Movies

They say that everything becomes respectable, given enough time. The lowly comic book, once the scourge of polite society and pea-brained Red-baiting demagogues, is currently enjoying a stint in the catbird seat. The “graphic novel” got the ball rolling. First appearing in the 1980s, these long-form comics lent the medium a patina of literary seriousness, and things have never been quite the same. Paradoxically, sales of comic books have gone into the crapper, as 12 year-old boys decamped for the virtual pleasures of the Web, reality TV, and assorted other time-fillers. It’s clear that the primary audience for comics now – especially superhero titles – is composed of adult males, some old enough to ground those tweeners, when necessary.

No surprise, then, that among the most popular traveling exhibitions is ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950, and its companion piece, Lights, Camera, Action: Comic Book Heroes of Film and Television, both of which I recently took in at L.A.’s tony Skirball Cultural Center, in the verdant hills of Brentwood, a stone’s throw from the already-fabled Getty.

Since earning his career breakout with Good Will Hunting in 1997, Matt Damon has won an Academy Award, worked for some of the finest directors (and alongside some of the most talented actors) in Hollywood, and proved his mettle as a dramatic actor, gifted screen comic, and steely action hero. But he's never been given the Total Recall treatment -- so in honor of Matt's latest release, the Iraq War thriller Green Zone, we decided to rifle through the Damon filmography and take a closer look at the 10 most critically successful entries -- an assortment of goodies so strong...

Clint Eastwood will likely direct the J. Edgar Hoover biopic written by Dustin Lance Black, now in development under the snappy title "Hoover."

Steve Martin is in talks to join the cast of "The Big Year," a comedy adaptation of Mark Obmascik's bird-watching memoir. Owen Wilson and Jack Black are also negotiating.

Jason Segel and Ed Helms have agreed to star in "Jeff Who Lives at Home," a stoner comedy from Mark and Jay Duplass