I am reminded of Martha and her catchphrase she uttered with resounding conviction, before her conviction, when I see the early reviews coming in for DAWN OF THE DEAD. On top of that, getting an extended ten-minute preview on USA this week was all that was needed to seal the deal. I applaud Universal for not only taking the ballsy move to secure the time to show the first ten minutes of the film, but that they believe enough in the picture to even give a thought to doing something like this. Obviously, there are some drawbacks to showing an insight into the pacing, cadence, camera work and acting of those in the picture. One of the drawbacks is that some people could see that you made a crappy-ass movie and you could possibly lose what little support you could have garnered by simply sitting on that jive turkey until a nameless Wednesday comes across so you can drop that bomb like Billy Zane in a Memphis Belle.

The second part of Peter’s look at Frank Miller’s Dark Knight, plus a little Toy Fair”¦

It’s nice to see the studios start rolling out and unfurling the trailers for their tentpoles. While I have yet to see the ones for I, ROBOT or the new SPIDER-MAN 2 be released, I know it’s just a matter of time as the latest for HELLBOY, MAN ON FIRE and even a new ALIENS VS. PREDATOR debuted this week. It’s nice to be coming out of winter and looking ahead to the cool confines of the movie house and unplug. Some have their feelings about summer movies and about their place in modern cinema, but if you take a look at my trailer-o-the-week, DAY AFTER TOMORROW, you will see why it may be a good thing to be paying attention at this year’s crop of summer flicks.

Are we done now with the Oscar pimping, primping and publicizing? Yes, we know Billy Crystal had as much relevance as an Apple IIe, that Joan Rivers and her suckling fawn, Melissa, have as much command of simple facts and decorum as a brain-dead ten-year-old with OCD in a Precious Moments boutique, and that Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Will Ferrell were the funniest parts of the night. Aside from that, and what your feelings are of Bill Murray getting completely robbed of his Oscar, which really”¦

I know it’s almost a cliché to admit but the one thing I like about hospital shows is when they rub those two white paddles together with that clear, K-Y jelly looking stuff and yell “clear” as they either save or do away with a character.

The Hughes brothers, Cuba Gooding Jr., John Singleton, Mario Van Peebles, Kid ‘N Play, Damon Wayans, Ice-T, Laurence Fishburne, Nia Long, David Allan Grier, Martin Lawrence, Wesley Snipes, Chris Rock, and even the entire crew of Full Force.

There hasn’t been much to coo about in the trailer world lately. I have to assume that studios are getting their ammunition together for the summer season and are willy nilly tossing their junk heaps in front of us in January and February before slamming us with their marketing pop-ups and relentless TV ads come Spring.

Peter goes in-depth on Frank Miller’s Dark Knight…

I was all set to regale the splendor that was the Super Bowl and the trailers they put on display. For quite some time I was plotting and planning a Super Bowl edition of this column just to make room for all the additions. While some of you used your TiVo remotes like a furious thirteen-year-old trying to determine that yes, see, right there, it was Janet’s breast in full bloom, I was using mine to confirm that I had been ripped off this year.

Alex Ross-o-rama…

The greatest news this week is not what was or was not nominated for an Academy Award. I couldn’t care less. Okay, I actually do care but seriously, not more than my anticipation for what trailers are going to run this Sunday during the Super Bowl. If any of you geeks remembers the Super Bowl from two years ago, it was the first time we all got a good look at Spidey and felt how agonizing it would be to wait until May to finally see him in action; or how STAR WARS: EPISODE I gave us all hope until Jake Lloyd and Jar Jar delivered a monkey punch to our collective admiration for George Lucas.

Kuper’s METAMORPHOSIS, NEW X-MEN, Uncle Scrooge, JUNGLE BOOK 2, Batman, and Gaiman…

In AMC’s very informative weekly program, SUNDAY MORNING SHOOTOUT, which you all should be watching if you care at all for a weekly insiders peek at the business of moviemaking, hosts Peter Guber and Peter Bart recently dished for a bit on the cinematic value of movie trailers.

Peter takes a look at Plastic Man, Daredevil, Dini, and Zatanna…

COMIC BOOK HEROES, Batman, and Mark Hamill’s COMIC BOOK: THE MOVIE…

John Byrne’s GENERATIONS, THE WIZARD OF OZ, Will Eisner, and Gaiman’s 1602…

Featuring work by Walt Kelly, Lemony Snicket, Carl Barks, Paul Dini, Charles Schulz, Dr. Seuss, Chuck Jones, and more…

Alan Moore’s LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: Book to film and back again”¦

Peter takes an in-depth look at Alan Moore’s LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN…

Gaiman, STAR WARS, and a Barbarian…

So why don’t superheroes get respect as an artform?

Peter takes an in-depth look at Disney’s BROTHER BEAR…

Peter talks more Gaiman: NEVERWHERE, WOLVES IN THE WALLS, and 1602…

Peter takes an in-depth look at Neil Gaiman’s Endless Nights.

Peter concludes his look at the recent biography of “Smilin’ Stan”…