If you're a fan of Pixar movies, you know the buzz has been building for the studio's next film, Ratatouille, which is about a rat of the rarest kind: He loves gourmet food. And he lives in a fancy Paris restaurant, so he's surrounded by all the foie gras and Coq au Vin his little heart could desire. The problem? He's ... well, a rat, so it's not as if chefs are welcoming into their kitchens with open arms. The film's directed by Brad Bird, the man behind The Incredibles -- so to say I'm pumped for this movie is a little bit of an understatement. It opens on June 29, 2007.

Right now we've got an exclusive picture from Ratatouille, which we humbly offer up for our Insert Caption game -- though unfortunately we can't offer a prize this time. But who needs swag when you've got a rat, an omelette and a hot plate? First, pay homage to the winning caption for last week's (prizeless) Shrek the Third contest, then feast your eyes on our exclusive Ratatouille photo and take your best shot. Foodie rats everywhere are counting on you.

"Pinocchio was the first to notice the masked man holding a chainsaw."
-- jack390




Today's contest:

POST: Write your own caption

Cowabunga, dudes! 'TMNT,' the fourth 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' movie -- and the first one done entirely in CGI -- is less than four months away (it opens on March 23, 2007). Right now we've got not one but three, count 'em, three exclusive photos from the film. And that's right, by "exclusive" we do mean "can't see them anywhere else." Click on the photos for even larger images.

When this film opens, Shredder is dead (yeah, I know he's "died" twice now -- but rest assured, he doesn't show make a miraculous recovery in this one), and the Turtles, lacking a purpose, have gone their separate ways. Michelangelo's been entertaining at children's parties, for crying out loud. Talk about a fall from grace. In this scene, though, they receive an emergency phone call from their old pal April (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) that helps get them back on track. Note that Donatello looks pensive and Leonardo's ready for action, but Splinter and Michelangelo can't even be bothered to get up from the table. And what is that, one pizza for each? Looks like some of our heroes may need to start hitting the Stairmaster.

















Want more 'TMNT' photos? Keep reading.

Today could qualify as semi-orgasmic for those of you who like them movie photos. I use the word semi only because, unfortunately, Christina Ricci's face is covered in her pic. Oh, how they love to tease. Here's what's floating around the web right now:

• The first pic has been released for this summer's School for Scoundrels, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder. Yeah, we don't know how Napoleon keeps getting roles either. In the film, Heder plays a man who enrolls in a confidence boosting class so that he can learn how to pick up the girl of his dreams. There's just one problem: His teacher (Thornton) has a thing for the very same girl. Scoundrels hits on July 14th.
• Not too long ago, I told you how Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon was riding along with a pizza delivery guy as part of her training for the film Penelope. Well, in these new pics, we get to see the biker bad-ass chick in action. Co-starring alongside Christina Ricci, the film is said to be some sort of modern-day fable that finds Ricci's character attempting to break away from a family curse.
• For a film that's not coming out until the fall, they are really pimping the hell out of Casino Royale. Even better than the various recent set visits, these new pics give us a good look at Bond girls Eva Green and Caterina Murino. Yum. There's also a few action shots as well as three showing Daniel Craig pointing a gun. We get it - he knows how to hold a gun. But does he ever shoot it?

[via JoBlo]

Some new stills have arrived online showing Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba acting all serious for their upcoming film Awake. In the pic, Christensen will play out a hospital patient's worst nightmare - no television reception! Okay, maybe a nurse who smells worse than your stained hospital gown would be worse.

What really happens is that, while undergoing surgery, Christensen suffers from what is called "anesthetic awareness." This is when you're fully conscious but paralyzed and unable to say or do anything about the situation. Yeah, it's pretty much one of the most horrific things that can happen to a person...but Jessica Alba is there, so that's okay.

Alba will play the wife of Christensen in a contest to see which one of the two turns in the most wooden performance. Just kidding, we're not supposed to say anything bad about the adorable ones, right? According to the film's producer, "This film will do to surgery what Jaws did to swimming in the ocean." Great, now we'll have two things to fear forever - the ocean and breathing. Way to go Hollywood!

[via JoBlo]

 

Okay, a ton of Casino Royale stuff popped up online and, like me, I know you're probably itching for more Bond. First up, the BBC has posted the first footage from the set, featuring behind-the-scenes clips of Daniel Craig kicking ass, shots of the new bulked-up Bond on a beach in the Bahamas, as well as the boy's bad-ass stunt training.

Since the quality of that footage isn't brilliant, you may want to check out ExtraTV's visit for another behind-the-scenes look alongside interviews with the cast. Unfortunately for those of us (quietly raises hand) holding onto that rumor about Daniel Craig and a certain little full frontal scene, the actor squashed the idea by saying it would hinder the rating of the film. Darn! And about those savages petitioning for Craig's removal as the next James Bond? Well, the actor says that if they still feel the same way after the film, well, then "screw em!"

Finally, The Sun published the first official publicity stills for Casino Royale. You can check out a scanned pic of the entire page here, while you can go here, here and here for closer looks.