The day is finally here for Journey 2: The 2nd time the Giants and the the Patriots are meeting in the Super Bowl. Will Eli Manning need another Big Miracle play in the 4th quarter to beat Tom Brady and N.E. again? Or will the old War Horse, Tom Coughlin, be a Man on a Ledge when this one is over?

One thing I know for sure, the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium will be Extremely Loud and I think the game will be Incredibly Close. Even the halftime show should be exciting, unless Madonna's performance goes Haywire.

For while it will seem like a Mission: Impossible, as the Patriots will have the lead late in the game, but the Giants will experience an Underworld: Awakening in the 4th quarter.

And in the end I see Manning being The Artist, driving the Giants to victory, on a game-winning pass that will be One For The Money. And a Joyful Noise will be heard from Giants fans everywhere.

Final Score: Giants 35 Patriots 31

A game that will live-on forever in the hearts and minds of NY Giants supporters, and their Descendants.

Chimps and Polar Bears will be battling each other this spring in movie theaters around the country. But don't worry, it'll be safe for your kids to see.

For the first time ever the annual Earth Day nature documentaries will be released on the same day.  IMAX's "To the Arctic" (narrated by Meryl Streep) and Disneynature's "Chimpanzee" (narrator TBA) are both schedule to open on April 20.  Last year "Born to Be Wild 3D" (IMAX) opened two weeks before Disneynature's "African Cats".

"Chimpanzee" will likely win the battle because it will be on a larger number of screens, but since IMAX movies stay out longer (some for years), and their ticket prices are higher, the bears should catch-up to the chimps eventually. "BTBW" has already surpassed "African"'s total ($15.8M to $15.4M).

"Chimpanzee" will be Disneynature's fourth Earth Day doc to be released in theaters. Their previous three films have combined to make over $65M domestically.

"Top Cat" was a short lived Hanna Barbara cartoon that aired on ABC from 1961-1962. The show may have only have 30 episodes, but it is a cult-classic, still airing today on Cartoon Network's "Boomerang".

A feature-length version of "Top Cat" had been in discussion for a long time, and one was finally completed last year - titled "Top Cat: The Movie"/"Don Gato y su Pandilla". It was released in Mexico (by Warner Brothers) on September 16th. The film opened at #1 at the box office with $3 million and finished at $8.2M). It was just announced that the film would open in the United Kingdom in August.

So far there is no word on if/when WB will release "Top Cat: The Movie" in the United States. However, it looks like there is an English language version out there. Check-out this one minute YOUTUBE clip.

There are also two Spanish language trailers. They show that the film's animation is a combo of hand-drawn and CGI. If it will be released in the U.S., it's likely going to be a 3D release (since it was created both in 2D and 3D). We'll see what happens and I'll keep you posted.

Trailer #1

Trailer #2

Thanks to my friend Jerry Beck for putting up the trailers on Cartoon Brew.

I was hoping for at least a few surprises with this year's Oscar nominations, but I never expected this. There are shockers and snubs in every major category - some good and some not so good:

- I'm very happy that "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" got a Best Picture nom. Most thought it didn't have a chance, but the timing of it's wide Jan. release and current buzz pushed it passed other candidates such as "The Ides of March".

- Mixed emotions with the Best Animated category. Glad the Academy stuck to it's policy on Motion Capture, which kept "The Adventures of Tintin" out. And happy for DreamWorks, which hit the Daily Double with "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Puss in Boots". But no "Cars 2"? No "Arthur Christmas" (one of the best reviewed films of the year). "Rango" is probably the favorite, but with little seen nominees "A Cat in Paris" and Chico and Rita" making the cut anything could happen.

- Shocked that Steven Spielberg didn't get a Best Director nomination, especially with the "Tintin" decision. Yet, "War Horse" makes it into the Best Picture group. ?

- Disappointed that "Buck" was denied a Best Documentary nomination.

- As for the acting categories, every one had a surprise that meant a snub or two:

   - Best Actor: Demain Bichir "in", Michael Fassbender, Leonardo DiCaprio "out"

   - Best Actress: Rooney Mara "in", Tilda Swinton "out"

   - Supporting Actor: Max von Sydow "in", Albert Brooks "out"

   - Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy "in", Shailene Woodley "out" 

I'm happy for von Sydow, and disappointed for Woodley. But the king of the "outs" this year is Ryan Gosling, who didn't get nominated for either of his major roles, while many thought he might get "in" for both.

- Stunned that there are only two nominees in the Best Song category. The problem appears to be that there were simply too many in the pool (39) and the vote was so spread-out. At least "The Muppets" got a little love with "Man or Muppet", but that's probably the 4th best song in the movie.

- Finally, the fact that "Hugo" leads all films with 11 nominations discouraging, since it's not a great film. Early prediction: "The Artist" (2nd with 10 nominations) will win more statues than "Hugo" come Oscar night.

The schedule for the second half of 2012 is a little thin, but that's always the case as studios decide where to move films to get them in the best position to succeed at the box office and get attention for awards. But there are some major releases already in place, with July leading the way:

JULY

  3 - The Amazing Spider-Man

13 - Ice Age: Continental Drift

20 - The Dark Knight Rises

27 - Step Up 4

AUGUST

  3 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

  3 - Total Recall

10 - Rivals

15 - The Odd Life of Timothy Green

17 - ParaNorman

17 - The Expendables 2

24 - Sparkle

SEPTEMBER

14 - Finding Nemo 3D

21 - Hotel Translyvania

28 - Won't Back Down

OCTOBER

  5 - Frankenweenie

12 - Here Comes the Boom

12 - Fun Size

NOVEMBER

  2 - Wreck-It Ralph

  9 - Skyfall

16 - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2

21 - Gravity

21 - Rise of the Guardians

21 - Parental Guidance

DECEMBER

  7 - Les Miserables

14 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

21 - World War Z

25 - The Great Gatsby

25 - Playing the Field

The Golden Globes had some big highlights and some disappointing surprises. Here are some of the highs and lows:

- Ricky Gervais had a strong start with his best monologue yet as GG host, but slowly cooled down. He should be back next year.

- "The Descendants" wins Best Picture - Drama and "The Artist" wins in the Comedy equivalent, setting-up Oscar showdown.

- Woody Allen wins the Best Screenplay award for "Midnight in Paris" (his second win - other was "The Purple Rose of Cairo")

- The Hollywood Foreign Press felt the need to pay tribute for Scorsese and Spielberg by giving them awards (Scorsese - Best Director for "Hugo", which didn;t even deserve a Best Picture nomination and Spielberg - Best Animated Feature "The Adventures of Tintin" - which isn't even "animated"!

- George Clooney deservingly wins Best Actor in a Drama for "The Descendants" and also applaude Jean Dujardin's win for Best Actor in a Comedy for "The Artist". Possibly another decent Oscar battle, though Clooney has to be the favorite right now.

- Hope at least one of "The Muppets"' songs gets an Oscar nomination. All were snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press, who must have missed the screening.

- Meryl Streep takes home her 8th Golden Globe, which makes the Best Actress Oscar category a three way race between her, Michelle Williams (who won the Actress in a Comedy category) and Viola Davis (who won the Critics Choice Award). This is a beauty.

The next big awards event are the SAG Awards in two weeks, but before then the Oscar nominations will be announced (1/24). Should be some interesting categories.

Hard to argue with this year's "The Critics Choice Movie Awards", especially the decision to name "The Artist" as the Best Film of 2011.

Here are some other highlights:

Best Actor - George Clooney "The Descendants"

Best Actress - Viola Davis "The Help"

Best Supporting Actor - Christopher Plummer "Beginners" (Jonah Hill was sadly snubbed out of a nomination)

Best Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer "The Help"

Best Animated Feature - "Rango" (at least "Arthur Christmas" and "Puss in Boots" were nominated)

Best Original Song - "Life's a Happy Song" - "The Muppets" (It's too bad none of the three songs nominated from "The Muppets" are up for a Golden Globe. What was the Hollywood Foreign Press listening to this year?)

Best Visual Effects - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (Andy Serkis was also a Best Supporting Actor nominee)

The members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, who vote on these awards, pride themselves in being the best indicator for the Oscars. We'll see if that holds-up again this year.

Next-up this awards season: The Globes on Sunday. These are always a bit more unpredictable. And let's see if Ricky Gervais can really top himself.

Mark your new calendar with these upcoming releases for the first half of 2012:

January

13 - "Joyful Noise"

13 - "Beauty and the Beast 3D"

20 - "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" (Wide Release)

20 - "Red Tails"

27 - "Man on a Ledge"

February

  3 - "Big Miracle"

10 - "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island"

17 - "The Secret World of Arrietty"

March

  2 - "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax"

  9 - "John Carter"

16 - "Mirror Mirror"

23 - "The Hunger Games"

30 - "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"

30 - "Wrath of the Titans"

April

  6 - "Titanic 3D"

13 - "The Three Stooges"

20 - "Chimpanzee"

May

  4 - "The Avengers"

18 - "Battleship"

25 - "Men in Black 3"

June

  1 - "Snow White and the Huntsman"

  8 - "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted"

15 - "Jack the Giant Killer"

22 - "Brave"

29 - "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"

10. “We Bought a Zoo”
Incredibly forced family dramedy that features the most manipulative script of any film this year.
Director Cameron Crowe tries to make you tear-up in scene after scene after scene. The attempts at comedy are just as bad.

9. “In Time”
Interesting premise and promising start, but quickly turns into a complete waste of time. Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried walk through this uninspired action/thriller that is full of holes and gets more ridiculous as the movie goes on.

8. “The Green Hornet”
Seth Rogen stared-in, co-wrote and co-produced this action/comedy that featured no action and no laughs. His Green Hornet character is completely unlikable and the 3D post conversion is a disaster. The studio tried to bury it in early January, but I still remember how painful it was to watch.

7. “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked”
After a successful and enjoyable original and an O.K. “squeakquel”, the “Chipmunks” franchise has officially sunk. There are no clever  jokes or situation, just a lame story filled with embarrassing songs and dance numbers. Watching this was one of the most painful experiences of my career as a critic.

6. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
We all got robbed of our booty by this stinker. Incredibly disappointing 4th installment in the series. Johnny Depp had nothing to work with thanks to a script with no little excitement, wit or suspense. And there was absolutely no chemistry between Depp and Penelope Cruz, who was completely miscast.

5. “Cowboys and Aliens”
Another highly-anticipated Summer movie that was a major disappointment. Even Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig couldn't save this sci-fi western that was so uninteresting that even the actors seemed bored. Director Jon Favreau goes from the successful “Iron Man” films to this deathly slow and technically awful mess.

4. “Happy Feet Two”
Even worse than the original (which is saying a lot). A misguided story that actually puts hundreds of penguins in danger of dying (but you know they're not going to). And I kept praying for the two annoying krill to be eaten. And the songs….Please…no more singing penguins!

3. “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World”
Whichever studio executive thought we needed a fourth “Spy Kids” movie should be forced to watch this…over and over…on his next cross-country flight. By far the cheapest-looking and cheesiest film of the year. Incredibly bad performances from Jessica Alba, Joel McHale and Jeremy Piven (who plays 3 characters). And the 4D - “Smell-o-Rama” gimmick STUNK.

2. “The Three Musketeers"

A complete mess of a movie from beginning to end, that didn’t know what it wanted to be: action film?…comedy?…historical drama? - and it’s failed at all of them. Featured a completely bland cast. As I said in my original review: “All For One…but NONE for This.”

1. “Green Lantern”
Ryan Reynolds was totally lost and miscast as a regular guy chosen to become the first human “Green Lantern”, who then has to who defeat the bad guys and save the world. We’ve seen everything in this movie before in countless superhero films, all done better than here. No originality in the story, action or the special effects (there are times you could practically see the Green Screen). In my original review, I complimented the makeup, but later regretted it.  If I had to, to save my position as a film critic, I could sit through every other movie on this list again…except this one.

Terrific comeback film for a all-but forgotten franchise.Great musical numbers and a lot of heart. Old fans and a new generation of kids were not disappointed.

9. “Hanna”
Saoirse Ronan starred in this exciting action thriller about a teenage assassin. Cate Blanchett is excellent as the villain.
Outstanding score and unique set designs.

8. “Cars 2”
Very enjoyable sequel that’s a complete 180 from the original. Mater is the star and he becomes caught-up a spy caper - James Bond on 4-wheels. Fun for all ages, with memorable lines and great action scenes.

7. “Unknown”
Liam Neeson starred as a man who wakes up from a car accident to find-out that that no one knows who he is and so he starts to doubt his own identity. Diane Kruger and January Jones co-star in this original action-packed thriller with twists you never see coming.

6. “The Help”
Based on the best-selling book, “The Help” is filled with incredible performances by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. The film takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions: anger, joy, hatred and hope.

5. “The Descendants”
George Clooney is a serious Best Actor contender for his very believable work as a father who finds out that his wife (who’s in a coma) was cheating on him. Pulled you in and kept your interest the entire way thanks to an engaging story and compelling characters.

4. “Arthur Christmas”
Smart animated film with a lot more substance than you expect. The Script is surprisingly complex, with funny dialogue and some sweet messages.

3. “Winnie the Pooh”
The voice cast is tremendous and the 2D animation is even better than some CGI I’ve seen. It's charming for all ages and put a smile on my face the entire time.

2. “Buck”
The story is about a modern-day cowboy who works with horses and their owners. The best documentary I saw all year thanks to it’s honesty and the fascinating life of this authentic “horse whisperer”.

1. “The Artist”
In black and white, and mostly without dialogue, “The Artist” tells the story of a famous silent movie actor in the late 1920s and how he deals with the end of the Silent Era. “The Artist” proves that you don’t need CGI, 3D, explosions or even color and dialogue to make an incredible, emotional film.

Close but not quite: "Captain America", "Gnomeo and Juliet", "Midnight in Paris, "HP7.2"

Here are the Worst in Show for 2011:

10) Simone (a.k.a. Simon as a French Adventurer) - "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked". That subplot is ridiculous. What's even more ridiculous is that the filmmakers had to hire another actor to voice Simon as Simone (Alan Tudyk - Matthew Gray Gubler voices reg. Simon).

9) The Beaver - "The Beaver" Leave it to Mel Gibson for giving us a puppet that didn't help with his anger management issues - instead it just angered us.

8) Joe the Lion - "Zookeeper". A waste for Sylvester Stallone when he could've been making another action movie instead.

7) Jacob Black turing into a Werewolf - "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Pt. 1". Taylor Lautner delivering corny lines as an unrealistic werewolf (who's blurry in the action scenes).

6) Luiz the Dog - "Rio". Tracy Morgan is given absolutely no funny material in an unoriginal and disappointing animated adventure.

5) Simba in 3D - "The Lion King 3D". Oh I just couldn't wait to get those glasses off.

4) Jack the Monkey - "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides". His act stopped being funny several movies ago.

3) The Goose - "War Horse". An unnecessary character straight out of a bad family comedy.

2) Spar the Dying Tiger - "We Bought a Zoo" - As if C. Crowe didn't already have enough sappy storylines to work with - he needed a dying tiger?

1) Sven the Puffin - "Happy Feet Two" (voiced by Hank Azaria). The only good think about him was that he's NOT a penguin.

Ten Best Performances by an Animal (Real or Fake) in 2011:

10) Argonaut the Dog - "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World". Played by Elmo the dog, voiced by Ricky Gervais (the only somewhat funny thing in the entire movie).

9) Bitey - "Mr. Popper's Penguins" - There were real penguins on set!

8) Puss in Boots - "Puss in Boots". Voiced with purr-fection by Antonio Banderas, who makes us want to root for him even though "Puss" is a prequel.

7) Animal - "The Muppets". Out of control and very funny as he tries to hold it all in, but can't quite contain himself. Voiced by Eric Jacobson.

6) Winter - "Dolphin Tale". A tail-less dolphin who played himself in the movie. That's not something you see everyday.

5) Eeyore - "Winnie the Pooh". Another character who needs a new tail but keeps his composure. Classic voice by Bud Luckey.

4) Snowy - "The Adventures of Tintin". Cute K9 who helps his owner find the secret to a ship...and his lunch.

3) Joey - "War Horse". With many human qualities and much personality, he is a powerful character and the uncredited star of the film.

2) Caesar - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". He may be played by Andy Serkis, but Caesar also has a mind of his own...for going bananas.

1) Uggie - "The Artist". A smart and talented dog who loves his owner (A 1920's silent movie actor) and gives one of the Best Supporting Actor performances of the year.

Christmas Weekend at the Box Office wasn't very strong. With the big holiday on a Sunday, all of the family movies disappointed, but the more adult films didn't do much better. "M:I4" won with $26.5M (the lowest open in the franchise - hurt by the IMAX opening). "Sherlock 2" dropped over 50% from the previous weekend.

"Alvin 3" surprised many by beating newcomers "The Adventures of Tintin" and "We Bought a Zoo" ($13.3M to $9.1M to $7.8M). "Tintin" made only $17M for the 5-day total. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" also underperformed ($13M Fri-Sun; $21M Wed-Sun). The bright side to this story is that "Arthur Christmas" stayed in the Top 10 for the Christmas weekend making $2.7M. It's rare to have a Christmas movie stay on the list for the actual holiday weekend.

This is one of the lowest Christmas weekends of all time. Here are some stats for the same weekend over the past several years:

2011 - #1 Movie: "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (PG-13) - $26.5M; Top 12 - $87.6M; 6 New Movies (In Wide Release) - 4 Counted in Original Estimates

2010 - "Little Fockers" (PG-13) - $30.8M; $132.2M; 3 New Movies

2009 - "Avatar" (PG-13) - $75.6M; $259.9M; 3 New Movies

2008 - "Marley and Me" (PG) - $36.4M; $179.6M; 5 New Movies

2007 - "National Treasure 2" (PG) - $44.8M; $152.1M; 5 New Movies

2006 - "Night at the Museum" (PG) - $30.4M; $109.3M; 4 New Movies

So far no family moviers are schedule to open Christmas Weekend 2012. Either that will change, or based on what happened this year, could stay the way it is. "The Muppets" was originally going to open on Christmas Day, but was thankfully moved to Thanksgiving. If it had stayed a Christmas day release it may have also struggled.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Here are some suggestions on what you can do before or after Santa pays his annual visit:

- See "Arthur Christmas". Make it a gift to yourself and your family. It's a delighful animated film for all ages and, obviously, very timely. If you've been waiting since it can out last month to see it when you were really in the holiday mode the time is now!

- Watch "A Christmas Story".  The modern classic airs for 24 hours straight for the 15th year in a row on TBS.

- Both version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (the cartoon and the Jim Carrey movie) and "It's a Wonderful Life" both air on network TV over the weekend.

- And finally, spend time with your family and friends and share some Christmas spirit with those less fortunate and total strangers. It will make you and them feel great.

Over the last few years, the four major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX) have been making new animated holiday specials to try to revive the genre. And for the most part they've succeeded. "Shrek the Halls" and "Prep and Landing" have been big hits for ABC. "Merry Madagascar" and "Yes Virginia" are also very good. Four new ones premiered this holiday season. Here are my thoughts:

"Hoops and Yoyo Ruin Christmas" CBS - The hilarious Hallmark card characters get their own special in which they go back in time and help save Christmas for future generations. It's funny, has cute animation and a surprise twist. B+ View here: HOOPS AND YOYO (CBS.com)

"The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf Story" CBS - Based on the Elf on the Shelf book and toy, this bland special is just a marketing to try to sell the product. It's lacks excitement, heart and talented voice work. This is one of the weaker efforts in recent years. C-

"Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" FOX - The entire voice cast from the "Ice Age" film series are part of this half-hour special which may be a predictable, but is still clever (although Scrat is underused). B

"Prep and Landing: Naughty vs. Nice" ABC - This follow-up is a genuine original, with lots of laughs and nice messages. I still prefer the original, but this is great fun. A- You can watch the original "Prep and Landing" and this sequel back-to-back this Thursday beginning @8pm on ABC.

The Golden Globe nominations never fail to surprise and disappoint. And this year is no different. Some high and lowlights:

- Is there another movie named "My Week with Marilyn"? - because the one I saw wasn't a musical or a comedy.

- Happy with animated category - except for "Tintin", which doesn't belong. Put "Pooh" in it's place and they would have the nailed the Top 5 (for the most part). I don't have "Rango" in my Top 5, but most say it's the best of the bunch.

- "Hugo"? Best Picture? If Martin Scorsese wasn't connected with the film it would be considered just another average family adventure movie.

- Glad "Hello Hello" ("Gnomeo and Juliet") got Best Song nom, but nothing from "The Muppets"? "Pictures in my Head" may be best of year.

- Happy for: Jonah Hill who's great in "Moneyball", Owen Wilson and Woody Allen for "Midnight in Paris", Jessica Chastain and Viola Davis ("The Help), George Clooney and Shailene Woodley ("The Descendants") and Kenneth Branagh ("Marilyn") Disappointed: Adam Sandler for "Jack and Jill" (hey, he played two parts!)

- I knew Ryan Gosling had a hot year, but a double nomination is still a little surprising.

BIG SNUBS: "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (Gary Oldman), "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" (Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock), "The Tree of Life" (Many thought Brad Pitt would get a Double Nomination). He did get one for "Moneyball".

- But the biggest surprise of them all was Woody Harrelson's hilarious promotion for his upcoming movie right before naming the Best Drama nominees. Top that Ricky Gervais.

"Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol" opens nationwide on the 21st, but it's being released in 400 IMAX theaters five days earlier on the 16th. I can't remember the last time a big budget movie opened in just a limited number of screens and then expanded wide a few days later. So how much money will "M:I4" make opening weekend? Considering the cost of IMAX tickets and that it won't be sharing the IMAX spotlight those days with "Happy Feet Two" (which bombed) I'm predicting between $10 and $12 million. After all Cruise fans and fans of the franchise will want to see this film as soon as possible, no matter what it costs (at least that's what Paramount is counting on). And there's the added bonus of the "Dark Knight Rises" prologue. On the flip side, it will be going up against "Sherlock Holmes 2" and "Alvin 3".

Then a few days later (also the 21st), "The Adventures of Tintin" opens in IMAX 3D. This is another Paramount film, so will "MI4" have to share the IMAX screen with "Tintin"? If so that will hurt it's box office. 

This could have been avoided if the IMAX preview (or the wide release) had been this weekend instead.

The National Board of Review has announced its winners for the best acting performances and best movies of the year. I realize they want to be the first every awards season, but it's way too early to be handing-out honors for movies, many that haven't even opened yet.

Among their Top 10 Films of the Year are both George Clooney movies ("The Descendants" and "The Ides of March"), "The Artist", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" and "War Horse" (opening Christmas Day). But it's their outrageous selection for "Hugo" as the Best Movie of 2011 that really has me baffled. If "Hugo" is the best movie of the year (I gave it a C) than it's been a terrible year in movies. Not surprisingly Scorsese also won Best Director.

Clooney wins Best Actor for "The Descendants" (good choice) and Shailene Woodley (who plays his eldest daughter in the film) is their Best Supporting Actress. Christopher Plummer gets the Best Supporting Actor nod for "Beginners". But the biggest surprise out of the acting group is that Tilda Swinton beat both Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady") and Michelle Williams ("My Week with Marilyn") to win Best Actress for "We Need to Talk About Kevin".

The Best Ensemble Award went to the cast of "The Help" (another fine decision), and they gave out a special award to the "Harry Potter" franchise. For the Best Animated Feature category they chose "Rango" - not my top pick (or even in my Top 5 this year for that genre), but it looks like the frontrunner for the Globes and the Oscar.

I'm most pleased that both "Buck" and "Born to Be Wild 3D" were chosen as two of the five favorite documentaries of the year. The National Board of Review should honor five animated movies as well instead of just one. I'm hoping "Buck" gets nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar. I guess "Hugo" will get an Academy Award nomination, but I can't see it winning. Next, we've got the Golden Globes nominations, on Dec. 15th, to deal with.

December is traditionally a good month for DVD releases, because many of the top summer movies make their disc debuts in time for the holidays. This year is certainly no exception, with some of the best family films and adult dramas of the year set to appear on store shelves.

For younger kids/families:

"The Smurfs" - Dec. 2; "Mr. Popper's Penguins" - Dec. 6"; "Kung Fu Panda 2" - Dec. 13; "Dolphin Tale" - Dec. 20

For action/sci fi fans:

"Cowboys and Aliens" - Dec. 6; "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" - Dec. 13

For adults:

"The Help" - Dec. 6; "Contagion" - Dec. 16; "Midnight in Paris" - Dec. 20

For Gleeks:

"Glee: The Concert Movie" - Dec. 20

Even though I didn't like all of these films, that's a pretty impressive line-up. I expect a lot of these will end up under the tree on Christmas morning in home all over the movie world. There's a few I'm hoping to see under mine and a couple ("Cowboys and Aliens", "Glee") that if I get them I'll know I must have been really bad this year.

A new Regal movie theater just opened not far from where I live so I decided to take a trip to see this 10 screen cinema, one of the screens being an RPX (only the 2nd RPX in New York State). RPX stands for Regal Premium Experience, which is supposed to have better picture and sound quality than IMAX, complete with a giant, IMAX-size screen. I saw "Hugo" on the RPX screen, but this one is much smaller than the RPX in NYC I've been to and smaller than every IMAX screen I've ever seen. In fact, it was just about the same size as other screens in this same, new theater.

The lobby and ticket booth are also small, but the staff on this day was doing a nice job moving people right along, and the theater, in general, is colorful and clean. But with so many big movies out (and only 10 theaters) films such as "The Muppets" and "Arthur Christmas" were only on one screen. That night "Muppets" and a "Twilight" shows were sold out, turning families away. You'd have to think many will consider going somewhere else with more choices the next time.

The theaters themselves are also small - ranging from 150-300 seats. The RPX theater holds 300 and the picture and sound are fantastic. The seats are leather, and they're comfortable, for about the first hour or so. Then you start to get fidgety. And fidgeting in leather seats creates noise. And leather seats cost money. But with a ticket price of $15.50 for 3D movies in RPX, the theater will make that money back quickly.

One of the most puzzling things about the design of the theater are the railings attached to the aisle seats, which leave you only 16-inches or so of space to get into the row and to a seat. This will pose a problem for heavier people and folks carrying food who will have to squeeze-in sideways.

And the seats in the first few rows on the floor and even futher up on the sides provide terrible views of the screen, but that's also the case in most theaters.

Overall, this new Regal theater is nice, and I understand that the company wanted the re-model completed in time for the holiday releases. But whenever I go to a brand new, state-of-the-art theater I hope to be blown-away and this time the experience was a little underwhelming. C+.