Super Bowl Sunday has come to be known as a holiday for football fans, but it’s also a memorable time for movie buffs. Over the last few decades, it’s no secret that million-dollar ads have nearly eclipsed the game itself, but high-profile film commercials are a relatively new phenomenon that has erupted over the last decade or so. With that in mind, and as we look forward to Sunday’s blockbusters, here are some flicks that unveiled crucial footage at Super Bowls past:

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009)

Last year’s biggest ad , a Variety survey showed that 83% of the people polled remembered seeing the trailer during Super Bowl – the most of any of the movie ads, which is unsurprising since it then went on to gross the most of any of the films advertised. Ultimately, the proof of that advertising power was in the pudding as the “Transformers” sequel would go on to make over $400 million in the U.S. despite the fact that… well, it kinda sucked. Read more...

Nestor Carbonell is most recognizable as Richard Alpert on "Lost" and as the mayor of Gotham City in "The Dark Knight," but if some fans get their way, he might add another role to his increasingly geeky resume — none other than the villainous Khan in a possible "Star Trek" sequel.

Previously, director J.J. Abrams said that he's open to the idea of recasting the classic "Star Trek" villain in an upcoming sequel, and Carbonell has had his name thrown around for the part by many of his own supporters and "Star Trek" fans alike. When asked about the possibility, Carbonell said he'd be thrilled to play Khan. Read more...

Most everyone who saw "Star Trek" agreed that Zachary Quinto, star of "Heroes," was an ideal choice to play Spock. He's got Leonard Nimoy's severe features, the trademark eyebrow raise, the monotone, emotionless delivery... Quinto inhabited the classic character while also owning him with some unique flourishes. Like putting the moves on Zoe Saldana.

As great as the experience must have been for Quinto to move from flagging TV series to high-profile summer blockbuster, he's ready for a break. The actor has been doing the press rounds in support of the upcoming computer game "Star Trek Online," to which he lends his voice. And, in what might be a troubling development for "Trek" fans, he told Wired in an interview that he's finished with the franchise for the next little bit. Read more...

"I have to admit," J.J. Abrams said the other night on the National Board of Review red carpet, "the ['Star Trek' sequel] is really all about the Gorn." As any self-respecting "Trek" fan knows, the Gorn are a green-skinned humanoid race resembling giant lizards.

"We just thought it would be fun... to go Gorn," he said with a grin, driving the joke home.

Abrams wasn't all jokes on the red carpet however. He did have a few things to say about two upcoming sequels, "Star Trek" and "Cloverfield," when questioned by MTV's Josh Horowitz. Read more...

UPDATE: Paramount has confirmed to MTV that the projected release date for the "Star Trek" sequel is indeed June 29, 2012.

This counts as news, but there's not much to it. We all know there's a "Star Trek" sequel coming. Hell, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, writers/producers of the May reboot, were talking about sequel possibilities as far back as the week after the first movie came out. Now we have a date to pin our hopes to: June 29, 2012.

Nothing else is known or announced, so don't ask. Maybe director J.J. Abrams will return to helm the sequel, maybe he won't. Maybe Khan will be the villain, maybe not. For all we know, the plan is to give us an epic "Star Trek Meets Star Wars" crossover. Could happen, right? Read more...

2009 was a year of delights at the movies. The list below testifies to that. It doesn't rival '07 when two examples of virtual moviemaking perfection were released--namely "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" but '09 may have been filled with as many unexpectedly joyful film going experiences as I can remember in a single calendar year.

From sitting in the first public screening of what should have been a forgetful and frivolous romantic comedy on a frigid night in Park City (see #8) to being flabbergasted by the inventiveness of a would-be sci-fi auteur (whose name I couldn't spell or pronounce at the time, see #7) for 112 riveting minutes. Franchises were reborn. Genres were injected with new life. Stephen Sommers made a watchable film called "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra." Young filmmakers came of age. And one mad genius with the heart of a pussycat and 300 million at his disposal opened our eyes once more to how a night at the movies can make us feel.

THE TOP TEN (er ELEVEN) Read more...

In the long, long (loooooooong) lead-in to the release of J.J. Abrams' reboot of the "Star Trek" franchise, a lot of rumors surfaced concerning who would be joining the cast. At one point, Gary Sinise, Adrien Brody and Matt Damon were even said to be playing the legendary threesome of Dr. McCoy, Spock and Captain James T. Kirk.

Well recently, MTV's Josh Horowitz had the opportunity to speak with Abrams, and his "Trek" star Chris Pine, in an exclusive interview pegged to the fact that, in 2009, these two guys rank among those that we movies fans are most thankful for. And a decision was made to find out exactly what truth lies behind those years-old casting rumors. Given how well "Trek" worked with a cast that was relatively devoid of big-name superstars, one has to wonder if Abrams ever really did call Damon up to talk about the Kirk role. Read more...

FROM MTV.COM: With a worldwide box-office haul of $384 million, "Star Trek" was one of the biggest movies of the year. But more important than its cash haul was the mere fact that director J.J. Abrams pulled the franchise from the cinematic dustbin and gave it a sleek, big-budget sheen. "Trek" was finally back, and perhaps it was cooler than it'd ever been. A lot of the credit for the cool factor goes to Chris Pine, who took on the iconic role of James T. Kirk and made it his own.

We at MTV News couldn't be more grateful that the U.S.S. Enterprise is once again patrolling outer space, which is why Abrams and Pine are two of the entertainers we're most thankful for in 2009. In a recent chat with MTV News, both these guys reflected on the experience of making "Trek," revealed some secrets about the project that we never knew and talked about the future of the franchise.

Continue reading J.J. Abrams And Chris Pine Have Our Gratitude For Rebooting 'Star Trek'

While the rest of the planet is looking forward to "New Moon," here in the world of home entertainment it's all about looking back...specifically to two of the summer's biggest films which are now hitting store shelves. From space cadets to a fashion-savy Austrian, this is your DVD Report for Tuesday, November 17.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a group more anxious than "Star Trek" fans on the date director J.J. Abrams was tapped to reboot the franchise. It was a tall order. "Trek" had notably faltered at the box office after the dreadful "Nemesis," and had been unceremoniously dumped from the airwaves after the lackluster "Enterprise." And now here was a guy who openly boasted that he had barely watched "Star Trek." Even his directing credentials were thin -- a few television episodes here and there and one feature film in "Mission: Impossible III." It all made for a very skeptical fanbase for a franchise many thought should lay dorment to catch its breath. Read more...

The Blu-ray/DVD isn't the only "Star Trek"-related piece of awesome hitting stores today. Serious fans can also pick up "Star Trek: The Art of the Film," from Titan Books. We ran a few exclusive monster design sketches last week to psych you up, and now we have a couple more looks at the book.

These are no sketches though. Oh no... we've got photos to share today. Two of them. First up is a look at the rebooted bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, from various angles. Pretty badass, but it doesn't compare to the second one. It's a full Enterprise crew cast shot taken on the bridge, only Abrams himself is in the captain's chair. As he should be. The poster above you might've seen before, but I love the design of it so much that I'm running it to go with this post. Hit the jump for the exclusive hotness. Read more...