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We've got another music-themed film on the way, and this time it isn't based on an old movie or musical. Variety reports that Universal and Imagine have tapped Preston Whitmore (This Christmas) to write and direct a new music extravaganza called Zoom. Normally, I'd be happy to hear of a story that's not re-telling, re-vamping, re-imagining, re-whatevering, but this one sounds a bit like another music-themed film on the front-burner. Zoom focuses on "a troubled West Virginia youth who attends a music academy and finds his voice and a place in the world." I'm betting this is aimed to grab some of Fame's buzz.

Meanwhile, Variety also reports that Hollywood is taking another stab at James "Whitey" Bulger -- GK Films has picked up the life rights of John Martorano. He was a killer for the mob, taking the lives of 20 people. "After he discovered his compatriots, including Bulger, were government informants all along, Martorano became a government witness who exposed corruption and collusion between the mob and the Boston office of the FBI."

Now we just have to wait and see how long until Mark Wahlberg signs up. He was part of The Departed, which took cues from Bulger, and he bought the rights to the story of another Whitey associate back in 2006. That one didn't go anywhere, so maybe Martorano is the key to film fruition.

If you read this site very often (and my stuff in particular) you know I don't like going out to the movie multiplex as much as I used to. When I do venture out, I'm usually at some sort of screening and so I'm not exposed to one of the things I actually miss about going to the movie multiplex -- trailers.

A good trailer can make you excited to see a film just like a bad one can make you wonder how something like that ever got made in the first place. Maybe somebody lost a bet or something? Sadly, we'll probably never know. Good or bad, interesting or ridiculous, trailers are still one of the most effective ways to market a film and build awareness of it out there with the public.

Without trailers, the public would have to rely on word of mouth or the press to help them decide which movies to see. Believe me, no studio wants that -- so instead, we get trailers. Over at iFilm they've listed their top-ten worst trailers of the year -- at least according to iFilm users. Some of the cinematic gems represented by this list include Employee of the Month, Zoom and the superbly bad Codename: The Cleaner. Hey, how did that movie get made? Did someone lose a bet or something? Enjoy.

The rating system used at RottenTomatoes.com is a fairly simple one: Positive reviews are "fresh," negative ones are "rotten," and any film scoring over 60% gets a nifty little tomato instead of a nasty little splat. It's certainly not the most scientific method for the aggregation of movie reviews, but hey: If 6 out of 10 film critics recommend a movie, that's good enough for me to maintain interest.

But the fun comes in when you descend extra-deeply into the tomato patch's nether-regions; past the 13% approval rating for White Chicks, the 9% for Grind, and the 1% freshness of Alone in the Dark -- that's where the true stinkers lie. Prior to this month, only seven movies had earned a spot in the 0% Tomatometer Hall of Shame:

• 3 Strikes (2000): 28 reviews, all negative
• Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002): 98, not one positive
• Pinocchio (2002): 53 unanimous Benigni-bashers
• Gold Diggers (2004): 39 poor souls reviewed this one
• SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004): 36 permanently scarred brains
• Daltry Calhoun (2005): 26 unhappy critics
• King's Ransom (2005): 44 hostages

And now ... drum roll please ... we are thrilled to announce the eighth arrival in the Rotten Tomatoes 0% Hall of Mega-Shame! Starring Tim Allen (of The Shaggy Dog (27%), Joe Somebody (14%), Jungle 2 Jungle (10%), Christmas with the Kranks (4%) shame), and directed by Peter Hewitt (of Garfield: The Movie (13%)) is Zoom, recipient of 39 reviews -- all nasty. Congrats to all of those who worked extra hard on turning Jason Lethcoe's comic book series into one of the very worst movies of a very bad movie year.

In complete fairness to Mr. Allen (an actor I genuinely dislike), the guy was also in Galaxy Quest (86%) and both Toy Story movies (200%).

If the commercials for Zoom (directed by Peter Hewitt, who previously blessed you with Garfield, Tom and Huck, and Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey) make you think that Tim Allen's latest film is a bizarre cross between last year's surprisingly good Sky High and the Spy Kids flicks, you aren't too far off the mark. In Zoom, Allen plays Jack Shepard, formerly known as Captain Zoom, leader of Team Zenith, which, 30 years ago, fought to rid the world of evil and all that superhero stuff. That is, until General Larraby (Rip Torn), the bureaucrat in charge of the Zenith Program, decided to up the young superheroes' powers by zapping them with Gamma-13 rays, which turned Concussion, Zoom's older brother, into Evil Concussion, who then took out the rest of Team Zenith before Captain Zoom took him down, sacrificing his own powers in the process. Whew. Got all that? Because that's just the back story.

I know, I know. I'm sorta weirded out, too. I mean, writing two posts about Tim Allen within one week wasn't something I ever expected to do -- but hey, I don't get to tell these guys what to do, I just report it. And yes, Tim Allen has said two things within one week which I find interesting enough to share with you. I don't know, check Revelation. Its probably in there somewhere.

Last time, trying to convince us his current project, Zoom, would have the same appeal as Galaxy Quest, Allen revealed there was in fact a plot outline for Galaxy Quest 2. This time, Allen was again discussing Zoom, when he somehow got into a discussion on which superhero he really wanted to play. I found this to be interesting largely because my buddies and I have played the same game -- if you got to be a superhero, which one would you want to be? Even the celebrities have an answer for this question, it seems, and for Tim Allen, the answer is The Flash. However, nobody except Tim Allen would really want Tim Allen to play The Flash, and Allen knows he isn't really the type for the part, so in Zoom he created a hero for himself to play who is also very, very fast.

Sooo ... for me it is probably Angel. I've always wanted wings. You?

Believe it or not, I really want to like Zoom. I know, it's crazy ... but I really enjoy a good comedy, and I really enjoy superheroes. The Incredibles was fun, right? But every time I try to convince myself there might be something redeeming about Zoom, I remember that I haven't really enjoyed a Tim Allen project since Galaxy Quest. But hey -- maybe we can get something of Galaxy Quest level, right? Sadly, this does not seem to be the case; just have a look at the newly released internet trailer here. The movie looks to be everything we were all expecting: A poor attempt at capitalizing on the superhero craze with halfhearted humor and and a modest budget.

Time for a caveat: This is probably going to be a good kids film. Tim Allen doesn't really shoot for my demographic these days, and the audience he is hoping to pull in probably consists more of sticky-fingered (no, not that new Blade guy) pre-adolescents and less of cynical geek journalists. If you've got young kids who are enjoying the age of movie superheroes, this will probably be another Sky High for you.

Here's a geek image update that contains NO Spider-Man or X-Men news. Wow. It does have just a little bit of Superman mixed in...but two out of three ain't bad, as the kids say. Let's take a quick look through our internet viewfinder at the latest geek images to hit the net.

• A few shots from Tim Allen's The Return of Zoom can be seen here, thanks to Coming Soon. You might remember Zoom from all of that Marvel lawsuit hoopla back in the summer. If not, click here to read the amusing details.
• Here is today's Superman image, since these things seem to be cropping up like crazy lately. In a surprising twist, this one is NOT a picture of the Man of Steel, but rather his enemy . Check out the first image in the gallery for the new stuff.
• A glut of new stills from master director Uwe Boll's latest epic Bloodrayne can be seen at the official website, just in case you happen to care.
• Animated flick Doogle has a few looks for you, too.This film hardly counts as geek, but we're throwing it into the mix anyway, just because I can't decide what the heck the stupid thing is.

• Fox and Marvel Films are suing Sony Studios over Zoom, a Tim Allen comedy that they allege copykats various elements from X-men, including "including teenage mutant super-heroes, an underground training facility, and a sinister government program." Um, yeah. Sounds like there's a bit of an overlap ...
• Opening night of the Los Angeles Film Festival brought so many revelers to Hollywood's Cinerama Dome that the fire marshall had to step in and break up the fun. Quoth fesitval director Rich Raddon: "The overflow theater rules!"
• Lindsay Lohan blew kisses to fans at the premiere of Herbie: Fully Loaded. She also potentially enjoyed a Hot Dog on a Stick (no editorial necessary).
• 28-year-old former Oscar nominee Samantha Morton was honored with the Half-life Award at the CineVegas Film Festival this weekend. "I didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted," she said.
• Warner Brothers has hired Tod H. Williams to adapt Norman Maclean's Young Men and Fire; his cousin, Tod C. Williams, will direct. The picture will shoot next spring in Montana.