"Marley & Me" took the box office this weekend, with the very sweet "Bedtime Stories" coming in second. Here’s the rundown from Box Office Mojo:

1. Marley & Me, $36.35M
2. Bedtime Stories, $27.45M
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $26.85M
4. Valkyrie, $21.02M
5. Yes Man, $16.65M
6. Seven Pounds, $13.20M
7. The Tale of Despereaux, $8.93M
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still, $7.69M
9. The Spirit, $6.46M
10. Doubt, $5.33M

Image: Marley & Me, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 2008

My 11-year-old daughter and I had planned to see "Marley & Me" on Christmas Day, and I’m really glad it happened to be sold out. We ended up seeing it a few days later, and it was so emotional and sad (especially the ending) that it would have put a serious damper on our Christmas festivities.

That’s not to say it’s a bad movie. Just the opposite, in fact. I was so drawn into it from beginning to end that I completely forgot about everything else in the world for those two hours. Great storytelling, and Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are great together.

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I liked everything about "Valkyrie" except Tom Cruise’s performance. That’s not good since he was the main character, but I kept thinking what a great movie this would have been with someone else in the lead role. I don’t know, someone like Philip Seymour Hoffman … you know, who can act.

Ok, that’s harsh, because I really enjoyed Tom Cruise as the overweight, balding agent in "Tropic Thunder." He really sent it home in that role! But in "Valkyrie," he just seems like Tom Cruise playing dress-up. And speaking of that, I really loved all the German costumes and little details, like the old cars and phones and furniture and such. That was cool.

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My nephew, who knows everything there is to know about "The X-Files," sent me an IESB.com link the other day about the possibility of a third "X-Files" movie. I can’t say I was all gung-ho about the second one, "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," but I’d definitely be onboard for a third movie.

Fox co-chairman Tom Rothman seems interested, too. There’s been talk about a third movie that covers the 2012 mythology of "The X-Files" and the alien colonization, but in the IESB.com interview, Rothman says, "It’s really up to Chris [Carter], David [Duchovny], and Gillian [Anderson].

As for the mediocre reception to the second movie, Rothman responds this way: "…that was the film Chris wanted to do. He was determined to do a stand alone film, a film that wasn’t dependent upon the mythology. His interest in making the movie, was in the characters and in their relationship, not the mythology."

Honestly, though, I think moviegoers would be more interested in a third movie that covered the alien colonization and the whole mythology surrounding the year 2012. Just writing those words makes me a little giddy.

What about you? Would you be interested in a third "X-Files" movie? And if so, what would you like to see in it?

Image: The X-Files: I Want to Believe, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 2008

I just posted the teaser trailer for "Angels and Demons," and here’s a fun behind-the-scenes look at the movie, premiering May 15, 2009. I’m pretty much on board with anything Tom Hanks does.

"Angels and Demons" is currently in post-production and scheduled for a May 15, 2009 release. Directed by Ron Howard, the prequel to 2006’s "The Da Vinci Code" finds symbolist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) investigating the murder of a physicist, Leonardo Vetra. It all revolves around a secret brotherhood called The Illuminati, and Langdon and Vetra’s daughter, Vittoria (Ayelet Zurer) end up searching for a destructive new weapon that could kill millions.

The trailer below doesn’t give us a whole lot to go on, but I loved the first movie, so am hoping this one is just as good (though perhaps a little less rambly). What do you think? 

Check out Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf in the first shots of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."  CelebTV.com’s got the goods – ok, so it’s just a clip of the production stills, but still pretty cool.

Here’s a fun one for kids of all ages. I’ve got a giveaway package that includes a "Shrek the Halls" DVD, along with a cute Beanie Baby plush toy (value: $18.99). Isn’t he cute?!

Released Nov. 4, 2008, this 22-minute DVD finds the Big Green Guy wanting to throw the "perfect Christmas" for Fiona and the kids. The only problem is, he has no Yule experience. He’s an ogre, after all. So he uses a book called "Christmas for Village Idiots," and gets so caught up in trying to do it the "right" way, he loses sight of the magic.

TO ENTER: I have ONE "Shrek the Halls/Plush" to give away. To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. A winner will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winner for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

Image: Amazon.com

MySpace.com has debuted a new featurette on director Zack Snyder’s "Watchmen," coming to conventional theaters and IMAX on March 6, 2009. The big screen adaptation stars Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson.

Of course, there’s the whole "Watchmen" copyright infringement business, so who knows when this film will make it to the big screen. Yesterday, Warner Bros. issued a statement saying it was prepared to go to trial or to appeal last week’s ruling, which stated that the studio had infringed on Fox’s copyright in making the adaptation of the Alan Moore superhero graphic novel. Well, we’ll see how that all shakes out!

Anyway, here’s the featurette. I think it looks pretty cool! What do you think? 

Watchmen Exclusive

Image: Watchmen, Warner Bros., 2009

I’ve always been a big fan of Julia Roberts, so when her niece, Emma, got into the acting business, I was thrilled! Even moreso because she looks so much like her Aunt Julia. I loved Emma Roberts in “Nancy Drew,” and now she’s got a new movie coming up, “Hotel for Dogs.”

When their new guardians forbid 16-year old Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin) from having a pet, they have to figure out a new home for their dog, Friday. They stumble upon an abandoned hotel and transform it into a magical dog-paradise for Friday – and eventually for all Friday’s friends. But when barking dogs make the neighbors suspicious, the kids have to figure out how to make it work.

Also stars Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, and Don Cheadle.

Trailer and photos after the jump…

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