It's funny, but I've been watching Kevin Smith movies for a long time now, but it was only as I was reading through Total Film's list of the Best & Worst: Kevin Smith, that I realized something that I never really thought all that much about before -- and what was my big epiphany? Well, I finally discovered that Smith's films in the end are just rom-coms with poop jokes. Smith may have been considered a foul-mouthed stoner for most of his career, but now that I've looked beyond his shtick, I've finally come to the conclusion that the guy is a big old softy. Which got me thinking: Is there such a thing as romance for boys?

Now if you're the observant type, you've probably noticed I'm not a dude, so what do I know, right? But I've been told time and again that I'm not the 'average girl' (whatever that means) when it comes to my movie tastes, so I'm going to put that theory to the test, and get in touch with my masculine side to create a list of romantic movies for men.

After the jump; My 5 picks for boy-friendly romance...

Let me make this clear: when I say that I'm compiling a list of the most contrived rom-com scenarios, I'm not saying that they're automatically the worst -- although a glance at the titles doesn't exactly stray far from that correlation. Tomorrow's The Proposal finds Sandra Bullock forcing Ryan Reynolds into marriage for the sake of holding off immigration authorities and keeping her/their jobs (I guess it's not too soon to remake Green Card and Picture Perfect after all), so we're talking about seven plot points along those lines of high-concept, close-quarters thinking, with some (dis)honorable mentions along the way...

Back in December, I told you about a new film that was about to go into production under the title Hot Tub Time Machine. You agreed with me that Hot Tub Time Machine is a fantastic title for a movie. You also loved the premise: three grown-up guys visit the hot tub where they once partied, discover it is now a time machine, and travel back to their raunchy heyday. The film's writer, Josh Heald, even contacted us to vouch for the awesomeness of his screenplay. Remember all this? Of course you do.

And now we have an update! According to Production Weekly -- actually, to be specific, according to Production Weekly's Twitter feed (welcome to 21st-century journalism!), the three leads have been cast. Dipping into the H.G. Wells Jacuzzi will be John Cusack, Rob Corddry, and Craig Robinson (best known as Darryl on The Office). Corddry and Robinson have popped up recently in films like Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. But has Cusack ever really done a raucous R-rated sex comedy? I'm intrigued.

The film was originally announced with co-directors Sean Anders and John Morris (who made last year's underseen Sex Drive) attached, but Production Weekly's Tweet says it's now being directed by Steve Pink, who made 2006's Accepted. We'll look into that. Either way, as long as it's called Hot Tub Time Machine, and as long as Josh Heald wasn't lying hack when he promised it was funny, it sounds promising. Filming starts in April in Vancouver.

Not too terribly long after Sony Pictures decided to shuffle rom-com The Ugly Truth back a couple of months from April to July, we get word from the Hollywood Reporter that they've opted to similarly relocate disaster flick 2012 from its July date to a mid-November spot. Were Roland Emmerich and his tidal waves scared off by Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl's opposites-attract antics?

No, probably not, but while Sony insists that the film could've been completed as originally scheduled, they're willing to capitalize on the weekend that served their Bond franchise so well in its past two outings. (Hey, who wouldn't kill to have four more months of post-production on their effects-heavy film?) One's willing to interpret the dual moves as the studio's efforts at making the most of a slate left light by that writer's strike a while back, just as Warner Brothers had by moving back Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from last November to this July.

Starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and Oliver Platt -- it's a Martian Child reunion, y'all! -- 2012 is now scheduled to open on November 13th (until it gets moved back once more to the actual year of 2012, in what may either turn out to be the best or worst marketing move of all time).

A whole slew of new (and old) images have found their way into a gallery over at The Los Angeles Times as part of a 2009 preview, and among the big blockbusters and comedies, we have our first look at I Love You, Beth Cooper (pictured above), starring Hayden Panetttiere as Beth Cooper. If you go by the popular book (which is pretty awesome), Beth Cooper has the potential to become one of those classic one-nighters, a la License to Drive, Adventures in Babysitting or any other teen-esque comedy that takes place over the course of one wild and crazy night. The films tells of a valedictorian who, during his big speech, professes his love for the hottest and most desirable girl in school, Beth Cooper. And when he and his friend get a chance to hang with Cooper and her gal pals on graduation night, things just spiral out of control. Definitely looking forward to this one -- it hits theaters on July 10.

Below we have another image from the Where the Wild Things Are adaptation, directed by Spike Jonze, which hits theaters on October 16. Check out some more images after the jump ...

So Erik-with-a-k covered the coming comedies of 2009, Scott was all over the horror picks (though his inclusion of Race to Witch Mountain still boggles my mind), Eric-with-a-c nabbed the family-friendly fare, and Elisabeth went over the geek fodder that awaits. But while I respect their calendar years and made-up math alike, I've opted to divide my list of 2009's action and adventure flicks into four categories: Action Flicks I Couldn't Care More About, Action Flicks I Couldn't Care Less About, Action Flicks That I Hope Surprise Me, and Those Which Fell In Between. Enjoy!

Action Flicks I Couldn't Care More About: First and foremost -- Watchmen (March 6th). It's one hell of a graphic novel and looks to be one hell of an adaptation (with or without the Giant Blank), but the only problem is it may not hit theaters on time if 20th Century Fox has anything to say about it. Both Fox and Warner Brothers are fighting over who actually owns the rights, and if a judge favors Fox comes January 20th (when the court date is set), we're looking at a delayed release and a whole ton of angry fans. Then there's Public Enemies (July 1st), which has me sold on not the subject matter, but sheer pedigree: Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp and Christian Bale as '30s gangsters. (It doesn't hurt that the earliest word ranges from damn good to great.) On the skimpier side, I can only hope that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 17th) streamlines its source material as the previous one had, and I can only hope that Crank 2: High Voltage (April 17th) lives up/down to the depravity of its predecessor. There's one last action movie that I couldn't care more about because, well, I've already seen a version of it. The international cut of Taken (January 30th, though reportedly opening with some R-dodging trims) is about as brisk and butt-kicking as one might hope out of a man-on-a-mission kidnapping thriller, and if you disagree, I'll send Liam Neeson to change your mind.

Gallery: Watchmen

The first teaser trailer for Roland Emmerich's 2012 has just arrived online, courtesy of Moviefone, and from the looks of it the director has returned to his most successful end-of-the-world form for this film about the Mayan prophecy that predicts the world will end in the year 2012. Starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson and more, 2012 will follow a group of survivors as they deal with the catastrophic events occurring on their planet as the world as they know it slowly comes to an end. In addition to this teaser, you can Google 2012 and surf through tons of information about the prophecy -- including this site, Institute for Human Continuity, which allows users to register for a lottery number to ensure their chance of survival once that dreadful day arrives.

2012 is due in theaters on July 10, 2009, and you can find out more about the film over on its official website (which just launched with this teaser). Watch below, or over on Moviefone in glorious HD. Thoughts?

Cinematical has just received this exclusive final poster for Igor (click image to enlarge), who just looks like the most adorable little awkward hunchback I've ever seen. With a voice cast that includes folks like John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard, Christian Slater ... and, well, look at the poster for a complete rundown ... Igor centers on that dude in purple right there -- the hunch-backed assistant to an evil scientist who has dreams of winning the Evil Science Fair and becoming a Mad Scientist too. (And some kids wanna be doctors and lawyers -- screw that!)

Igor arrives in theaters on September 19, and it really does look like a lot of fun. Go check out the trailer after the jump; it's kinda like Young Frankenstein meets Tim Burton meets a CGI flick you won't mind spending a few bucks on. Pull the switch!

At this point I'm starting to think that Roland Emmerich must be in possession of some pretty serious blackmail material, because there is no other explanation why accomplished actors are so ready and willing to star in his films. MTV now reports that Woody Harrelson has joined the cast of Emmerich's end of the world thriller, 2012.

The story is based on an ancient Mayan prophecy about the end of the world, but Emmerich's film is no ode to Apocalypto. Instead, John Cusack stars as an academic who opens up a portal to a parallel dimension (don't you hate it when that happens?) in an attempt to contact his double and prevent the apocalyptic prophecy from happening. Harrelson will play what he calls a "modern day Cassandra" who has seen the writing on the wall and has been predicting the disaster for years.

According to Harrelson, he will "play a guy who's been talking for a long time, the whole world thinks he's crazy. But he's been talking that there's gonna be hell to pay for what's been going on ecologically and everything." Perhaps this is Emmerich's idea of a little in-joke considering Harrelson's activist leanings. In the meantime, fans of Harrelson's work will probably prefer his upcoming thriller, Transsiberian. But who am I to judge? I guess sometimes a pay check can be its own reward.

2012 is scheduled to begin filming on location in Vancouver and is slated for release in July, 2009.

You remember that Jan De Bont flick John Cusack signed on for ages ago? The one that was going to give us a 51-minute chase scene? It was appropriately named Stopping Power, and it had so much flipping power that it stopped its own production back in October. Co-star Melissa George then swore it was still in the works, but that never went anywhere, and now Cusack is pissed. TMZ reports that he's filed a lawsuit against Intermedia Film Equities USA (you can see the documents on the site).

According to the actor, the company convinced him to star in the ill-fated film, guaranteed that he would be paid $4.5 million, even if the movie didn't get made, and finally, that all of his expenses would be paid, which includes $50k to cover the cost of having his staff on location. Cusack's lawyer, Marty Singer, says that John got his butt to Germany, started production, and then was told that the company couldn't afford the guarantee. So, they're claiming the company fraudulently made these promises, and then wanted to renegotiate for a lower amount after ensnaring him. Johnny is looking for $5,600,000 plus punitives.

Will John win? Or, will Film Equities have the final stopping power?