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Jim Van Nest: Ah, so that's what that generic looking Dennis Quaid flick that I always fast forward the DVR through was called.

Max Braden: The trailers lacked Quaid's presence, and they really didn't tell you anything about the movie except that people get killed. What's the story? Why do I want to pay ten bucks to see that?

Reagen Sulewski: Sci-fi horror just doesn't work without big names. And since this isn't 1988, Dennis Quaid doesn't count.

David Mumpower: This film is the inverse of Love Happens. The title is so obfuscating as to be utterly inscrutable. I'd spend most of Pandorum wondering when the box is going to make an appearance. A friend described this as a cross between Event Horizon and The Descent, which makes me desperately want to watch it; however, the advertisements in no way represented such a scenario.

Sean Collier: They should've played the horror up and the scif-i down against Surrogates. If they had played it as a brutal thriller, especially after Sorority Row and I-Don't-Even-Remember-What-Other-Horror-Movie-Just-Came-Out missed, they might have had more of a chance. By emphasizing the spacey setting, however, it just looked like the less intriguing of two scifi tickets.

This topic always makes us hungry

Kim Hollis: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs won its second straight weekend with a remarkable hold of $25 million, a decline of only 17%. Does this make the movie seem like more of a blockbuster?

Pete Kilmer: It's going to be the little movie that chugs along and makes a pile of cash due to families needing to take the kids out.

Josh Spiegel: Sure, but that remarkable hold will most likely only be for this weekend. As good as the movie is (which is certainly helping with its weekend drop), it's losing 3-D theaters next week to the Toy Story double feature, two movies that won't make as much as Cloudy did, but there will be major interest, I'd bet. For Sony Animation, though, this result is already a bit of a win, I imagine. They've finally figured out how to make quality movies, and keep people coming back for more.

Reagen Sulewski: I said before the weekend that we hadn't really seen a film become leggy because of its 3-D. I've got to be more careful with these powers, because here we are. What's even more remarkable is that it's the rare family film that's about to become a hit while school is in session - usually you need a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas to get that.

David Mumpower: Yes, it's a bona fide hit now and one that appears likely to cross $120 million at that. After last weekend's debut, I wouldn't have considered that a solid possibility. 17% second weekend drops in this day and age are...well, the list is pretty much Taken. Sony should have pushed them up into the late summer period or back until December. This film had a lot more potential than they realized.

Hooray! October is here!

Kim Hollis: What movie are you most looking forward to in October?

Pete Kilmer: In no particular order...Zombieland, Invention of Lying, Couples Retreat, Black Dynamite, Where the Wild Things Are.

Josh Spiegel: As with Pete, in no particular order: Toy Story/Toy Story 2, Invention of Lying, Zombieland, Where The Wild Things Are, and Couples Retreat.

Max Braden: The Invention of Lying, because Gervais is a comedy genius. Interestingly a little blurb in Entertainment Weekly noted that the trailers are hiding the fact that the movie is based largely around religion. I'd be looking forward to Where the Wild Things Are but the more I hear the voiceovers the less right they are in my mind's ear.

Eric Hughes: The movie I'm looking forward to the most is Where the Wild Things Are. Even freakin' TV spots make me want to go out and buy an opening day ticket. Quite frankly, I'm not sure why I haven't already. Other movies on my list include Zombieland and The Invention of Lying. I've already seen Whip It (opens Friday) and strongly recommend it. It's the most fun I've had in a theater in quite a while.

Reagen Sulewski: Zombieland, no question about it. I laugh every time the fair ride crushes the zombie from out of nowhere.

David Mumpower: Since I have concerns about Couples Retreat (that many talented actors and a strange dude sitting on someone's face is the only thing they think is funny enough for the trailer?) and have yet to drink the Kool-Aid on Where the Wild Things Are, Zombieland is my runaway choice for the best that October has to offer in terms of expected quality. Of course, I once thought the same thing of The Majestic. Looks Good is rarely the same as Is Good.

Sean Collier: I've already seen Zombieland, and it's damn funny. I'm with the crowd on this one - The Invention of Lying.

Kim Hollis: I'm all about Where the Wild Things Are. And yes, Zombieland looks pretty fantastic.

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