War has been said to be 99% tedium interspersed with 1% pure terror. And so it is with pregnancy, childbirth and baby rearing, only thankfully (else who would do it?), in these pursuits there are also intervals of intense joy. Perhaps appropriately then, something akin to this ratio of tedium to pain and pleasure obtains in the new romantic comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

With a title based on the famously alarmist, best-selling series of pregnancy advice books, one might expect this film to be a cautionary tale of the innumerable ways the process of pregnancy can go wrong, but not to worry. This is a Hollywood product; like a anesthesiologist with an epidural syringe, it does its best to deliver easy laughs and a feel-good ending.

Following the stories of five interrelated couples, the plot is as crammed as a uterus in the ninth month (yes, the pregnancy metaphors must continue). Little wonder few of them make emotional or comic impact, or that several wear out their welcome. Although she’s as impressively long-stemmed and perky-bodied as humanly possible, the appeal of Cameron Diaz has always been inexplicable, and here again she left me wondering.

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With big name film festivals like Cannes and Sundance often dominating the news, people sometimes forget that there’s a great film festival right here in the heart of the filmmaking community. That’s right, the Los Angeles Film Festival is coming next month and today the fest announced the full lineup of films and shorts showing in competition and having their premieres at the fest.

Among the highlights are Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love, which will open the fest, the world premiere of Alex Kurtzman’s People Like Us, starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Olivia Wilde, and Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike, which will close the festival. For all the scoop on the fest, check out the full press releases after the break.

The Los Angeles Film Festival runs June 14-24 at downtown Los Angeles’ LA Live complex.

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Between Marvel Studios regaining the rights to many of its properties and FOX rumored to be planning a reboot of the franchise, it seems a foregone conclusion that we will be getting a shiny new Fantastic Four film in the next couple years.

And as fans of the comic know, the key to a successful relaunch will be capturing the interpersonal dynamics of Marvel’s First Family. And that means finding a perfect central cast.

David Tennant as “Mister Fantastic”

A scientist, a genius among geniuses, Reed Richards is not your typical action hero. But let’s not forget that he was also an explorer, an adventurer, and an astronaut, and that was all BEFORE gaining super powers.

We’re talking about a man so overwhelmed with curiosity, with the desire to learn and discover and solve problems that he regularly leads his loved ones from one dangerous situation to the next. And if we’re to believe they follow him there, he better have some personality.

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Even though I’m not all that enthusiastic about the upcoming big screen adaptation of The Hunger Games, I know some of you are. And because I love and respect all our diligent readers, we’ve got brand new character posters from the film to share with you today.

The poster collection includes some of your favorite citizens of Panem: Rue (Amandla Stenberg), Cato (Alexander Ludwig), Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), Effie (Elizabeth Banks), Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale (Liam Hemsworth).

In case you never read the book, here’s some info on the story:

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games.  Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy.  If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

The Hunger Games opens in theaters everywhere March 23rd, 2012. Click through for some larger versions of the posters after the break.

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Big book franchises are all the rage these days, obviously. Harry Potter is now out of theaters, Twilight only has another year left in it, and now it’s time for a brand new franchise to take over Hollywood, in the shape of kids fighting to eat in a post-apocalyptic world.

For those who aren’t aware, here’s the film’s synopsis, based on the first book in the trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

The first teaser trailer doesn’t give us much (just a “tease”, if you will), but it’s certainly enough to get us excited for the film’s release on March 23rd, 2012.

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Far too long has Paul Rudd been cast as the “good lucking cutesy guy with a sense of humor.” It’s about time he dirties up and tries out the look that put Zach Galifiniakis on the map, and that’s just what he’s doing in his newest film, Our Idiot Brother.

The role actually plays very different to what Rudd is normally cast as, and not just in appearance. He’s finally taking on the idiotic comic relief, instead of the constant straight man that we love him for. Here’s the official synopsis.

Every family has one: the sibling who is always just a little bit behind the curve when it comes to getting his life together. For sisters Liz (Emily Mortimer), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) and Natalie (Zooey Deschanel), that person is their perennially upbeat brother Ned (Paul Rudd), an erstwhile organic farmer whose willingness to rely on the honesty of mankind is a less-than-optimum strategy for a tidy, trouble-free existence.

Ned may be utterly lacking in common sense, but he is their brother and so, after his girlfriend dumps him and boots him off the farm, his sisters once again come to his rescue. As Liz, Emily and Natalie each take a turn at housing Ned, their brother’s unfailing commitment to honesty creates more than a few messes in their comfortable routines.

Check out the first trailer for the comedy after the jump, and catch Rudd, Deschanel,Banks, Coogan, Mortimer, and plenty more in Our Idiot Brother on August 23rd.

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All week long, we’ve been giving you a sneak peek at some of tonight’s big comedies on NBC, such as Community and The Office. We’re topping that off today with two hot new clips from tonight’s episode of 30 Rock. From NBC:

To avoid feeling lonely on Valentine’s Day, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) schedules a root canal but soon realizes she hasn’t thought it through. Meanwhile, Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) woos an attractive and successful CNBC host, Avery Jessup (guest star Elizabeth Banks), and Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) is disappointed when her creepy stalker loses interest.

Yes, Valentine’s Day seems to be the running motif in tonight’s programming. This may not be the worst thing in the world for those out there without someone to spend it with, because it gives us something to laugh at, which helps.

Check out the newest clips from the “Anna Howard Shaw Day” episode of 30 Rock, and catch it in its entirety tonight on NBC.

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