I'm writing to you this week a better person. "Why?" you ask? Well, I'd like to think it's a result of my ongoing pursuit to better myself. Really, though, It's because I watched The Muppets movie last weekend. I can't remember leaving the movie theater that genuinely happy with the state of the film industry and the world as a whole. Any place that understands the societal importance of and allows for the continued expression of Jim Henson's iconic creations is a place I'm happy to be a part of. In short, anytime The Muppets are around, I'm all the better for it.In other news, in this week's "Top 5" installment you'll find some of the first looks at Rhys Ifans' The Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man, the first teaser posters for Men in Black 3, the first image of Daniel Day Lewis in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, Brendan's latest Cinemath feature, and each of our 2012 Oscar Previews. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.1. First Looks at The Lizard from THE AMAZING SPIDER-MANamazing-spider-man-promo-image-slice-01I wish all spoilers would come in such a delicious package. In spite of all of their efforts to keep the look of Rhys Ifans' The Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man under wraps, Sony has had the rug pulled from underneath them courtesy of these new PEZ dispensers featuring Spidey and The Lizard's respective likenesses. If that isn't enough, a few days after those images made their way onto the interwebs, we also posted this concept art of the villain. Those of you who missed the pic's Comic-Con panel and are still anxious to get an idea of The Lizard's look as a result, have at it.2. First Teaser Posters for MEN IN BLACK 3men-in-black-3-teaser-posters-sliceTo be completely honest, Men in Black 3 has more or less fallen off of my "movies I have the slightest interest in seeing" list. That said, just because I have no intentions on actually watching the pic doesn't mean I can't compliment the pretty solid teaser posters on display here. If marketing materials alone could ever sway me to consider buying a ticket, these would have a pretty good shot at doing so.3. First Look at Daniel Day-Lewis as Honest Abe in Steven Spielberg's LINCOLNI'm from Illinois, the self-appointed "Land of Lincoln". As such, I have a completely frivolous sense of entitlement regarding all things Honest Abe. So, as if they were to care at all about my thoughts, I would like to use this space to say to Steven Spielberg and all of those responsible first for casting Daniel Day Lewis as the 16th President of the United States and second for making him look this spot-on, "Well done".4. Cinemath: A Statistical Analysis of Brendan's IMDB Ratingscinemath-imdb-sliceMy friend, Mr. Brendan Bettinger, is good with numbers. In case you weren't convinced of this fact back when he used game theory to analyze competing Snow White films, he's giving his "Cinemath" feature another go-round, this time in the form of a statistical analysis of his own IMDB movie ratings. As a fellow movie blogger, I can't help but be interested by his undying devotion to rating every movie he watches. As someone who hasn't taken a math class since his freshman year of undergrad, I can't help but wonder if he'll ever be so kind as to balance my checkbook for me.5. Our 2012 Oscar Previewsslice_academy_award_oscar_statue_01Approximately 92% of the entertainment that I derive from the Academy Awards comes from debating with friends who/what I think will win versus who/what I think should win (the other 8% comes from all of those pretty dresses). This is mind, I'd like to give a big kudos to Adam for putting together our 2012 Oscar Previews so that I can begin this debate a little sooner and a little more organized than usual. In case you've missed them, or if you simply want to reference them again, here you go: Best Picture and Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, Best Animated Feature, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Technical Category Quick Picks.