Movies have a strange relationship with history, that’s for certain. On the one hand, they have the ability to bring to life, in spectacular detail, the intricate recreation of historical events. On the other hand, films can have a misleading and even potentially dangerous relationship with history, and can change the past for the benefit of storytelling or for political ends. And there’s always the option of using films to challenge traditional notions of history. Finally, many movies play with history through the benefit of cinema’s artifice. Arguably, it’s this last function that you see history function most often in relationship to mainstream Hollywood cinema. In playing with history, Hollywood rarely possesses a calculated political motive or a desire to recreate period detail. In seeking solely to entertain, Hollywood portrays the historical, but rarely history itself. Tom Shone of Slate has written an insightful piece about a unique presence of that historical mode all over the movies seeking to be this summer’s blockbusters. Citing X-Men: First Class, Super 8, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Cowboys & Aliens as examples, Shone argues that this is an unusual movie summer in terms of the prominence of movies set in the past. However, while such a dense cropping of past-set films is unusual for this season, these movies don’t seem to be all that concerned with “the past” at all – at least, not in the way that we think.

The rights to the Terminator franchise have been sold. And it happened with the least amount of fanfare possible. Aside from rumors that the head of Sony Pictures stormed out of yesterday’s auction, it was a relatively bland affair.

After dispensing upon the world a movie (Terminator Salvation) that probably made James Cameron cry, sometimes not-so-bad director McG is heading to the world of formula action-comedy. And of course he’s bringing along his keen eye for telling the story of romance, with action.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science has released the list of the seven films that are in the final running for the Best Visual Effects Oscar. We break down the finalists, telling you exactly who may or may not win.

The year is about over. And while we’re on the cusp of laying down our epic Year in Review, we thought we’d start you off with something easy — a gigantic montage.

It is important that we make ourselves ready for the onslaught of video mashups and montages for the year that was 2009, as it’s bound to happen.

So here we are with a fourth Terminator movie, helmed by McG no less. This time, it’s Batman versus Perseus in a post-apocalyptic smackdown. It may not be the best of the series, but you just might believe it is after playing this game.

Rob Hunter loves movies. He also loves working as a documentary filmmaker who follows Asian girls around to document their love lives. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.

Wealthy-beyond-belief Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is gifted entrance into a strange game by his prodigal brother Conrad (Sean Penn). He goes in for extensive testing, and when he’s told he doesn’t qualify, the game begins in earnest, testing his wits, physical strength and the emotional scarring caused by witnessing his father’s suicide as a child.

Welcome to yet another photo finish weekend at the Reject Report, and just like a few weeks back when The Hangover clipped Up at the wire to win, we don’t know yet who ended up on top.

We’re feeding grist into the mill with the non-news that the next Terminator installment might be set in Merry Olde England.

After a dismal start to the season, it looks like Pixar and Sam Raimi are restoring our faith that the Summer can pick itself up and dust itself off.

This week, Culture Warrior gets personal as he covers why Hollywood and its characters always seem to be the same but different.

Who needs a $100 million weekend? Not Hollywood, says Kevin Carr.

As expected and predicted by just about everyone, the rest of the field was looking Up — way Up — at yet another dominating Pixar performance at the box office.

The Visual FX Supervisor for Terminator Salvation gave us some of his time to discuss the concepts behind creating the world after the bombs fell.

The obvious question this weekend is: will the box office go to hell, or will it go Up? Also — some more good Star Trek box office news.

As promised, The Reject Report is back with the final Memorial Day weekend numbers. All I have to say is that if you throw out my bonehead weekend prediction for Terminator: Salvation my picks turned out not too badly.

Just because we’d rather terminate Terminator Salvation rather than watch it again doesn’t mean we don’t want a sequel. We just want one that meets all of our demands.

Robert Fure says kids suck. He also says “Sarah, the baby’s not mine so stop calling I’m not paying for anything.”