Why We Can't Wait to See It: Because in pretty much every film he's made -- big, boring, insipid not-quite-sequels excepted -- Steve Carell brings the funny. The trailers look surprisingly solid, and the cast -- including Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin and Terence Stamp -- is top-notch.

Why It Might Do Well: Because people just plain like Carell -- and the film's plot pitch where a secret agency's having their top people exposed forces them to shove unknown agents out into the field is, in fact, a solid story-driven reason for an incompetent like Max to placed in harm's way. ...

Why It Might Not Do Well: We may be a little tired of Baby Boomer-era nostalgia TV getting splashed up on the big screen; anyone else remember how well I Spy turned out?

Fun Fact: Get Smart was created by Buck Henry and Mel Brooks -- yes, the men behind The Graduate and Young Frankenstein.

Trivia:


Answer Key

Cinematical has just received these exclusive wallpapers for Get Smart, starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Alan Arkin. Get Smart, of course, is based on the popular '60s television series created by Mel Brooks -- and it features Carell and Hathaway as Agent 86 and Agent 99, respectively; both of whom are placed in charge of stopping those evil geniuses at KAOS from succeeding in their plan to dominate every man, woman and child on Earth. The wallpapers (there are five in total) can be found after the jump, and the dimensions below each denote the size of the wallpaper. To save as your computer's background, you want to click the appropriate size, right-click on the image that appears and click "Set as background." When it's all said and done, you'll be able to stare at Hathaway's beautiful face for as long as you please. And Carell, well, he's pretty hot too (but I didn't just say that). Get Smart arrives in theaters on June 20. Enjoy!

Head after the jump for all five exclusive Get Smart wallpapers, and check out images from the film in our gallery below.

It's hard to believe it was just last month that the film industry was trudging through hill, dale and snow to watch movies at the Sundance Film Festival, but in this fast-paced world, it does feel like a million years ago. One of the buzz titles at the fest was Christine Jeffs' Sunshine Cleaning, a tale of two sisters that start a business tidying up crime scenes. Our own Kim Voynar felt it wasn't the best film she saw at Sundance, "but it certainly wasn't the worst. It does have its flaws, but overall it's a cute film that fans of [Amy] Adams and [Emily] Blunt will enjoy."

Indeed, with the very talented and attractive Adams (Junebug, Enchanted) and Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, The Wolf Man) in the lead roles and Alan Arkin providing support as their scheming father, how did this film fail to get picked up during Sundance? Anne Thompson of Variety notes that Sunshine Cleaning "entered the fest as one of several highly anticipated movies with stars attached that were expected to make a big sale. It didn't happen, though, partly because the filmmakers behind the film, Big Beach ... were hoping to make back their $7-million investment in a quick sale."

Ms. Thompson reports, however, that Overture Films has now acquired the film and plans to release it at the end of the year. The distributor may change the title, though, perhaps concerned that it might be considered too similar to 2006 indie smash hit Little Miss Sunshine, for which Arkin won an Academy Award.

You might remember that back in October, a new project started to gear up called The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Based on Arthur Miller offspring Rebecca Miller's upcoming novel (that she adapted and will direct), the pic will focus on "a dutiful wife whose husband falls for a younger woman, freeing her to explore her buried sensuality and leading to a very quiet nervous breakdown."

I was ouching just at the thought of sensual exploration leading to a nervous breakdown, but now I have two reasons: along with the added cast just posted by The Hollywood Reporter, it's been confirmed that Robin Wright Penn is the wife, and Winona Ryder is the younger woman. For frak's sake, there's only a handful of years between the two women. Are they planning to age Wright Penn, or do they just think she looks that much older?

Anyway, adding to the tasty cast is Keanu Reeves, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Alan Arkin, and Monica Bellucci. Arkin will, of course, play the husband who leaves Wright Penn in the dust, and Bellucci will play his first wife -- so he's a dude who loves those May-December romances. Gyllenhaal will get the honor of appearing in flashbacks as Pippa Lee's "diet pill-addicted mother." Julianne Moore is some "lesbian novelist." And finally, Reeves gets to explore Wright Penn's sexuality. Now it all makes sense -- fool around with Keanu and you'll go crazy!

Once everyone finishes up their current gigs, production will kick into gear this April in Connecticut.

It's not a bad idea for an indie film: Two sisters, still dealing as adults with the aftermath of their mother's suicide when they were children, are stuck in dead-end jobs. Then one of them gets the idea to stop cleaning rich people's houses for a living, and to start a business cleaning up crime scenes instead. That's the basic idea behind Christine Jeffs' Sunshine Cleaning, starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin.

Adams plays Rose, head cheerleader back in the glory days of high school, now stuck raising her son Oscar (Jason Spevack) alone. Rose cleans houses for a living, a job she's not crazy about, and she's having an affair with her high school boyfriend, Mac (Steve Zahn), who likes Rose enough to have sex on the side, but not enough to leave his wife for her. Her sister Norah (Blunt) lives with their father Joe (Arkin), who's always got a scheme going for finally getting rich. When Oscar keeps getting in trouble in school, Rose decides she needs to make more money so she can put him in private school, and cleaning houses for a living isn't going to get her there.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Get Smart (click on the image for a larger version), the highly-anticipated big-screen adaptation of the popular 60s television show. This time around, Steve Carell (Maxwell Smart) and Anne Hathaway (Agent 99) take over the roles originally played by Don Adams and Barbara Feldon, and they'll be joined by a cast that includes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (as Agent 23), Alan Arkin (as The Chief) and Terrence Stamp (as Siegfried, whose vile sidekick followed Borat across the country last year). Like the television show, Get Smart (the movie) will follow the agents of CONTROL as they battle KAOS, an evil organization hell-bent on world domination. This poster looks to be a throwback of sorts to those old posters featuring Adams and Feldon, one of which had them standing back-to-back -- she in a stylish trenchcoat and he in a dark suit. The fashion has been updated, but that wacky "Odd Couple" pairing definitely still exists. As you can see, Get Smart shall arrive in theaters on June 20; check out the film's trailer over on Moviefone.

When we commit acts of terror in the name of fighting terrorism, have we in fact become as bad as the bad guys we're supposed to be fighting? That's the question director Gavin Hood addresses in Rendition, which tackles the controversial practice of "extraordinary rendition," whereby suspected terrorists can be whisked off to other countries where "enhanced interrogation techniques" (electrocution, beating, and the ever-popular simulated drowning) are considered acceptable, so as to glean information from the suspected terrorist that might end up thwarting plots and saving countless lives.

The basic premise of Rendition: Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) is an Egyptian citizen with a green card who's been living and working in the United States since he was 14 years old. He has a lovely American wife, Isabella (Reese Witherspoon), a cute little six-year-old kid, and a baby on the way. He coaches his son's soccer team. He's a chemical engineer with a $200K salary and a nice house in the suburbs of Chicago. He could be you or me or someone we know. And one day, on his way home from a business trip to South Africa, Anwar is taken aside by security at the airport and secreted away for questioning about his alleged involvement with a terrorist whose cell phone number has been traced making phone calls to Anwar's cell phone. How does Anwar explain this? Unfortunately for him, he can't.

The folks at New Line very kindly provided us this exclusive first-look at the one-sheet for Rendition (click the image for a larger view). I caught the trailer for Rendition when my husband and I went out on a date night to see The Bourne Ultimatum. We were in one of those theaters with the ridiculously enormous screens, and the Rendition trailer looked amazing. The film tells the tale of Isabella El-Ibrahim (Reese Witherspoon), whose Egyptian-born husband (Omar Metwally) disappears on his way home from a business trip. He's caught in the web of "rendition," a policy that allows the US government to transfer terrorism suspects to another country for interrogation. While Isabella tries desperately to find answers to why her husband has disappeared and where he is, CIA agent Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) finds himself questioning the interrogation methods being used to extract information from El-Ibrahim.

The film also stars Meryl Streep and Alan Arkin, two of my fave actors, and in the trailer, Streep is really turning on that icy-cold superbitch mode that she does better than just about anyone on the planet. Cinematical will have a review for you from the Toronto International Film Festival; if you're not going to Toronto, you'll have to wait until the film's October 12** October 19 release date to see it. Meanwhile, you can check out the trailer over on Moviefone.

**The release is indeed October 19. IMDb lists it as the 12th -- I guess that's what I get for not checking Moviefone's listing, which had the correct date.

Look, it's Steve Carell ... and he's stuck in a phone booth. Still stuck. Still stuck. Part of me waits for a long-haired Keanu Reeves to show up and go, "Dude, you just open it like this." But no. He's still stuck. And ... the bit is over. Phew. The first teaser for Get Smart has arrived on MSN (of all places), and includes a few quick scenes of Steve Carell doing stupid things in a tuxedo. Strike that, he does attempt to throw something at the dude from Borat (looking exactly like the dude from Borat), but this time he's in a suit. But then he's back in a tux fumbling with a bunch of beads. We're also presented with a few quick (and I mean, quick) glimpses of Anne Hathaway running, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson smiling and Alan Arkin walking. Get Smart comes out next summer ... and I can hardly wait.

But perhaps I'm being a bit cynical here; after all it is early and it is one heckuva hot day here in New York City. Based on the popular 60's television series, Get Smart is sort of like The Pink Panther, but American. The film follows the bumbling Maxwell Smart, aka Agent 86 (Carell), and his much more competent partner, Agent 99 (Hathaway), who both work for an agency named CONTROL that frequently does battle with the evil forces of KAOS. Arkin will play the Chief of CONTROL, while The Rock takes on the role of Agent 23. Terrence Stamp also shows up as Siegfried, KAOS agent and enemy of Smart. The good news is that Carell seems perfect for the role, and I'm sure he'll deliver more than a few laughs. And until we get our hands on something a bit more substantial, I'll do my best to reserve judgment. Seeing them release the first trailer almost a year before the film comes out means there's definitely more heading our way in the coming months. Get Smart is set to stumble into theaters on June 20, 2008.

Being a huge Seinfeld fan, I'm really looking forward to Dreamwork's Bee Movie this fall. Originally, Jerry Seinfeld and friends were creating these hilarious live-action shorts (check out both teasers here) to promote the film, instead of giving us a normal trailer. Basically, they consisted of Seinfeld dressed up in a big goofy bee costume, while he awkwardly attempts to shoot scenes for the movie. With cameos from folks like Chris Rock and Steven Spielberg, they're pretty fun to watch, and provide an interesting lead-in to the real trailer that AOL Moviefone just released. Finally, we get a good look at some of the outstanding animation in glorious HD; the tennis ball scene being my favorite -- damn, does that look good.

In the film, Seinfeld voices Barry B. Benson; a recent college graduate who isn't so crazy about making honey for the rest of his life. Upon leaving the hive and discovering that humans consistently steal the honey for their own greedy consumption, Benson decides to sue them, er, us. Though none of that is in the trailer (they're probably saving that for a larger trailer down the line), what we do get is a rather funny sequence in which Benson cautiously maneuvers his way around the city streets (with amusing consequences), then meets up with a woman (Renée Zellweger) who can actually hear him talk. It's your typical "animated animal lost in unfamiliar territory," but I'm stoked to see what Seinfeld writers Spike Feresten and Andy Robin (as well as Seinfeld himself) have in store for us. In case you're wondering, pic also stars Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Eddie Izzard, Alan Arkin and Kathy Bates, among others. What, no Kramer?! Bee Movie buzzes into theaters on November 2.

I'm not sure what it is about sunshine and cleaning, but the two have been all over movie titles as of late. Last year we had Little Miss Sunshine and Code Name: The Cleaner, and in 2007 we're looking at a film called Sunshine from Danny Boyle, another simply called Cleaner (which stars Samuel L. Jackson) and one that combines both, Sunshine Cleaning, starring Emily Blunt, Amy Adams and the newly casted Mary Lynn Rajskub (best known for her role as Chloe O'Brian on Fox's hit show 24.) Both Cleaner and Sunshine Cleaning focus on characters who clean up crime scenes, though the latter seems a bit more interesting ... to this guy, at least.

In Sunshine Cleaning, Adams and Blunt play sisters who clean crime scenes for a living and, in the process, somehow learn the meaning of life. Sounds sort of cheesy until I tell you that Rajskub will play a blood bank technician who's the object of Blunt's sexual obsession. (Yeah, that little plot point completely caught me off guard too.) I should also note that Alan Arkin snagged a role, which makes this his second Sunshine-related indie comedy in two years; pic was written by Megan Holley and will be directed by Christine Jeffs. No word on a release date, but Sunshine Cleaning is currently sweeping up the streets of Albuqerque, New Mexico.

With his best supporting actor win at the Academy Awards this past weekend, Alan Arkin has now found himself in hot demand -- but of course, he doesn't care. He's Alan. He seems like the kind of guy who's number one love in life is a hot pastrami on rye and a copy of the Sunday newspaper in his lap. And yet, his role as a perverted, drug-addicted grandpa in Little Miss Sunshine has catapulted this legendary actor back into the mainstream ... and back into a role opposite Steve Carell.

Warner Bros. has tapped Arkin to star in their big-screen version of Get Smart, alongside Carell (Maxwell Smart), Anne Hathaway (Agent 99), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Agent 23) and Terrence Stamp (who, I assume, will play the villain). Arkin will play the chief of CONTROL, a role Edward Platt once owned on the beloved TV series. For those not aware, CONTROL is an organization formed to fight the evil forces of KAOS. It's taken forever for this film to get off the ground, but it looks like we'll finally get a chance to check it during the already crowded summer of 2008; Get Smart is set to arrive in theaters on June 20.

If I had to describe last night's Oscar ceremony in one word, I'd have to go with 'predictable.' There were no real surprises, only a few minor "Oh, that was pretty cool" moments scattered amongst a slew of fairly boring, and fairly routine acceptance speeches. Judging by most of your comments, it seems the biggest snub came in the best supporting actor category when Eddie Murphy lost out to Alan Arkin. But c'mon, did you really think they were going to give one to Eddie? Heck, I was surpised Dreamgirls managed to score even two Oscars -- the whole best song part was laughable. Are we sure no one put a curse on Bill Condon?

And what about Scorsese? Are we happy about that? Granted, The Departed was far from his best work, but it was nice to see him have a chance up there at the mic ... even if he (and the rest of the cast) should have been up there at the end. Graham King standing by himself on stage to end the show was pretty -- how shall I say -- pathetic. If Little Miss Sunshine won, half the theater would have been on that stage. But, did the Oscars get anything right? Ellen played it safe, but she didn't "Letterman" bomb. The rolling shadow-dancing was pretty cool, albeit a bit annoying early on. They let the acceptance speeches for the major awards go without bringing up the music. Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly made the night with their little song and dance routine. Leo looked good, Jack looked bald and no one mentioned Anna Nicole Smith ... thank God.

So, I ask you: What were your favorite (and least favorite) highlights from last night's Oscar ceremony?

What do you do when a role gets you your first Oscar nod in 38 years? If you're the scene-stealing Alan Arkin, you follow it up with another similarly-titled movie. After the success of Little Miss Sunshine, he has just signed on to co-star in another sun-filled indie film -- the upcoming Sunshine Cleaning. In October, Kevin Kelly brought us word of Amy Adams' involvement in the film, which tells the story of Rose Lorkowski, a woman sick of cleaning other people's homes for little cash. Wanting to send her son, Oscar, to a private school and make more money, she starts a biohazard/crime scene clean-up business with her unreliable sister, Norah.

Since that post, Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) has officially signed on to co-star, along with Clifton Collins Jr. (the crazy drug dealer from Rules of Attraction). There is no word yet on who Arkin will play in the Christine Jeffs feature, but hopefully it won't be a repetitive role where Grandpa Arkin sits down with Oscar and counsels his grandson about the joys of having lots of young sex -- the kid is supposed to be an 8-year-old. Maybe Arkin will be a Gil Grissom-type crime scene investigator that the cleaning sisters always run into. We shouldn't have too long to find out. The flick will start shooting in Albuquerque next week.

The only award Casino Royale picked up Sunday at the British Academy Awards (BAFTAs) was for Best Sound. It was nominated in nine categories -- ten if you count the publicly voted Rising Star Award, which did go to Casino Royale actress Eva Green. But it would have been very shocking if the 007 movie had beaten The Queen for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film. Oh wait; The Queen didn't win it either. Surprisingly, The Last King of Scotland won Best British Film, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay (for Jeremy Brock and Peter Morgan, who also wrote The Queen) and, of course, Best Actor for Forest Whitaker. The Queen did win for Best Film, though, and also took the obvious prize for Best Actress for Helen Mirren.

Some of the other unexpected wins were Paul Greengrass for the David Lean Award for Direction and Alan Arkin for Best Supporting Actor for Little Miss Sunshine, which won for Best Original Screenplay. Other prizes went to Pan's Labyrinth for Best Film Not in the English Language, Best Makeup & Hair and Best Costume Design, Children of Men for Best Cinematography and Best Production Design and Babel for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music. For the most part, the British Academy disagreed with last week's London Film Critics Circle Awards, which gave added honors to specifically British performers like Emily Blunt, Toby Jones, Michael Caine and Leslie Philips. However, Casino Royale fared badly with the critics' choices too.