Luckily for Tom Cruise, the latest rumors surrounding him have nothing to do with Valkyrie -- for once, there's some good news for the much-maligned movie star (a round of applause, please, if you will). Yesterday, Moviehole confirmed reports that Cruise is in talks to star as the US president in Philip Noyce's DC thriller, 28th Amendment -- and according to their sources, an official announcement will be made as soon as the paperwork has been completed.

Cruise would star opposite Denzel Washington as President Ben Cahill. Tom Cruise as President? Really? Plot follows the adventures of a commander-in-chief who learns that he has no real sway at the White House after uncovering a secret organization (run by Washington) that has been the 'power behind the throne' since WWII. Unfortunately for Cahill, this group has no qualms about bumping off presidents (grassy knoll, anyone?) and as he starts to put the pieces together, he becomes the next target -- which will probably give Cruise plenty of opportunities to show off that run of his.

Indiana Jones -- The Adventure Collection
... or any of the three special editions -- Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade

We're just over a week and a half away from seeing Harrison Ford run around as Indiana Jones for the first time in almost twenty years in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and hopefully not collapse in an arthritic fit. Of course, that means putting out a collection for Indy buffs to buy -- just in time for a late-night triple feature before the big release. However, unlike the Die Hard re-do, which stripped tons of extras away, and other releases that just fill up landfill space, there is a perk in this whole money-grab: aside from getting them as a collection, you can pick them up for the first time separately.

That's music to my ears, since I detest Temple of Doom, and would be happy not to see it again. Pick up one, pick up a few, or pick them all up in the Adventure Collection, which is just the three special editions in a fancy cardboard box. Each disc has a bunch of extras -- intros, interviews, special effects, storyboards, and more. Some is old footage, but there's lots of new bits as well -- including a look at Skull on the Last Crusade DVD.

Buy the Collection | Buy Raiders | Buy Doom | Buy Crusade

When putting together a remake, the powers that be usually find similar actors to fill the roles once immortalized by someone else. But sometimes, we get people entirely different. As we have heard, there's a remake of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three coming our way, titled The Taking of Pelham 123. Instead of Walter Matthau, we're getting a whole different type of actor -- Denzel Washington, and now Just Jared is sharing a peek at the man in action.

123 focuses on some armed, color-named gang members who hijack a subway car in New York City and take the train hostage in hopes of collecting a sweet ransom. Lt. Zachary Garber (Washington) has to make it all happen. Methinks things aren't going too well for Z in this scene.

I like Denzel and all, and I'm sure that he'll be great, but this isn't exactly new territory for him, and seeing this, I just want me some Walter Matthau. If you're feeling the same way, head through the jump.

Here's something you may or may not know about me: I love Will Smith. Huge fan of the guy; I've thoroughly enjoyed almost all of his movies (I said, almost) and he always gives you a good performance. Obviously, I'm not alone -- if you put Smith in a movie, any movie, you're pretty much guaranteed $100 million at the box office ... and that's a low estimate. However, when it comes to a Will Smith film -- be it small or large -- one thing is always a given: He's gonna play the good guy. His good guy will have flaws, sure, but what protagonist doesn't have flaws?

So as much as I love Will Smith and enjoy shelling out money for his movies, I'm beginning to think the guy needs to change things up a bit -- ie: when will big Willy take on the role of villain? And I don't mean the guy who's not quite good and not quite bad -- kinda shady, what have you (Six Degrees doesn't count either; too early in his career) -- I mean the guy you don't want to cross. The guy who'll crush your skull if you spell his name wrong. The guy you want to drop off a building five minutes into the movie. THAT'S who I want to see Will Smith play. The big question is, though, could he pull it off? Not only that, but would he ever consider such a role in the first place?

What happens when men in blue, sworn to protect and to serve, fly out of control? If we're lucky, we get a good movie out of it. If we're really lucky, we get a larger than life character to cheer and to fear. Are you feeling lucky, punk?

Keanu Reaves, of all people, will follow in the steel-toed shoes of some of cinema's finest as a cop who goes on an avenging rampage in David Ayer's Street Kings, which opens tomorrow. That made me reflect on my favorite out of control cinematic cops, men in blue who break free from the laws of god and man. Let us know who we missed in the comments section. But be nice, or we'll track you down and crack you over the head with a night stick.

1. Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry

Clint is so cool as Harry Callahan that he can just glare at bad guys and they give themselves up. Dirty Harry never met a criminal he couldn't beat up, a sergeant he couldn't hate, or a partner he couldn't get killed. He can't help it: he married justice a long time ago and the blind old bat won't leave him alone until he takes out the garbage. Don't even think about getting in his way: he solved the Zodiac killings in 102 minutes! Dirty Harry paved the way for several sequels and countless gruff, lone wolf outlaw police detectives.

Sure, we're getting more Bourne, according to reports from February, but that doesn't mean we can't get more Robert Ludlum action thrills with a new leading man -- with or without more Jason Bourne. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the next leading Ludlum man will be played by Denzel Washington. There's a package creating buzz in studios that would bring the writer's The Matarese Circle to the big screen, with Washington attached to play Bradley Scofield and Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, who recently penned 3:10 to Yuma, attached to write the script.

As THR describes it, the film focuses on "two secret agents -- an American and a Russian -- who must work together to fight a mysterious group of killers known as the Matarese. The twist: The agents, Bradley Scofield and Vasili Taleniekov, have been nemeses for years, with each responsible for killing someone close to the other." I like that -- two men who have to come together when they have a really good and solid reason not to -- it's not just professional distaste, a stolen lover, or a battle of egos.

Most of the major studios have heard the pitch, but as of yet, none have bitten. I'm sure it will only be a matter of time. How could they say no?

Imagine if New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano suddenly became the Mayor of New York City? Variety is reporting that James Gandolfini, best known for his starring role in the long-running HBO series The Sopranos, will be joining The Taking of Pelham 123. Gandolfini is set to play Hizzoner (AKA The Mayor) in Tony Scott's remake of the 1974 thriller.

Gandolfini steps into the role inhabited by Lee Wallace in the original, a politician felled by the flu, stuck in bed, and motivated more by a selfish desire to be reelected than any altruistic concern for his fellow citizens.

Before The Sopranos, Gandolfini established himself as a colorful and versatile character actor (Crimson Tide, Get Shorty, A Civil Action). He was so supremely charismatic and memorably menacing as Tony Soprano, though, that his other recent roles have paled in comparison. Variety says he has other projects in development, based on writer Ernest Hemingway and basketball camp guru Sonny Vaccaro, that may showcase more of his range. Monika Bartyzel also noted recently that he's set to play Marvin Gaye's manager in Sexual Healing.

As Jessica Barnes originally reported, Pelham 123 will star Denzel Washington as a Transit Police officer charged with trying to foil a criminal gang that has hijacked a subway train. John Travolta will play the gang's ruthless leader. Production in New York City evidently began on February 7 and is scheduled to continue through July 4, according to the NYC Mayor's Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting (PDF document). The film is due for release from Columbia Pictures in 2009.

I just love those lists that are supposed to represent the fandom of the general public. This is probably because my preferences rarely converge with them. Sure, some of my tastes are a little off the beaten path -- I'd pick Danny Huston over Brad Pitt, or Julie Delpy over Julia Roberts. That being said, I still love me some good mainstream. Yet I still find myself raising my brows when I read these lists, just as I did today when I saw the annual Harris Poll for America's favorite movie stars, which Hollywood.com put up today. The order is surprising, as is the one lone oldie to the group.

Their results, counting down from 10 to 1:

10. Bruce Willis
9. Sandra Bullock
7. (tie) Matt Damon & Sean Connery
6. John Wayne
5. Will Smith
4. Julia Roberts
3. Johnny Depp
2. Tom Hanks
1. Denzel Washington

Yes, that's John Wayne there at number 6. Apparently he is the only actor to nab a spot on the poll every year since its inception in '94. Also, Depp is quickly working his way up the ranks, having moved up four positions from last year. Personally, I find the list surprising, and a bit sad in the realm of women in cinema. What say you?

Best Actor (Drama)

Nominees:

George Clooney -- Michael Clayton

Daniel Day-Lewis -- There Will Be Blood

James McAvoy - Atonement

Viggo Mortensen -- Eastern Promises

Denzel Washington --American Gangster

Predicted Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis -- There Will Be Blood

Not much of a race here. The Cinematical staff (indeed much of the film-watching world in general) thinks that Mr. Day-Lewis is a dead-solid lock to win the Globe, the Oscar, and even the vaunted People's Choice. (As if "the people" want to see a three-hour movie about oil.) Even if There Will Be Blood (somehow) leaves you cold, there's no denying that DDL's performance is a thing of thespianic beauty.

Now it's your turn to vote ...

Let me tell you why I do what I do: Not long ago, Cinematical gave away tickets to the New York City premiere of The Great Debaters. Afterward, two of the ticket winners emailed, thanking me profusely, saying that attending the premiere -- in the historic Ziegfeld Theater -- was one of the greatest moviegoing experiences of their lives. I may not make a million dollars a year, or know everything there is to know about film, but to help two people enjoy such a wonderful and memorable experience is more rewarding than any macho paycheck. So thanks for emailing.

And in the meantime, for those who haven't yet seen The Great Debaters, Cinematical has received this exclusive clip from the film (see above), in which Denzel Washington welcomes a bunch of young kids into a make-shift classroom in an attempt to teach them how to debate. The Great Debaters was just nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe, and in his review our own Scott Weinberg noted the film is "easily worth seeing for the superlative performances, the still-important history lessons, and the really excellent mid-'30s production design ..." The Great Debaters is directed by Denzel Washington, and it stars Washington, Forest Whitaker, Nate Parker and Denzel Whitaker. You can read more about the film in our junket report; The Great Debaters is currently playing nationwide.

The Great Debaters is inspired by the true story of how professor Melvin B. Tolson (played by Denzel Washington) formed the first debate team at Wiley College -- a black liberal arts institution -- in the 1930's Jim Crow south. The film was just nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture of the Year, and it co-stars Forest Whitaker. Debaters is Washington's second film as a director (his first was Antwone Fisher). Cinematical attended a press junket earlier this month with Washington and the film's young debaters: Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett, and Denzel Whitaker. Yes, the co-star of a movie with Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker is named Denzel Whitaker! To avoid confusion, we'll refer to them as they refer to themselves -- Big Denzel (Washington) and Little Denzel (Whitaker).

What did you guys do to prepare for this film?

BIG DENZEL: We set up a camp for the kids. I met Dr. Freeman, who is the debating coach at Texas Southern, which is one of the top debating schools in the country. I interviewed him and put him on film and asked if we could set up a little mini-camp for the young actors and he put them through their paces.

NP: We arrived and learned all about parliamentary and impromptu debate. Denzel was very adamant about us researching and knowing what we were talking about, and being well versed in the process of debate. So we got the Texas Southern University team, and they took us through it and gave us a class course. They told us we should be more persuasive, being that we're actors! So the first day we learned about debate, the second day we broke into teams and we debated. And the morning of, we were watching CNN and MSNBC and reading the Wall Street Journal. You should have seen us, we took it very serious, and we defeated their freshman and sophomore team.

When you think of the classic 'sports movie' formula, you probably run through your favorite baseball or football movies, but make no mistake: Denzel Washington's The Great Debaters is every bit the sports flick that Hoosiers, The Natural and Remember the Titans are. It's only the extra-curriculars that have changed. Whether or not that's a good thing is entirely up to you, but if you're a big fan of totally predictable yet effectively entertaining "competition" movies, then there's very little chance you won't dig what's offered here. And even if you find the screenplay to be the pinnacle of all things obvious, the performances are still pretty excellent.

Plus, hell, if cheerleading is a sport, then so is debate.

Denzel Washington (directing his second film after 2002's Antwone Fisher) does a reliably excellent job of elevating basic material -- when he's on the screen, anyway; his character here is Melvin B. Tolson, debating coach for a black Texas college. The year is 1935, the civil rights movement is just starting to gain (a little) traction, and Tolson (despite being an unquestionably dedicated educator) is in big trouble thanks to his "questionable" politics.

The latest debate team for Wiley College is a broadly interesting one: the soft-spoken girl, the passionate hunk, the youthful prodigy, and ... the chubby one. Again, it's a good thing this movie has such a strong cast. Each of the young actors do exceedingly fine work with some fairly one-note roles. As the angry yet powerfully articulate Henry Lowe, Nate Parker is particularly excellent, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot more movies from him in the future.

For some horrible reason Josh Brolin continues to be left out of the awards season party this year, despite his terrific performances in No Country for Old Men, American Gangster and In the Valley of Elah (he was also in Planet Terror, the Robert Rodriguez half of Grindhouse). All I can say is that I hope he continues to be offered great roles and never has to go back to being in movies like Hollow Man and Into the Blue. Meanwhile, his No Country co-stars Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones have been nominated for Screen Actors Guild awards for their supporting roles. Bardem's presence in the category is not surprising -- he's the front-runner for the supporting Oscar, isn't he? -- but it's great to Jones here, since he's been ignored by the Golden Globes, the Golden Satellites and pretty much everything else.

Another surprise with the SAG nominees is Ryan Gosling as best actor for Lars and the Real Girl, beating possible contenders Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Phillip Seymour Hoffman (also missing from the supporting category) and Tom Hanks. Also, there's sweet little old Ruby Dee in the supporting actress race for having the cutest reaction to being given a mansion (and for later putting Denzel in his place) in American Gangster. She goes up against the usual 2007 supporting actress contenders Cate Blanchett, Amy Ryan and Tilda Swinton, as well as somewhat surprising addition Catherine Keener, who helped to make Into the Wild the top receiver of nominations with four -- others include Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook and ensemble cast. Other ensemble casts nominated include those of Hairspray (no single acting noms), 3:10 to Yuma (no single acting noms), No Country for Old Men, and American Gangster. Very, very, very surprisingly left out of this category is Juno (Ellen Page is nominated for best actress, however).

This year the SAG Awards are introducing two new categories. They are both for best stunt ensemble, one for film and one for television. The film category features nominees The Bourne Identity, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, I Am Legend, 300 and The Kingdom. The rest of the motion picture nominees and categories can be found after the jump or over on Moviefone.

Hey, so what are you doing this Wednesday? If you're going to be in or around the New York City area, you might want to enter one of Cinematical's two explosive ticket giveaways. Cinematical is giving away tickets? Really? To what? Well, first up we're giving away ten pairs of tickets to go see Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, followed by a live musical performance from Dewey Cox himself (John C. Reilly) at The Knitting Factory. You have until 5pm tomorrow (that's Tuesday, December 18) to leave a comment on that post. We'll be choosing ten random comments and awarding those people with a pair of tickets to this kickass event.

Don't feel like getting a beer thrown on you? Well, we're also giving away 15 pairs of tickets to The Great Debaters New York premiere at the historic Ziegfeld Theater. The Ziegfeld is probably the best movie-watching venue in New York City, and apart from seeing The Great Debaters before anyone else does, your ticket also grants you access to a private pre-show cocktail reception with folks like Denzel Washington and other notable celebs (it is a big NYC premiere, after all) in attendance. Now you only have until 5pm today (that's Monday, December 17) to enter into our Great Debaters ticket giveaway, so head on over to that post to read the rules and leave a comment. Do not leave a comment on this post; it will not count. And when you're enjoying either event immensely, just remember who hooked your holiday up ...

Just when you thought we were done giving away tickets today, we've only just begun! Cinematical is happy to announce that we have a whopping 15 pairs of tickets to give away for next Wednesday's (12/19) New York premiere of The Great Debaters! And in case you weren't following the news, The Great Debaters was just nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Motion Picture (Drama) category -- the most prestigious of them all -- and now you have a chance to see it, before anyone else does, at New York's historic Ziegfeld Theater. Oh, but that's not all: Your ticket also allows you to attend a private pre-show reception, with folks like Denzel Washington and other high-profile celebs in attendance. Yup, you've read all about those swanky New York movie premieres in the papers -- well now YOU get to go to one! And chill ... with Denzel!

Here's what you need to know: We'll be picking 15 random commenters to attend The Great Debaters star-studded New York premiere starting ... now. The private reception will be held prior to the screening in The Ziegfeld Theater Lobby beginning at 6:30pm on Wednesday, December 19th, with the screening to follow. (And on a personal note, if you've never been to a screening at the Ziegfeld -- then, seriously, you have no idea what you're missing.) Since cocktails will be served, you must be 21 or over in order to attend, and you must be in or around the New York City area on that day. Additionally, you'll need to travel to and from the theater on your own dime. Worth it to watch The Great Debaters with Denzel at The Ziegfeld? Um, yeah. You'll want to be there for this. Directed by Denzel Washington, and starring Washington, Forest Whitaker, Nate Parker and Denzel Whitaker, The Great Debaters arrives in theaters on Christmas Day.

Check out the trailer for The Great Debaters and the official rules for this contest after the jump.