This direct-to-DVD movie isn't exactly what you'd call good, but it was considerably better than yet another High School Musical installment. This spinoff had the decency to focus on the best thing about the HSM franchise: the Sharpay character. She's self-involved and pampered to a deliriously wonderful degree, and here she gets it in her brainy head to go to New York to pursue her dream of being an actress, which she soon realizes that it is a bit more difficult than just flashing her daddy's credit card everywhere. It has elements of Legally Blonde (Sharpay's obsessed with pink, too) but while I personally adore Ashley Tisdale, Reese Witherspoon she is not. Here's what really doesn't work about the movie:

The first trailer for the Planet of the Apes prequel/remake/reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, has hit the Internet, and it looks pretty great. That's mostly because it looks nothing like Tim Burton's overwrought remake of Planet from 2001, but also because it seems to borrow as much from recent horror films as it does Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the 1972 film that it partially draws on. Here are the other movies I couldn't help but think of as I watched the trailer.

When MGM plunged into financial peril recently, the seemingly indestructible James Bond franchise was temporarily put on hold; it seems to be back on track now, with Daniel Craig returning for a third time as the super-spy, but perhaps some new blood would put the franchise (and MGM) on stronger financial footing? (Remember, Timothy Dalton only got two films, too.) Someone young, popular, maybe with the initials "J.B."... Hey, what about Justin Bieber? The kid is already everywhere, he's got plenty of good years left in him, and he's got some dance moves that could maybe come in useful in a parkour chase through a construction site. Plus, the title of his new concert film, Never Say Never, is already practically a James Bond title. We've plotted out his stint on the Bond franchise for the next decade

So the long-awaited Tron Legacy finally arrived last month, and... it was widely considered somewhat of a disappointment. Depending on the level of nostalgia in the person you ask, it was a major disappointment. Impeccably stylish, it was also dark and somber and incredibly reminiscent of the first movie, which was a cult favorite at best. But while the reboot was a critical dud, it was a box office success -- not a smash hit, but enough of a hit to reportedly make a sequel the cornerstone of Disney's plans for the franchise (which also involves a cartoon, more toys and, God willing, a lightcycle-based theme park ride). But rather than continue down the same programming code as the first movie, we hope the next one gets a Clu and really shakes things up.

Full disclosure: I hate lies. Specifically, I hate movies based on lies, where all of the action is based on a lie or secret or misunderstanding which must then be covered up for the remainder of the movie, usually by more lying. This includes a lot of Ben Stiller movies, and most definitely the Meet the Parents franchise, where approximately 90% of all the spoken dialogue is a lie. Granted, if they told the truth, the movie would pretty much end, so I understand why they do it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. The third film, Little Fockers, is as dishonest as the others, but with recurring theme of marital infidelity that gives the formulaic farce a dark center.

It's hard to think of a movie that's built up more expectations than Tron Legacy. It was teased three Comic-Cons ago, which is like a century in nerd years, and the teaser made people stand up and cheer even then. Plus, the original movie came out 30 years ago which has given at least two generations of geeks time to elevate it to mythological status in their minds, collect the limited-edition action figures and gloss over any flaws. On top of that, the most popular electronic act in the world, who already dress and act like computer programs, are scoring the movie. It's pretty much guaranteed to disappoint, right? I know some were, but I couldn't pry my eyes off the screen for the entire running time of the movie, and of all the emotions I experienced in the theater, disappointment definitely wasn't one of them.

I really can't blame Jon Favreau for wanting to pass on the third Iron Man movie. He's already made two really good films, and any sort of arc he wanted to have in the third one was going to have to take a back seat to what happens with Iron Man in the Avengers and what Marvel wants him to do in Avengers 2. So best to leave it in the hands of someone who's sold on the whole "big picture" plan, but hopefully can still deliver the goods. Sadly, go-to sequel master Irvin Kershner is no longer with us, but we came up with a list of name directors with sequel experience who would, at the very least, create a threequel that would get people talking.

I realize that this review is entirely pointless. Either you're going to go see the final chapter in a seven-part fantasy epic, or you're not. Even if you haven't read the books they're based on, I'm pretty sure you didn't walk out of the sixth movie and go, "Eh, I'm done with that." Either you're definitely going to see it, or you have zero interest, having never gotten involved. That said, if, by some slim chance, you once tried the series and disliked it, I would urge you to reconsider. Just like the books, each film has gotten progressively darker and more adult, and director David Yates, who's done the last two entries, has taken advantage of the two-part split for this chapter and given every scene the time it deserves, allowing it to deliver the full dose of emotion and/or creepiness. Plus, it's got quite possibly the best movie cliffhanger of all time.

With Tron Legacy poised to eviscerate our eyeballs, it's never seemed like a better time for studios to raid their back catalogs and turn their most iconic movies into franchises. Sure, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps didn't exactly set the box office on fire, but, to be fair, it was a movie about banking. And why make a movie about a street when you can make one about a highway... to the danger zone? That's right, Paramount is supposedly looking to make a sequel to Top Gun, and they may even get original director Tony Scott to direct. Sure, the sequel could end up focusing on computer techs who pilot drone planes by remote-control (which should make for an interesting beach volleyball scene), but Tom Cruise would still be front and center, ready to sing a little karaoke. With that news, we'd like to see Cruise revisit most of his iconic '80s and '90s roles -- here are some sequels that we want to see.

A lot has been said about online entertainment news reporting, and how it's basically rumors propagated by blogger after blogger after blogger until somebody in the know actually comes in and refutes it. (Except even then, bloggers will claim that person is lying.) So we aren't going to put much stock in this insider report that George Lucas will finance new Stars Wars movies with the scratch he makes from re-releasing the old ones in 3-D. However, it has gotten me thinking about whether I'd actually want to see them. The crazy action in the LucasArts video game The Force Unleashed shows that the Universe can still tell new stories and generate excitement, so maybe there is hope, after all. Here's what I'd want to see if this movie buzz is real, and not wishful thinking on some fanboy's part.