accentuate the rest of the scene unfolding around him.

Steve Carell is brilliant here, and it may be because there are parts of Barry that clearly look as if they were partially lifted from Carell’s 2 best roles to date – Andy (THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN) and Michael Scott (THE OFFICE). Barry is a bit further gone than either of those 2 characters, but there is this naive innocence that puts him on their level. He is as clueless and oblivious to the world around him as they are, but he’s a far more complex individual. The mice dioramas are pretty impressive, as they also help him visualize a more perfect world, but there’s a lot about this guy that is more than off. He believes Tim is the creator of the expression “Everything happens for a reason,” not to mention his inability to use complete John Lennon lyrics. He has no idea who Nelson Mandela is, thanks to Clint Eastwood’s INVICTUS, and finds that the best way to communicate with a Swiss businessman is to bust out with his best Swedish Chef vernacular. He’s the lovable loser, the guy you would unleash a verbal beating upon, if not for the fact that you feel bad for him. He always has the best intentions… even if the execution always gets fucked-up. He means well, and he wants to help, because he can’t have very many friends, but you don’t feel sorry for him. You just feel bad for him. Barry is a slightly brighter version of Jeff Daniels’ Harry Dunne in DUMB AND DUMBER. They, but there is a lot more emotion to the character. He was once married, and his wife left him for his sworn enemy, and that’s part of where these feelings you have for Barry really develop. You know he’s a mess, but you still root for him, because he’s a sweet guy, however misunderstood.

Carell really brings it for DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, as the biggest laughs are delivered by him, and, at the same time, he is right smack in the film’s most heartfelt moments. This may not be Carell’s funniest performance, but, to this point in his career, it may be his most complex. SCHMUCKS goes as Carell goes, and it’s a good thing he’s great here, because that’s what makes SCHMUCKS an excellent multi-course meal.

However, the movie doesn’t stop with the 2 leads, and the cast comes out firing on all cylinders through SCHMUCKS’ entirety. Zach Galifianakis is able to stray a bit from being that guy from THE HANGOVER, as Thurman, the mind-controlling CPA whose Barry’s boss at the I.R.S. He still has a slightly offbeat character to play, but this one goes beyond bizarre. He has no powers whatsoever, regardless of what he’s convinced some other idiots (namely Barry). He’s written his own mind-control book that you can order from his website, or can purchase in-person, even though you’ll still have to pay the shipping and handling on it. He plays a perfect dickish villain to Barry, and makes for a tremendous foil in the world of idiots. It is a bit part with major importance, and Galifianakis holds his own comedic ground against Carell, as the 2 do battle on-screen in some very funny scenes together.

The other real stand-out of SCHMUCKS is Jemaine Clement (FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS) as artist Kieran Vollard, an individual who spends a good day arms deep in a zebra’s vagina helping birth baby zebras before heading off for some visceral sexy sex before he dies. I’ve been a fan of Clement’s since I discovered his comedy folk-acoustic band Flight of the Conchords, and somehow with the comic superstars in SCHMUCKS, Clement manages to steal every scene he’s a part of with his turn at this strange artist. Whether he’s creating artwork that involves him fitting a whole octopus in his mouth, or giving his take on the sexual nature of animals and the lack of mating history between humans and birds, Clement helps take the weirdness of SCHMUCKS to another place, which seems to be one of the running jokes of the film – that each new idiot seems to be more insane than the ones that came before them.

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS spends quite awhile serving up the appetizers that, by the time you finally reach the the titular dinner, you’re already satisfied. And I wouldn’t call the dinner a letdown, but it is certainly not on par with the rest of the film. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is that funny, to the point that its climax can’t even keep up with all the laughter it produced prior to the main course. The dinner gets a little silly with the ultimate showdown between Barry and Thurman, in addition to the clear message that moral individuals triumph as the assholes get what they deserve. But, before we get to that point, there is a nice variety of other idiots to observe, and get a kick out of the competition, whether it’s the National beard champion of a few years ago or the ventriloquist who’s married to his breast-enhanced dummy or my personal favorite, the woman who can communicate with dead pets and animals.

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is a movie you’re going to have to experience for yourself, but you will not be disappointing. The trailer and the TV spots cannot do this movie justice, focusing a bit on some Carell one-liners that don’t nearly carry as much weight as if you see them properly placed in the movie. It is a tough movie to market, because there is a lot more complex business going on than you think, which forced a quick transition for The Kidd, as things weren’t headed in the direction I originally expected at the outset of the movie. But it turned out for the best, as I had a remarkably enjoyable time watching DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS. Director Jay Roach has a history of working the interaction between actors well in a comedy, as evidenced by his hand in the AUSTIN POWERS franchise and the MEET THE PARENTS series, and he works his magic yet again, bringing out the best in his cast. It’s very rare that a film doesn’t seem to have a weak link amongst its characters, but DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is in the class. Each role is beautifully cast, with each actor and actress playing well off each other. And the script, by David Guion and Michael Handelman, is outstanding.

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is the comedy we’ve been waiting for this summer, and, if you haven’t been sold by their ad campaign, put it aside, and take a chance anyway. If you’re in the mood to laugh and laugh hard, then you won’t be disappointed with DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS. But I would recommend eating before you take in the movie, because you’ll have a hard time consuming anything during this film. That’s due to the incredible amount of time you’ll spend laughing… but I guess there are far worse problems to have in your life. I mean, you could be seeing THE LAST AIRBENDER. On that note, anyone up for coffee or dessert?

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD

If I felt like being nice, The Kidd would just dismiss CHARLIE ST. CLOUD as fluff that plays to the overly sensitive and weepy crowd, who finds Zac Efron dreamy and would gladly enter into some type of romantic interlude with the actor, regardless of how preposterous. But other than that crowd, who is really going to like CHARLIE ST. CLOUD…? Because it certainly isn’t me. The plot can be succinctly summarized as Zac Efron hangs out with dead people until he can be the hero who saves the day… but even then, that’s giving it too much credit, because, while Efron isn’t that bad in this flick, he isn’t given anything to work with, in a story that ultimately doesn’t make any sense. That’s right… CHARLIE ST. CLOUD tried to be too cute for its own good, introducing a plot twist about 2/3 of the way in that then negates all of the rules it spent so much time setting up for itself, rendering the final product as a complete mess.

The title character, played by Efron, has a younger brother named Sam – Charlie Tahan in a role that forces me to believe that even dead people can get annoying. After an unfortunate car accident that claims Sam’s life but gives Charlie a 2nd chance, thanks to a paramedic who refuses to give up (Ray Liotta in a paycheck performance built entirely on coincidence), Charlie gives up all of his hopes and dreams – sailing, a scholarship to Stanford, etc. – in order to stay local and fulfill his promise to his brother before he died to have baseball practice for an hour each day at sundown… for the next 5 years and beyond. Yep, Charlie St. Cloud is not giving up the prime of his life, because he is overwhelmed with the burdens of self-blame or guilt. He’s giving it up, because, if he stopped showing up, he’d hurt his brother’s feelings, making him feel as if he’s being forgotten. Let me remind you that we’re talking about his dead brother here, who he can see and interact with, who is apparently trapped somewhere in-between so he can have an hourly catch with his big brother. But don’t worry… it gets dumber.

There are all types of messages overtly placed through CHARLIE ST. CLOUD about how you can’t put life on hold, because it doesn’t wait for you, and that there’s always more to life than what you’re currently making of it, and other tidbits of wisdom, which is fine and good. They’re positive messages for people to learn, and there’s nothing wrong with that being what people take away from any movie. However, it’s all wasted when CHARLIE ST. CLOUD decides to basically blow off its own set-up for the sake of having a twist, a gotcha moment. Those deep contemplations about life are replaced with “WTF?! Are you serious?!” as you try to figure out why the story of CHARLIE ST. CLOUD felt the need to absolutely ruin itself. I mean, it’s not like things were going well to begin with, but this only served to make it worse.

It’s firmly established that Charlie has the ability to see and talk to dead people. He’s able to communicate with his brother, and he’s also able to have a conversation with one of his buddies from high school, who lost in life in service to the United States as a member of the armed forces. Charlie, now a caretaker at the cemetary, is able to catch up with his old friend in front of his own grave site, and now we know what Charlie is capable of… that is, we thought we knew until he strikes up a bizarre romance with a girl from his high school class Tess (the very Jennifer Love Hewitt-like Amanda Crew), a fellow sailor, who now finds him interesting, because he’s dark and mysterious, but also looks like Zac Efron. Before she is going to set off for a boat race around the world, they strike up a fling, complete with cooked dinners, Lilith Fair music, and sex in a foggy graveyard. Things seem to be going well, until Charlie gets a cup of coffee one day, and learns that his potential lover’s boat has been lost at sea for the previous 3 days. So wait… Charlie St. Cloud just had sex with the spirit of Amanda Crew and not the real Amanda Crew? Hold on… it gets better. He believes the purpose of his 2nd chance at life is to be around to save her, and now he’s going to venture out into the ocean to find her? But I thought she was dead, and that’s why he could see her. After all, it’s been 3 days. No, that’s not the case…? She’s alive, and he’ll get there in just the nick of time after that time period to save her long enough for paramedics to do their work. Oh, man… this all sounds even more retarded when you write it all out, as opposed to just thinking it in your head. I can’t even imagine how crazy I’d sound saying it aloud. People might look at me as if I was drunk or on drugs… or both. And the topper is that when Charlie is searching for Tess, he breaks his promise to his brother, and, as a result, his brother doesn’t get his feelings hurt. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. His brother is then able to move onto the next step of the afterlife, being consumed by a bright light and turning into a shooting star that points Charlie in the direction of the lost boat.

Okay… that’s it. I’ve had enough. This is making my head hurt.

Efron isn’t bad here, but CHARLIE ST. CLOUD sucks thoroughly around him that there’s nothing you can really gauge from his performance as to whether or not he has a career beyond making HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL flicks. His character is a bit inconsistent, as, even after his brother’s death, he still manages to be nice 1 minute and a dick the next to the spirit. You’d think that feeling guilty and all that Charlie might be a little nicer to the ghost of his dead brother, but, if you’re thinking that, you’re also giving far too much credit to director Burr Steers and writer Craig Pearce to formulate a movie that makes any bit of sense. Knowing that CHARLIE ST. CLOUD was based on a novel, it makes me wonder who exactly read this book to give Universal the bright idea that this was one that needed to be adapted for the screen. I already knew people would see any kind of shit at the movies. I didn’t know they read it, too.

I wish I could tell you that this was a chick flick worth spending your time on, but it’s not. There are 2 types of people who are going to see CHARLIE ST. CLOUD – teenage girls who think Zac Efron and his wind-swept hair (which is M.I.A. here) are hot, and… okay, I lied. There is only 1 type of person who is going to go out and see CHARLIE ST. CLOUD… and you know what? They’ll probably love it, thinking it’s so great and romantic. Believe me… I’ve already seen them in action, wiping tears from their face, walking out of the screening in which I attended. However, if you’re a reasonably intelligent person, who values their time far more than just throwing it away on any movie that has romantic undertones, you’ll do yourself a solid and stay away from CHARLIE ST. CLOUD. I thought I felt dumber having come out of the theatre, watching it all the way through, but that was only the beginning. I feel way more idiotic having recapped the lunacy that makes up this film’s plot… and I only wish I was lying. That truly is what happens. Now… can you really in good conscience say you are ready to subject yourself to that? Kim Basinger couldn’t… and that’s why she’s in the movie for all of about 45 seconds. So take it from Kim Basinger. Run… don’t walk… away from CHARLIE ST. CLOUD.

Guillermo del Toro may have already selected his next directorial project, but that doesn’t mean his passion for THE HAUNTED MANSION, a reboot he’ll be writing and producing for Disney will be anywhere near diminished. del Toro recently sat down with MTV News to elaborate on how near and dear to his heart The Haunted Mansion as a Disney attraction is to him, and, as a result, the careful detail to which he is approaching the new film with regards to the long mythology of the ride and his own ideas for helping people forget the Eddie Murphy version.

“For some people, it’s just a ride. For others like me, it’s a way of life. We’re really serious fanatics. I’m a big, big collector of it. I’ve been collecting not only memorabilia, but also original artifacts from the mansion for the last ten years.”

“The storyline for ‘The Haunted Mansion’ and the ride is quite open. We are taking sort of the core mythology that you can tap into and saying that there are many mansions around the world and they’re all part of a sort of web. The spider sitting at the center of the web is what the fans of ‘The Haunted Mansion’ would know by the nickname the Hatbox Ghost, which is a beautiful creature that was created but there’s a legend that it was discarded on the first day of the ride’s operation because it was too scary. I like that legend, but the reality is that the imagineers could not make the illusion work, so they took it out. It’s more or less where the bride is in the attic on the way out of the mansion, but it’s such a great character that there is literally a cult for the Hatbox Ghost amongst hardcore ‘Haunted Mansion’ fanatics, and I’m one of them.”

“The movie I see in my head of ‘Haunted Mansion’ is not what I believe anyone is imagining it would be. It’s not just a regular world with a haunted mansion plopped in the middle. I’m really thinking of a movie with a heightened reality, which is super designed, incredibly innovative, narratively and visually. When people think of ‘The Haunted Mansion,’ they think they know [what it's about]. But I really want to push a lot of stuff that they have not seen ever.”

There is no doubt in The Kidd’s mind that del Toro absolutely loves The Haunted Mansion, and, as a result, this makes him the right guy for the job. This is wholly a passion project for him, and, because of his love for the original material, you’ve got to believe he’ll be pounding away at this script until he feels he gets it completely right. I truly wish del Toro would have taken the job to also direct THE HAUNTED MANSION reboot, because I think his visual style could have gone a long way towards creating the type of “scary” the film may need… but, as I’ve said before, some del Toro is better than no del Toro, and for this film in particular, I’ll take what I can get.

To bring yourself up to speed on the center of del Toro’s vision, you can read up on the legend of the Hatbox Ghost HERE.

As a side note, the first time The Kidd ever rode The Haunted Mansion at Disney World, the only part of the ride I saw was the end where the ghosts follow you home. Up until that point I was too scared to open my eyes, and missed everything. Needless to say, the next year, I psyched myself up and made it through, registering The Haunted Mansion as one of my all-time favorites… but I figured some of you might get a kick out of my fear the 1st time around. You sick bastards.

With LOST having reached its divisive conclusion months ago, our favorite castaways are free to do other things (like tell people what truly happened on the island), and that includes the show’s co-creators. Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof are pretty well-known by the show’s fans, and, while Cuse is wrapped up doing whatever it is he’s doing these days, Lindelof is on the prowl for some new work… and one of those gigs is shaping up to be writing the ALIEN prequel in development over at 20th Century Fox.

Lindelof has accepted a deal to rewrite the prequel script, according to Deadline Hollywood, and, in the process of his discussions with Ridley Scott, may have stumbled onto a concept that could serve as a stand-alone sci-fi film outside of the ALIEN series. Once the rewrites are finished, Fox will take a look at any script for the new idea and decide if they’d like to pick it up.

However, for those of you who enjoyed the writing on LOST, this is a positive addition to the ALIEN franchise, especially if they absolutely insist on going the prequel route in order to revive the series after the damage done by the ALIEN VS. PREDATOR movies as well as the last 2 ALIEN films. If you’re not a fan of Lindelof, deal with it. I don’t see any indication that smoke monsters or 4-toed statues or polar bears would be called into play for an ALIEN movie, and obviously Ridley Scott got a good feel for what Lindelof wanted to do with the script from their conversations to give him the thumbs-up. As far as The Kidd is concerned, there are only 2 people who have the clout to make serious decisions on the ALIEN series – James Cameron (who directed the sequel ALIENS and is never returning to this material) and Scott, the director who got it all started. And, if prequel is the way to go, then I trust Scott’s choices about a movie coming before a movie he made. Then again, I said the same thing when George Lucas decided to make prequels of his beloved movies, and look how well that turned out.

Oh well… in order to make myself feel better and since I already mentioned LOST, I think it’s time to look at some Evangeline Lilly. That should calm me down.

I miss you, Freckles.