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I’ve decided to clean out the ole Movie Filter desk and organize these posts a little bit better. From now on, you’ll see a listing of new movies and DVDs at the very top of every post. These will be followed by semi-coherent random thoughts on movies I’ve seen recently or links to news about upcoming projects and so-on. Got it? Right. On we go!

Big, big, big week for the movies, kids. Here’s the run-down:

In theaters Friday: Flags of Our Fathers, The Prestige, Marie Antoinette.

On DVD today: The Break-Up, Over The Hedge.

“Over The Hedge” was a smart comedy and it’s a great family movie. Also, it is a necessity for Steve Carell completists. Read my review of Over The Hedge here.

Hugh Jackman was on the Tonight Show last night to promote “The Prestige.” Jay Leno’s first question was “So what is ‘the prestige?’” which, anyone who has seen the trailer knows, is a question that was answered very clearly by Michael Cane’s voice-over. Way to do your research, Jay. I’m sure actors feel pretty awesome about their TV appearance when the host is asking questions about a movie he hasn’t even seen the trailer for. But the gentleman Jackman handled it with ease. That’s the Aussie way…no worries, mate.

“The Break-Up” is one of those movies that was on my must-see list, but somehow I missed out on it. More important things must have come up. But I’ll definitely be renting the seed of Vaughniston this week, and post a review soon. Looks like Vaughn and Aniston may have called it quits just in time for the DVD release of “The Break-Up”…what a great PR move!

REVIEW: Thank You For Smoking This razor sharp comedy starring Aaron Eckhart as the mouthpiece for “Big Tobacco” is out on DVD and should not be missed. Eckhart breaks out in this role and carries the movie on his back. His character makes the movie work. He’s a friendly father, deceitful double-talker, a rake and an honest narrator. He’s a handsome devil you love and hate at the same time. Eckhart’s job is to make sure the cigarette industry doesn’t catch too much flack for the “health aspect” of their product. To this end, he goes on talk shows to counteract the story of a cancer-stricken boy, buys off the original Marlboro Man who’s now dying of lung cancer, and lobbies to have Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta Jones light up in their next blockbuster movie.

The film triumphs because it satirizes all sides of the anti-smoking issue. William H. Macy’s crusading congressman doesn’t escape the biting humor. And hilarious cameos from Rob Lowe and Adam Brody as apostles of the vacant, sugary center of planet Hollywood, give the middle of the film a lift too. My only problem is that Katie Holmes was miscast as a seductive reporter, and a key subplot (Eckhart not being allowed to smoke again), was left unexplored. No doubt, that was included in Chris Buckley’s book, but left on the cutting room floor. Still, check out “Thank You For Smoking,” for an intelligent slice of satire that’s as against political correctness as it is against smoking.

If you’re like me, you grew up on Transformers. You watched the cartoon, collected and roughed-up the toys, even tried the breakfast cereal. Wanting to be “more than meets the eye,” we had hypothetical schoolyard conversations about what we’d turn into if we were part of Optimus Prime’s crew. Me? I was an SR-71 Blackbird. Eighteen years later, I stand by my choice. If you haven’t heard, a live action Transformers movie is in the works, and here is an entire photo album of on-set pics. I’m way too old to get excited about Transformers now, and Michael Bay is directing so I’m not…hey, check out Bumblebee! Rad.

It’s Capote vs. Capote. Here is a detailed and not too surprising comparison of Infamous, the other Truman Capote movie out this month, and last year’s glory-hogging Capote, that gave Phillip Seymour Hoffman the Best Actor Oscar. As for “Capote,” I thought Hoffman turned in a worthy, if unlovable performance as the notorious author/socialite, but the movie as a whole as just okay. Maybe “Infamous” will one-up “Capote” as a film, or maybe it will always suffer in the shadow of Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s golden statuette.

The phrase “directed by Emilio Estevez” does not exactly instill bedrock confidence in a movie, and neither does a cast of nearly 30 stars that includes Lindsay Lohan, Ashton Kutcher and, er, Sharon Stone, but this trailer is really, really nice. Let’s see if the entire movie holds water or crumbles under its own pretentious weight.

Finally, The New Orleans Film Festival, ends this week. Thursday night is your last chance to catch advance screenings of the thought-provoking Babel and the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated at Canal Place. Both films come highly recommended.