I never, ever thought I'd be writing this (kidding) but Tommy Cruise seems to have lost his touch. The proof lies in this weekend's box office reports, which state quite plainly that his latest film, Lions For Lambs, has cashed in a meager $6,710,000 in its first weekend out in the States. And if you think that box office figures may no be reliable enough when it comes to the movie's true appeal (it's one of those serious movies about war and peace and we know the serious genre has been having a bad year), you'll be...well, not happy but at least you'll know that Lions for Lambs has been getting some pretty disastrous reviews.

"Rather than reasoned thought and debate, the only thing this movie inspires is exasperation" one film critic bluntly ends his review. And the fact is, he's right. The film is as static as a static movie can be (think worse than Lost in Translation), with dialog and lecturing pouring in from all sides and a few fight scenes just to keep us from tearing out all of our hair. It tells the story of a platoon of soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, a senator, a reporter and a college professor. It also stars Tom Cruise, who I'm afraid manages to cut a very different figure here from the much more convincing performance he gave in his previous box office hit, Mission Impossible 3, which grossed $47.7 million in its opening weekend.

And since we're talking about Tom Cruise here, what's life without a little controversy? "Lions for Lambs" also stars Robert Redford (who also directs) and Meryl Streep - who, rumor has it, simply can't stand Cruise. "Meryl and Bob can't stand Tom" a source reports. "In London, Tom kept trying to push himself into interviews. Bob said, 'No.' Tom wouldn't listen. Meryl has done almost nothing for the movie. She wants nothing to do with him". Well, I have a feeling it's all about the attitude and the hair and the "shorter than his wife" complex. And if there's something else Tom has done to piss off his co stars, I sure want to find out what it was - and bring you all the news, of course. So stay tuned - and keep your eyes on Tom's movie to see if it can sink any lower.