Cinematical

We all know 007 hops continents with ease... so where is he finding action these days? Antofagasta, Chile, home to the driest desert in all the world. Moviefone sent a spy down to set of the new Bond flick Quantum of Solace (OK, fine, we were invited by Sony Pictures) to dig up dirt from Daniel Craig and company. You can find a full report from the set of Solace Tuesday on Moviefone.com -- including rumors confirmed and debunked, and a full Q&A with Craig -- but here are a couple nuggets to whet your appetite.

--Why Chile? Antofagasta is home to the headquarters of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which stands as the lair of Bond's latest adversary, Dominic Green (Diving Bell and the Butterfly star Mathieu Amalric). But even the ESO's funky digs (a domed, modern building which will, thanks to special effects, be blown up in the finished film) take second billing to the gritty landscape. "I think what attracted us is the beautiful landscape, which contrasts with all the other landscapes in the film," producer Michael G. Wilson told our reporter. "It reflects Bond's inner feelings."

It's Insert Caption craziness this week on Cinematical. On Monday, we posted not one but two photos, doubling your pleasure with hotties Halle Berry and Frances McDormand (yeah I said it) modeling MGM's summer and winter lines. At stake: Four boxed sets for four lucky winners. Congrats to our victors below, and special shout out to William G. for entering a single caption that applied to both photos, you're our Mickey Rourke Rebel of the Week.

1. "No I can't stir them; I can only shake them." -- Kurt M.

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1. "I got his keys! His wife and kids are about to get Punk'd!" -- Max R.

2. "Duck...Duck....Duck...GOOSE!
-- Adi B.

3. "Hurry up with that coffee. And bring some of those donuts! I think somebody slipped Ed here some decaf, but yah, we're not too late he's still breathin." -- Chaz K.

This week we're giving away more lavish prizes, with a photo from the indie sleeper Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and an incredibly cute monkey. Our grand prize winner will take home the DVD (available on Dec. 4), plus all sorts of amazing Pirates goodies (a Gentle Giant Jack Sparrow Animated Maquette, Gentle Giant Elizabeth Swann Animated Maquette, Flying Dutchman Dual Deck playset and more) that totals up to almost $600. Our first runner up gets a DVD, a Barbossa porcelain structure and Pirates action figures, while our third-place winner gets the DVD. Got that? Good.

On a personal note -- this will be my last week posting Insert Caption contests as increasing responsibilities on the Moviefone side will limit my blogging action, so I'll be passing the caption-master torch to Erik Davis. But thanks for playing along with me! We'll always have India. And Finland. And Mr. Woodcock hats.

Read the official rules for this contest

Thanks to all who entered our Fred Claus contest for a chance to win a trip for four to Finland. As much as we'd like to send you all to Finland (OK, we're just saying that, almost all of you), we could only choose one winner, selected through a careful democratic process (similar to the Electoral College but simpler and logical). Congratulations to our winner below. Say hello to lovely head of state (and Conan O'Brien look-alike) Tarja Halonen for us. And like we told we told our India winner, though you are in no way legally (or morally) obligated, an exotic magnet is always nice. Or maybe even a snow globe.

Grand Prize Winner:

1. "Vince wished he had heeded Dorothy's warnings. He was quickly learning why nobody screws with the Lollipop Guild." -- Anthony G.

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To make up for our inability to send almost all of you to Finland, we return this week with two amazing prizes to dole out. The first is one copy of the James Bond Ultimate Collector's Set, which includes every single Bond title on DVD. That's like a five-night, six-day trip around the world all in one beautifully packaged box, and without the threat of double-crosses or parasites. See the pic from Die Another Day after the jump.

Also, in honor of their new film No Country for Old Men, we're giving away three copies of the Coen Brothers Movie Collection, which includes Fargo, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Blood Simple and Barton Fink. See the pic from Fargo after the jump, and get bonus points if it's funnier when read in a thick Midwestern accent. Feel free to submit a caption for each photo in a single comment. It will help if you specify which caption is for which photo (especially if you choose to only enter one of these contests), though hopefully we'll be able to figure that out. Winners will be announced Friday. Good luck!

Ocean's Thirteen
George Clooney and pals caught a lot of flack for faltering (somewhat) in the second installment of this crime caper trilogy. Critics berated Hollywood's finest for enjoying themselves off set so pointedly you'd think dead hookers were popping up left and right. Excuse the guy if he needs a break from trying to save Darfur and prepping pensive, top-notch fare like Syriana, Good Night, And Good Luck, Michael Clayton and so on. And for all its faults (I'm looking at you, Julia Roberts cameo), Twelve was still as entertaining as a popcorn movie needs to be. There seemed to be a "you owe us" attitude among some critics, and Thirteen for the most part put the carping to rest. Its biggest strength? It becomes personal for Ocean's crew, once Reuben (Elliott Gould) is royally screwed over (nearly keeling over as a result) by Al Pacino's SOB casino mogul. Not only is our faith fully restored in Ocean et al here, but suddenly we're rooting for them harder than ever. As nice as it is to see Pacino hooting and hollering again (mostly hollering), the real treat in terms of new blood is Ellen Barkin as his empowered assistant/ the "cougar" Linus (Matt Damon) attempts to seduce in the movie's funniest sequence. Who'd think Barkin could be still be so sexy 16 years after Switch?

Shrek the Third
Speaking of critical lashings, Shrek's third outing was a popular target for ire this past summer. Not so much in terms of popular opinion, though. Mylesomaticx, for one, declared it "THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE" in his/her user review on Moviefone. Whoa there, Mylesomaticx. I'll play the diplomat and say it falls somewhere smack dab in the middle of the critiques of the Rotten Tomatoes majority ("flat and pointless," says one) and the Caps Locked Mylesomaticx. I didn't find Shrek the Third any less enjoyable than Shrek 2 (which got glorious reviews), that's for sure. There are more storylines here (they could've done without those creepy dronkeys) and the humor, seemingly skewed even further for adults, is still funnier and smarter than the vast majority of animated rip-offs we see nowadays. The suddenly ubiquitous actor Justin Timberlake (when in the world does he find time to practice the Moonwalk?) joins the fun as Artie, the rightful heir to the throne of Far Far Away, and is surprisingly adept at voicing a whiny teen. But Mike Myers needs to hurry up and play someone/something else. Is it just me or is he becoming increasingly interchangeable with the character Shrek? Luckily, The Love Guru, his first non-Shrek film in five years, opens next June. JT co-stars.

Ratatouille
Really, what else is there to say about the omnipotence of Pixar? How about this: They're robots from outer-space that have concocted a flawless entertainment formula (typically blending visual mastery, imaginative storytelling, witty humor and John Ratzenberger) that wins over critics and normal human beings alike time and again (even if Cars showed a few slight glitches in the matrix). What's scary is that Ratatouille is one of their best films yet, easily among their top three. What's even scarier is that they appear to challenging themselves, "What can't we make audiences fall in love with? How about a rat who cooks?!" Well, turns out Remy (Patton Oswald) is the most lovable rodent since Splinter, and has surely given his species a fighting chance to coexist more fruitfully with future generations of humanoids. Just think how many kids pleaded for pet rats after this one (hey, hamsters are close). Young buck Peter O'Toole continues chewing up the scenery as a stuffy food critic (Pixar's revenge for the staggering 24% percent of critics on Rottentomatoes who didn't deem Cars fresh pickings?), while Lou Romano marks the studio's latest in-house talent to thrive as the voice of Remy's man-pal Linguini. You have eight months to enjoy repeated viewings of Ratatouille on DVD before Pixar's next film drops: It's called Wall-E, and it's about -- get this -- robots in outer-space.
Read Erik's full DVD review | Go inside the Ratatouille DVD at Pixar