This Friday brings the release of the latest chapter in the Hannibal Lecter series, Hannibal Rising.  Okay, here's the thing: I haven't seen this one yet, I've barely even seen any trailers for it, and I sure as hell haven't read the book.  Keeping all of that in mind, I know the movie is going to be bad.  How do I know this you ask?  Well, I can answer that in three simple words:

Welcome back to the second installment of "One Month Out," a new feature here on Fantasy Moguls where, instead of discussing films that are currently in release, I take a look at what's coming out in a month. Hopefully that'll give you enough time to jump on the surefire winners -- or stay away from the surefire losers. It's all very simple.

Starting this week, I'm going to begin a new feature on Fantasy Moguls.com: One Month Out.  In this column, I'll be taking a look at the movies that are going to be released exactly ... wait for it ... ONE MONTH OUT from the week that I'm writing.  Did you or did you not see that coming?

Okay everybody, bring it in and  take a knee. There's something that's been nagging at me for a while, and I think it's time we discussed it. Here's the thing -- I think I've discovered my calling in life, and it's not writing columns for Fantasy Moguls. No, if Hollywood's taught me anything recently, it's that I'm really suited to be a football coach.

If you tuned in for last week's column about Dhoom 2, then you've probably already noticed that its per-theater average is still pretty high.  In fact, it's almost the best PTA movie out there, raking in $8,103 per screen. This past weekend, however, there was another film that did about 50 percent more per theater.  And if you're thinking it's Turistas, then you've got problems.

Right now, everyone who has the new Bond film on their Fantasy Moguls slate has breathed a sigh of relief. The movie opened well, the critics have been saying nothing but good things about it, and it’s sure to be around for a long long time. Aside from not having any penguins in it, the film's got all the earmarks of being a huge success.

There's a war going on right under your noses, and you don't even realize it. No, this is not a conspiracy theory about the Iraq war. And no, the East Coast-West Coast rap thing hasn't started back up again. I'm not talking about the cola wars either. On this very site, there's a skirmish of unparalleled proportions taking shape.

I love this time of year.  Being a horror movie fan, October never disappoints.  If you’re a DirecTV subscriber like myself, no doubt you’ve checked out their Horror-thon on channel 101.  Or AMC’s annual Monster Fest.  Or the billions and billions of horror films shown on any of the pay cable channels.

In the last two weeks, basic cable has done the impossible – nay, the unthinkable.  In the span of two weeks, we’ve seen not one but two awards shows dedicated to horror movies.  In the immortal words of our fearless leader – “Mission accomplished.”

The top two films at the box office this weekend were The Departed and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that one of these films will sweep the Oscars next year. The other film is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

I know what you're thinking – TCM's gotta take home something at the Oscars, right? I mean, both films are very, very similar. Both are remakes. Both stories are very specific to their locations. Both films are about a family – what that means and how even the most messed up families still may be tighter than those that are considered "normal". And finally, both star Matt Damon as a chainsaw weilding killer. That part may not be true – I have not seen TCM: TB yet.

It's really October? Already? Ugh...

You know what that means - the summer movie season has long passed us by, and we're as far as humanly possible from the next blockbuster movie season. So where does that leave us? Since I've already got my Halloween costume picked out, I guess I'm forced to turn my attention towards the fall movie season.

Things are going to get interesting. With the exception of the Daniel Craig starring in the latest James Bond film, the only other big franchise movies that are coming out are all...

It's been a big couple weeks for Mr. George Lucas. The Star Wars movies were released again on DVD, and he was named Grand Marshall for the next Tournament of Roses parade. He also received several photos of me wearing only an ewok mask, but the less I say about that, the less the courts will have to work with.

Anyhow, in all this Lucas-mania, I read a short interview where the grand Jedi himself believes that in the next 10 years, the mega-Hollywood blockbuster will be dead, and the average cost of a motion picture will be down to around $15 million.

This past Tuesday, the original unaltered Star Wars movies were released on DVD. Of course I ran out, bought them, watched them, showered with them, rewatched them, and was all set to write a column all about them. But as I sat down to type, I just can't bring myself to do it.

There's been way too much discussion of these DVD's online and on TV shows. Everyone's made their point. Personally, I think the fanboys need to cool their jets with their anger towards Mr. Lucas. In a sentence - I'm perfectly fine owning the original unaltered versions in non-anamorphic, non-cleaned up, non-3-D or whatever. We all know these DVD's will come out someday on HD (or Blu-Ray), and that's when I'll worry about having a crystal clear picture for these originals.

This past Tuesday, the original unaltered Star Wars movies were released on DVD. Of course I ran out, bought them, watched them, showered with them, rewatched them, and was all set to write a column all about them. But as I sat down to type, I just can't bring myself to do it.

There's been way too much discussion of these DVD's online and on TV shows. Everyone's made their point. Personally, I think the fanboys need to cool their jets with their anger towards Mr. Lucas. In a sentence - I'm perfectly fine owning the original unaltered versions in non-anamorphic, non-cleaned up, non-3-D or whatever. We all know these DVD's will come out someday on HD (or Blu-Ray), and that's when I'll worry about having a crystal clear picture for these originals.