Welcome to “Trailer Park,” our regular Friday feature where we collect the week’s new trailers all in one place and do a little “judging a book by its cover,” ranking them from worst to best and taking our best guess at what they may be hiding. We’ve got seven new trailers for you this week; check ‘em all out after the jump.

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With the holiday season in full swing, it’s easy to get burned out — cable stations are running crappy movies like Jingle All the Way and The Santa Clause 24/7, saccharine holiday music is blasting out of every speaker, and you’ve still got like half your list to buy, and what the hell do I get these freaks?

Calm down. Have an eggnog. Put some rum in it. And enjoy some of our favorite anti-Christmas movies — not films that hate the holiday, per se (though a couple of them do), but ones that cut through all that warmth and good feeling and get at the darkness underneath. Our contrarian Christmas viewing list is after the jump. Read More »

We love Bill Murray unconditionally, but even so, we have to admit that his career has had its low points. Like Larger than Life, for instance — you know, the one where he starred opposite an elephant. And those two Garfield movies, which we can’t blame Murray for doing because his voice was so perfect for the big, orange cat. But those missteps barely detract from his highlights, from Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day to Lost in Translation and Fantastic Mr. Fox, the films of his 21st-century renaissance. Derek Eads charts these ups and downs in the attractive graph above, which uses Rotten Tomatoes as a barometer for Murray’s success. See a larger version of the graph here. [via Slashfilm]

Today at Flavorpill, we looked at some Ryan Gosling-approved decorating ideas for our apartment. We wondered if it would be more pleasant to work in a fancy shed than a cubicle. We couldn’t decide which we found more confusing: the fact that Hanson is possibly launching their own beer or that the littlest brother is now a dead ringer for Wayne Coyne. We loved today’s Google Doodle, an illustration inspired by The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in honor of Mark Twain’s 176th birthday. We were glad not to be Aung Zaw Oo’s body. We tried to imagine why anyone would want to own a set of Hitler’s swastika-emblazoned sheets. We agreed with author Karen Russell that Bill Murray would make a good Chief Bigtree in the forthcoming TV adaptation of Swamplandia!. We were happy to see that hi-res versions of John James Audubon’s pretty bird pictures are now online thanks to the University of Pittsburgh. And finally, we watched an amazing time-lapse video of the construction of the incredible Maurizio Cattelan retrospective that’s currently up at the Guggenheim. We’re curious how long it’s going to take to bring it all down when the show closes in January.

1. Cory Smoot aka Flattus Maximus, the lead guitarist for the heavy metal band GWAR, was found dead on their tour bus yesterday following a concert in Minneapolis. The cause of death is currently unknown, and according to a statement from GWAR, “at this point we are just dealing with the loss of our dear friend and brother.” [via AP]

2. Here’s your first look at Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham in Mike Newell’s adaptation of Great Expectations and Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Roger Michell’s Hyde Park on Hudson.

3. David Simon has announced that Treme will end after its fourth season; considering that shooting is currently underway on Season 3, at least this gives fans plenty of time to prepare themselves, right? [via Variety]

4. Jennifer Lopez plans to produce — not star in — a live action film version of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? According to Slashfilm, “The hope is that the film… turns into a family adventure along the lines of National Treasure.” All we’ve got to say is Rockapella better be doing the soundtrack.

5. ABC has announced that it will air A Very Gaga Thanksgiving, a TV special that was conceived and directed by Lady Gaga, on Thanksgiving day. The show will feature eight performances by the singer, as well as a sit-down interview with Katie Couric. [via THR]

Bonus Buzz: 3D Mapping On Steroids

There are the famous portrayals of Hunter S. Thompson, the random Internet impressions, and everything in between (hi there, John Cusack). Our friends at BuzzFeed have collected all three in a new, Rum Diary-apropos supercut that features quite a few men in Hawaiian shirts with sunglasses and cigarette holders talking in decidedly staccato rhythms. While it’s interesting — okay, no, it’s mostly alarming — to see how many dudes are hanging out in their basement pretending to be Thompson (perhaps under the influence of drugs), the real question the video raises is: Who’s your Gozno journalist of choice, Bill Murray or Johnny Depp? Watch the supercut after the jump and tell us who you think makes a better Hunter in the comments.

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There is no shortage of pop-culture love for the great Bill Murray — one of the most talented, and strangest, actors of his generation. So it was only a matter of time before some well-attuned curator dedicated an entire exhibition to him. Los Angeles’ Gallery1988 Melrose has done just that, with Please Post Bills, a group show of works inspired by Murray that will run from November 3rd-26th. In the preview gallery after the jump, you’ll find tributes to Steve Zissou, Ghostbusters‘ Peter Venkman, Groundhog Day‘s Phil Connors, Lost in Translation‘s Bob Harris, and even a handy infographic guide to all of Murray’s films.

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English portraiture meets pop culture in this series of digital paintings that one artist has created based on 329 19th century portraits of Russian Generals who defeated Napoleon in 1812. George Dawe was Russia’s first portrait painter of the Imperial Court. His creations have become the jumping point for Steve Payne’s new body of work, in which he digitally replaces the faces of the Generals with those of friends, family, and various celebrities. Payne found several photographic reproductions of the original paintings and has inserted the famous mugs of people like Sean Connery, Rob Pattinson, and Bill Murray. Some folks look right at home in their regal get-ups — the big surprise being Mickey Rourke who looks just as comfortable donning an epaulet as he does on a Harley. Sadly, Elijah Wood seems to be swallowed whole by his uniform, and Charlie Sheen is … well, Charlie Sheen. Check out more after the jump, and let us know who commands your attention most.

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As much as we love SNL digital shorts and all the vulgar laughs and Justin Timberlake cameos they may bring, let’s take a break before this weekend’s season premiere to acknowledge another variety of Saturday Night Live music videos, shall we? Y’know, the ones that weren’t produced by Lorne Michaels. Every now and then, a current or former “Not Ready For Prime Time Player” will lend a hand as the protagonist of a real music video for an actual musician, and some of these guest appearances are pretty great. Check out ten of our favorites after the jump.

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There are an abundance of reasons to put “see Moneyball” on your weekend to-do list: First film since Capote from director Bennett Miller; Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillan adapting a Michael Lewis book; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, and Chris Pratt (aka Andy Dwyer) in supporting roles; the baby blues of one William Bradley Pitt. And then there is our old friend Jonah Hill, who has taken the opportunity here to make the leap we’ve come to expect from any comedic performer of note: the transition to “serious acting.”

Now from the looks of the trailer, it doesn’t appear that Hill is exactly doing Hamlet — Moneyball is a fast, witty, seriocomic drama, allowing Hill some comedic opportunities within a larger and more serious context. That is one way to go; there are others. After the jump, join us for a look at the strategies that Hill’s predecessors adopted in making their move towards drama, and how they fared.

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