As Leatherheads arrives in theaters, you're going to be hearing the phrase "screwball comedy" a lot, either in the barrage of pre-opening publicity or in review after review. "Screwball comedy" implies a certain snap and rotation -- a velocity to the gags and a vector to the plot -- but the people who made Leatherheads don't quite have the strength of arm or skew of angle to make Leatherheads truly screwball; it kind of fizzles out on the way to the plate. And that's not to say Leatherheads is charmless or unenjoyable or ill-made; it just isn't quite as good as the pedigrees and passions of the people involved would have you think it will (or, frankly, should) be.

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game even your parents can't resist playing! Last week, we asked you to strap on your hottest piece of exercise wear in order to give us the wittiest caption for a photo from the new film Run, Fat Boy, Run. Things didn't get too physical in the comments section, and I think we all agreed that Simon Pegg was definitely NOT bringing sexy back. However, according to our winner Christina D., he might be bringing something just a tad less ... manageable.

1. "So...Bleeker. Juno got you pregnant back?" -- Christina D.

2. "Simon heard Hans' pickup line and smirked at the irony that he actually had tickets to the gun show." -- Eric W.

3. "I knew I recognized you... You were in the Olivia Newton John Video 'Physical' huh?" -- Josh B.

See full image and all captions

This week we're sticking with boys who like to get dirty and sweaty. Not boys, men! Men who like to play with balls. (I think I'll stop here.) Yes, we're here to talk about Leatherheads -- that upcoming old school football flick starring George Clooney, John Krasinski and Renée Zellweger. The three sports behind our favorite captions will walk away with one Leatherheads poster, one Leatherheads t-shirt, one Leatherheads hat and one Leatherheads calendar. Not to mention you'll score a winning touchdown with our staff. So lace up gang, and give us everything you've got! (And maybe, just maybe, we'll take the whole team out for ice cream after the game.) Sound off below ...

Read the official rules for this contest

It's a good day for me when I get to see George Clooney on-screen in anything (or even better, in less than anything, but he doesn't tend to go there, sadly). Now you have a chance to see Clooney in his latest film, Leatherheads, for free! The title of the film makes me think of horror films, but Leatherheads, directed by and starring Clooney, is really a romantic comedy set in the world of 1920s football, when players wore helmets made out of leather rather than the high-tech, head-protecting gear they don today. The film co-stars Renée Zellweger as Clooney's beloved, and John Krasinski as war hero and football star Clooney recruits to help his floundering team.

You can sign up for your chance to win tickets right over here. And if you do get tickets to a screening, be sure to let us know what you think of the film. I'm particularly curious to see what kind of chemistry Clooney and Zellweger have -- she wouldn't be my first choice to star alongside him, so I'm wondering how they are on-screen.

It goes to show that sometimes the most interesting stories can come from some unlikely places. Variety reports that Renee Zellweger is in talks to star in the family 'dramedy', My One and Only. "Set in the 1950s, the comedy focuses on the glamorous Anne Deveraux (Zellweger) as she drives down the Eastern seaboard from city to city in a quixotic search for a wealthy man to fund a new life for her and her sons".

Now here is where it gets a little strange. It turns out the story is based on the childhood experiences of the perpetually tanned George Hamilton. Hamilton had told the story to TV producer Merv Griffin, who must have seen some feature film potential. If nothing else, Zellweger might be able to score an Oscar nod for playing a self-absorbed socialite mom -- just think of the histrionics she could perform on screen.

Zellweger seems to enjoy working on period pieces; and right after the 20's sports comedy Leatherheads hits theaters on April 4th, she'll most likely be heading back to the past just one more time. Charlie Peters has already produced a finished script, and Richard Loncraine has been signed to direct. Peters is a writer director, and is responsible for a few so-so family comedies including 3 Men and a Little Lady and Krippendorf's Tribe. Loncraine has a more diverse resume, and most recently was at the helm for the Harrison Ford action flick, Firewall. So the writer director-combo might look a little strange, but keep in mind, it's a strange story.

On the one hand, I can see why a film would want a few drastically different posters -- you can appeal to a wider audience and get more butts into the seats. At the same time, this technique runs the risk of alienating the people you just intrigued. You look at one poster, get all excited, then see another, and begin to wonder if you'd really be interested in it. Two posters for the upcoming sports comedy Leatherheads have been released this week. To the right, you get my favorite, which popped up yesterday over at Coming Soon. It's fun, and I love the faces George Clooney and John Krasinski are sporting. You know it's a retro sports comedy, and that you'll get some light laughs from the film's stars.

Now, over here to the left, this is the poster that popped up today on Empire. It's overly-airbrushed, and frankly, too romantically serious for the film -- at least in comparison to the last poster and the trailer that came out last month. I understand playing up the romance angle, but there's two much better ways to do this -- play up the triangle between Renee Zellweger, Clooney, and Krasinski, or use a funny image from the film -- Renee driving off and leaving George in the mud, or of the pair post-kiss with lipstick smudged everywhere. Then, you're displaying the romance without making it seem like some typical romcom.

What do you think?

Cinematical has received exclusive images of the official standee for Leatherheads, the upcoming football comedy directed by and starring George Clooney. This is Clooney's third feature behind the camera, and his first straight-up comedy as a director, so it should be interesting to see what he does with a supporting cast that includes Renée Zellweger and everyone's favorite office co-worker, John Krasinski.

Leatherheads, which is being coined as a sports-oriented romantic comedy set against the formation of professional football in the 1920s, stars Clooney as the owner of a failing team who, in an attempt to turn things around, convinces former college football star and decorated war hero Carter Rutherford (Krasinski) to join the team. And when cub reporter Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) enters the equation, both men will find it hard to keep their eyes on the ball and off of her. Check out our gallery featuring close-ups of all three images (and a larger version of the standee) below. Leatherheads is due to touch down in theaters on April 4, 2008.

Here's the biggest problem most folks will have with Bee Movie: It's not Ratatouille. Both films have a lot in common with one another, except the latter is far greater in terms of story, character and overall charm. And if Ratatouille hadn't arrived only a few short months ago, I might have felt differently about Bee Movie. Instead, I walked away feeling a bit jaded, expecting more from a man who had entertained me for so many years on one of my favorite television shows of all time. But that's not to say Bee Movie is a bad film; it will most certainly entertain the youngsters with its colorful, larger-than-life spirit, and there are enough adult-orientated gems scattered throughout to make it worthy of your family's hard-earned cash. But when your kids turn to you and whisper, "I liked the one with the rat better," don't say I never told you so.

If you're not aware of this film by now, then I'd seriously take a look around because you might, quite literally, be living in a bubble. The film is co-written by, produced by and stars the voice of Jerry Seinfeld, and the man has been buzzing "Pssst ... Bee Movie -- pass it on ...) in our ears for months. When he wasn't dressed up in a giant bee costume, hanging from a construction crane in France, he was promoting the film through commercials, television shows. From what I hear, several people claim the man actually entered their dreams at one point to promote Bee Movie. It's been nearly a decade since Seinfeld (the television show) ended, and it might take another 10 years for the man to do something else. Problem is, after Bee Movie, I'm not sure we'd mind.

As expected, Saw IV continued the franchise's tradition of tearing it up at the Halloween box office, and Dan in Real Life took second place, placating audiences looking for something milder. The only thing that kept me from a perfect score on my prediction was the fact that The Game Plan had a little more life in it than I thought, beating out Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married for fourth place. Ah well, whatcha gonna do. Congrats to Bubba8193 for hitting one out of the park. And now without further ado, here's last weekend's final box office numbers:

1. Saw IV: $32.1 million.
2. Dan in Real Life: $12.1 million.
3. 30 Days of Night: $6.7 million.
4. The Game Plan: $6.3 million.
5. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? $5.7 million

Looking for a new release this weekend? Well, here are your options:

American Gangster
What's It All About: Set in the 1970s, American Gangster stars Denzel Washington as a Harlem drug lord who smuggles heroin inside the bodies of U.S. soldiers killed in Vietnam, and Russel Crowe plays the maverick cop out to stop him.
Why It Might Do Well: Two high caliber stars, Ridley Scott at the helm and an 89% fresh rating over at Rottentomatoes.com suggest this one is going to pull in some serious coin.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Those of us who have recently suffered through the tedium that was We Own The Night know all too well how badly a period cop story can go wrong.
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $31 million

Bee Movie
What's It All About: Computer animated comedy starring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger. Seinfeld plays Barry B. Benson, an idealistic young honey bee who decides to sue the human race for stealing his people's honey.
Why It Might Do Well: Promotion for this film started a looooonng time ago, so the word is definitely out there. Even nine years after his sitcom finished up, Seinfeld is still a recognizable and highly bankable star, and I think this will be this weekend's number one movie.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Only if actual bees are released in the theater.
Number of Theaters: 3,500
Prediction: $38 million

"'Blog' is the worst word of the 21st century," says Jerry Seinfeld during this latest installment in Moviefone's Unscripted series. And I tend to agree -- while I have no problem labeling myself as a movie blogger, the word "blog" is kind of disgusting, dirty in some ways, and not the prettiest of terms. For those not familiar with Unscripted, it's a fun little series where Moviefone sticks two celebs (who happen to be starring in the same upcoming film) together in a room, and film them asking questions to one another -- questions from you readers, as well as their own made-up-on-the-spot stuff. This latest round features Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger, stars of the new animated flick Bee Movie, which I happen to be seeing tomorrow night (and might I add that I've been looking forward to this one for awhile).

I happen to be a pretty big fan of Seinfeld (the TV show), as well as Seinfeld (the man). What can I say, I like the guy's honesty. When Zellweger asked him why he hadn't starred in anything since Seinfeld, the dude simply replied: "Because I'm old, rich and tired." The two talk a bit about the movie, about Seinfeld (someone asked Zellweger what character she would've liked to play on the show), and then they go on about a house Seinfeld rented while out in Los Angeles; a house that also happened to belong to Zellweger. If you submitted a question back when we first posted about this particular Unscripted, do swing by to see if they answered it. If not, then you may as well check it out just for the hell of it .. if only to hear about the job Seinfeld had before he hit it big. Enjoy.

Personally, I would've loved Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie to have been live action, in crazy costumes, like the spoof trailers we previously shared with you. There's nothing quite like Chris Rock and Seinfeld battling the elements on a fake windshield. That being said, I have to agree with Erik Davis -- the animated version looks pretty damned spiffy. The movie finally comes out on November 2, and Seinfeld has been making his rounds to promote the flick. The Globe and Mail has reported that just the other day, he was in Toronto for a red carpet event for the movie, and talked with the audience about the making of the film.

During the screening, he did some stand-up, chatted about families, and also about the bee crisis: "Since we started writing this four years ago, there has been a bee crisis. Have you heard of this? Colony collapse disorder. Bees have suddenly stopped working, following the exact plot line of the movie. It freaks me out. What we were writing about actually happening. I have to be more careful about what we write." Somehow, I don't think they're following the exact plot, unless there's a lawsuit I'm missing.

Bee Movie is about a bee named Barry who has just graduated from college, which is pretty redundant since he has one career choice: making honey. He leaves the hive and befriends a human named Vanessa (Renee Zellweger). While on a shopping trip with her, he discovers the world of packaged honey -- Ray Liotta's brand of honey, to be exact -- and decides to sue humans. What happens after that? Well, you'll have to see the movie.

So there's this new fish-out-of-water comedy coming our way, and funny enough, it's being directed by a Danish filmmaker. Variety has reported that Jonas Elmer (Let's Get Lost), is going to helm a new comedy called Chilled in Miami. The film, which is about a Miami businesswoman who gets transferred to the middle-of-nowhere Minnesota, will star Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. -- if negotiations continue as planned. The comedy used to be called 32 and Single, and was penned by Ken Rance and C. Jay Cox. Since the latter wrote Sweet Home Alabama, I'm sure Harry will be some sort of sexy hickster who teaches Renee about the perks of Minnesota living. Then they'll fall in love, but Renee will get called back to Miami...and then what will happen!?

I'm curious as to why Gold Circle Films tapped a Danish writer/director for a movie about a woman in Miami and Minnesota. (Or rather, Miami and Winnipeg, as that's where they'll shoot this coming January. Winnipeg in winter... Lucky Renee and Harry!) Variety says that Elmer's last comedy, Nynne, was considered the Danish Bridget Jones, but that's still a jump from Bridget Jones-like movie to Renee to American mid-west romcom. This is especially surprising since Cox is a director as well. Granted, his films haven't been that big (and his latest stars Tori Spelling), but still. It'll be interesting to see how a Dane tackles this whole thing.

Variety is reporting that Ed Harris will make his return to the director's chair with Appaloosa, a western he will star in with Viggo Mortensen and Renee Zellweger. The film starts filming in New Mexico on October 1st. This must be a real passion project for Harris, in addition to acting and directing, he's co-producing the film and co-wrote the script with Robert Knott. The story is an adaptation of Robert B. Parker's novel of the same name, and is "centered on a pair of friends hired to protect a lawless town suffering at the hands of a renegade rancher." But...wait for it..."the arrival of an attractive widow disrupts their plans." Harris will play Virgil Cole, the new marshal of the mining and ranching town of Appaloosa. Mortensen plays his deputy, Everett Hitch. Together they take on the corrupt rancher who ordered the previous marshal and deputy killed. No word on who will play the corrupt rancher, but let me suggest Rip Taylor?

This will be Harris' second time directing a feature. His first was the pretty solid Pollock, in which he directed Marcia Gay Harden to a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and himself to a Best Actor nomination. Harris and Mortensen were great together in the excellent A History of Violence, and I do love westerns, but I would be a lot more excited about this project if it weren't for Zellweger. Diane Lane originally had the role of the "attractive widow," and that's a choice I'd be much happier about. It's just a matter of taste, but Zellweger's acting drives me insane. And I particularly can't stand her in period roles -- how she won an Academy Award for her supremely annoying work in Cold Mountain, I'll never know. I still remember that scene, used in the trailer, with her bellowing that ridiculous line, something like -- "They say this war is cloudy, but then they tell us to go and stand in the rain, and then we go and stand in the rain, and then they tell us it's raining!" Her hamtastic performance still haunts my dreams. But hey, maybe this'll be different.

USA Today has unveiled another photo from Leatherheads; George Clooney's third directorial outing, and his first attempt at a comedy. I was about to claim that this is the first Leatherheads pic to hit the net, but I don't believe it is. On IMDb, they already have up an additional five photos of guys clowning around in those old school football uniforms from back in the early days of the sport. And that's exactly what Leatherheads is about: In the film Clooney plays the coach of a "wannabee pro football team in the 1920s." In an attempt to add some legitimacy to his team, coach decides to try to recruit a World War I hero (John Krasinski) as his star player. Problems arise when both men fall head over heels for a pretty journalist (Renée Zellweger) who's out to expose the star as a fraud.

The photo above is the first to feature all three principal cast members (Clooney, Krasinski and Zellweger), as they sit around a table and discuss whatever. Ah, but someone or something walks in the door -- at which point all three look up. I'm not at all worried about Clooney pulling off comedy; I'm sure his work on a couple quirky Coen Bros. flicks certainly helped the man get a feel for tone. I am worried, however, about John Krasinski as a bankable big-screen star. The guy was a total bore in the recently-released License to Wed, and as wonderful as The Office is, his character on that show isn't all too exciting either. I'll be curious to see what Clooney can get out of him this time around, as I'm sure his lead role in this film will help dictate just how big Krasinski will become. Your thoughts? Leatherheads is due to block its way into theaters this December.

So what happens when one of the most successful stand-up comedians-turned-television stars can't seem to find a satisfying follow-up project to the hit show Seinfeld? Well, he turns to Plan Bee -- as in, Bee Movie. Yes, after disappearing for awhile, Jerry Seinfeld returns to share a funny story (or two) with us -- but this time he's animated, and it's up on the big screen. Co-written, produced by and starring Seinfeld, Bee Movie tells of a nosy bee who travels outside the hive, hooks up with a friendly human (voiced by Renée Zellweger) and happens to discover that humans have been stealing all the bee's honey to fulfill their own selfish stomach-growling needs. So what does a bee do? He sues.

Our pals over at Moviefone have just released the brand new trailer for Bee Movie (in glorious HD, mind you), and unlike the previous trailers, this one attempts to give us a little bit more on plot. I still can't help but laugh every time I hear Seinfeld attempt to raise his voice -- it almost sounds like a 13 year-old trying to break through puberty. But I dig the guy, I dig his humor and I'm really looking forward to his first big-screen animated effort. Seinfeld is very picky about the projects he gets involved with post-TV stardom, and so I'd like to think there's something special here. So far, the visuals look great and I love the marketing campaign (including those original live-action trailers and Seinfeld hanging by a crane in full bee costume during the Cannes Film Festival). And hey, how can you not love a film that includes a hysterical Ray Liotta reference (check out the trailer to see what I mean). Bee Movie is set to buzz into theaters on November 2.

UPDATE: The new Bee Movie trailer is now live after we experienced some minor difficulties in getting it to you before. So check it out, and enjoy!

It must be a wonderful thing to have the kind of voice that gets you film and TV work. Getting paid handsomely to sit on your ass for a few hours is really the American dream, isn't it? There's a very entertaining piece over at theage.com about the people who dub America's biggest stars in other countries. The article shines the spotlight on these unsung heroes, who don't even get acknowledged in the credits. Claudia Motta is "Mexico's Kirsten Dunst." Any time KD graces the screen with her talents, Motta is there to translate. Motta made 10,000 pesos for playing Mary Jane in Spider-Man -- $1100 American dollars. Not too shabby for a job you can do in your sweat pants! And should Dunst ever stop making movies -- which I think might make a lot of Cinematical commenters happy -- Motta can always make money elsewhere. She's been dubbing Bart Simpson for ten years.

Francoise Cadol is "France's Angelina Jolie." She is, naturally, chummy with "France's Brad Pitt." Cadol also dubs Gong Li, Patricia Arquette, Sandra Bullock, and Mary Alice from Desperate Housewives. Italian dubber Giuppy Izzo must have an incredibly obnoxious voice -- she does both Renee Zellweger and Ellen Pompeo on Grey's Anatomy. "China's Tom Cruise" -- Ren Wei -- has also been Ewan McGregor, John Travolta, and Hugh Jackman. Daniella Hoffman -- "Germany's Julia Roberts" -- got her gig by being able to do "a good, really filthy laugh, just like Julia." These voice actors really commit to their roles. They run around the studio, lie on the floor, whatever helps them get the voice perfect. The article is full of such interesting tidbits. In China, for example, dubbing is an incredibly quick process in order to beat the bootleggers. In France, dubbing is taken very seriously -- even leading to voice stalkers. I'll bet Gilbert Gottfried doesn't have to deal with that!