Warner Bros.

This week: Tom Hanks and Halle Berry play several different characters over many lifetimes in the beyond-ambitious time-traversing think piece "Cloud Atlas," written and directed by the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer.

Also new this week is horror icon Leatherface's return in the sequel "Texas Chainsaw 3D," Charlie Sheen in Roman Coppola's comedy "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III" and a new mastered-in-4K Blu-ray of "Ghostbusters" that is optimized for Ultra HD TVs.

'Cloud Atlas'

Warner Bros.

Box Office: $27 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 68% Fresh
Storyline: Combining sci-fi, drama, mystery, action and romance, "Cloud Atlas" weaves together six stories that span centuries as characters reunite from one life to the next. Written for the screen and directed by Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer and Andy Wachowski, this 172-minute epic stars Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whisaw, James D'Arcy, Zhou Xun, Keith David, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant.
Extras!: Both the DVD and Blu-ray have the short "A Film Like No Other" featurette. Blu-ray exclusives include six more making-of featurettes that have interviews with the cast and crew, such as "Everything is Connected," "The Impossible Adaptation," "Spaceships, Slaves and Sextets" and "Eternal Recurrence: Love, Life and Longing."
We Say: "Cloud Atlas" is a movie so ambitious and unique that it went over the heads of the few moviegoers that took a gamble on it, but repeat viewers will be rewarded by picking up new connecting tissue — like the comet birthmark on several characters — with each look. The transgender and trans-racial makeup from story to story is distracting and often questionable, but if you can see beyond the cloud of putty noses you'll find an extraordinary story about how one soul (Hanks) evolves from a killer to a hero over many lifetimes and how a single act of kindness sparks a world-changing revolution. The core existential theme is that "separation is an illusion," and although the six stories seem completely unrelated at the start of the film, by the end you'll come to see that they are part of one daring vision that is unlike any movie you have ever seen.

'Texas Chainsaw 3D'

Lionsgate

Box Office: $34.3 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 19% Rotten
Storyline: This sequel to the original "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (not the remake with Jessica Biel) stars Alexandra Daddario as a young woman named Heather who inherits a sprawling mansion from a grandmother she never knew in Newt, Texas. Dozens of people have gone missing from Newt over the years, as Heather finds out when she takes a road trip with a group of friends to her new house and they discover something terrible living in the cellar: her cannibalistic cousin with a penchant for wearing masks made of human skin.
Extras!: The DVD and Blu-ray contain lots of retrospective material — including "'Texas Chainsaw' Legacy," "Resurrecting the Saw" and "The Old Homestead" — as well as audio commentaries, "Casting Terror," "Leatherface 2013," "Lights, Camera, Mayhem," "It's in the Meat" and "On-Set Short Subjects: Five-Minute Massacres." The movie also comes in a Blu-ray 3D combo pack for those that can stomach blood, body parts and Leatherface's chainsaw coming at you in 3-D. Annoyingly, the only way to get the unrated version of the movie is not via the included digital copy but by buying a separate unrated digital copy online.
We Say: Although this movie picks up immediately after the events of the 1974 film and the re-creation of the original's house is spot-on, any DNA shared with the original unravels fast once "Texas Chainsaw" switches to more modern times and we meet Heather's friends — including token R&B star Tremaine Neverson, dropped in to attract a more diverse audience. Daddario appears to be in her 20s and that means this film takes place in the '90s since her character was a baby in the opening scene set in 1974, yet people in "Texas Chainsaw" are seen using iPhones — gadgets exactly no one had in the Clinton era. Still, gore hounds will like seeing Leatherface back as he saws through young people — especially in 3-D — even if this attempt to make Leatherface some kind of sympathetic antihero is a messy human BBQ.

'A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III'

Lionsgate

Box Office: $45,350
Rotten Tomatoes: 16% Rotten
Storyline: Is it possible to love and hate someone at the same time? That is the question Charles (Charlie Sheen), a successful L.A. graphic designer, must answer when his true love (Katheryn Winnick) abruptly breaks off their engagement and sends him on a downward spiral. This Roman Coppola-directed comedy also stars Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette, Aubrey Plaza and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
Extras!: Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain a commentary track by Coppola, a making-of featurette and the "A Glimpse into the Mind of Charles White" interview.
We Say: Coppola produced, wrote and directed this awkwardly-titled raunchy comedy in which Sheen plays a parody of himself and acts in several bizarre fantasy sequences that are filled with Hollywood imagery. The whole affair feels like you're watching a group of close friends getting together and clowning around while filming each other, which is essentially what "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III" is. The problem with this freestyle approach to filmmaking is that the actors are having more fun goofing around with each other than the viewer is watching them.

'Ghostbusters' Mastered in 4K Blu-ray

Columbia Pictures

Box Office: $239 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Fresh
Storyline: This classic 1984 comedy follows college professors Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) after they lose their university jobs and decide to open a new business as a ghost-removal service. When a beautiful cellist (Sigourney Weaver) and her nerdy neighbor (Rick Moranis) accidentally open the gates of hell in their high-rise apartment building, who is New York City gonna call? Oh, you know.
Extras!: Sony's new "Mastered in 4K" series, of which "Ghostbusters" is part of the launch, contain no bonus features because all of the space is used for the highest quality 1080p picture. The new version is scanned from 4K source materials with optimized color so that owners of new Ultra HD TVs can take full advantage of upscaling technologies, but these new "Mastered in 4K" discs will still play on any regular Blu-ray player or PS3.
We Say: The 2009 "Ghosbusters" Blu-ray was made from a scary upconverted transfer that slimed a lot of videophiles. Sony created a brand new 4K transfer for this release that is definitely an improvement over the questionable 2009 edition. If you don't have an Utra HD TV, though, and your screen is under, say, 75 inches, the benefits might not be worth a double dip into this ectoplasm.

Also New This Week:

"Glory" Mastered in 4K Blu-ray
Liz & Dick
"Spider-Man" Mastered in 4K Blu-ray
"The Amazing Spider-Man" Mastered in 4K Blu-ray
"Tomorrow You're Gone"
"Taxi Driver" Mastered in 4K Blu-ray

Greetings from the apocalypse! This was a scary-ass week for my homies in Boston. Why we gotta blow each other up, people? If we keep exploding ourselves all we'll wind up with is Charlton Heston screaming at the Statue of Liberty. Truth. Love, peace and chicken grease, y'all. Now, movies …

Friday, April 26

Paramount

POW! IN THEATERS
When Scarface said, "The World is Yours," there should have been an asterisk that read "*As long as you're not a complete knucklehead." That's the heavy-duty lesson Mark Wahlberg, The Rock and Anthony Mackie learn as a trio of gym rats-cum-criminals in "Pain & Gain," the latest filmsplosion from the Michael Bay ejaculatory system. The guy who brought us three "Transformers," two "Bad Boys" and one "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf tries his hand at a low-budget, relatively contained crime dramedy, resulting in a bubbling concoction that's The Three Stooges meets "Fargo" if it were a two-hour music video … and that's a compliment. This is Bay's best movie by several yard sticks, providing a (true) story of roids, coke, Lambos, strippers, mansions and murder so outrageously tailor-made for his amped-up sensibilities you'd think God handed it to him in a crack-size Ziplock. Ed Harris, playing a Florida gumshoe straight out of an Elmore Leonard novel, is basically the only sympathetic character in a whirlwind of douchbaggery where even tortured victim Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) is a Scrooge who sorta deserves the punishment he's dealt. It's that kinda movie.

NETFLIX RECOMMENDS WITH A VENGEANCE
"Pain & Gain" may seem pretty revelatory coming from Michael Bay, but it's also very much the snake eating its own tail if you look at his previous day trips to Miami in "Bad Boys" and "Bad Boys II," both currently streaming on Netflix Instant. In the first one Will Smith and Martin Lawrence bring their A-game to what is essentially a B-action movie elevated by Bay's confident aping of Tony Scott's hazy commercial slickness. Part II evolves into an entirely different beast, perhaps the most grandiose action film of the modern era. Somewhere between a freeway chase where Smith and Lawrence have cars tossed at them to plowing a Humvee through a Cuban shantytown lies a story of two hot dog police officers still trying to go from boys II men.

Paramount

BASIC CABLE BLUES
We're going 25 miles west of Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts with Beantown's own Mark Wahlberg as a hardscrabble pugilist enduring real pain and sweeter gain in "The Fighter" at 10:30 p.m. on FX. Wahlberg gives his all as real-life boxing champ Irish Micky Ward as the film focuses on his years on hiatus from the sport when he dealt with all sorts of family psychodrama involving his crackhead half-brother/trainer Dicky (Christian Bale) and domineering (s)mother Alice (Melissa Leo) before climbing his way back to the top. Bale and Leo both won Oscars, and "How You Like Me Now?" by The Heavy became the most overused song in movie history — it's also featured in, yes, "Pain & Gain."

FESTIVAL SCHMESTIVAL
Speaking of "The Fighter," Beantown is coming out swinging this weekend as the 11th Annual Independent Film Festival Boston unrolls as planned from April 24-30, with all 80 filmmakers originally scheduled to attend still on deck. New England premieres of David Gordon Green's "Prince Avalanche," Joss Whedon's "Much Ado About Nothing," Noah Baumbach's "Frances Ha," horror anthology "V/H/S 2" and Bobcat Goldthwait's sasquatch comedy "Willow Creek" should all say hi to your mother for me.

Meanwhile, way the hell on the opposite coast the TCM Classic Film Festival is taking over Hollywood's storied Chinese and Egyptian theaters all weekend long. Cable's primary destination for classic movie lovers will run prints of some all-time greats paired with sweet guests, including these Friday delights: Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious" with Rose McGowan, "On the Town" with modern musical maestro Rob Marshall, Mel Brooks presents his overlooked second feature "The Twelve Chairs" and comedian Dana Gould hosts what's sure to be an awesome midnight showing of Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space." Check out the schedule for Saturday and Sunday!

Saturday, April 27

The Weinstein Company

POW! IN THEATERS
It's a week with three, count 'em, three outstanding new theatrical releases well worth your time, but this week's most recommended "Survivor of Thunderdome" is the vaunted Best Foreign Language Oscar-nominee "Kon-Tiki." Luckily for my blind/illiterate American readers (there's a braille edition of NextMovie, right?) the filmmakers shot two different versions of "Kon-Tiki," one in Norwegian and the other in English, so you can thrill to every gorgeous minute of this true-life post-World War II adventure in which ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) sets out on a 100-day, 5,000-mile journey from Peru to Polynesia on a balsa raft. It's not a spoiler to know Thor survived, but it is gripping to experience the conditions he and his crew had to survive (sharks, storms, crumbling wood, more sharks, etc.) in order to prove that ancient peoples … ahh, who cares, it's just BADASS. Filmmakers Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg made the ballsy choice to shoot on the actual ocean, and that lends it a realism and beauty that would make Tom Hanks and his volleyball piss themselves in jealousy. Another reason to see the film? Jakob Oftebro, a.k.a. the Norwegian Joseph Gordon Levitt.

HULU HEAVEN
The reason it's not really a spoiler to know how Thor Heyerdahl's journey turned out is he made a pretty damn famous, Oscar-winning 1950 documentary about the journey also called "Kon-Tiki," available fo free yo on Hulu. This black and white document of his journey is a real-deal adventure that has inspired other explorers for generations, including Olav Heyerdahl, Thor's grandson, who took another Norwegian team along the same route in 2006. This modern-day voyage formed the basis of the more Discovery Channel-friendly doc "The Tangaroa Expedition," currently available in its entirety on YouTube. There's your homework, now hop to it, slackers!

BASIC CABLE BLUES
Since "Kon-Tiki" is downright riddled with shark attacks, it seems only appropriate that today is some kind of crazy-ass shark day on SyFy from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. That's right, 12-f**kin' hours chock-o-block with badly CGI'd sharks trying to eat Z-list celebs like Debbie Gibson and Lorenzo Lamas in the following flicks: "Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus," "Shark Zone," "Malibu Shark Attack," "Super Shark," "2-Headed Shark Attack" and concluding with some fun on the bayou with Kristy "Buffy" Swanson and handsome Robert Davi in "Swamp Shark."

Sunday, April 28

Lionsgate

POW! IN THEATERS
She may have been in the drunk tank, but career-wise Reese's not in pieces since Reese Witherspoon turns in a terrific against-type performance as Matthew McConaughey's damaged goods girlfriend in "Mud." This touching southern drama involves tough Arkansas kid Ellis (the remarkable Tye Sheridan) who bonds with a fugitive named Mud (McConaughey), one seriously superstitious dude who lives in an abandoned boat stuck in a tree. It sounds cornball but it ain't, and even though the narrative makes wild turns into quirky character comedy, romantic whimsy, tragedy and full-on action, director Jeff Nichols ("Take Shelter") somehow keeps everything cohesive with his Terrence Malick-like command of camera and naturalistic performances.

YOUTUBE IT!
Bill Murray has made more classic comedies than we can count, but did you know that in 1984 his ghostbustin' ass appeared in a movie with Dan Aykroyd that did not involve Gozer the Gozerian? It's the great lost masterpiece "Nothing Lasts Forever," a mostly black and white art comedy that plays far better at MOMA than the multiplex, and is available in its entirety on YouTube despite various legal constraints that have kept it from getting a proper DVD/Blu-ray release in the States. It stars Zach Galligan as a concert pianist who takes a trip to the moon on a bus to find his soul mate, played by a young Lauren Tom (Amy Wong on "Futurama") in a hula skirt. Directed by Tom Schiller, who made many classic shorts for "Saturday Night Live," it was painstakingly given the look and feel of a movie from the '40s, and despite the cast and guiding hand of producer Lorne Michaels this Murray vehicle got lost in translation. Check out this rare gem below:

BASIC CABLE BLUES
Fast-forward to ten years later and you get another SNL offshoot produced by Michaels and starring Aykroyd in perhaps his most iconic role from the sketch show: "Coneheads" on Comedy Central at 12:15 p.m. While virtually burned at the stake by critics during its 1993 release, it's actually a fairly good translation from sketch-to-screen, as aliens Beldar (Aykroyd), Prymatt (Jane Curtin) and their daughter Connie (Michelle Burke) try to acclimate themselves to the American suburbs. Features mountains of cameos, including Adam Sandler, Phil Hartman, David Spade, Chris Farley and the great Garrett Morris.

*SPECIAL NOTICE*
I wanted to extend my best wishes to good buddy Ed Douglas, who begins chemotherapy this week in Ohio for acute leukemia. You may know Ed as ComingSoon's Weekend Warrior, and he's basically one of the main reasons this weekend columnist has anything resembling a career. Ed recently got socked with the bad news but has been incredibly positive during treatment despite having no insurance. If you want to read more about it and possibly contribute to his recovery, check out the GiveForward fundraising page, won't ya? Thanks!

As I ride off into the distant horizon, here's wishing you fellow weekend road warriors the best outing possible from this burnt-out, blighted wasteland. Enjoy your fast Internet, clean-ish movie theaters, plentiful gasoline and all the comforts of home, for this world lives now only in my memories …

You can follow renegade movie journo and filmmaker Max Evry on Twitter, and check out his bitchin' DeviantArt gallery while you're at it.

Focus Features

This week: Bill Murray as President Franklin D. Roosevelt is the highlight of "Hyde Park on Hudson," which should in no way be considered a historically accurate account of FDR's meeting with the King and Queen of England in 1939.

Also new this week are two Criterion Collection Blu-ray debuts: Laurence Olivier's "Richard III" ("My kingdom for a horse!") and David Cronenberg's "Naked Lunch" ("Exterminate all rational thought").

'Hyde Park on Hudson'

Focus Features

Box Office: $6.4 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 38% Rotten
Storyline: Based on the private journals and diaries of Margaret 'Daisy' Suckley (Laura Linney) that were found after her death, this biographical comedy drama takes a look at the events surrounding a pivotal historical meeting in upstate New York between President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Bill Murray) and the King and Queen of England on the eve of World War II. The British royals walk into an awkward domestic situation as FDR's wife, Eleanor (Olivia Williams), his mistresses (including Linney) and his booze-loathing mother conspire to make their trip unforgettable.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain deleted scenes, "A Look Inside 'Hyde Park on Hudson,'" an audio recording of director Roger Michell discussing the "First Days" of the production and commentary by Michell and producer Kevin Loader.
We Say: Murray's performance reminds us how terrific he can be when he plays it straight. Too bad the story is narrated from the perspective of shrinking violet Daisy — a Depression-era Monica Lewinsky — and plays loosey-goosey with historical facts, painting a picture of polio-stricken, wheelchair-bound FDR as an irrepressible horndog commander-in-chief with a closet lesbian wife. You know a movie's priorities are askew when the biggest source of tension comes not from the looming global Nazi threat but from whether or not King George will — gasp! — lower himself to eat a hot dog at FDR's picnic.

'Richard III' (1955) Blu-ray

Criterion Collection

Box Office: $2.6 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% Fresh
Storyline: Sir Laurence Olivier produced, directed and starred in this visually stunning Shakespeare adaptation. Olivier plays the titular Duke of Gloucester who, through a series of murderous machinations, steals the crown from his brother Edward. The talented supporting cast includes Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud and Claire Bloom.
Extras!: This Criterion Collection Blu-ray debut has a commentary track, a 1966 interview with Olivier, a gallery of behind-the-scenes stills and posters accompanied by excerpts from Olivier's autobiography, a 12-minute television trailer and a booklet containing an essay by film critic Amy Taubin.
We Say: "Richard III" didn't receive as much critical acclaim as the other two Shakespeare adaptations by Olivier, but it did earn him his fifth Best Actor nomination. The film has been slapped on DVD several times, but most of those versions were cropped and unrestored. In 2004, Criterion Collection presented a widescreen DVD of "Richard III," and the specialty label has outdone that effort with this high-def royal treatment with an uncompressed mono track.

'Naked Lunch' Blu-ray

Criterion Collection

Box Office: $2.6 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 69% Fresh
Storyline: David Cronenberg directs this 1991 adaptation of William S. Burroughs' hallucinatory novel of the same name. Peter Weller plays Bill Lee, a part-time exterminator and full-time drug addict who descends into the nightmarish Interzone, a netherworld of sinister organizations and giant talking bugs.
Extras!: This Criterion Collection Blu-ray debut has a commentary track with Cronenberg and Weller, a 1992 making-of documentary, a special effects gallery, a collection of original marketing materials, an audio recording of Burroughs reading from his own novel and a gallery of photos of Burroughs taken by Allen Ginsberg. Included in the Blu-ray case is a booklet with reprinted pieces by film critic Janet Maslin, director Chris Rodley, critic and novelist Gary Indiana and Burroughs.
We Say: Riding the line between humor and the grotesque is risky business, but no one is better suited for the job than the director of "The Fly." Cronenberg mingles aspects of Burroughs' own life with the surreal novel to create the ultimate paranoid fantasy and self-investigation of the creative process. Typewriter bugs with talking sphincters might be too bath-salts crazy for the casual moviegoer, but Cronenberg fans will find it fascinating.

Also New This Week:

"Gate of Hell" Blu-ray
"Massage Parlor Murders"
"The Four"
"Sexy Evil Genius"
"Paranormal Movie"
"The Sorcerer and the White Snake"

Getty Images

Melissa McCarthy: From one of the "Bridesmaids" to "Identity Thief" to ... single mom?

The comedic actress will soon get a chance to show off her range as she's the top choice to join Bill Murray in the dark suburban comedy, "St. Vincent de Van Nuys," according to Deadline.

"St. Vincent" follows a 12-year-old boy who, upon his parents' divorce, strikes up an unlikely friendship with his next-door neighbor: an embittered war veteran (Murray) whose life consists mostly of gambling, drinking and prostitutes. Hopefully, the two men won't be falling in love with the same schoolteacher (though we expect there will be other whimsical complications).

Murray has been attached to the project since last July, with McCarthy currently this close to signing on to play the boy's single mother. As the film has been described as a cross between "As Good As It Gets" and "Silver Linings Playbook" with its deft mixture of humor and human pathos, it could be quite the showcase for McCarthy the Sorta Serious Thespian after playing decidedly over-the-top, vulgar characters in both "Bridesmaids" and "Identity Thief."

Production is set to commence in July under the direction of Ted Melfi, who also wrote the screenplay that caught Murray's eye and inspired an out-of-the-blue phone call from the superstar that went something like, "Ted Melfi, I don't know who you are, but I love your script." That's when you know you've made it, right?

Melissa McCarthy will first shoot "Tammy," which she's set to co-direct with her husband Ben Falcone, and will next be seen in "The Hangover Part III," opening May 24, and "The Heat," opening June 28.

'Tis the season, y'all. And we're not just talking about colored lights and carols. We're talking about presents.

Of course, after a year filled with "The Hunger Games," "Star Wars" news and "The Hobbit" anticipation, we searched high and low for the coolest stuff from the coolest movies, including those three and loads more. And we came up with 50 things every movie lover really must have.

A "Star Trek" oven mitt? It's in here. "Lord of the Rings" cufflinks? Check. The chance to sit on Ryan Gosling's face? That too. In other words, get clickin'.

Also Check Out: The 10 Best Blu-ray & DVD Holiday Gift Ideas of 2012

(Originally published on Nov. 19, 2012)

Focus Features

In 2003, William James Murray (better known to those who haven't spent hours reading his Wikipedia page as Bill Murray) starred in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation," a poignant, somber romantic comedy that spotlighted the budding relationship between an aging film star (Murray) and the lonely wife of a photographer (Scarlett Johansson) in Tokyo. Murray was nominated for an Oscar for said performance, but he ultimately lost to Sean Penn's turn in "Mystic River."

At one point, he also did the Garfield movies.

But herein lies the massive injustice. Bill Murray should have been nominated for an Academy Award for every other movie he's done. There. We said it. The following is a comprehensive list of Murray movies where the Academy unconscionably overlooked his performance, starting from the very beginning of his illustrious career.

Sony

'Meatballs' (1979)

ROLE: Tripper Harrison
ANALYSIS: We're willing to forgive this one, as the Oscar oversight was likely due to the relative unpredictability of being blown away by the charisma of an actor in his first leading role. "This is a fluke," they said at the Academy. "He can't possibly keep this up." How wrong they were. How wrong, indeed.

'Where the Buffalo Roam' (1980)

ROLE: Hunter S. Thompson
ANALYSIS: Most people think of Johnny Depp's turn in 1998's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as the classic Hunter S. Thompson role. Most people are dumb. Still, we're again choosing to let this one slide – after all, who hits two 500-foot home runs in his first two at bats?

'Caddyshack' (1980)

ROLE: Carl Spackler
ANALYSIS: Murray reportedly improvised his famous "Cinderella story" scene in this movie. We're assuming no one told the Academy, because the appropriate response would have been to give him all of the Oscars from the next 30 Academy Award ceremonies. No one told the Academy, right? Right?

'Stripes' (1980)

ROLE: John Winger
ANALYSIS: Murray managed to dominate this movie despite Harold Ramis (playing Murray's best friend) consciously trying to steal scenes by dressing like a lesbian John Lennon. "Stripes" was also the birth of Murray's characteristic deadpan comedy he still wields today. So, you know – good one, Academy. Because who can forget Roy Scheider's 1980 Oscar-nominated performance in "All That Jazz," other than everyone?

'Tootsie' (1982)

ROLE: Jeff Slater
ANALYSIS: Oh, suurrree, Academy – just because Dustin Hoffman "played the title character" and "had the most lines" and "was the only actor crucial to the success of the film," he gets the Oscar nomination. This is where, had we been Bill Murray in 1982, we would've been forced to conclude, "Well, the fix is in." (We also would've enjoyed wealth, fame and overall brilliance, given that we were Bill Murray in 1982).

'Ghostbusters' (1984)

ROLE: Dr. Peter Venkman
ANALYSIS: "Ghostbusters" is universally beloved. Dr. Peter Venkman is a transcendent character. Hillary Clinton could say, "So, Ghostbusters, right guys?" at the next Israel/Palestine summit and at least drum up some cordial conversation. Academy? "Not impressed. Sorry." Resentment, thy name is Oscar.

'Nothing Lasts Forever' (1984)

ROLE: Ted Breughel
ANALYSIS: We confess we've never seen this movie and neither have you, so instead let's take a look at Murray's incredible reaction to losing the Oscar in 2003 to Sean Penn:

The Razor's Edge (1984)

ROLE: Larry Darrell
ANALYSIS: To this day, if you stick your head out the nearest window, you can almost hear Murray saying, "Alright, Academy – I'll play your game." We just did, and there it was, floating effortlessly in the wind. Alas, like his previous work, Murray's first dramatic starring role did not move Oscar like it did the rest of us.

Paramount

'Scrooged' (1988)

ROLE: Frank Cross
ANALYSIS: This modern take on "A Christmas Carol" taught us all about love, gratitude and the important things in life. Oh, sorry – not all of us, because the members of the Academy chose to put their heads up their own asses again instead of recognizing greatness. So, most of us.

'Ghostbusters II' (1989)

ROLE: Dr. Peter Venkman
ANALYSIS: Offering an olive branch of sorts, Murray graciously accepted the role of Dr. Venkman again, five years after the Academy botched handing him 79 Oscars and a shoulder massage for his first go-around as the lovably wisecracking psychologist. Everyone in life should get a second chance, right? Well, Oscar spat on its second chance and then did a touchdown dance. No dice, yet again.

'Quick Change' (1990)

ROLE: Grimm
BONUS ROLE: Director
ANALYSIS: Here's an abridged list of esteemed thespians who have won Oscars as a director: Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, Clint Eastwood. We couldn't have thrown Murray on this Movie Mount Rushmore? Would it have been too damaging to the Oscar brand? That's cool. Hey, how good was "Crash," by the way?

'What About Bob?' (1991)

ROLE: Bob Wiley
ANALYSIS: As if starring in a film with an unironic mullet wasn't impressive enough, Murray managed to make an obsessive-compulsive whose entire character direction was "just be obnoxious" absolutely hilarious and likable. Oscar instead chose to reward Anthony Hopkins for "Silence of the Lambs," a respectable choice before it was later revealed in a "20/20" special that Hopkins himself was a cannibal.

'Groundhog Day' (1993)

ROLE: Phil Connors
ANALYSIS: Tongue-in-cheekishness aside for a second, on facial expressions alone, this four-minute clip contains the best comedic acting of all time:

Seriously, though. He should have been nominated for an Oscar for this movie.

'Mad Dog and Glory' (1993)

ROLE: Frank Milo
ANALYSIS: Murray accidentally broke Robert De Niro's nose while filming this movie. That's a pretty cool claim to fame, no? Why couldn't the Academy have invented an award for that?

'Ed Wood' (1994)

ROLE: Bunny Breckinridge
ANALYSIS: Murray's Ed Wood cast mate Martin Landau infamously beat out both Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction" and Gary Sinise in "Forrest Gump" for Best Supporting Actor in 1995. Academy, If you're going to embarrass yourselves, why not let us at least watch a funny speech?

'Kingpin' (1995)

ROLE: Ernie McCracken
ANALYSIS: Rarely does Oscar swing and miss so violently as it did when it neglected to touch "Kingpin" at all. But if it was going to start anywhere, it naturally would have been with Murray's brilliantly re-watchable performance as Ernie McCracken, which is basically the 2.0 version of Christopher McDonald's portrayal of Shooter McGavin in "Happy Gilmore" a year earlier. (That's a big, big compliment).

United Artists

'Larger Than Life' (1996)

ROLE: Jack Corcoran
ANALYSIS: All those hours you'd spent before 1996 trying to convince every toddler you knew that Murray deserved every acting Oscar since the Carter administration became justified with the premiere of "Larger Than Life," featuring a predictably underrated virtuoso performance from Murray. Sadly, Abigail Breslin was NOT president of the Academy at that time.

'The Man Who Knew Too Little' (1997)

ROLE: Wallace Ritchie
ANALYSIS: Unfortunately, this movie's lack of Oscar recognition was a mere matter of timing; 1997 was the year James Cameron's "Titanic" swept almost every major award. Insiders blamed the oversight on director Jon Amiel's fatal last minute decision to cut out a scene featuring Murray sketching a nude Kate Winslet.

'Wild Things' (1998)

ROLE: Ken Bowden
ANALYSIS: Is there any real argument to be made that Bill Murray deserved an Oscar for "Wild Things?" No. Would it have been amazing to hear someone like Judi Dench say, "And the winner is, Bill Murray, 'Wild Things?'"

Touchstone

'Rushmore' (1998)

ROLE: Herman Blume
ANALYSIS: Though Murray and Wes Anderson’s marriage is still not valid in California via a controversial ballot question in 2008, we’ve seen the beautiful results of their union ever since they first got together for Anderson’s Rushmore. Despite what the bigots at the Academy would have you believe, Murray’s performance is most definitely Oscar-worthy. For shame, Academy.

'Cradle Will Rock' (1999)

ROLE: Tommy Crickshaw
ANALYSIS: Haven't you ever helped out a friend in need? Murray's friend Tim Robbins wrote and directed this, and Murray was all but happy to oblige his friend's request to be in his film – not to mention knock viewers' socks off with a performance that would make Daniel Day-Lewis become a carpenter. The Academy has no friends.

'Hamlet' (2000)

ROLE: Polonius
ANALYSIS: The Academy had embarrassingly drooled all over "Shakespeare in Love" only a couple of years earlier, so when Murray's role in "Hamlet" proceeded to rock faces around the world, the Academy was memorably forced to come out with an impromptu statement that contained the words, "Sorry, Bill, we're a little Shakespeared out. ." As if the Academy hadn't inflicted enough harm on the world, this is cited as the unofficial birth of the emoticon.

'Charlie's Angels' (2000)

ROLE: John Bosley
ANALYSIS: We're sure the Academy was prepared to finally nominate Murray for this one; however, Murray warned that he wouldn't show up to the festivities in protest of his not being mentioned by Destiny's Child in its song, "Independent Women" with his co-stars Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore. Totally understandable. Oscar is off the hook here.

'Osmosis Jones' (2001)

ROLE: Frank Detorre
ANALYSIS: The Academy controversially ruled "Osmosis Jones" a documentary, thus making Murray ineligible for award consideration.

'The Royal Tenenbaums' (2001)

ROLE: Raleigh St. Clair
ANALYSIS: Murray's second go-around with Wes Anderson resulted in the role of Raleigh St. Clair, a man jilted by his wife because she wants to be with her step-brother. Murray reportedly stayed in character on set by watching endless episodes of Jerry Springer on DVD in his trailer. Wasn't good enough for the Academy, but then, what is? That's right: Jon Voight in "Ali," nominated that year.

'Speaking of Sex' (2002)

ROLE: Ezri Stovall
ANALYSIS: No one has seen this movie – not even Bill Murray. He doesn't have to. He knows it’s superb. That's what 20 years of capital buys you. Sadly, the Academy has a shorter memory than the guy in "Memento."

'Coffee and Cigarettes' (2004)

ROLE: Bill Murray
ANALYSIS: Murray is in the following eight-minute clip of this Jim Jarmusch movie, playing himself. Watch it, then get upset that Bill Murray wasn't handed an Oscar for it, thus making it more ubiquitous on Youtube.

'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' (2004)

ROLE: Steve Zissou
ANALYSIS: For his third duet with Anderson, Murray shines yet again as brilliant oceanographer Steve Zissou. In an unfortunate coincidence, however, 2004 was the year the Academy was diagnosed with an allergy to all things Wes Anderson. No known cure exists, but scientists fight hard every day to find one despite viruses like "The Darjeeling Limited."

'Broken Flowers' (2005)

ROLE: Don Johnston
ANALYSIS: Murray's flowers may be broken, but his streak of unreal acting performances snubbed by Oscar continues unharmed (other than "Lost in Translation"). Pretty much all Murray does in this movie is walk around looking sad and who wouldn't, when you've delivered your entire career without any hardware to show for it?

'The Darjeeling Limited' (2007)

ROLE: The Businessman
ANALYSIS: Murray has no lines and only appears for a couple of minutes at the beginning of the movie. Hey, why not, right? It sounds like just the type of meta performance the Academy would reward to remind themselves of their own pretentiousness.

'Get Smart' (2008)

ROLE: Agent 13
ANALYSIS: More like Oscar 13, if the Academy was competent.

Fox

'City of Ember' (2008)

ROLE: Mayor Cole
ANALYSIS: The film's IMDb page features Murray wearing a giant chain necklace and a cape. Need you see more? (Side note: Would you be surprised if Murray showed up to a college party this weekend wearing that outfit? Neither would we. That's why he rules the world. And needs an Oscar.)

'Zombieland' (2009)

ROLE: Bill Murray
ANALYSIS: Not satisfied merely being the actor with the most unofficial Oscars of all time, Murray also manages to snag the title of the single greatest cameo in any movie, ever. Did you cry when… well, what happens to him, happens to him? We thought so.

'Get Low' (2009)

ROLE: Frank Quinn
ANALYSIS: "Get Low" is a period peace set in 1930s Tennessee amidst the backdrop of the depression, featuring a sterling cast including Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black, Bill Murray and Bill Murray's Real, Actual Moustache that somehow wasn't immediately handed an Oscar itself just for existing.

'The Fantastic Mr. Fox' (2009)

ROLE: Badger
ANALYSIS: If you'd asked us before we saw "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" if we ever thought actors like George Clooney and Meryl Streep could be out-acted in an animated film, we would've laughed and called you crazy. Then we would've watched "The Fantastic Mr. Fox, begged profusely for your forgiveness and wondered when the Academy was going to stop drinking moonshine during the middle of the day.

Image Entertainment

'Passion Play' (2010)

ROLE: Happy Shannon
ANALYSIS: The image to your right. Fin.

'Moonrise Kingdom' (2012)

ROLE: Walt Bishop
ANALYSIS: Not to say Murray phoned this one in, but his role in "Moonrise Kingdom" just happened to come out the same year as…

'Hyde Park on Hudson' (2012)

ROLE: Franklin D. Roosevelt
ANALYSIS: Let's see – Bill Murray: Check. Bill Murray playing a former President of the United States: Check. Bill Murray playing an extremely influential former President of the United States, with a contrived, folksy accent: Check. An actress like Laura Linney to lend the rest of the film some credibility in the eyes of the Academy: Check. This is the year, folks! So long as Daniel Day Lewis isn't in a movie with the exact same qualifications and Sally Field in the Laura Linney role, we're talking smooooooth sailing to the 2013 Best Actor Oscar. Exhale, Bill Murray Nation. This is your moment.

Focus Features / Columbia / Buena Vista

Deciding how you like your steak (if you even eat steak) is one thing. Deciding how you like your Bill Murray? Well, that's quite another.

Welcome to our Bill Murray edition of Eff, Marry, Kill.

This game goes exactly how you think it does. We want you to determine which of Bill Murray's quirky characters — Steve Zissou from "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," Dr. Peter Venkman from "Ghostbusters" or Franklin Delano Roosevelt in "Hyde Park on Hudson" — you'd like to spend the rest of your days with, whose days you'd like to end for good and which one you'd enjoy (or suffer through, as the case may be) spending one single night with.

Because such decisions are so difficult, we've asked a few of our buds to weigh in. Hit the poll below and hear thoughts from our experts underneath. And don't forget to give us your thoughts in the comments!

Maggie Coughlan, Associate News Editor, People.com

No contest here! I'd have to marry FDR: it's worth a trip down the aisle for the estate in Hyde Park alone. Just think of the library! The private sunbathing sessions I am currently only having in my dreams! The in-house staff! I'd eff Peter Venkman, who has a Ph.D. AND busts ghosts. The man is a walking dream date. And that leaves Steve Zissou. I highly doubt he's ever washed that hat anyway.

Eff: Peter Venkman
Marry: FDR
Kill: Steve Zissou

Jenni Miller, Writer, Film.com

Buena Vista

There's one no-brainer here: Kill FDR. First of all, I quit smoking a long time ago, so I don't really want to marry or eff someone who is always chomping on a cigarette holder. I would either lose my resolve and steal his smokes or get annoyed and throw them out. FDR is also bonking his cousin, so I want no part of that mess. It's a little bit harder to choose between Steve Zissou and Peter Venkman. I think Zissou's single-mindedness would make him a poor choice for a life partner but a greatchoice for a little fling. So passionate, so driven! And he drives a submarine — sexy! Venkman is hilarious, smart and a master of the one liner... and he's not afraid of no ghost, which is cool because I am. So I'd eff Zissou before settling down with Venkman.

Eff: Steve Zissou
Marry: Peter Venkman
Kill: FDR

Brooke Tarnoff, Senior Editor, NextMovie

This one seems obvious to me. You marry FDR. Obviously. There is no amount of ghostbusting or deep sea exploration that could sway me from the White House. I'd make an awesome First Lady. Then I think you have to eff Peter Venkman – he's got a Ph.D. and a lot of swagger, he's got an awesome job, and, if you do it right, he'll probably take care of your haunting problems in perpetuity. Steve Zissou is fairly grating, so he's my "kill" choice among the three, but man. He's got Bill Murray’s face. What kind of monster could kill Bill Murray's face?

Eff: Peter Venkman
Marry: FDR
Kill: Steve Zissou

A24

Are you ready to tumble down the rabbit hole that is Charlie Sheen's brain?

The tabloid superstar is poised to make something of a "Being John Malkovich"-style comeback as he looks to be playing a gonzo version of himself (sort of, or something) in Roman Coppola's surrealist comedy, "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III."

Sheen stars in the title role, a graphic designer who, upon breaking up with his trophy girlfriend, plunges himself into a series fantastical dreamscapes featuring "Wizard of Oz"-like appearances of his friends and acquaintances in various roles. Jason Schwartzman, in particular, is nearly unrecognizable ... in pretty much every single one of his incarnations.

Bill Murray, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza, Katheryn Winnick and many more star in what definitely appears to be a true companion piece to director Coppola's psychedelic valentine to schlocky '60s sci-fi cinema, "CQ." Don't expect any lack of imagination — or an excess of narrative coherency — in this one.

Check out the trailer below, and get the full "Glimpse" when it hits theaters on Feb. 8, 2013.

And, since it's Thanksgiving and all, we feel it's high time we took a moment to give thanks for those things (and people!) that have made this year so epically special.

So, without further ado...

1. 'Magic Mike,' for bringing sexy back.

2. Ben Affleck, for growing up to be a damn fine director. Who'd a guessed it?

3. Robert Pattinson, for teaching us what it looks like to truly feel.

 

4. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield, for being super-cute and super-cool at the same time.

5. Javier Bardem, for being one of the Best. Bond. Villains. Ever.

6. The riff-off! (From 'Pitch Perfect')

 

7. The Hulk, for smashing.

8. Stephen Chbosky, for adapting and directing his own book, and thus making a near-perfect film.

9. Bruce Willis, for always looking so darn confused.

 

10. Bill Murray, for his various offscreen cameos around the world.

11. 'Twilight,' for ending.

12. 'John Carter,' for being such a great punchline.

 

13. Ryan Gosling, for living.

Warner Bros.

As the 2012 presidential election quickly approaches (tomorrow! eek!), Americans must carefully analyze each candidate's policies and personalities to determine who they want to lead the country for the next four years.

And then there's the funnier — but not any less absurd — election at the center of "The Campaign," a new political satire pitting Will Ferrell's charismatic, gaffe-prone incumbent against Zach Galifianakis's Washington outsider in a North Carolina congressional race.

We're not sure we'd vote for either of these guys in real life, but you know who we would vote for? Yoda. And The Dude. And after "The Avengers," Hulk would most definitely get our endorsement.

So we asked old friend Old Red Jalopy to get the ball rolling and mock up some campaign posters for some of movie favorites.

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(Originally published on Aug. 8, 2012)

Focus Features

This week: Wes Anderson's latest heartfelt comedy, "Moonrise Kingdom," chronicles the great romance between two 12-year-old runaways during the summer of 1965.

Also new this week is the animated sequel "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," the found footage-ish horror flick "Chernobyl Diaries," the Adam Sandler comedy "That's My Boy" and an edition of "Avatar" on Blu-ray 3D that one can buy without it being bundled with a hardware purchase.

'Moonrise Kingdom'

Focus Features

Box Office: $45 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Fresh
Storyline: Wes Anderson's latest is about Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward), two 12-year-old misfits who fall in love, make a pact and run away together on a small New England island in the summer of 1965. As a brutal storm approaches, various authorities try to track the young lovebirds down, including the local sheriff (Bruce Willis), Sam's scout leader (Edward Norton), Suzy's parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) and even Social Services (Tilda Swinton).
Extras! Sadly, both the DVD and Blu-ray contain only eight total minutes of extras, including a short set tour with Murray and two promo featurettes.
We Say: This charming, purposely quirky comedy is easily the final word in preteen-runaway romances this year thanks to the appeal of its two young leads and the big-name supporting cast that seems game for the zany antics that transpire once the young couple goes on the run.

'Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'

DreamWorks

Box Office:  $216 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% Fresh
Storyline: Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the Giraffe are still trying to get to New York in this animated sequel. Their journey takes them to Europe, natch, where they find the perfect cover as a traveling circus. This family flick features the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jada Pinkett Smith and more.
Extras! In addition to the expected bonus features like deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes, the Blu-ray includes exclusives like a trivia track and the interactive "Get Them to the Train" game.
We Say: Fans — especially those under four feet tall and younger than 10 years old — will be on board for this third colorful adventure featuring the familiar googly-eyed characters that they love, and the filmmakers have tossed in a few surprising references to appease any adults that might be watching.

'Chernobyl Diaries'

Warner Bros.

Box Office: $18 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 20% Rotten
Storyline: Six tourists (including Jesse McCartney and Jonathan Sadowski) hire an extreme tour guide named Uri to take them to the abandoned city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, in this low-budget horror movie. When the group becomes stranded in the radioactive wasteland, they soon discover that the city still has a few denizens of unknown origin.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain an alternate ending, "Uri's Extreme Tours Infomercial," and a featurette on the real Chernobyl tragedy.
We Say: As if found-footage films weren't irritating enough, the interesting premise of this horror movie is undermined by the choice to shoot it found-footage style. Therefore you get a shaky cam, bad lighting and a camera that gets knocked around during attacks even though there isn't supposed to be a person behind the lens. We're all for our imaginations filling in the blanks, because what's in your head is often scarier than what's on screen ... but the found-footage style used here just excuses the filmmakers from showing the "monsters" in any detail and looks cheap.

'That's My Boy'

Sony

Box Office: $37 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 21% Rotten
Storyline: Donny (Adam Sandler) fathered a son, Todd (Andy Samberg), in his teens and raised him as a single parent until Todd's 18th birthday. After not seeing his son for years, Donny crashes Todd's wedding and tries desperately to reconnect with him and deal with the repercussions of his terrible parenting skills in this R-rated comedy.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray have a featurette on all the celebrity cameos in the film, including Vanilla Ice, Susan Sarandon, James Caan and more.
We Say: Sandler still has his fans — we think — but the herd must be thinning given the anemic box office take of this excruciatingly painful film that finds the normally PG-13 Sandler trying to raunch it up for cheap laughs.

'Avatar' Blu-ray 3D

Fox

Box Office: $761 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% Fresh
Storyline: James Cameron's sci-fi epic follows a paraplegic ex-Marine to the distant world of Pandora where he joins the Avatar program and battles alongside the indigenous Na'vi to protect the phosphorescent planet from ecological disaster at the hands of humans. The highest-grossing movie of all time stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi and many more.  
Extras! This combo pack contains the Blu-ray 3D (theatrical cut only), Blu-ray and DVD and comes with all the making-of bonus features included in the previous editions.
We Say: "Avatar" has been available as a standalone Blu-ray 3D for over a year now but only as a Panasonic exclusive bundled with an equipment purchase. Now you can buy what is easily the most vibrant, stunning-looking Blu-ray 3D to date without having to buy a new Blu-ray player to get it or spending $100 for the exclusive disc on eBay.

Also New This Week:

"Terror Train" Blu-ray
"2016: Obama's America"
"A League of Their Own" Blu-ray
"The Funhouse" Collector's Edition Blu-ray
"Excision"
"The Santa Clause" Blu-ray
"Ella Enchanted" Blu-ray

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Bill Murray is the Johnny Depp to Wes Anderson's Tim Burton (even though Johnny Depp himself might now be the Johnny Depp to Wes Anderson's Wes Anderson).

This should come as no surprise to anyone, but Murray has confirmed that he's involved in Anderson's latest bit of cinematic whimsy, "The Grand Budapest Hotel," according to an interview with Vulture.

Appropriately enough, the revelation came during an interview that took place in a hotel room during the Toronto International Film Festival. Murray actually offered the information completely on his own: "I'm about to go shoot a movie with Wes Anderson in Germany," he said to German soccer player Arne Friedrich, who randomly knocked on the door at some point. "If you see me in Germany, I'll be working on a movie."

Really, you should read the entire interview. It might help you understand the mystery that is Bill Murray ... even less.

An Anderson first-timer has also joined the cast of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" as The Film Stage reports that "Murder, She Wrote" star Angela Lansbury, who was on Anderson's casting wish list for the project, has officially signed on.

“I’m playing woman of mystery, it’s minuscule role," said Lansbury to UK magazine, The Gentle Woman. "I’m on the screen probably for less than five minutes."

Well, mystery or not, that's the most that's been revealed about "The Grand Budapest Hotel" so far. Plot details are being kept under wraps, though we have a feeling that stylized family dysfunction set amongst quirky art direction and costume design will probably be involved.

More will be known soon, no doubt. Meanwhile, Bill Murray is set to possible snag an Oscar nomination for his turn as Franklin D. Roosevelt in "Hyde Park on Hudson," opening Dec. 7.

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What does it mean to be cool? It's pretty damn subjective. So when compiling our list of the 25 coolest people making movies right now (somebody had to do it, right?), we accounted for various factors.

These are the actors who not only impress us onscreen (though that helps), but convey a certain genuineness off it, be it at awards shows, on TV appearances or during our own personal experiences interviewing them. They can be multi-talents, also excelling at music, art or writing. And they can make a habit of turning up in hilarious viral videos or even at your local karaoke bar.

But most of all, these are the 25 actors we'd really just like to sit down and have a beer with.

Welcome to NextMovie's 1st annual Cool List – and let us know who makes your own list in the comments section below.

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25. RZA

Yes, he's best known as the grand wizard of the seminal hip-hop outfit Wu-Tang Clan, but RZA's long been one of the world's coolest students of film (who do you think programmed all those kung-fu samples?). Counting indie-cool Jim Jarmusch among his friends, (see his hilarious vignette in the auteur's "Coffee and Cigarettes"), RZA takes his role in moviedom to new heights this fall with the marital arts epic, "The Man With the Iron Fist," his directorial debut produced by another king of cool, Quentin Tarantino. – Kevin Polowy

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24. Woody Harrelson

There was an era when Woody was best known as a clueless, squeaky clean Boston bartender in "Cheers." That was a long, long time ago. Since then, Harrelson has proven (some) white men can jump, helped make a pair of "Natural Born Killers" unlikely screen heroes, owned some sucker zombies and won a vital roster spot in "The Hunger Games." He also regularly hangs with Willie Nelson and has become one of the country's most famous proponents of hemp. High times all around. – KP

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23. Christopher Mintz-Plasse

McLovin's made his living playing nerds, but he does it with such uninhibited joie de vivre, we can't help but think he's actually the coolest kid in school. As hilarious off-screen as he is in his movies, with a knack for picking quirky roles in great comedies – "Superbad," "Kick-Ass," "Role Models" – Mintz-Plasse is proof that, yes, the geeks shall inherit the Earth. – Brooke Tarnoff

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22. Mark Wahlberg

Beginning his career as shirtless (and pantless) rapper Marky Mark, Wahlberg could have easily faded into oblivion. But he's become the actor girls love and guys want to hang out with due to his unique blend of dramatic, comedic and action roles, his all-around good guy personality and, um, did we mention those abs? Plus, few Oscar nominees look as adorable hangin' with their kids. – Laura Rosenfeld

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21. Ezra Miller

The rising star may have terrified those who saw 2011's "We Need to Talk About Kevin," but, after "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," we can't get enough of him. We also have to tip our hats to the 19-year-old for the candid, confident way he came out as "queer" to Out magazine earlier this year. It was mature and inspiring, much like his performance in "Perks." – Breanne L. Heldman

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20. Channing Tatum

Tatum's cool factor isn't just about the jaw-dropping abs and killer biceps he makes shows off in just about every movie. It's his versatility as an actor (he's nailed action, romance, comedy and drama all in 2012 alone) and his reputation off-screen. Known for being a prankster on set, he's a charmer with the press (yes, including this writer) and speaks openly about how much he loves his wife, "Step Up" co-star Jenna Dewan-Tatum. Swoon. – BLH

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19. Zoe Kravitz

With rocker Lenny Kravitz as her dad and bohemian actress Lisa Bonet as her mom, coolness is in this girl's genes. It's no wonder she brings a free-spirited vibe to all of her roles, whether she's playing a high school heartthrob ("It's Kind of a Funny Story") or kicking ass as a mutant ("X-Men: First Class"). Kravitz is a 21st century hippie, and we totally dig her. Plus, she's besties with Jennifer Lawrence (see below) – who wouldn't want to be the third wheel with the two of them? – LR

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18. Jennifer Lawrence

For just a moment, forget that amazing hair, killer bod and flawless fashion sense. J.Law has an Oscar nomination and, better yet, a heart-melting photo of her in her pajamas learning about said nomination while surrounded by her dancing mother, brothers and "X-Men" cool boyfriend, Nicholas Hoult. All that, and she's Katniss. 'Nuf said. – BLH

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17. Emily Blunt

Blunt played Anne Hathaway's nemesis in "The Devil Wears Prada," and somehow managed to steal our hearts in her meanest role ever. She has a knack for playing the slightly offbeat girl next door which, it turns out, that's kind of how she is in interviews. She doesn't take herself too seriously even though she's one of the most sought-after actresses today. Plus, everything just sounds cooler in a British accent. – LR

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16. Justin Timberlake

When someone you really respect does something awful, it's particularly crushing (De Niro in "Jack and Jill," anyone?). JT enjoys the flip side: After *NSYNC, anything he did would be cool by comparison. Then he wildly surpassed our low expectations with a shockingly legit solo music career, an unforeseen but genuine acting talent and recurring guest appearances on "Saturday Night Live" funnier than half the actual castmembers. Honestly, he had us at "Dick in a Box." – BT

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15. Lizzy Caplan

Not to sound like a bunch of hipsters, but we've loved Lizzy Caplan since before loving Lizzy Caplan was cool. We loved her in "Mean Girls," dressed as a Gothy nerd to obscure her natural hotness (though she couldn't hide it from us). Her picks are impeccable – watching her short-lived TV series "Party Down" awards automatic cool points, and her upcoming movie "3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom" shows great promise. – BT

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14. Samuel L. Jackson

Sure, he may churn out a couple dicey flicks a year, but couldn't the world use some more Samuel L. Jackson? This is The Man who made Ezekiel 25:17 holy word to even non-believers and catapulted a campy movie called "Snakes on a Plane" to web phenom status simply by incorporating a couple MF-bombs. Soundboards were invented to contain the fiery outbursts of SLJ. – KP

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13. Bill Murray

Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin – all iconic comedians who saw their heyday come and go. But Bill "Mutha F**kin'" Murray has NEVER gone out of style, achieving a type of staying power rare in any industry. It's fueled by his sublimely random and internet-legendary appearances at everything from private karaoke rooms in New York to college parties in Stockholm, but also his continually strong cinematic output (see: Best. Cameo. Ever.) and admirable resistance to a sequel no one needs, "Ghostbuters III." – KP

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12. Michael Fassbender

When you're willing to drop trou on screen, your cool factor automatically goes up, especially if you've got the goods to back it up like Fassbender in "Shame." His superhero turn as Magneto in "X-Men: First Class" and his appearance as a robot in "Prometheus" further set fanboy and girl heards aflutter. Lastly, his name is Fassbender – is there anything cooler than that? – LR

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11. Kristen Bell

We XOXO'd K.Bell on television first as sweetest teenage crime solver ever on "Veronica Mars" and currently as the voice of the mysterious "Gossip Girl," but we fell in love with her even more when she graduated to the big screen. Her explosion of emotion over her sloth birthday present from longtime fiancé Dax Shepard might be the cutest darn thing we've ever seen, and we'd probably act the same way if we actually got to hang out with Bell. – LR

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10. George Clooney

There's no actor who oozes classic Hollywood more than Clooney. He's suave, he's charming and he's the definition of handsome. Clooney has mastered TV and movies, won an Academy Award and is an acclaimed director. But, what's even more awesome, he's a huge philanthropist, co-founding the human rights advocacy organization Not on Our Watch and extensively advocating for the resolution of the Darfur conflict. If trying to make the world a better place isn't cool, we don't know what is. – LR

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9. Jon Hamm

"Mad Men"'s Don Draper is the coolest character on TV, but he would be nothing without Hamm's timeless charm. We mostly love him because he's a big goofball deep down inside, making us laugh in "Bridesmaids" and "Friends With Kids." In these movies, Hamm seems like he's just hanging out with his celebrity friends and they just happen to be making a movie, and we'd love to be invited to that party, too. – LR

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8. Helen Mirren

Most Hollywood actors' star power begins to fade once they hit their 40s, but Mirren just gets better with age. The veteran actress brings poise, grace and a sense of humor to every role. She gives women half her age a run for their money in a bikini. And, while she may be old enough to be your grandmother, we'd much rather hit the clubs with this "Queen" than sit home and knit. – LR

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7. Daniel Radcliffe

There's just something magical about this guy. Radcliffe is quietly re-writing the book on how to grow up in the spotlight by staying true to himself and managing not to take himself too seriously. Forget following "Harry Potter" with another big franchise – this guy opted for Broadway. Now, following a successful turn in "The Woman in Black," he's focusing on independent films and getting super-involved in charities (he earned a Hero Award from the Trevor Project in 2011). – BLH

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6. Anna Kendrick

She can sing – really well, actually. She more than held her own against Hollywood icon George Clooney in "Up in the Air." And, unless you're a Twi-Hard – or you're a Twi-Hard being brutally honest with yourself – you know the moments Kendrick spent onscreen were the best and brightest of the entire "Twilight Saga." We love the way she's stayed friendly and funny, despite her success … and, after seeing "Pitch Perfect," we really want to go to karaoke with her. – BT

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5. Ryan Gosling

Gosling played the ultimate babe magnet in "Crazy, Stupid, Love.," but the truth is, he wasn't acting. Once you've starred in arguably the most popular chick flick of all time, pretty much everything you do is going to be swoon-worthy. But not only does the Oscar-nominated star have the acting chops to back up his hotness, he's also got a few other talents, like saving damsels in distress, breaking up fights and busting a move. He's basically our hero. – LR

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4. Rashida Jones

It shouldn't be any surprise that the daughter of legendary musical producer Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton is talented; we've seen her draw laughs on TV's "Parks and Recreation" and movies like "I Love You, Man," flex her dramatic muscle in "The Social Network," and display her writing prowess with this summer's "Celeste and Jesse Forever." Apparently she's also a really good singer-songwriter. What's mildly surprising is discovering just how incredibly down-to-earth, friendly and just plain cool she is in real life, too. – KP

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3. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Part of JGL's cachet is rooted in his talent – as an actor and script-picker. We can count his mediocre choices on one hand, and they're far outweighed by the outstanding in his lengthy resume. From could-have-been-silly teen comedy "10 Things I Hate About You" to noir thriller "Brick" to Christopher Nolan's beautiful mindf**k "Inception," JGL's movies are almost as cool as JGL himself. Owning hitRECord, an open-collaborative production company for artists of all kinds, is icing on the cake. – BT

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2. Paul Rudd

Show us a dude who doesn't have a man-crush on Paul Rudd and we'll prove that dude probably doesn't have a soul. Characterized by his Midwestern amicability, everyman sensibilities and fully understated comedic style, Rudd can play the ultimate d-bag ("Wet Hot American Summer," "40-Year-Old Virgin") and you'd still want make him your boy. It's even better that we know he's more like his lovable "I Love You, Man" and "Our Idiot Brother" characters. – KP

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1. Emma Stone

What could be cooler than a gorgeous, talented and self-deprecating gal? There's something about the "Easy A" star that makes us crazy stupid love her, and we're not even sure we can put our finger on it. Perhaps it's the chill attitude she brings to every photo shoot (or even a paparazzi stalk — see also her charity promotions while walking around with BF Andrew Garfield), or maybe it's the sense that no matter how high atop the A-list this 23-year-old gets, she'll still be someone who can share a laugh over a beer with her high school friends … and Spider-Man, of course. – BLH

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It's been almost 30 years — which is roughly 100 by Hollywood standards — since the original "Ghostbusters" graced the silver screen (and 23 years since "Ghostbusters 2"), but the powers-that-be might finally be gearing up the re-boot.

After what seems like ages of endless chatter, the wheels seem to be in motion to bring everyone's favorite ghost-fighting parapsychology professors to a new generation.

The only catch? Bill Murray won't be in it. We're gonna give you a minute to take that in.

According to Dan Aykroyd, who probably knows what he's talking about, Murray definitely won't reprise his role as Peter Venkman when they start shooting "Ghostbusters 3," IndieWire reports. "No, I can tell you he won't be involved," Aykroyd stated. "It's sad, but we're passing it on to a new generation. 'Ghostbusters 3' can be a successful movie without Bill. My preference would be to have him involved, but at this point he doesn't seem to be coming and we have to move on. It's time to make the third one."

Well, we can't argue with you there.

Murray has been lukewarm on the idea of a third installment for ages, which is probably a large part of why it hasn't already been made — but still, fans were hoping he'd come around. His spoof of himself and the film in "Zombieland" alone was enough to get the younger gang on board with him jumping back in. (However, that may not have been Murray's intention with that scene).

Regardless of Murray's reasoning, Aykroyd attests the film is moving forward with a new writer, "Men in Black 3" scribe Etan Cohen, and will be in production next year. He's been saying "next year" for a few years, though, so we're not going to hold our breath just yet, so maybe there's still time for Murray to change his mind.

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We wish Bill Murray were our mentor.

The "Moonrise Kingdom" star is returning to "Rushmore" kind of territory as he signs on for the coming-of-age comedy, "St. Vincent De Van Nuys," according to Variety.

"St. Vincent" follows a 12-year-old boy who, upon his parents' divorce, strikes up an unlikely friendship with his next-door neighbor: an embittered war veteran whose life consists mostly of gambling, drinking and prostitutes. Hopefully, the two men won't be falling in love with the same schoolteacher (though we expect there will be other whimsical complications).

Murray can be seen in this summer's sleeper hit, "Moonrise Kingdom," and is currently preparing for award season as his much-buzzed turn as Franklin D. Roosevelt in "Hype Park on Hudson" will be unveiled at the Toronto Film Festival in September. He also recently wrapped Roman Coppola's period comedy, "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III," co-starring frequent collaborator Jason Schwartzman and Charlie Sheen.

There's also the ever-present threat of "Ghostbusters III," which will hopefully never become more than just behind-the-scenes showbiz drama. Really, we don't see how the actual movie could ever be more entertaining than the seemingly endless reports from the long, hard road toward trying to make it actually happen.

No start date has been announced for "St. Vincent De Van Nuys," though we expect things will start gearing up once Murray's young mentoree is cast. Meanwhile, "Hyde Park on Hudson" will hit U.S. theaters on Dec. 7.

Warner Bros.

This week: After the blockbuster success of the first film, it was elementary that Robert Downey Jr. would return as the world's greatest sleuth and master of disguise in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," costarring Jude Law, Noomi Rapace and Jared Evans.

Also new this week is Nicolas Cage's return as Johnny Blaze in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," Thandie Newton in "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds," the harrowing World War II foreign drama "In Darkness," and the Blu-ray debut of "Meatballs" with Bill Murray.

'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'

Warner Home Video

Box Office: $187 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 61% Fresh
Storyline: Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) meets his intellectual match in Professor Moriarty (Jared Evans), the evil mastermind behind a plot to start a World War for his own benefit. In an attempt to outmaneuver his formidable foe, Holmes steals Dr. Watson (Jude Law) away from his honeymoon, also enlisting the help of a gypsy fortune teller (Noomi Rapace).
Extras! The interactive picture-in-picture Maximum Movie Mode on the Blu-ray is hosted by Downey Jr., who walks you through the film's focus points.
We Say: Downey Jr. and Evans bring the brains as perfectly matched adversaries, while director Guy Ritchie's highly stylized action sequences will engage viewers still game for seeing the famous detective updated as an action hero.

'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance'

Sony

Box Office: $52 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 18% Rotten
Storyline: Nicolas Cage reprises his role as Johnny Blaze, who, struggling with his curse of being the devil's bounty hunter, has the opportunity to save a young boy and thereby free himself from the Rider forever.
Extras! Exclusive to the Blu-ray is a 90-minute "making of" feature, broken into six parts, that covers all aspects of the production.
We Say: Although described as a reboot, this semi-sequel is grittier and darker in tone than the first "Ghost Rider." It features another wonderfully loony performance by Cage, such as when he resists changing into the Rider in much the same way Dr. Banner resisted transforming into the Hulk. The herky-jerky camerawork by the guys who directed "Crank" can be jarring, but the flaming finale sizzles -- especially on the Blu-ray 3-D edition.

'Tyler Perry's Good Deeds'

Lionsgate

Box Office: $35 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 32% Rotten
Storyline: Tyler Perry plays a corporate boss who has always done what is expected of him, including proposing to his restless girlfriend (Gabrielle Union) and tolerating his brother's unprofessional antics in the office. It is there that Perry has a chance encounter with a down-on-her-luck single mother (Thandie Newton), working as a cleaning woman, who sparks something life-changing in him.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain two featurettes that explore the central themes of the film, including how important it is to understand those in different social circles.
We Say: There are good intentions at the heart of "Good Deeds," but the tidy way this woman-in-trouble rescue fantasy plays out is just too implausible, even for fans of this kind of Lifetime-caliber melodrama.

'In Darkness'

Sony

Box Office: $1 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Fresh
Storyline: Based on a true events, this Oscar-nominated Polish drama tells the story of Leopold Socha, a sewer worker in Nazi-occupied Lwów who used his knowledge of the city's sewer system to hide Jews during the Holocaust.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain a meaningful meeting between director Agnieszka Holland and Holocaust survivor Krystyna Chiger.
We Say: Equal parts horrifying and moving, this arduous art-house drama is a testament to man's drive to survive even in the most hopeless situations.

'Meatballs' Blu-ray

Lionsgate

Box Office: $43 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% Fresh
Storyline: Bill Murray made his feature-film debut as Tripper, the wisecracking, rule-breaking head counselor of the cut-rate Camp North Star, in this 1979 Ivan Reitman-directed comedy classic. It's Murray's show as Tripper plays pranks, flirts shamelessly with female counselors and schemes against the wealthy brats of Camp Mohawk.
Extras! This Blu-ray debut features all-new commentary by Reitman and co-writer/producer Dan Goldberg.
We Say: Although the franchise name has been tarnished by three sequels that had nothing to do with Reitman or Murray, this original PG-rated romp still offers fun in the sun that looks more vibrant than ever in high definition.

Also New This Week:

"Too Big to Fail"
"A Little Bit of Heaven"
"Harold and Maude" Blu-ray
"Thin Ice"
"Don't Go in the Woods"

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Wes Anderson's latest movie, "Moonrise Kingdom," stars Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as two pen pals who run away together from their New England town in 1965. A local search party led by the sheriff (Bruce Willis) and the girl's parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) fans out to find the young couple in this quirky slice-of-life drama that debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and has received almost universal praise.

Little is known about 13-year-old Gilman except that he was born and raised in New Jersey and was 12 when he filmed the part of Sam Shakusky in "Moonrise Kingdom." When we sat down with this up-and-coming actor, we discovered a young man with a maturity beyond his years and a genuine respect for the moviemaking process. Read on to find out how he got to know his "Moonrise Kingdom" leading lady and how Bill Murray helped him overcome his fear of ties.

Did you and Kara Hayward have a chance to hang out and get to know each other before you played two children who skip town in "Moonrise Kingdom"?
Before filming, we would go to Rhode Island and do rehearsals. In those times, we would hang out and talk to each other. The first half of the first month was dedicated to the scenes in the woods that are just Kara and I, so we hung out then. Before filming, Wes had us write letters to each other like the "Dear Sam" and "Dear Suzy" ones in the movie except we completed them. We e-mailed them at first, but Wes realized it would be better to do them snail mail to get into our characters and that 1960s vibe.

Did you know much about director Wes Anderson or had you seen his films before shooting "Moonrise Kingdom"?
I had seen "Fantastic Mr. Fox," but now I have seen all of them.

Focus Features

Was "Moonrise Kingdom" your first professional acting gig?
Yes, "Moonrise Kingdom" was my first gig. I had a manager and I was going out on auditions, and in September 2010 I went in for my first audition. Then, six months later in March 2011 after three callbacks, my mom was picking me up from school -- which she never does -- and my dad told me over Bluetooth that I got the part.

What is something that happened on the set that you will never forget?
Bill Murray taught me how to tie a tie. That's going to stay with me forever. I was in costume fitting, and I didn't know how to tie a tie. The first time I ever saw a tie at home, I screamed "No tie! No tie!" and ran around the house. No women in the fitting room knew how to tie a tie either, but Bill happened to be in the room next to us. He said, "Jared, come on over. I'll teach you."

Did any of the '60s music Wes used in "Moonrise Kingdom" end up on your iPod? What music are you listening to?
I liked the Françoise Hardy song ["Le Temps de l'Amour"]. That was a really catchy one. It's all very nice and relaxing. Otherwise, I like rock, indie rock, electro and dubstep. So you'll find a lot of the Black Keys, White Stripes and Skrillex on my iPod.

Also Check Out: The Ultimate Wes Anderson Playlist

What's up next for you?
I'm still auditioning, but hopefully the next movie will be just as good as "Moonrise Kingdom."

What is your dream role?
I like a lot of action movies and comedies. But I like anything with good stories and strong characters.

Mac or PC?
Mac.

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New York or Los Angeles?
New York.

"Harry Potter," "Twilight" or "The Hunger Games"?
"Harry Potter."

Rock or rap?
Rock.

Twitter or Facebook?
Eww. I don't really use a lot of social networks.

Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake?
[pause] Timberlake, I guess?

Vampires, zombies or werewolves?
Zombies.

Lady Gaga or Madonna?
Madonna.

Apples or oranges?
Apples.

UFC or WWE?
UFC, I guess.

Do you have a favorite movie of all time?
I don't know if I have a favorite. I've seen a lot of movies that were so different in some way. A movie that I saw recently that I would put in my top 10 would have to be Sam Rockwell in "Moon." Sam Rockwell is great in that movie -- he was the only actor in the movie, really. A lot of the special effects were really convincing, considering the budget that it had.

If you didn't grow up to be a full-time actor, what do you see yourself doing?
There was a time when I was little when I really wanted to be a golfer.

Focus Features

Directors who plug their favorite songs into films is nothing new, but Wes Anderson is one of the few -- along with Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Cameron Crowe -- who have turned the movie soundtrack into an art form.

From the underappreciated Rolling Stones song "2000 Man" in Anderson's debut feature "Bottle Rocket" to a Brazilian acoustic guitarist playing David Bowie tunes in the oceanography adventure movie "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," Anderson's musical choices for his films are as patiently awaited by his fans as the films themselves.

Though the tweed-stylin' director has stated that his new movie, "Moonrise Kingdom" (which opens May 25), "has a big musical element, but there are not really songs in it," his previous films are a master class in how to use songs in movies. Here are 11 of our favorites.

'2000 Man,' The Rolling Stones ('Bottle Rocket,' 1996)

After being dazzled by Anderson and frequent writing partner Owen Wilson’s witty banter for close to 90 minutes, we come to "Bottle Rocket"'s conclusion, in which the heist that Dignan (Wilson) has been planning the whole movie goes awry. At the height of the chaos, The Rolling Stones' "2000 Man" comes on, solidifying our hunch that Anderson may be one of the next greats.

But don’t take our word for it. Here's what Martin Scorsese thought about the song choice in an appreciation he wrote for the film's Criterion Collection release: "I also love the scene in 'Bottle Rocket' when Owen Wilson"s character, Dignan, says, 'They'll never catch me, man, 'cause I’m f**kin' innocent.' Then he runs off to save one of his partners in crime and gets captured by the police, over "2000 Man" by the Rolling Stones. He -- and the music -- are proclaiming who he really is: he's not innocent in the eyes of the law, but he's truly an innocent. For me, it's a transcendent moment. And transcendent moments are in short supply these days."

'Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl,' The Kinks ('Rushmore,' 1998)

One of Anderson's faves is the '60s English rock band The Kinks. In fact, he originally was going to have the "Rushmore" soundtrack be made up entirely of songs from the band. But when it was all said and done, only one of their songs stayed in. And it's a good one. To give a quick back story on Bill Murray's character, bored millionaire Herman Blume, Anderson entered this track with a brief montage of shots demonstrating that Blume's marriage is collapsing. And in typical Murray fashion, the actor does the rest.

'A Quick One, While He's Away,' The Who ('Rushmore')

What better to play when showing a bit of payback but the band who told us "we won't get fooled again"? Anderson picks The Who's epic progressive-rock song "A Quick One, While He's Away." The song is over nine minutes (!) long, but Anderson only needs three minutes of it. Though the song actually revolves around a girl who asks for forgiveness after cheating on her boyfriend, it works perfectly here to display the lengths Max (Jason Schwartzman) takes to show Blume (Murray) he's not happy with him going after his crush, Ms. Cross (Olivia Williams).

'Needle in the Hay,' Elliott Smith ('The Royal Tenenbaums,' 2001)

Though it's responsible for one of Anderson's most moving sequences put to music, Elliott Smith's somber ballad wasn't Anderson's original choice for the film. He wanted Smith to do a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude," but his depressive state -- Smith would die of stab wounds two years after "Tenenbaums" was released -- made him unable to record it, leading Anderson to use "Needle in the Hay" from Smith's self-titled second album. (For "Hey Jude," Anderson used The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's rendition.) Smith's dark acoustic sound worked perfectly for Richie's (Luke Wilson) suicide attempt.

'These Days,' Nico ('The Royal Tenenbaums')

Gwyneth Paltrow's smoky-eyed, chain-smoking loner Margot in "The Royal Tenenbaums" has a memorable entrance, with Anderson using '60s Warhol superstar and Velvet Underground collaborator Nico's "These Days" to set the stage. The song was written by a very young Jackson Browne and has had two other versions recorded (by Gregg Allman and Browne himself). Browne would later say of the song in the film, "I forgot that I'd licensed them to use this ... You're sitting in the movie theater and there's this great moment when Gwyneth Paltrow is coming out of a bus or something like that. I'm thinking to myself, I used to play the guitar just like that. And then the voice comes on and it's Nico singing 'These Days.'"

'Life on Mars,' David Bowie cover by Seu Jorge ('The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,' 2004)

Perhaps Anderson's most ambitious project to date, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" may not have brought in the box office numbers the studio had hoped for -- but its soundtrack, predominantly of Brazilian samba singer Seu Jorge (you may remember him as "Knockout Ned" in "City of God") singing Portuguese covers of David Bowie's and other musicians' songs, stands out. Bowie has said about the covers, "Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs in Portuguese I would never have heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with."

Here’s a use of Bowie in the film, followed by Jorge's rendition.

'Search and Destroy,' Iggy and the Stooges ('The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou')

Anderson had to come up with the right song to plug in when Steve Zissou, his boat overrun by pirates, finally finds his moment to take the ship back. As always he makes the right choice, inserting Iggy and the Stooges' "Search and Destroy." With its hard punk sound and Murray's gunplay, the scene is a mixture of adrenaline and hijinks.

'This Time Tomorrow,' The Kinks ('The Darjeeling Limited,' 2007)

Though the "Darjeeling Limited" soundtrack consists mostly of music from films by Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray, Anderson did slip in a Kinks song to open the film. As Peter (Adrien Brody) races for a train, we hear "This Time Tomorrow" playing in the background. This marks the beginning of his trip across India, and inside the train are his two brothers (played by Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson), whom he hasn't seen since their father's funeral. And yes, that is Bill Murray playing the businessman who didn't make the train.

'Where Do You Go to (My Lovely)?' Peter Sarstedt ('Hotel Chevalier,' 2007)

A prologue of sorts to "Darjeeling," this 13-minute short takes a glimpse at the relationship Jason Schwartzman's character Jack has with his ex-girlfriend (played by Natalie Portman) before he heads off to India with his brothers. Playing as the couple meets up in a Paris hotel room, Indian singer-songwriter Peter Sarstedt's waltzy tune sets the mood for this awkward yet steamy rendezvous.

'Let Her Dance,' The Bobby Fuller Four ('Fantastic Mr. Fox,' 2009)

The soundtrack for Anderson's most recent film, the stop-motion "Fantastic Mr. Fox," plays lighthearted tracks from the likes of The Beach Boys against the youthful source material. But there's one song Anderson's longtime music supervisor Randall Poster had been waiting for the right film to include. "I have a safe where I keep songs," he told the Playlist. "The Bobby Fuller song at the end of 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' ('Let Her Dance'), Wes and I had that hidden away for ten years. That was something we knew we were eventually going to use."

Focus Features

Wes Anderson's latest eccentric opus "Moonrise Kingdom" has just opened to rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival and will hit U.S. this weekend, and, despite a cast roster including Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Frances McDormand, there's one thesp who's guaranteed to bring the funny: Bill Murray.

Anderson's muse since the heady days of "Rushmore," Murray is such deadpan force of nature that you could probably follow him around with a camera while he's drinking and strike comedy gold, which is exactly what happens in a new "Moonrise" promo video.

Filled with good humor and Sailor Jerry spiced rum, Murray leads us on a tour of the Rhode Island sets where he discusses the film in the broadest terms possible, possibly poking fun at often stilted studio-produced EPKs.

He also mentions that he has yet to see the only Anderson movie that doesn't feature him, 1996's brilliant debut "Bottle Rocket." C'mon, Bill, Netflix it already!

Focus Features

The first trailer for the upcoming period piece "Hyde Park on Hudson" is here and that means just one thing: We finally get to see Bill Murray as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

What else do you need to know?

Probably nothing, right? After all, the idea of Bill Murray playing one of our nation's most iconic figures is too juicy to pass up. But just in case you're still trying to wrap your head around just what the heck is going on, here's a quick rundown: Based on true events (and the play of the same name by Richard Nelson), "Hyde Park on Hudson" tells the tale of a semi-informal visit made by King George VI of England (you know, the one from "The King's Speech") to America in the days leading up to World War II.

It also co-stars Laura Linney as a distant cousin to FDR who may or may not also be his secret lover. Bill Murray, FDR and illicit affairs? How can you not check out this new trailer from Yahoo! Movies?

Paramount

Sacha Baron Cohen brings his trademark ridicu-shock humor to his new film "The Dictator," but it may be his beard that steals the show.

He plays Admiral General Aladeen, deposed dictator of the (fictional) Republic of Wadiya, who flees to the U.S. when his country converts to democracy. As a dictator, he's used to ruling with an iron fist, an incorrigible sense of righteous cruelty, and a thick, bushy beard that could house several terrified baby sparrows.

Aladeen may feel like a fish out of water in New York City, but he'd feel right at home among Hollywood's most magnificent beards of all time. Here's our ode to the  greatest facial hair in movies, in 15 parts.

Zach Galifianakis, 'The Hangover' (2009)

Could there be a Zach Galifianakis without a beard? The offbeat comic's schtick entails a decided lack of shaving, a quality that came in handy when he played sad-sack brother-of-the-bride to Justin Bartha's doomed groom. In real life and fiction, Galifianakis is rockin' the "Full-on Grizzly Adams."

Warner Bros.

Tom Hanks, 'Cast Away' (2000)

Playing a plane-crash survivor stuck on a proverbial desert island for years on end, Hanks goes through an impressively real physical transformation (from doughy, clean-shaven executive to the owner of a sinewy bod and the best "Beachy Beard" ever seen).

Everett Collection

Jeff Bridges, 'The Big Lebowski' (1998)

In one of the most beloved performances of all time, as Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, Bridges nails shiftless-aging-hippie-loser perfectly, and his unkempt, White Russian–soaked whiskers are the ultimate signifier of a man whose life is on autopilot; this is the ultimate "I-Don't-Give-a-S**t Beard."

Everett Collection

Chia Hui Liu, 'Kill Bill: Vol. 2' (2004)

This ancient Kung Fu master, who trained the titular "Bill" and his band of assassins, sports one of cinema's classic white, wispy "Fu Manchu Beards," one that only grows in after double-digits of accruing Zen wisdom.

Everett Collection

Al Pacino, 'Serpico' (1973)

In this movie based on a true story, we get a veritable Pacino facial-hair variety-pak, as he goes from clean-shaven police-academy grad to Village Person -- mustachioed beat cop to full-on, Christ-style beard-sporter. His lack of shaving correlates to the development of his character: He evolves from a wide-eyed newbie civil servant to, as the film's original tagline read, "The most dangerous man alive—an honest cop."

Everett Collection

Bill Murray, 'The Life Aquatic' (2004)

As Steve Zissou, his thinly veiled portrayal of French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, Murray rocks the "Kempt, European Gentleman Beard." We sign up for Team Zissou.

Buena Vista

Robin Williams, 'Good Will Hunting' (1997)

Miramax

Johnny Depp, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' (2003-2007)

As everyone knows, Depp has based his enduring character Captain Jack Sparrow on the sinewy, death-proof rock star Keith Richards; his natty, tangled crumb-catcher, adorned with various bits of shells, purloined coins, and more than a little sea salt, is the ultimate "Pirate Booty Beard."

Disney

Ian McKellan, 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy (2001-2003)

In this beloved fantasy series, McKellan plays a wisdom-spouting elder and a truly spectacular snow-white facial-hair confection that could be called "The Head-Shop Carved-Wizard-Bong Beard."

New Line Cinema

Samuel L. Jackson, 'Jackie Brown' (1997)

Playing Ordelle Robbie, another classic suave, jive-talking Tarantino bad guy (this time he's an arms dealer), Jackson sports one of the nastiest facial-hair-based signatures ever committed to film: a tiny, single-braid, bead-embellished clot of hair hanging from under his chin; a little thing we like to call "The Uni-dread."

Everett Collection

Gerard Butler, '300' (2006)

Complementing his closely cropped, luxuriantly oiled Ceasar cut to play King Leonidas, Butler's short, chiseled-cheekbones-highlighting whiskers are the ultimate "Grecian Chic Beard," 480 B.C.–style.

Warner Bros.

Mike Myers, 'The Love Guru' (2008)

More like a full head of bouncin' and behavin' hair sprouting from the bottom of his face than whiskers, you can almost smell his "Sandalwood Sage Beard" from the screen.

Paramount

Kurt Russell, 'The Thing' (1982)

Russell plays R.J. MacReady, the leader of a team of scientists at an Antarctic base infested, naturally, with invading alien spirits. He sports sexy face fur that evokes "Hotel California"–era Eagles. When he goes outside the compound, his beard gets all hoary with frost -- that's how you can tell it's really cold out there.

Everett Collection

Salma Hayek, 'Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant' (2009)

This first film based on the "Cirque du Freak" series of British young-adult novels stars Hayek as Madame Truska, a creature who can grow and retract a scissor-proof beard at will. When she chooses facial fur, it's copious and unstyled, thus best described as "The Part-time Phish Fan."

Universal

Originally published on September 8, 2010.

Paramount

Comedic stars come and go. Some prove a flash in the pan, while others ride a good streak before their schtick eventually fizzles out. Only a select few reach legendary status in Hollywood.

In celebration of tonight's airing of the 2012 Comedy Awards on Comedy Central, our mate Old Red Jalopy designed these five faux comic book covers illustrating how we view five of these such icons: as heroes.

Originally published April 7, 2011.

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FOX

It took a lot of begging and pleading from both producers and the public, but for whatever reason Johnny Depp saw it in his heart to return in one knockout scene in the new film version of "21 Jump Street," based on the hit Fox TV show that made him a star.

To put him in the ranks of some of the greatest movie cameos ever, we're counting down 35 surprise appearances in movies that pleased and shocked us -- and left us wanting more.

35. Jim Parsons, 'The Muppets' (2011)

Walter (Peter Linz) has to decide if he's "Man or Muppet," but during this solemn ballad he sees his human form in the mirror courtesy of the "Big Bang Theory" star. Although it was tunesmith Bret McKenzie who wrote the song, we think that a small chunk of that Academy Award for Best Song should go to Parsons for embodying the most Muppet-y man in the world. Watch it here.

34. Matt Damon, 'EuroTrip' (2004)

High schooler Scott "Scotty" Thomas (Scott Mechlowicz) doesn't realize his girlfriend Fiona (Kristin Kreuk) has been having an affair with the lead singer of a college band ... until he sees the skinhead Romeo at a grad party singing at length about the affair. Matt Damon goes hardcore with the monster ballad "Scotty Doesn't Know" by the band Lustra, which actually peaked at #75 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

33. Mark Hamill, 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' (2001)

After all the "Star Wars" references scattered throughout the View Askew universe, Kevin Smith finally landed Luke Skywalker himself as a super-villain named Cock-Knocker. The doobie duo of the title dabbles in a lightsaber duel … or is that a bongsaber? The force will be with this cameo, always. Watch it here.

32. Madonna, 'Die Another Day' (2002)

Besides providing a supremely sexy music video and title track to Pierce Brosnan's swan song as James Bond, the Material Girl took up a sword as 007's fencing instructor in a scene pulsing with double entendre. "I see you handle your weapon well," she says. "I have been known to keep my tip up," quips Brosnon. Watch it here.

Paramount

31. Leonard Nimoy, 'Star Trek' (2009)

The greatest Vulcan of them all passes the torch on to the young usurper Zachary Quinto in the most satisfying way possible for Trekkies ("Thrusters on full"), and makes a dignified exit from the franchise in the process, assuring the shiny new Spock will live long and prosper. Watch it here.

30. Bob Saget, 'Half Baked' (1998)

"I used to suck d**k for coke," says Bob Saget during a rehab scene in Dave Chappelle's stoner comedy, pretty much steamrolling over memories of the family-friendly Saget of "Full House" and "America's Funniest Home Videos." Those who've seen his stand-up since then know that this was just the tip of the raunchy iceberg. Watch it here.

29. Claudia Schiffer, 'Love Actually' (2003)

The German supermodel is the object of widowed Daniel's (Liam Neeson) fantasy, but his dreamgirl becomes a reality when he meets a woman who is the spitting image of her, played by … Claudia Schiffer. She also made a memorable appearance posing suggestively on a billboard in hubby director Matthew Vaughn's film "Kick-Ass."

28. Alice Cooper, 'Wayne's World' (1991)

We're not worthy to bask in the presence of a certified rock god, and neither are Wayne and Garth when they feed Cooper's Frankenstein (i.e., ego) by kissing the man's hand after a kick-ass show. Cooper has also made memorable cameos in "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" and "John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness." Watch it here.

New Line

27. Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito, 'Austin Powers in Goldmember' (2002)

All the "Powers" movies are chock-a-block with surprise guests, but Mike Myers & Co. really went for broke parodying their own creation with the fake movie-within-a-movie "Austinpussy," featuring Cruise as Powers along with Spacey as Dr. Evil, DeVito as a surly Mini Me, and Paltrow as Dixie Normous. The icing on the cake is Steven Spielberg as the director of this meta extravaganza. Watch it here.

26. Lance Armstrong, 'Dodgeball' (2004)

During a crucial defeatist moment for Vince Vaughn's dodgeball coach, seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Armstrong comes out of the blue to give a much needed inspirational speech. Watch it here.

25. Pamela Anderson, 'Borat' (2006)

The blonde bombshell becomes the guiding light during Sacha Baron Cohen's eventful trip to America, but once he encounters her in real life at a book signing, the former "Baywatch" babe has to run for her life. It's a segment so well played by both of them that many audiences questioned whether or not it was staged.

24. Charlie Sheen, 'Being John Malkovich' (1999)

You know John Malkovich is in deep trouble when he's turning to Charlie Sheen for psychological/spiritual guidance, but that's exactly how it goes down in Spike Jonze's loopy take on fame and extreme voyeurism. A glimpse at a bald, elderly Sheen in a tacky Hawaiian shirt at the end lets us know that there's at least hope that Sheen will keep on "winning" well into his twilight years.

23. Gene Hackman, 'Young Frankenstein' (1974)

Hackman plays Harold, the poor blind old man who asks God for a friend and gets a monster instead in Mel Brooks' classic parody of the Boris Karloff "Frankenstein" pictures. After burning the beast's crotch with soup and other humiliating things, Frankenstein's monster flees out the door with Hackman pleading, "Wait! Where are you going? I was gonna make espresso."

New Line

22. Will Ferrell, 'Wedding Crashers' (2005)

Any movie with more than four weddings needs at least one funeral, and that's where an uncredited Ferrell as Chaz Reinhold comes in. Owen Wilson may be good at taking advantage of euphoric women post-nuptials, but Ferrell is there to comfort the bereaved in true smooth operator fashion. Of course, it turns out he's an ultra-pathetic dude who lives with his mom and watches cartoons all day when not bagging hearse honeys. Watch it here.

21. Bruce Campbell, all three 'Spider-Man' movies (2002-2007)

Campbell served director and childhood pal Sam Raimi well in three "Evil Dead" flicks, so it became a terrific running gag that the Big Chinned One would play a random role in all three blockbuster Spidey flicks. Bruce cropped up as a Wrestling Ring Announcer, a Snooty Usher, and a Maître d’, weaving a web of laughter. Watch it here.

20. Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson in 'Anchorman' (2004)

This is the closest we'll ever get to an "Old School" sequel, with Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson together again for a Ron Burgundy brawl. All the rival San Diego news teams flock to a back alley and begin tearing each other to shreds, including a Spanish-language news team led by a mustachioed Ben Stiller, and the public news team headed by a pipe-smoking Tim Robbins. Channel 4 keeps its head on a swivel, and that's what you gotta do when you find yourself in a vicious cock fight.

19. Cate Blanchett, 'Hot Fuzz' (2007)

It took the brilliant minds behind "Shaun of the Dead" to get one of the most famously beautiful movie stars in the world and then hide her behind goggles and a safety mask. Blanchett plays Janine, the ex-girlfriend of tightly wound police Sgt. Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg), and their short quibble in the middle of a violent crime scene is extra-subversive once you're aware of the uncredited actress.

18. Christopher Walken, 'True Romance' (1993)

Yes, his cameo with "the watch" in "Pulp Fiction" was memorable, but Walken's other sojourn into Tarantino-ville in "True Romance" is downright electric. He's aided by another infamous screen legend, Dennis Hopper, who shares an insulting anecdote about the origin of Sicilians and winds up giving Vincenzo Coccotti (Walken) a piece of his mind ... splattered all over the wall. "I haven't killed anybody ... [*BANG*] since 1984." Watch it here.

Paramount

17. Sylvester Stallone, 'Staying Alive' (1983)

It's a neat bit of "now you see me, now you don't" cameo magic when John Travolta's strutting dancer Tony Manero bumps into Stallone on the street, and they lock eyes for a split second. This is the only flick Sly directed but did not star in, so he had to insert himself in there somehow.

16. Bruce Springsteen, 'High Fidelity' (2000)

In one of the greatest fantasy cameos since Woody Allen brought Marshall McLuhan into the movie line in "Annie Hall," John Cusack's music nerd Rob Gordon imagines The Boss giving him love advice while casually strumming a guitar. "That's what you're lookin' for. Getting' ready to start again, it'll be good for you. Give that big final good luck and goodbye to your all-time Top Five." Watch it here.

15. Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts, 'The Player' (1992)

After screenwriters pitch an Oscar-caliber movie entitled "Habeas Corpus" to slick 'n' sleazy studio exec Griffin Mill, insisting it not be toned down with a softball Hollywood happy ending, we cut to one year later -- and that's exactly what happens. Willis saves Roberts from the gas chamber at the last minute, and love conquers all!

14. Samuel L. Jackson, 'Iron Man' (2008)

Though the original Marvel comics iteration of S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury was a white dude with salt and pepper hair, the Ultimate universe reinvented Fury as a bald African American chap whose appearance was based on Sam "The Man" Jackson. It seemed only appropriate that Jackson dropped in for a stinger at the end of "Iron Man," the first of several linking crossovers leading to this summer's "Avengers." Watch it here.

13. Eminem, 'Funny People' (2009)

The real Slim Shady sits down with stand-up comic George Simmons (Adam Sandler) after the sad sack comedian beats a deathly illness, and gives him the 411 on why he'd have been better off dead. The peak moment arrives when Mr. Mathers spies Ray Romano staring at him and threatens, "I don't give a f**k what show he's on. I'll f**k this mother***ker up, man!"

12. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 'Airplane!' (1980)

The star basketballer took his patented sky hook to flying the friendly skies masquerading as airline pilot "Roger Murdock," although little Joey (Ross Harris) figures out the ruse pretty quickly. When Joey brings up his father's insults, Kareem grabs the boy by his shirt and yells, "I'm out there busting my buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes." Watch it here.

Universal

11. Huey Lewis, 'Back to the Future' (1985)

Huey Lewis and the News felt "The Power of Love" for this time-traveling classic, but did you know that's Huey lookin' all dweeby at the beginning as the uptight administrator with a megaphone? He's so wound up, he thinks Marty McFly's band is just "too darn loud" to play the high school dance. That's some sad news, Huey.

10. Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn, 'X-Men: First Class' (2011)

Jennifer Lawrence inherited her near-naked take on blue sex goddess Mystique from Rebecca Romijn in this prequel, but since her mutant powers involve shape-shifting, she proves to Magneto she can look any way she wants for him. The movie also earns its single F-bomb with Jackman, as Wolvie, being approached in a bar only to mutter, "Go f**k yourself." Watch it here.

9. Billy Idol, 'The Wedding Singer' (1998)

In a freak circumstance, Adam Sandler's character winds up on a plane with the "White Wedding" singer, who helps him win the heart of Drew Barrymore and vanquish her d-bag boyfriend in the process. Nice! Watch it here.

8. Keith Richards, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' 3 and 4 (2007-2011)

Since Johnny Depp modeled the memorable mannerisms of his Captain Jack Sparrow on Richards, why not have this stone roll in for a day or two in full pirate drag as Sparrow's drunken papa? So far, his appearances in the last few "Caribbean" adventures have been true highlights. Watch them here.

7. Bob Barker, 'Happy Gilmore' (1996)

When unstable ex-hockey player turned golf pro Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) is teamed up with Barker during a celebrity tournament, he winds up falling to pieces in the face of some obnoxious heckling, which leads to an extended fistfight between Gilmore and the game show host. "The price is WRONG, bitch." Watch it here.

20th Century Fox

6. Brett Favre, 'There's Something About Mary' (1998)

After Ben Stiller's irresistible love interest Cameron Diaz nearly marries the former Green Bay Packer, he decides she's better off with Favre, but a last-second switch-up has Diaz dumping the hero for the zero (that being Stiller).

5. Stan Lee in every Marvel movie, 'Mallrats' (1995)

That's right, true believers, the cocreator of Marvel's mightiest heroes, from "Spider-Man" to "Iron Man," is always "The Man," a good luck charm in each of the comic book adaptations. Think of ol' Stan as the "Where's Waldo" of superheroics. He also inspired Jason Lee during longtime comic book aficionado Kevin Smith's sophomore effort "Mallrats." Excelsior! Watch him here.

4. Tom Cruise, 'Tropic Thunder' (2008)

After his couch-jumping and Scientological antics led to public embarrassment and a tarnished image, Tom Terrific needed a comedy pronto to prove he didn't take himself so seriously. Enter Ben Stiller, who cast Cruise as Les Grossman, a hyperbolic, foul-mouthed chimney of expletives who may or may not have been modeled on real-life producer Scott Rudin. Thanks to some hairy arms and bald noggin courtesy of makeup man Rick Baker, Cruise screamed and danced his way back into the public's good graces.

3. Neil Patrick Harris, all three 'Harold and Kumar' movies (2004-2011)

This is where the road has taken him. Harris started off as Doogie Howser, but wound up a poon hound of epic proportions, popping pills and branding whores all across the country. Not magic mushrooms, getting shot in the back, or even Jesus can stop NPH from being the untameable party animal he is. Watch it here.

2. Mike Tyson, 'The Hangover' (2009)

Iron Mike punched his way back into pop culture relevancy when he punched out Zach Galifianakis faster than you could say "Nintendo." Tyson's few brief scenes became a cornerstone of the marketing campaign for the brotastic comedy smash, and earned him a prominent place in the sequel and any more "Hangover" movies to come. Watch it here.

1. Bill Murray, 'Zombieland' (2009)

Murray is in our estimation the greatest living actor, comedic or otherwise, so it's no duh that he takes the top spot for his movie-stealing appearance as himself, living la vida postapocalyptic in a zombiefied Hollywood. Reuniting with his old bowling buddy Woody Harrelson ("Kingpin") was cool, strapping on the ghostbustin' proton pack was better, but badmouthing his appearance in the woeful "Garfield" movies? Priceless.

Sony

It's been almost a quarter-century since "Ghostbusters 2" reminded us all who to call in case a gooey marshmallow man took over the streets of New York City, and for half of that time, funnyman Dan Aykroyd has been trying to get the overall-clad gang back together.

The major hold-out for "Ghostbusters III," Aykroyd has now confirmed, is Bill Murray.

Aykroyd reportedly penned a draft for "G3" in 1999 and later oversaw a re-write which was met with positive response by the studio and most of the cast, except for Bill Murray.

Speaking to the U.K.'s Telegraph, Aykroyd denied a rumor that the script was sent back to him in shreds with a note from Murray which read, "No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghost," but he did confirm that Murray is an absolute "No" for a third installment.

"At this point it's in suspended animation," he explained. "The studio, the director Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis feel there must be a way to do it, but Bill Murray will not do the movie. He doesn't want to be involved. He's got six kids, houses all over America. He golfs in these tournaments where they pay him to turn up and have a laugh. He's into this life and living it. I know we'd have a lot of fun [but] I can't be mad at him. He's a friend first, a colleague second."

While Aykroyd says there's "still interest from the studio," despite Murray's intent to keep Dr. Venkman a ghost of his past, Aykroyd doesn't want "to do a movie that exploits the franchise." For him, he says, "The script has to be perfect. I'm the cheerleader [for the movie being made], but I'm only one voice in the matter."

To quote Dr. Venkman, "What do you think, Egon?" Would you see a "Ghostbusters 3" sans Bill Murray? Why or why not? Sound off in the comments!

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To paraphrase one of our favorite movies, "If somebody asks if you're making 'Ghostbusters 3' you say 'YES'!"

That seems to be Dan Aykroyd's strategy to will the threequel into being, as in the spare moment when he wasn't pimping Crystal Head Vodka that he talked to Empire about it.

He confirmed that bringing Bill Murray back might be a lost cause, but denied the rumor that the beloved actor sent Aykroyd's script back shredded with the note "No-one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts."

"Bill Murray is not capable of such behavior," said Aykroyd. "This is simply something that would not be in his nature."

"We have a deep, private personal relationship that transcends business. We communicate frequently and his position on the involvement in 'Ghostbusters 3' has been made clear and I respect that. But Bill has too much positive estimation of my writing skills to shred the work."

Aykroyd insists he's still trying to get the script perfect and even wants to bring Rick Moranis out of retirement for the occasion, but then hinted that they may bring Murray's iconic Peter Venkman back with another actor. Whaaaa?

Who could possibly fill Venkman's sardonic, deadpan shoes? Vince Vaughn? Ben Stiller? How about his brother Joel Murray, better known as Freddy Rumsen on "Mad Men?" Or better yet, NOT MAKE THE MOVIE.

Don't get us wrong, we'd love to see some ghosts get busted, but no Murray is mos def a dealbreaker. Oh well, if worse comes to worse Aykroyd can always get the band back together for "Blues Brothers 3000."

Focus Features

Nobody is as dryly quirky as Wes Anderson. Heck, the guy's made a whole career on being the most offbeat filmmaker around, with films like "Bottle Rocket," The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" almost creating an entire new genre of film: The Wes Anderson movie.

But there's never been a trailer as Wes Anderson-y as Wes Anderson's newest trailer, "Moonrise Kingdom."

Set in the pre-ironic 1960s for extra oomph, "Moonrise Kingdom" stars unknowns Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as two New England kids weary of living in the '60s and decide to run away from home. Naturally, that sets off a chain reaction of unlikely events as a bunch of adults — including Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Ed Norton and Anderson stalwart Bill Murray — form a search party to locate the missing kids.

What happens next can only be described as truly Andersonian. Check out the trailer, courtesy of Apple Trailers, and see for yourself.

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Bwahahahaha.

Holiday shopping season is upon us, which means you've got your own list, and you're checking it twice. But if anyone on your list is a movie fan, then you're in luck.

Check out our 20 hand-selected cool gifts for people who love movies, and you'll be done with your shopping before Santa even gets up for breakfast. You're welcome.

More Gift Guides:

Holiday Gift Ideas for Twi-Hards

Holiday Movie Gifts for Your Parents

Holiday Gift Ideas for Fanboys

The Best DVD & Blu-ray Holiday Gift Ideas

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Bill Murray certainly likes that Coppola clan.

The "Get Low" star, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in writer-director Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation," has signed on to appear in her older brother's new film, "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III," according to Variety.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("The Thing," "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World") and Patricia Arquette (TV's "Medium") have also joined the cast, which already includes Charlie Sheen, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza and Katheryn Winnick.

Roman Coppola's dark surrealist comedy (one that's just oozing with all sorts of meta-commentary) stars Sheen as a successful graphic designer whose fame, money and charm have made him irresistible to women. When his girlfriend breaks up with him, his life swirls into a downward spiral of doubt, confusion and reflection. Through delirious fantasies involving his many failed romances, he begins his journey down the long, hard road of self-evaluation.

Bill Murray is truly at his best when he stars in quirky dramas made by the likes of Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson and, yes, the Coppola siblings, so we're looking forward to seeing what kind of deadpan magic he brings to "Charles Swan III."

Murray will be seen next year in Wes Anderson's latest ensemble dramedy, "Moonrise Kingdom," and as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Roger Michell's "Hyde Park on Hudson," opposite Laura Linney and his "Rushmore" pal, Olivia Williams.

"A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III" has already commenced with production in Los Angeles.

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We knew Bill Murray was a pretty good golfer. But we didn't know he's quite the amateur marching band conductor, too.

Apparently, Murray was attending the Cornell-Harvard game this past weekend and got up and introduced himself after the Cornell Big Red Band broke into their version of the "Ghostbusters" theme song.

From there, the "Get Low" star got down with the band as they performed a rousing medley of songs from The Who's "Tommy." He must be doing something right, because we can't hear one false note from the entire ensemble.

Watch a master do his thing, courtesy of YouTube -- and, come to think of it, Murray wouldn't be a bad choice to play the Pinball Wizard if "Tommy" ever gets the movie treatment again.

Sony

Dan Aykroyd is still bound and determined to get "Ghostbusters 3" off the ground.

It's bad enough that the original Ghostbusters headquarters, a real-life fire department in Tribeca, was threatened by budget cuts earlier this year. After a rally that drew Steve Buscemi and other NYC figures, the department was taken off the chopping block. But what about the long-rumored "Ghostbusters 3?"

Per Coming Soon, Aykroyd divulged some details to Dennis Miller on the pundit's radio show this week, and he is not taking no for an answer -- even if the no is from his former castmates or Zuul herself. And he's also hoping to hear a few "yes"es from some young guns.

"My character, Ray, is now blind in one eye and can't drive the Cadillac… He's got a bad knee and can't carry the packs... Egon is too large to get into the harness," he said. "We need young blood and that's the promise. We're gonna hand it to a new generation."

As for Bill Murray, he might be too busy busting into strangers' karaoke parties to partake in this three-quel.

"Yes, we will be doing the movie and hopefully with Mr. Murray," Aykroyd said. (Mr. Murray? Ouch.) "What we have to remember is that 'Ghostbusters' is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributive to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold [Ramis], myself and Sigourney [Weaver]. The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of 'Ghostbusters 3' is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood."

This sounds like the kind of limbo that "Arrested Development" is stuck in, where one cast member assures everyone that it's totally happening and the rest are like, "C'mon, dude!" And then reporters ask everyone involved about it for years. By the time we'd actually see either of these, we'll be as old as the Ghostbusters themselves.

Is this for real or not? Would you see a "Ghostbusters 3?"

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But perusing the history of Hollywood uber-noggins, one finds those possessing a fivehead (or larger) usually playing supervillains and/or morons. So which is right? Does a higher hairline mean an elevated IQ, or just a thicker head?

In the new black comedy "Horrible Bosses," Colin Farrell's middle manager from hell -- with his ill-advised combover -- isn't exactly a poster child for the highbrows of the world. But we're pretty sure a big head doesn't have to mean a damaged soul. To solve this mystery, we'd best get all sociological up in here and make an extremely scientific list of the top 11 foreheads in Hollywood.

Passion Play Productions, LLC

Remember "Passion Play?"

Once upon a time, the directorial debut from writer Mitch Glazer ("Scrooged") was considered to be one of the hot properties in Hollywood thanks to an all-star cast that includes Oscar nominees Mickey Rourke and Bill Murray opposite "Transformers" hottie Megan Fox. And then people actually saw the movie and everything went straight to hell in a hand basket, with the studio eventually deciding to just dump it straight to DVD.

Well, the strange saga of "Passion Play" has taken yet another twist, as the movie will be coming out in theaters after all -- and we've got the brand spanking new trailer to prove it.

So what's "Passion Play" about? Well, it goes something like this: Rourke is one of them drifter types and one day he drifts into a carnival where he meets a girl in the freak show (that's Fox) who happens to have big angel wings on her back. His attempts to get her out of the freak life go awry when a gangster (Murray) decides he could use an angel or two around the house.

If that sounds like your sort of thing, well, hopefully you're going to be in New York or Los Angeles the weekend of May 6, because "Passion Play" is going to have a limited release in those towns. Here's a sneak peek at what you can expect to see, courtesy of Entertainment Tonight:

Warner Bros.

Between YouTube, Upright Citizens Brigade, and half the cast of "Freaks And Geeks" creating world-famous superstars, there is a literal glut of talent coming through the comedy pipelines, which as metaphorical as they are could probably use some kind of filtration system.

That's where we come in. We're here to give you the skinny on the 20 most uproariously irreverent, maniacally twisted, ingeniously brilliant (male) comedic movie stars out there (see our picks for top 20 funniest women here).

20. Michael Cera

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Taking exasperated wimpitude to new heights, this wee 22-year-old Canadian took the big screen by storm in 2007 with the twin successes of "Juno" and "Superbad." The latter teen comedy showcased Cera's deadpan to maximum effect as the ultrasensitive Evan, who sets his phaser to "flustered" when the girl of his dreams decides to sock it to him. This past year he did a 180-degree riff on his wuss persona playing a twee musician who also happens to kick major butt in the fan fav, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World."

Bonus TV Cred: Cera first brought his deer-in-the-headlights comedy approach to television playing Jason Bateman's son George-Michael on "Arrested Devlopment."

19. Justin Timberlake

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Former Mouseketeer and 'N Sync frontman Timberlake may have seemed initially easy to write off as another cookie-cutter boy band tabloid king, but not only can the guy act, but he's proven he's funny as hell. Timberlake chose some unfortunate vehicles such as "The Love Guru" at first, but he transcended the awfulness of those pictures and caught the ever exacting eye of director David Fincher, who cast him as Napster bad boy Sean Parker in "The Social Network." This summer JT turns into a true comedic movie star, honing his chops in two high-profile summer laughers, "Bad Teacher" and "Friends With Benefits."

Bonus TV Cred: Alongside side Andy Samberg, Timberlake made "SNL" digital shorts all the rage with "D**k in a Box" and "Motherlovers."

18. Ken Jeong

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This real-life MD won a Laff-Off in New Orleans then promptly moved to Los Angeles where he started doing standup at The Improv and Laugh Factory, eventually scoring some TV guest shots. It was Dr. Ken's breakout role as the endearing-but-tightly-wound gynecologist in "Knocked Up" that put him on the map and led to other supporting parts in "Role Models" and "Pineapple Express" ("Suck my balls… two times!"). His biggest hit has been as the flamboyant gangster Leslie Chow in "The Hangover," which he will reprise for the sequel.

Bonus TV Cred: Jeong is the hilariously pathetic, disgraced Spanish teacher on NBC's "Community."

17. James Franco

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America's favorite multi-hyphenate has dabbled in all there is to dabble in: writing, directing, painting, performance art, PHD studies, Oscar hosting, and, presumably, open-heart surgery. Oh, and occasionally the dude acts too. One of the great discoveries from Judd Apatow's classic dramedy series "Freaks And Geeks," Franco's shown his dramatic chops in "Milk" and an Academy Award-nominated turn in "127 Hours," but earned stoner hero status playing cross-joint inventor Saul Silver in "Pineapple Express." He reunites with "Express" co-star Danny McBride and director David Gordon Green in this month's equally irreverent "Your Highness," followed most likely by an attempt to scale Mount Everest.

16. Jonah Hill

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Another "Son of Apatow," this portly performer made it big as the foul-mouthed, sex-crazed yin to Michael Cera's yang in "Superbad." He started as a writer/performer in New York's East Village, until a friendship with Dustin Hoffman's kids got him his first break in "I Heart Huckabees." We learned to heart Jonah from his many appearances with the Apatow gang, playing abrasive loud mouths in "Knocked Up" and "Funny People," but especially his uncredited cameo in "Walk Hard" as an angry spirit: "I can't even masturbate! You ever tried to jerk off with a ghost hand? Nothing!"

15. Mark Wahlberg

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Here's a guy whose career defies logic, time, and space. After we stopped feelin' the good vibrations in the early '90s, you'd think Marky Mark would have gone the way of Vanilla Ice and taken his Funky Bunch on the last Greyhound out of town, but NO. He had to be TALENTED, much to cynics' eternal frustration. He explored the highs and lows of porn stardom as the John Holmes stand-in for "Boogie Nights" and continued to find the funny side of things in films like "Three Kings," "I Heart Huckabees," and "Planet Of The Apes"… okay, so that last one's not intentionally comedic, but, ya know. Last year he had dynamite chemistry with Will Ferrell in "The Other Guys," proving a true comic star, and will soon join family guy Seth MacFarlane for "Ted."

14. Ed Helms

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This plucky performer got his start in New York City, where he eventually attended an open-audition for "The Daily Show," got the gig, and after his four-year tenure on the show followed in Steve Carell's footsteps to the silver screen. After a few minor roles, he hit paydirt as the put upon Dr. Stu Price in "The Hangover," where he lost a tooth, married a hooker, and played piano. The underrated "Cedar Rapids," with Helms in the lead, didn't make much of a splash, but he'll get married to hottie Jamie Chung (!) in the sequel, "The Hangover: Part II."

Bonus TV Cred: He plays the lovable, musically talented goof Andy Bernard on "The Office."

13. John C. Reilly

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Here's an excellent case of a low-profile character actor who finally came into his own. Having made appearances in over 60 movies and TV shows over the years, Reilly was initially just "that guy" in flicks like "Days Of Thunder," until finally landing gigs for dudes like Martin Scorsese and an Oscar nod (cha-ching!) for "Chicago." We know him best, though, as Will Ferrell's buddy in "Talladega Nights" and "Step Brothers," with director Adam McKay praising his comedy improv ability on both films, claiming Reilly often makes up lines for other actors besides himself. He'll yuck it up again next year for "Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie."

12. Craig Robinson

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In "Pineapple Express" the often-abused Robinson (see Bonus TV Cred) dealt the abuse, typicallyu with a loaded gun, and was still hilarious (until he got his nuts smashed with a Daewoo). No matter what the situation, Robinson is a professional scene-stealer from the likes of Seth Rogen ("Zack And Miri Make A Porno") and John Cusack ("Hot Tub Time Machine"). Of all the dudes on this list, we would LOVE to see Robinson get his shot at a lead role soon.

Bonus TV Cred: As Darryl, the warehouse foreman at Dunder Mifflin for TV's "The Office," he absorbs much of Michael Scott's abuse.

11. Danny McBride

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While many of those on this list come from television or major improv institutions, here is a truly self-made comedy superstar. He wrote and starred in his own super-low-budget vehicle "The Foot Fist Way" playing a Taekwondo guru in need of a reality check. The $79,000 dollar film got him noticed, and it also got him high profile supporting roles in big laughers like "Tropic Thunder." Aside from his starring role in "Your Highness," we'll see him this summer opposite Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari in "30 Minutes Or Less."

Bonus TV Cred: McBride plays the deluded-but-capable jackass (amplified up to 11) as former baseball great Kenny Powers on the HBO series "Eastbound And Down."

10. Aziz Ansari

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This South Carolina native of Indian heritage has been blowing up since Rolling Stone named him their "Hot Standup" of 2005. Ansari honed his skills at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, forming sketch group Human Giant that landed an MTV series. He branched out into scene-stealing parts in movies like "Observe And Report." For Judd Apatow's "Funny People," Ansari created the garish comic Raaaaaaaandy (with eight "A"s) who he described as "Soulja Boy doing comedy." His best joke as the character involved performing cunnilingus underwater and wishing he'd died doing it, "'cause that would have been the most baller death of all time!"

Bonus TV Cred: Ansari plays the lovable, hilarious hip-hop loving bureaucrat/wannabe entrepreneur Tom Haverford on "Parks and Recreation."

9. Bill Murray

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When someone asks you if Bull Murray is a god, you say "Yes!" The often laconic, always brilliant performer is soaked from head-to-toe in 100-proof genuine screen presence. He just needs to stand there, he's so damn good. From "SNL" to "Caddyshack" to bustin' ghosts, Murray was already an icon by the time he hit the 90's and gave us "Groundhog Day." However, it wasn't until Wes Anderson cast him as the depressive steel tycoon in "Rushmore" that he began his "blue period," if you will. Turns in movies like "Lost In Translation" and "Broken Flowers" proved this was a serious guy, but just when we start taking him too seriously, there he was in "Zombieland," perhaps one of the funniest movie cameos of all time.

8. Sacha Baron Cohen

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Not since Peter Sellers has an actor created such indelible, varied, and eclectic comedic identities. His Channel 4 program "Da Ali G Show" became a showcase for his three big characters of Ali G, Brüno, and Borat, all three of which received their own movies, although it was "Borat" which launched him into the stratosphere of recognition. The filthy but lovable Kazakh blurred the line between staged gags and real-life reactions to major social faux pas, but proved very nice at the box office. Since making his way across the pond he's raced with Will Ferrell in "Talladega Nights," sang for Tim Burton in "Sweeney Todd" and will channel Clouseau for Scorsese as a French Inspector in the upcoming "Hugo Cabret."

7. Jason Segel

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Another "Freaks And Geeks" vet, he funneled all the sadness, frustration, and depression of his real-life breakup with actress Linda Cardellini for the screenplay he co-wrote with Nick Stoller of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." He broke boundaries for male actors by letting his little Segel hang out in a now-legendary breakup scene -- and played against type as a ballsy BFF any guy would kill to have in "I Love You Man" -- but it was his love of puppets and rendition of the "Muppet Show" theme that nabbed him the gig of bringing Jim Henson's adorable Muppets back to the big screen later this year for Disney.

Bonus TV Cred: He's the lovable Minnesotan Marshall Eriksen on "How I Met Your Mother."

6. Steve Carell

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He became legendary at Chicago's famous Second City comedy troupe (where Stephen Colbert was his understudy) but it would take another decade for his talents to get the attention they deserved via "The Daily Show," and then onscreen in the one-two-three punch of "Anchorman," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," and "Little Miss Sunshine." As if the continued starring roles weren't enough to shore up his status as one of the biggest guys out there, "The Office" sealed the deal. He'll soon go out on a limb again for "Bad Santa" writers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa as a clueless Divorcé in "Crazy, Stupid, Love."

Bonus TV Cred: He takes obliviousness to Gervaisian heights as Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott on "The Office," but will leave the show at the end of this season.

5. Seth Rogen

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The shining hope for every overweight, frizzy-haired dude to one day get the girl, save the day, and still fit in time for some doobage. The "S" in "Seth" stands for three things: Sarcastic, Stoned, and Successful, and all it took was a helping hand from Mr. Apatow. Judd said of his power protégé (and "Knocked Up" star) that the initial impression on hiring him for "Freaks And Geeks" was of someone "born with a comic persona fully formed." Okay, we forgot a 4th "S": Screenwriter, since he and partner Evan Goldberg penned "Superbad" and "Pineapple Express," and more recently went big (except for Seth's weight-loss) for "The Green Hornet." He'll soon return to his roots with supporting roles in "50/50" and "Take This Waltz." One last "S": SUPERSTAR.

4. Paul Rudd

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Rudd first caught our eye all the way back in 1995 as Josh Lucas, the love interest of Alicia Silverstone in "Clueless"… not to be confused with movie star Josh Lucas, but like Josh Lucas he struggled to come into his own as a star. Unlike Josh Lucas, he succeeded, as another "Son of Apatow" to emerge from "Anchorman." He was reporter Brian Fantana, "the stylish one of the group," and didn't need a bottle of Sex Panther to attract a big following from then on. After several more Apatow productions, he tried his hand at co-writing with "Role Models" and hit a home run. Yes, the disaster of "How Do You Know" might be an albatross around his neck, but he's got the sure-thing "Knocked Up" quasi-sequel in-the-bag for 2012.

3. Russell Brand

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The British bad boy of comedy makes no bones about his checkered past, but with a future this bright he's gotta wear shades. Before he had the clout to fill Dudley Moore's shoes in the "Arthur" remake, Brand got his start in England as an MTV VJ and standup comic. He put the "VD" in "VJ" with his highly promiscuous ways and consumption of every drug known to mankind. After kicking the drugs he got cast as the rocker Aldous Snow in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," then reprised the part for "Get Him to the Greek," both of which made him a household name all over the world. He married some obscure singer named Katy Perry last year, and will give her pipes a run for their money in "Rock of Ages."

2. Zach Galifianakis

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For many years Zach was an acquired taste, like fine bearded wine. His unique style of standup involved plunking away beautiful melodies on the piano while spouting non sequiturs like: "Have you seen that show on CBS called 'The Amazing Race'? Is that show about white people?" This brand of ultra-irony was not for everyone, and after doing time in flicks like "Corky Romano" or "Out Cold" the underground comedian finally hit his mainstream stride as Alan Garner, the wildcard weirdo in "The Hangover." He proved it wasn't a fluke by holding his own opposite Robert Downey Jr. in "Due Date," and will reprise Alan in "The Hangover: Part II." This success train shouldn't derail anytime soon, assuming his "Between Two Ferns" guests don't strangle him.

Bonus TV Cred: He's "Bored To Death" on HBO.

1. Will Ferrell

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"I'M IN A GLASS CASE OF EM-O-TION!" Sure he did "SNL" for years, sure he had breakout success in 2003 with "Old School" and "Elf," but we knew it was for keeps when Ferrell donned that mustache for the outrageous "Anchorman." As both star and co-writer, he displayed a knack for controlled absurdity not seen since "The Jerk"-era Steve Martin, and he's continued his run with Adam McKay in three more uproarious films, including last year's cop caper "The Other Guys." Yeah, there's been a few misfires in there, but one "Step Brothers" is worth 100 "Bewitched." If you don't agree Ferrell is the tops, let us quote another famous character of his: "I'll smack you in the mouth, I'm Neil Diamond!"

Bonus TV Cred: Rumor has it he might replace Steve Carell on "The Office," which would be – how do you say – f**king amazing.

More Comedy:

The 25 Funniest Movies Ever... This Millennium
The 20 Funniest Women in Movies... Right Now

We're giving away two copies of 'Scene It: Comedy Movies' for each of our big comedy-themed features! Click here to enter.

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It seemed like a great idea at the time: take an Academy Award-nominated actor (Mickey Rourke), pair him with one of the hottest young actresses in the world (Megan Fox) and put them in an offbeat story involving a twisted circus being strongarmed by a quirky Hollywood legend (Bill Murray).

Yes, "Passion Play" seemed to have everything going for it.

And now it has something else going for it: a trip straight-to-DVD.

Hard to believe, but PopCrunch is reporting that "Passion Play" will not be coming to a theater near you but instead will be coming to a living room near you as the critically reviled indie is heading straight-to-DVD. The question now is, what went wrong?

While there are many possible reasons for the film's surprise nosedive to the bargain bin -- Fox's recent career troubles, including the dismal returns on "Jonah Hex" and "Jennifer's Body" and her dismissal from the "Transformers" franchise, being chief among them  -- it seems that the most obvious explanation is the right one: the movie just wasn't very good.

Of course, that hasn't stopped any number of other films from earning nationwide theatrical releases, but the lambasting "Passion Play" earned from both critics and audiences alike when it debuted at the Toronto Film Festival seem to have torpedoed writer Mitch Glazer's directorial debut. The Hollywood Reporter, for instance, commented that "the film will appeal only to the most fondly indulgent," while the Los Angeles Times stated that "it is hard to think of it as even much of a movie."

And those were actually the good reviews. Ouch.

Don't cry too much for Fox just yet, though; she's already lined up parts in the crime thriller "The Crossing" and the comedy "Friends With Kids," setting the perfect stage for her comeback. And in the meantime, this has actually kind of made us more curious about "Passion Play." Rourke. Fox. Murray. Can it really be that bad?

We'll all find out on May 24 -- we'll just be doing it at home instead of in the theater.

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Once a year, the PGA tour opens the door for pro-golfers to team up with amateurs for the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament - a great excuse for celebrities to show-off their "skills" on the green. Occasionally (and surprisingly), these celebs win big.

Billy Murray proved he learned a thing or two on the set of "Caddyshack" this weekend when he and his partner, professional golfer D.A. Points, took home top prize at the famed competition. In a conversation with the New York Times, Points explains that it was Murray's humor and laid back approach tot he game that helped them win it all.

"Why does everybody get so worked up thinking he’s this big distraction? I just tried to embrace it. He seemed to just be having fun and telling me to go ahead and have a little bit more fun."

But don't doubt Murray's skills with a putter - an avid golfer, Murray has previously been seen showcasing his love for the sport in movies like "Space Jam" and "Zombieland," along with a Comedy Central mini-series called "The Sweet Spot," which chronicled Murray and his brothers time on the course.

Murray compared winning the tournament to a piece of real art: “When I saw, like, a Rembrandt, I laugh, because it’s so, it’s just this combination of this beautiful thing. It’s alive, yet it’s not.” Obviously the famed comedian is as excited by the win as his fans.

Sony

There's basic mash-ups. There's video sampling. There's recontextualized movie trailers. Then there's next-level, inhuman videos like the one below.

According to the creator of this "Groundhog Day" remix, this video took eight months to create and, given the amount of work that appeared to go into it, we're inclined to believe him. In fact, the only reason this just came out now, 17 years after the film's release, was that this was probably started the day the movie came out and only finished now.

The music, incidentally, is a keyboard cover of "Bangarang," an (Internet) popular remixed song in its own right by Australian electronic music producer Pogo. Doubtless, he'd be proud of what he's inspired.

Columbia

It's awards season which means, among other things, that those in the movie industry must smile and make nice with their enemies and competitors while cameras are rolling. We all saw the nominees' thin, tight-lipped smiles as host Ricky Gervais roasted them at this year's Golden Globes ceremony. What else can they do? The world is watching.

However, on the movie set, it's a different ballgame. Actors and directors may say everyone was a joy to work with during interviews. However, tensions run high on-set and creative types can be explosive by nature. The film set is where bridges are burned and arch-nemeses are made. As proof, we look at the 10 most-explosive on-set fights (that we know about).

Warning: Videos NSFW.

Sarah Jessica Parker vs. Kim Cattrall

After a dozen years of working together on the HBO series and first movie, Parker and Cattrall finally became fed up with one another during the filming of "Sex and the City 2." Rather than pulling each other's hair out, they chose the Cold War approach of no communication, veiled threats and talking sh** behind each other's backs. That can be even more uncomfortable than a screaming match -- at least that doesn't last for months.

Debra Winger vs. Shirley MacLaine

"Terms of Endearment" chronicles the emotionally taxing relationship between a mother and daughter over several years. The tension between 49-year old MacLaine and 28-year old Winger didn't end on-screen. The conservative MacLaine hated Winger's erratic behavior and vice versa. Reportedly, Winger once lifted her skirt and aimed a fart toward Maclaine. Winger later told interviewers: “"There was no blood drawn. There might have been a scuffle. I don't remember. I mean, we were wild, you know."

Lily Tomlin vs. David O. Russell

After the release of 2004's "I Heart Huckabees," an outtake of actress Lily Tomlin and director David O. Russell engaged in a screaming match began circulating around the Internet. "The Fighter" director has a reputation for being a hothead, but claims he was intentionally trying to destabilize the actors to improve their performances. That's an interesting tactic for a comedy. Intentional or not, Tomlin later said they reconciled: "I'd rather have someone human and available and raw and open. Don't give me someone cold, or cut off, or someone who considers themselves dignified."

LL Cool J vs. Jamie Foxx

Hardcore actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Christian Bale are known for staying in character, even off-camera, through the entire filming process. Add LL Cool J to that list, because on the set of "Any Given Sunday," he continued to fight Jamie Foxx after director Oliver Stone called cut. Foxx even called the police and filed assault charges, while LL claims, "It wasn't Jamie and I fighting. It was our characters." The two reconciled seven years later, in 2006, and Foxx performed on LL's album, "Todd Smith." Foxx even wanted to be LL's hypeman.

Dennis Hopper vs. Rip Torn

Eccentric actor Rip Torn, known for his Academy Award-nominated role in the 1983 film "Cross Creek" and his role on "The Larry Sanders Show," was originally cast in Jack Nicholson's role of 1969's "Easy Rider." Thirty years later, the movie's director Dennis Hopper told Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show" that the recasting occurred after Torn had pulled a knife on him during a vicious argument. Still sore on the subject, Torn filed a filed a defamation lawsuit against Hopper, claiming Hopper had actually pulled the knife on Torn. Either way, not the easiest Rider.

Klaus Kinski vs. Werner Herzog

Actor Klaus Kinski and director Werner Herzog became best friends after working together during the '70s in Germany. Herzog even called Kinski his muse, casting him in five films. Kinski was known as a manic, wild-eyed, sex-crazed nut-job and died of a heart attack in 1989. Ten years later, Herzog released "My Best Fiend," a documentary about their volatile yet productive relationship. The film includes plenty of crazy Kinski footage, including this heated fight on the set of 1982's "Fitzcarraldo."

Bill Murray vs. Lucy Liu

In bored moments, you may have wondered why Bernie Mac replaced Bill Murray as Bosley in the sequel, "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." It's reportedly due to a fight the comedian provoked with Lucy Liu on set of "Charlie's Angels." The story is Murray stopped a scene, pointed to Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Liu, and said in order, "I get why you're here. And you've got talent. But what in the hell are you doing here? You can't act." The "Kill Bill" actress flipped and began showering Murray with punches until crew members separated them.

Christian Bale vs. Shane Hurlbut

You may not be familiar with Shane Hurlbut's name, but everyone is aware of Bale's verbal tirade on the set of  "Terminator Salvation." Hurlbut is the man he's assaulting with profanities. Bale claims Hurlbut, the movie's director of photography, had twice broken his concentration by walking on set during a scene. Bale ended the vicious diatribe by threatening to quit if Hurlbut repeated the offense. In case the actor made good on his promise, Warner Brothers executives sent the tape to the film's insurer, who must have leaked it. That is why we have countless jokes, parodies and the song "R U Professional" by The Mae Shi.

George Clooney vs. David O. Russell

You already know David O. Russell is a hothead, but in 1999 he was in over his head as well. "Three Kings" was Russell's first big budget film and the studio gave him constant headaches with their notes and worries, turning him into a beast onset. Clooney took it upon himself to defend crew members and extras against Russell's outbursts. Tension between the star and director culminated in a physical brawl where Russell head-butted Clooney... and then they choked one another.

Rip Torn vs. Norman Mailer

After gaining fame as a novelist, journalist and all-around tough guy, Norman Mailer decided to become an avant-garde filmmaker as well. In 1970, he cast Rip Torn to star opposite him in the heavily improvised "Maidstorm," a movie about a famous director (Mailer) who runs for President and his freeloading brother Raoul (Torn). As cameras rolled, Torn decided to "improvise" a brutal fight and hit Mailer in the head with a hammer. Despite a nasty head wound, Mailer fights back by biting off a chunk of Torn's ear. The battle continues until Mailer's wife and wailing children break it up. Even though the "actors" use each others' real names, the scene was included in the film.

Buena Vista

So you've signed up for a message board or maybe you just want a change on your profile picture. You need a picture to best represent you... so once again you turn to Bill Murray.  

He's portrayed so many iconic characters over the years, how can you choose just one? Maybe you feel Steve Zissou best represents you, or perhaps Dr. Peter Venkman. Well now, thanks to Derek Eads you no longer have to choose.

Via his Tumblr's Bill Murray Week, Eades has gifted (pun intended) the world with every human (sorry Garfield) Bill Murray character all in one convient gif. Be sure to check it every day this week where Eades will no doubt give us even more reasons to be Thankful.

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Like a moth to a flame, Wes Anderson movies have become catnip for the coolest actors in the world, and it looks like his latest slice of quirky heaven will be no exception.

The ace "Royal Tenenbaums" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" helmer has some new additions to his ensemble action figure collection, including Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton. And, obviously, Bill Murray will also be back.

Deadline says the 1960s-set flick, titled "Moon Rise Kingdom," centers around two lovestruck New England middle-schoolers who run away from home and the townsfolk who organize a search party to round them up. Along for the search are some Boy Scouts, their Troop leader (Norton), the town sheriff (Willis) having an affair with the runaway girl's mother (McDormand), and the girl's dad (Murray).

This lines up with last month's Playlist report that Anderson was seeking a twelve-year-old boy and girl to play the leads, so expect to hear those names announced soon. If they're unknowns, you may want to keep an eye on them as Anderson has launched the careers of some folks you may have heard of like Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman.

Expect the usual Anderson menu items like family strife, a cool '60s Britpop soundtrack (era-appropriate this time) and lots of world-weary deadpan performances.

Production is set for spring of next year, and the script was co-written with Anderson's "Darjeeling Limited" collaborator Roman "Francis is my daddy" Coppola, who together recently co-directed this wicked 60's-era Stella Artois commercial…

Buena Vista

We're not shy about our love for Bill Murray, so you can imagine our jubilant exultation at the thought of Murray cloning himself in numerous Wes Anderson movies.

Science fiction, you say? Not according to artist Casey Weldon, who imagined Murray as Max Fischer from "Rushmore," Anne-Marie Sakowitz from "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou," and, our personal favorite, Margot Tenenbaum from "The Royal Tenenbaums."

Weldon nails the stoicism on Murray's face central to his comic raison d'etre and inspires us to imagine a film where Murray plays every character. We have a script ready, Bill. Call us.

Clockwise from the top left: Max Fischer ("Rushmore"); Chas Tenenbaum ("The Royal Tenenbaums"); Anne-Marie Sakowitz ("The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou"); Margot Helen Tenenbaum ("The Royal Tenenbaums"); Francis ("The Darjeeling Limited"); Richie Tenenbaum ("The Royal Tenenbaums")

INTERNETTODAY

• Who you gonna call? Bill Murray, delighting fans of '80s movies, ghosts and things that are awesome by accepting a 2010 Scream Award in full "Ghostbusters" regalia. Buzzfeed has the photo, but see it in full-motion glory when the awards show airs on Spike Tuesday.

• You knew "The Expendables" were a bunch of badasses -- but do you know just how many people they've killed, collectively, in all their movies? Conveniently, the good people at OMG Facts worked it out.

• Still desperate for "Hunger Games" casting news or an idea for your Halloween costume? Address both of your obsessions with this Katniss Everdeen costume guide.

• Get a load of these alternative posters for "Star Wars," "Knight Rider" and "The A-Team" -- based on posters for other famous movies -- at Collider.

• After the interminable wait for "The Hobbit" to start its engines, it's time for fans to get up and running with casting speculation. The face is already on at the MTV Movies Blog.

• As much as we loved "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd," Cracked.com makes a pretty convincing argument for abolishing prequels from Hollywood.

• Kanye ain't sayin' you a gold digger, but he is saying you'd have to go out of your way to miss his 35-minute concept film "Runaway," which premieres with simultaneous broadcasts on MTV, MTV2, and BET on Saturday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET.

• Battle of the "Breaking Dawn" doggies! "Twilight Saga" co-stars Ashley Greene and Nikki Reed have both been spotted with their canine rescues, and the FABlife asks -- which is cuter?

• The Pinkett-Smith family continues their campaign of world domination! Willow Smith (A.K.A. youngest child of movie stars Will Smith and Jada) has released her first music video... at the tender age of nine. Check out "Whip My Hair" on PopWrap.

Columbia

When the script's messed up and the film's in trouble, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!

Okay, okay, we had to say it. But here's the good news: according to Dan Aykroyd, not only is work on the long-rumored "Ghostbusters 3" continuing, it's now going so well that Aykroyd believes his co-star Bill Murray is set to deliver "the comic role of a lifetime."

This according to Slash Film, which caught up to Aykroyd during a promotional stop for his new Crystal Head vodka (which, before you ask, is in fact vodka bottled inside a crystal skull; someone alert Indiana Jones). Aykroyd was responding to comments made by Murray earlier this year, when he spoke to GQ and lambasted both the idea of a "Ghostbusters 3" and the script turned in by "The Office" writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. But despite Murray's cantankerous dismissal, Aykroyd insists that everything is hunky dory.

"I think [Bill Murray] was concerned that the writing on 'Ghostbusters 3' by these guys would not be up to standard," Aykroyd said, "but I can tell you first hand, I'm working on the script now and those two — Stupnitsky and Eisenberg — wrote Bill the comic role of a lifetime. And the new Ghostbusters and the old are all well represented in it... we have a strong first draft that Harold [Ramis] and I will take back, and I'm very excited about working on it."

Well, shoot. If Dan's excited about it then so are we. And as soon as we hear anything more about the development of "Ghostbusters 3," we'll be sure to tell you about it. In the meantime, though, we suggest you check out Dan's new website and learn the terrifying secrets of the crystal skulls.

Because, hey, if "Ghostbusters 3" doesn't end up happening, at least we can all drown our sorrow with vodka.