I was disappointed to hear that George Clooney's upcoming film, "Up in the Air," was moved back from November 13 to December 4. The release date was changed so that it wouldn't conflict with Clooney's other film, "The Men Who Stare at Goats" - a quirky military satire that Clooney also produced (Overture Films is releasing it on November 6).

But I was sad because it means that moviegoers will have to wait a little longer to see it. No question that it will be worth the wait, because it's a terrific film that, mark my words, will win the Oscar for Best Picture. A bold statement to be sure, but one that I stand by 100%. Here's why...

...The third film directed by Jason Reitman is a quantum leap of maturity over his previous efforts, 2005's well-crafted "Thank You for Smoking" and 2007's excellent "Juno."  Clooney plays a jet-setting executive who travels around the country to fire people from corporations whose CEOs are too scared to do it themselves. It's a powerful, profound and very funny movie, and Clooney - a Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winner for 2005's "Syrianna" - has never been better.

Barring any unforeseen cinematic masterpieces that may be unleashed in November or December (which is when the real Oscar contenders usually come out), I think the Oscar race basically comes down to three movies: "The Hurt Locker," "Precious" and "Up in the Air."

"The Hurt Locker" is the first Iraq War movie to break through to the masses after a number of box office failures failed to connect with moviegoers - like "Stop-Loss," "The Lucky Ones," "In the Valley of Elah" and "Lions for Lambs," just to name a few.  But "The Hurt Locker" isn't just a great Iraq War movie; it's a great movie period - a visceral and exceptionally well-directed movie that captures the perils of combat better than any film since 1987's "Platoon."

With Beatlemania at it's highest peak since the Fab 4 first invaded America on February 7, 1964, thanks to the release of "The Beatles Rockband" and the long-awaited remastered CDs, it's hard to believe it's been almost 40 years since the act you've known for all these years called it a day.
 
Many fans (and even most non-fans) still blame Yoko Ono for the breakup of The Beatles, even though there were many reasons why they couldn't, y'know, work it out.  But the Yoko issue has been set in stone, along with the fact that Yoko and Paul -- two of John Lennon's biggest loves -- spent many years bickering, while their relationship over the last decade, while cordial, has been tense.
 
It was shocking -- in a pleasant way -- to hear that Yoko actually gave Paul some credit for a change, even if it was a backhanded compliment, when she admitted that The Beatles could not have existed without Paul.
 
It is true that John created The Beatles, and he was definitely considered to be the de-facto leader in the group's early mop top days. In their first-ever recorded interview for radio, which was done a mere six weeks after "Love Me Do" was released in September 1962, Paul says that "John is, in fact, the leader of the group."
 
But three things happened to change that balance of power...
 
1) After The Beatles stopped touring, John was miserable living in the suburbs with his family, while Paul was still single and took advantage of his freedom to engage in the Swinging London art scene -- that gave him the confidence to exert his influence over the group, which ultimately resulted in more groundbreaking fare like Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
 
2) John was more affected by the drugs The Beatles were experimenting with, which was another reason why Paul stepped forward.
 
3) When The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, died, somebody had to lead the group, and for a while, that somebody was Paul.
 
OK, I'm done.

 So "Star Trek" is the best-reviewed movie of the year, and it knocked "Wolverine" off the top of the box office with more than $72 million. A big start, but it's still logical to assume that most of the moviegoers who boldly went to see "Star Trek" over the weekend never even saw a full episode before in their lives.

 

Since the new movie is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, might I suggest going back to the original series to see what made it so great in the first place?  Start here - easily the greatest "Star Trek" episodes of all time.

5) "Where No Man Has Gone Before"   

Written by:  Samuel A. Peeples

Original Airdate:  September 22, 1966

Course Plotted:  At the edge of the galaxy, a mysterious force of energy penetrates the Enterprise and transforms two crewmembers into godlike creatures.

Why it's great:  The second pilot is also the first episode to feature James T. Kirk, and William Shatner proves that he had the Captain down from the beginning. It's also filled with high tension, as Kirk is forced to maroon an old friend on a barren planet before he takes over the Enterprise.

Where to Find it:  "Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One" (on DVD and Blu-ray)

Access Hollywood movie critic Scott Mantz is in Rome, Italy, to cover the junket for "Angels & Demons." Read his first blog on his foreign adventures here.

Today was supposed to be the easy day.  Just three interviews with "Angels & Demons" director Ron Howard and supporting actors Ayelet Zurer and Pierfrancesco Favino.  Get to the Sony Hospitality Suite at 3 PM, start
interviews at 3:30 PM, be done by 4:30 PM.  Piece of cake.  Or so we thought.

The interviews were supposed to take place on the roof, which makes
sense -- if you're gonna be in Rome, make it look like Rome.  Otherwise,
what's the point of flying thousands of miles when you can just drive a
few miles to to get to the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills?

I'll never forget when I was asked the question...

"Mantz, did you read 'Angels & Demons?'"

Little did I realize where this was leading: to Rome, where the junket for the film version of "A&D" was going to take place.  Makes perfect sense, since most of it was filmed there.  But since I was never there before, I was both excited and nervous about the prospect of traveling halfway around there world to a country where they literally didn't speak my language.

Turns out that getting there was the hardest part.  Catch a flight to
Chicago, then run down three gates to catch my connection to Rome (with
just 20 minutes to spare -- fun!).  Between the length of both flights
and the time change, I was gonna hit some serious jet lag.  And as for
sleeping on the plane...well, fuggedaboudit.

By the time I landed, grabbed my bags and got to my hotel -- the Boscolo
Exedra in the heart of Rome -- I was way too excited to to take a nap (I
mean, really?).  I also had just a couple hours to check in, get my
computer up and running and, of course, see the movie.

I've been working for Access Hollywood for almost 9 years. In that time, I've interviewed a lot of celebrities, and I learned very early on not to get star-struck. That would have been the kiss of death to my career as a producer and, later, as a film critic.

But then there was the new "Star Trek." And with that came Leonard Nimoy, who has been one of my lifelong heroes after playing Spock for 43 years. When I knew I was going to interview him, I got really excited. Then I got nervous, which is -- dare I say it -- logical, given how much "Star Trek" has meant to me for, well, all my life. (Without giving my age away, let's just say it rhymes with "shmorty!")

When I sat down for the interview, I showed Nimoy that I was wearing a "Star Trek" tee shirt, and I explained that I cannot remember a time in my life when I wasn't a huge "Star Trek" fan. I also explained that "Star Trek" changed my life, and if it wasn't for "Star Trek," I wouldn't be where I am now -- living in LA and reviewing movies for Access Hollywood. He then proceeded to call security, and I was dragged kicking and screaming from the Four Seasons.

Seriously, I told him that although I was really excited, I was also really nervous to see new actors playing the characters that I've loved all my life. But then I saw the movie, and I loved it -- it's a "Star Trek" movie for everyone. He's very happy that the new movie is appealing to so many people outside the fan base, but "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (which he directed, as I pointed out!) also appealed to non-Trekkers. I explained how important it was for "Star Trek" to appeal to everyone, and when I started to quote "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" by saying, "The needs of the many outweigh..." he finished the quote with "...the needs of the few or the one!" We had a moment.

I was watching last Friday's episode of "Battlestar Galactica," and it finally hit me: Only 3 more episodes to go before this landmark series comes to a close after 4 spectacular seasons on the Sci-Fi Channel. It may not have been a huge ratings hit (like, say, "American Idol" or "Dancing with the Stars"), but "Galactica" - or "BSG," as it has come to be known - was thought-provoking TV at its finest, thanks to great stories and complex characters.

Of course, I still have the DVDs, which I plan watching again from the beginning. Then there's "Caprica," the prequel series that will turn back the clock to depict how the 12 colonies of humanity sealed their fate by creating the dreaded Cylons in the first place.

But the process of having brand-new episodes of "BSG" to look forward to will be gone, which means my Friday nights will be free again. At least there's solace to not being able to see "Galactica's" finest in uniform, since I'll be able to see their work on other shows.

Comeback star Mickey Rourke won Best Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday for his role in "The Wrestler" -- his speech was funny, moving and outrageous as usual (filled with profanity and sex jokes)!

He dedicated his award to his late dog Loki (almost cried), and he went on about how Eric Roberts should be given the second chance that he got!

And he gave a shout-out to Marisa Tomei, who played a stripper in "The Wrestler."

"Not many girls can climb the pole," he said of his co-star. "She climbed the pole, and she did it well."

If he wins Best Actor tonight, those sensors at ABC better be on 5-second delay!

I still have a few movies to see before I get to writing up my list of the Best Movies of 2008, but when I do, there's no question what's gonna be perched at the tippy-top:  "WALL*E"!

The fact is, not only is "WALL*E" my favorite movie of 2008, but I can honestly say that it's one of the best movies of this DECADE (so far, of course).

Talk about a movie that's loaded with subtext, it's far and away Disney/Pixar's most daring and imaginative film yet -- and that says a lot for the filmmakers behind "Finding Nemo," "Ratatouille" and the "Toy Story" features.

Sure kids will love it, since the "A" story -- about love story between two robots -- is hard to resist.  But grown-ups will get more out of it, especially if they peel away the layers to absorb the existential, environmental and post-apocalyptic issues at hand.

That's why I was so very glad when the Los Angeles Film Critics Association named it Best Picture of 2008. That's the first time in the organization's 33-year history that an animated film won the top prize.

by Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood movie guru

 

The "Star Trek" universe just about imploded this week when William Shatner went online -- and on the record -- about not being invited to the wedding of George Takei, who played helmsman Sulu on the original "Trek" series and the first six "Trek" movies.

While fans would love to believe that Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew were one big happy family, that wasn't the case.  But this is nothing new to the fans who attended "Star Trek" conventions over the years or to anyone who read "Star Trek Memories" -- Shatner's first memoir about the groundbreaking TV show that ran for three short seasons on NBC between 1966 and 1969.

Back in the day, when "Star Trek" was struggling in the ratings, many of the cast members resented Shatner for stealing dialogue and camera time that allegedly should have gone to them.

So this week, the Tribble...er, I mean, the cat's out of the bag -- and I know I'm gonna sound biased here, since Captain Kirk is one of my heroes, but I don't blame Shatner one bit for speaking out.