If you were watching Get Smart this past weekend (and many of you had been) and thought to yourself, "Self, whatever were those two gadget-crafting nerds played by that guy from 'Heroes' and that other dude up to while Steve Carell was off being less funny than he tends to be back home on the television set?," then do I have an answer for you!

And by I, I mean Warner Premiere, the studio's direct-to-DVD arm. See, for over a year now, they've had it up their sleeves to release a spin-off entitled Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control*, which would correspond to the events of that film's story and arrive on shelves within weeks of that film's release (next Tuesday, July 1, to be exact).

If the official website and its trailer are to be believed, the 71-minute supplement involves Bruce (Masi Oka) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence) as they construct, test, and tweak robotic agent Hymie (Patrick Warburton), who made an appearance at the end of Smart.

Whether it turns out to be actually amusing or just superfluous, the whole deal's a smart move on Warner Premiere's part; I suspect that they just shot stuff amidst regular filming, which in turn cut down both production and promotion costs, as opposed to the relative gamble of dusting off titles such as House on Haunted Hill, The Cell, and The Lost Boys.

Regardless, GS'sB&L:OOC hits shelves on DVD and Blu-Ray - and on-demand - next week.

*Get it? Because Control's the name of the government organization they work within. No, not because they got booted from their Joy Division cover band.

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game where you don't have to be a guru in order to win fabulous movie-related prizes. Last week, we asked you to point, laugh and get your caption on with a photo of two heads (belonging to Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway) from the film Get Smart. And that you did! Congrats go out to David R. for turning us on and off in the same sentence.


1. "That better be your shoe-phone, Max." -- David R.

2. "Um, I think we are just about in over our heads." -- Cherlyn

3. "I told you the Marie Antoinette spa treatment was a bad idea!!" -- Tim

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This week, we're searching for a little love (and advice) from Guru Pitka (Mike Myers) in The Love Guru. Our old friend returns to live-action comedy with this flick about a self-help guru who travels from India to the states to help a star hockey player whose wife left him for a rival athlete. Sound familiar? Have you found yourself in a similar romantic squabble as of late? And are you seeking advice from all the wrong people (like that guy with the wooden leg who keeps asking to square off against you in a game of naked Twister)? Well, look no further my fellow caption-ers, because the three winners from this week will prance away with one The Love Guru Guru Pitka magic 8- ball action figure (pictured right, click to enlarge). This way, next time trouble comes knocking at your heart, you'll have your own personal guru to help steer you in the right direction. Sound off below ...



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I caught a screening of Hancock last night. We still have a couple weeks to go before we get to that film, but I am very curious to hear what you folks think of this flick. It's certainly ballsy (especially for a Fourth of July weekend), and I loved that about it -- so we'll see. My mouth shall remain shut for now. That said, this weekend is a peculiar one because we have two comedies competing against one another. Sure, one (Get Smart) could probably pass itself off as an action-comedy, but it will be fascinating to watch the old school (Mike Myers) go up against the new school (Steve Carell).

On paper (and from what I've been hearing), Get Smart seems like the better all-around choice if you only have cash for one film and want a taste of typical, popcorn summer entertainment. Then again, Mike Myers hasn't starred in a live-action film since 2003's The Cat and the Hat, and so fans might be itching for that familiar Myers absurdity (with a twist of Mini Me thrown in for extra punch). If you choose your films based on the female factor, well, Get Smart gives us the beautiful Anne Hathaway, while The Love Guru features the equally-as-beautiful Jessica Alba. My opinion: Hathaway's the better actress, but Alba's the fan favorite. As far as directors go, Love Guru gives us a first-timer, and Get Smart is brought to us by the guy behind films like Tommy Boy, Anger Management and 50 First Dates.

So, based on my shoddy analysis, which film will you be seeing this weekend?

In the big-screen adaptation of the '60s TV show Get Smart, Alan Arkin takes on the role of The Chief, the spymaster originally portrayed by Edward Platt. Bold, resolute, and perpetually frustrated by the efforts and mistakes of the overly-enthusiastic Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell), The Chief is an ideal part for someone with Arkin's slow-burn comedy timing, and a chance for the Oscar-winning actor to stand out in one of the biggest-budget films of Arkin's career. Cinematical spoke with Arkin in Hollywood about how he came on board the film, his long professional history of mocking the American intelligence establishment, doing his own stunts and if he'd be back for a Get Smart sequel.

Cinematical: I was reading in the press notes, which I'm never inclined to trust ...

Alan Arkin: I deny it; I never said anything like that in my life. ...

Cinematical: I read how Mr. Carell was how you got involved in the film ...

AA: I'm hearing that today for the first time; I've heard it from three people, so maybe it's true ...

My fellow jurors and I selected our short film winners yesterday, but I can not share any results until the award ceremony next weekend. You likely wouldn't know any of the titles anyway, but I can pretty much guarantee you will see the filmmakers' names again in the coming years -- some big talents in the mix. There's a party every night here, and I've been having a blast. One of my favorite past-times has been playing a game I call "Hooker/Not a Hooker." Pretty self-explanatory, basically you try to decide which gals are on the payroll, and which aren't. Here's a hint: If she's gorgeous, 22- years-old and hanging off the arm of a 400-pound dude with a combover ... she's available.

I checked out Get Smart yesterday, at an event for The Rock, excuse me, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, excuse me, Dwayne Johnson's charity. Johnson introduced the film and told the audience that "Steve Carell has very soft lips," which made a lot more sense once we watched the flick. For the most part, I agree with Eric's review. It was no masterpiece, but it was just funny and entertaining enough to have been worth the time. Steve Carell can elevate just about anything, and Alan Arkin was hilarious. Now that I've got more free time, I hope to pry myself away from the video poker (currently $45 in the red) and the pool (my skin is also "in the red") and check out some of the more indie-leaning films screening here. Abel Ferrara's Go-Go Tales screens tonight, and I don't think I can pass up that title. Right now there's yet another two-hour "happy hour" starting, so ah...talk to you later!

"There's a lot of talk about my ass." -- Steve Carell on becoming an action star in Get Smart.

What does Jethro Tull have to do with the most embarrassing moment in Steve Carell's life? Which question is Anne Hathaway sick and tired of being asked ... and does it involve a princess? Find out the answers to those questions and much, much more on another fabulous installment of Moviefone's Unscripted series -- where stars interview each other using your questions (left right here on this very blog) as well as some of their own. Of course, Carell and Hathaway are featured this week because, well, they have a little film called Get Smart hitting theaters this Friday, June 20.

Above you can check out a bonus clip from their Unscripted chat that can only be accessed here on Cinematical. In it, the two discuss the difficulties of being away from family (specifically Carell's young children) when shooting a film. When you're done, feel free to skip on over to Moviefone and watch the whole damn thing. With Carell, you know you're in for more than a few laughs ... and Hathaway is just so damn cute. (New secret movie crush! Shhhh!) Oh, and Cinematical already has a nice, positive review up of Get Smart over here for additional reading entertainment, as well as a Get Smart-related Insert Caption game where we're giving away all sorts of nifty prizes. Enjoy.

The slick new version of the dusty 1960s television comedy Get Smart is one of the better TV adaptations to come along in recent years. It's faithful to the original without being overly reverential, it modernizes the premise without mocking it, and you can fully enjoy it even if you've never seen the TV series. Oh, and best of all -- it's funny.

Steve Carell deserves much of the credit for that, easily rebounding from the dubious Evan Almighty (which I thought was OK, thanks to him) and reminding us of the 40-year-old virgin we fell in love with. Carell is a master with awkward, inept characters (as he demonstrates week after week on The Office), and Maxwell Smart proves to be a perfect fit for his skills. Or maybe he's just so good that he can make ANY character seem like it was tailor-made for him.

Maxwell Smart, as you may know from the shticky old show created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, is an agent for CONTROL, a secret government organization that's even more under-the-radar than the CIA. The public was told that CONTROL was disbanded when the Cold War ended, but it continues to operate secretly in the customary underground facilities. (Washington D.C. would have to be completely hollow to house all the various fictional government groups whose headquarters are under its streets.)

Welcome to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game we've heard actually gets you smarter-er! Last week, we asked you to whip up a little somethin' somethin' for a photo from the new flick Kung Fu Panda. And that you did! Congrats to Tommy L. for reminding us that the game Duck Duck Goose amongst a group of animated Kung Fu fanatics might not be the best idea.

1. "I don't think we should play Duck Duck Goose. It just ... doesn't feel right." -- Tommy L.

2. "So ... these pants do make me look fat, then." -- Mike Z.

3. "Panda, this is an intervention. You're killing yourself with food!" -- Brian

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This week, we're calling in all our best agents for a very special Insert Caption for the movie Get Smart (in theaters June 20). Dun dun dun! Starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, we're looking at a big-screen remake of the popular '60s television series about two agents (one clumsy, one competent) who must battle the evil forces of KAOS in order to save the world. And for your part, three winners will take home one fingerprint kit, one globe beach ball, one Get Smart mug, one pair of binoculars, one spinner key ring, one Get Smart baseball cap, one Get Smart journal and one push button. Think you have what it takes make us laugh? Well then, Agent Caption-er, sound off below ...


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"Agent 23 is the greatest agent on the planet." -- Dwayne "The Rock' Johnson

Moviefone has debuted an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip from this summer's Get Smart, starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway (is it me, or does she look GOOD in this flick?), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Alan Arkin. Above, watch as Dwayne (Johnson? Rock?) takes us through the trials and tribulations of his character, Agent 23. As Carrell points out in the video above, "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a formidable force. It's very emasculating to even be in a room with him because he sweats testosterone, whereas I sweat estrogen." Nice.

Watch the video above (or over on Moviefone), then head out to the theater to see Get Smart when it arrives on June 20 (trailers available here, here and here).

It's safe to say that Steve Carell, though wildly successful on The Office, hasn't had the greatest track record as a leading man in movies. He's starred in Evan Almighty (I'll be kind and simply say it didn't do well), Dan in Real Life (great movie, but it never broke out), and Horton Hears a Who! (in which he was heard, but not seen).

That looks to change with the release (on June 20) of perhaps the biggest comedy of the summer: Get Smart, the big-screen adaptation of the wonderfully goofy '60s spy sitcom of the same name, which inspired kids everywhere to believe that they, too, could become secret agents -- even if they were bumbling morons.

Not only is Carell an inspired casting choice -- he even looks like Don Adams, the original Maxwell Smart -- but he's been paired with Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, in the role that's going to leave her Princess Diaries days in the dust and catapult her to bonafide sexpot status.

We've been lucky enough to score both Carell and Hathaway for an exclusive Moviefone Unscripted interview, in which they'll grill each other using your questions. So let 'er rip, Chief -- ask Carell and Hathaway whatever your heart desires by this Friday, then head back here on June 16 to see if your question made the cut. Please don't forget to include your first name and the city and state where you live. Good luck!