The big crossover between Theater Hopper and Movie Punks is still going strong. If you haven’t checked out Part 2 at Carrington’s site, well, you won’t have to because I’ve already saved it to our bonus materials page.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be standing in line first thing Thursday morning at Movie Punks to check out Part 4.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. For Part 4 to make any sense, you’ll have to read Part 3, my strip, which has also posted today in the bonus section. Don’t forget to check it out!

Today’s strip calls to the fore a basic subtext of movie-going motivation in our household. Sure, Solaris will probably be a fun movie to see. George Clooney and director Steven Soderberg have done so many movies together, by this point they’re sharing the same brain. I have no question to its quality.

But at the same time, Cami has a major crush on Clooney and won’t object in the least to the reported ass shots he has committed to celluloid.

I like George Clooney. I like him a lot better now than I did in his old ER days. I think Clooney has used a lot of the power behind his celebrity to do some good within the industry. And I really respect him for not taking flack from that right-wing pinhead Bill O’Riely after then whole 9/11 benefit thing.

Clooney is also keenly aware of his appeal versus studio interests. In a recent interview, he commented on the leak about his derriere making a cameo appearance in Solaris. He cited the film’s distributor Fox as the source of the leak. He basically made comments along the lines of how Fox doesn’t know how to properly market and film for adults, so to generate interests, they let it slip that there was going to be some Clooney tush-action going on.

From a purely marketing perspective, you can’t blame Fox for the move. Look how people are talking about it. The news HAS generated buzz. But kudos to Clooney for calling them on their “marketing of least resistance”. It would have been more refreshing to watch a good film pitched at more refined levels.

I don’t know if Cami and I will get a chance to see Solaris this week, what with all the holiday shenanigans (we still haven’t caught Die Another Day), but I plan on making time. Even when Soderberg is off his game, he’s still 90% better than anyone else out there right now.

Last thing I’ll mention: Rick Brose of The 2econd Opinion was kind enough to review our site. It’s fair and balanced and well worth your time to read. If not for his take on our work, but for the very thorough collection of reviews he has assembled on other topics far-flung as video games, movies, music and DVD’s. It’s a real treat. Check it out!