Yahoo! Movies has the first look at the trailer for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and yes, all those sassy creatures that moviegoers dug to the tune of $193.5 million in the summer of 2005 are back, and this time... the penguins still seem to be stealing the show (I don't really have anything against the first movie, but the penguin-centric holiday short spin-off was itself far more amusing and, as such, has been included after the jump.)

From the look (sound?) of things, the entire voice cast is back, as lion Alex (Ben Stiller), hippo Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer), and zebra Marty (Chris Rock) try to return home to New York City from the eponymous island on which they were last stranded. Sacha Baron Cohen also appears to be returning to his role as the nutty Julien, king of the lemurs. Those working on the production have been tight-lipped as to whether or not hijinks and/or pop culture references ensue.

With original directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath at the helm, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - although they're technically already in Africa - is scheduled to open opposite the latest from James Bond on November 7.

Cinematical has received this exclusive poster for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (click to enlarge), a follow-up to the very successful Madagascar. The film, which stars the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith, follows our animal friends as they hatch a plan to get back to New York; more specifically, Central Park. However, when they attempt to fly themselves out, the crew accidentally crash land in the wildest place of all -- the vast plains of Africa itself. While there, they'll get a better feel for their roots, as well as the difference between life in the concrete jungle and life on the world's second largest continent. But with danger right around the corner, will this family reunion be cut short a little too soon? And will our heroes ever return home?

Find out for yourself when Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa arrives in conventional theaters and IMAX on November 7.

Dang, there sure are a lot of hitman characters in the movies. And what's the difference between a hitman and an assassin, anyway? Does Jason Bourne count, or is he no longer a hitman/assassin by the time his cinematic story begins? Are Pulp Fiction's Vincent and Jules really hitmen or are they technically bagmen? Yeah, it's a difficult task to make a list of prominent hitmen in film. So, I'll let someone else make a "25 Greatest Hitmen" list; here, I present my seven favorites.

Feel free to mention your own preferences. With so many characters, whether easily falling within definition or not, I'm certainly leaving out a lot of good ones. But, as I said, these are my favorites. The cool, the funny, the interesting, they're the ones I enjoy watching over and over again, despite their lethal nature.


Martin Q. Blank in Grosse Pointe Blank (1997, George Armitage)

There is no better hitman than John Cusack's Martin Blank. He's good at his job, and he's funny, and he's willing to give it all up for love. Of course, he's bored enough by the occupation that he'd probably give it up for any good reason. It doesn't seem to matter to him that it's morally wrong; he's just another normal guy, dissatisfied with his job. And while it does seem to be a gag that's stretched thin, his issues do make him more entertaining than the usual silent-yet-conflicted hitmen. Plus, it's enjoyable to think that this is what really happened to Lloyd Dobbler, or Lane Meyer, or any other Cusack character from the '80s.

Signature line: "I was hired to kill you, but I'm not going to do it. It's either because I'm in love with your daughter or because I have a new found respect for life."

Hey, so who watched the never ending Live Earth concert on Saturday? It bothered me to no end that they would show one song from each artist, but I found another station which broadcast the full performances later that night. Honestly, out of all 150 or so performers, Linkin Park from Tokyo was probably my favorite. Did you see how jazzed the crowd was for that? Oh, and The Police, Genesis and Roger Waters stuff was fun to watch as well. But enough about the music, during the concert Jonathan Ross interviewed Chris Rock and Ricky Gervais who chose that time to announce a new film called Badge Buddies. Dark Horizons has video of their chat, in which Rock said of his controversial turn hosting the Oscars: "It's not good weed if you don't choke."

But about the film, Rock says he "wouldn't call it a buddy cop flick because we're not really buddies." In it, Gervais plays a cop whose partner is retired and so, for one reason or another, he winds up teamed up with Rock, an ex gang member. I imagine Chris Rock as an ex gang member would be like trying to watch Michael Cera play The Incredible Hulk. But I digress. Ross then compares the idea to Rush Hour, saying Rock is "like the Chris Tucker" character. The guys go back and forth on that one, eventually saying that it's "Rush Hour meets Shakespeare in Love." Now there's a comparison you don't see every day. The guys also tease a major twist (of which Gervais almost gives up) and say the flick will come out next year. While I love Gervais in pretty much everything, Rock irritates me to end. Plain and simple, the guy just can't act. Will working with a comedy genius help? I guess we'll see when Badge Buddies rolls into theaters in 2008.

I was working at a movie theater in the summer of 1998, the summer Lethal Weapon 4 was released. One of my job responsibilities was to stand and wave goodbye to people as they'd leave their movies. (Armageddon came out the week before LW4, and I got a lot of mileage out of the line, "With all this waving, my Armageddon tired!"). I was excited about Lethal Weapon 4. I hadn't loved the previous installment, but Mel Gibson and Danny Glover were back, I had come to terms with the fact that Joe Pesci wasn't going anywhere, Rene Russo is about as solid a love interest as an action movie can get, I think Chris Rock is hilarious and I had heard amazing things about Jet Li. Plus, this would be the first Lethal I saw on the big screen. How could it go wrong?

Answer: In just about every conceivable way.

Lethal Weapon 3 was a mess, but it was a fun mess. LW4 isn't fun at all. It's downright boring. Everyone looks tired and uninspired (rhyme). The laughs aren't there. The action, aside from a great highway chase, is run-of-the-mill and confusingly shot. And there's a downright icky sentimental streak running through it -- a sappy side that is light years away from screenwriter Shane Black's original vision for these characters.

The blood-soaked Greek war epic 300 once again left the competition bruised and battered this weekend, taking in a cool $31.2 million to hold its No. 1 position at the box office.

Here's what Patricia predicted for the weekend box office on Friday:

1. 300
2. Premonition
3. Wild Hogs
4. Dead Silence
5. I Think I Love My Wife

And here's the actual top five:

1. 300 - $31.2 million
2. Wild Hogs - $18.8 million
3. Premonition - $18.0 million
4. Dead Silence - $6.8 million
5. I Think I Love My Wife - $6.8 million

Get the full box-office report here.

Well kids, first let me congratulate you ... you did it. Redemption is yours as 300 is a huge hit. But, I see a relapse comin on as I fear many of you will make the same mistake I did ... thinking Chris Rock is still funny.

Chris Rick isn't funny anymore, and I'm not exactly sure why. I think it's partly because he thinks that the jokes he told ten years ago and recycles today are as funny and edgy as they were then. I think it's partly because he laughs the hardest at his own jokes. I think it's partly because the comedians working today are much more edgy so it makes it harder for him to stand out. Maybe it's because he spends more time producing now and less time developing as a comedian. Well, whatever it is, all I know is that until he shows me something new, I'm out. Speaking of out, let's talk about his super lame new movie.

Yes, he directs and stars in I Think I Love My Wife.

Rock plays a high powered investment banker with a beautiful wife and wonderful children. But he's not getting any at home and he fantasizes about pretty much every other woman he sees. And when the lovely Nikki (played by Kerry Washington) pursues him, will he be able to keep it in his pants?

The reel deal, this movie is SOOOOO not funny ... or well written ... or directed ... or acted. It's like he took a bunch of stand-up jokes and tried to edit them into a movie. And guys, if you're dopey enough to take your wife or girlfriend to see this movie ... and she's laughin' ... she's SOOO not laughin'. If she is, it's that "You ain't getting any for a couple week" sort of laugh. You know what I'm sayin'? I'm Out.

I'm not sure if this is news that you want to hear, but it's time for another David Spade movie. While the man has had more post-SNL luck than some, that's more due to volume than quality. He just isn't the same without Chris Farley. Nevertheless, his career moves onward, and of course, it helps to have the backing of Happy Madison, Adam Sandler's production company -- they seem to be in the business of keeping SNL alum's careers afloat.

The film, which Spade will write with Fred Wolf, has been picked up by Columbia Pictures. It will cover one weekend at a public park, where three families get involved in a turf battle to snare the same camping spot. It sounds like a cross between If This is It and Beat It, but maybe that's just me. The pair co-wrote Dickie Roberts and Joe Dirt, if that gives you an idea about what to expect. However, there is some promise with the inclusion of Chris Rock as Spade's co-star. Sure, the man was involved with Pootie Tang, but he's also done Dogma and has that popular sitcom. Then again, I think I'm just trying to find the good in this news.

Chris Rock: Drop-dead brilliantly funny comedian, no question about it. But ... not so great where movies are concerned. And I'm not just talking about his paltry acting skills either ("paltry" being a nice word for "atrocious"); the guy's natural comedic skills were a saving grace in flicks like Lethal Weapon 4, Bad Company and The Longest Yard (kinda), but let's just say he's not all that great at remembering lines -- or delivering them convincingly.

But when Rock gets anywhere behind the camera, the result is usually pretty disastrous. (He wrote the terrible Down to Earth and wrote/directed the painfully bad Head of State.) So when I tell you that the new comedy I Think I Love My Wife stars Chris Rock, you might get happy -- and when I tell you that the flick is also written and directed by Rock, you might get (justifiably) sad. (Martha covered the flick waaaay back in February.)

Based solely on this new trailer, the movie seems to be a modernized urbanization of Eric Rohmer's Chloe in the Afternoon -- or perhaps Billy Wilder's The Seven Year Itch. Either way the movie's about a married man who entertains (numerous) thoughts of adultery, and (probably nearly) goes through with it when an old flame (and single hottie) arrives on the scene. Gina Torres is the wife; Kerry Washington the hottie; March 16 the release date.

Call me cynical, but I have a really hard time getting excited about any film that Brett Ratner is involved with. Although, I guess I should give him a break because he's done some good work on films like, um, wait a minute, ah, well I'm sure there has to be one. Oh yeah, I enjoyed X-Men: The Last Stand. He directed that one, right? Although, that film was pretty much director-proof at this point in the franchise and if I know my Brett Ratner (and I do) I'm pretty sure he phoned that one in.

However, It seems someone must like what he's doing because they keep giving him films to direct -- and now, he's got another one. According to Production Weekly, Ratner, who is currently shooting the much-anticipated Rush Hour 3, has attached himself to an as yet untitled heist drama cleverly known as The Untitled Brett Ratner Project. And that's not all. Try to follow me here and I promise to do my best not to let the sarcasm come through too much. Joining Ratner in this new film, which is being written by Inside Man scribe Russell Gewirtz and tells the story of two Trump Tower janitors who plan an elaborate heist to steal from the building's luxury tenants, are Chris Rock and -- wait for it -- Eddie Murphy. Yes, you read that right -- Eddie Murphy. Apparently, Murphy will be segueing into Ratner's film right after he finishes up starring in The Untitled Eddie Murphy/Romeo and Juliet Project. Yes, I'm serious.

I'll admit I'm a little conflicted here because I did think Inside Man was a very well written film so The Untitled Brett Ratner Project has that going for it. And, I'm a fan of Chris Rock's stand-up and HBO show. However, when you throw Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy into the mix and combine that with a story ensuring the inevitable cameo appearance by Donald Trump and his bad rug -- all I can say is "Ratner, you're fired!" The UBRP (which sort of sounds like "burp", doesn't it?) is scheduled to start production this March in New York with an inevitable appearance at your local Blockbuster soon after.