Interspersed in between the commercials for products shown during the Super Bowl were a half-dozen for major movies coming our way this spring. (Sorry, Bat-fans, no "Dark Knight Rises.")

Here we've ranked them in our order of enjoyment.

"The Dictator"
Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat character is hard for some people to take because he's fooling clueless real people, and some viewers squirm in sympathy. That's not a problem in "The Dictator," in which the only real people who are mocked are the infamous dictators themselves. Baron Cohen plays the all-powerful leader of a fictional country called the Republic of Wadiya. The trailer is brief, but the joke at the Kardashians' expense is pretty fun, as is the race scene. (May 11)

"The Avengers"
"Avengers" fans, you didn't just stop with the 30-second ad shown during the Super Bowl, right? Surely you followed the URL given at the end of the ad and sought out the longer version? Those of us who can't wait to see the Avengers Assemble got a little goosebump or two during the Super Bowl version when Tony Stark called Steve Rogers "Captain." But those who went to the URL listed at the end of the ad got an even better line, when Loki tells Stark "I have an army," and Stark blasts back with "We have a Hulk." Here's that longer version. (May 4.)

"The Lorax"
Confession: At first we thought Danny DeVito's eternally crabby voice was going to drive us away from "The Lorax," but  we're kind of getting used to it. The colors and shapes in this Dr. Seuss adaptation are a delight, and the "that's a woman?" joke is straight out of Louie from "Taxi." (March 2)

"Act of Valor"
Hard not to be fascinated with the Navy SEALs, especially these days. The scene with an aerial view of the American flag being snapped over a casket is breathtaking. You don't get much of a sense of what the movie's about other than SEALs doing their brave duty, but that's kind of the point. (Feb. 24)

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation"
From real American heroes, to Real American Heroes (TM). Yes, those are dueling bald tough guys Bruce Willis and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson." Jay-Z quoted as if he's Shakespeare and Cobra flags being unveiled at the White House highlight this one. (June 29)

"Battleship"
Why is no one making the "B-15! You sank my battleship!" joke in the "Battleship" trailer? Oh, we know, because they're taking it seriously, which only makes us fear this could be as bad as "Battle: Los Angeles." Really, it's better to keep your aliens hidden if they're going to look this dorky. Yes, that's Rihanna who says "Boom." (May 18)

"Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" in 3-D
This gets our award for most misleading trailer of the night. It starts off with a bunch of scenes from the original trilogy, which isn't being re-released into theaters, before finally admitting that it's for the first of the prequels transformed into 3-D. These are NOT the droids we're looking for. (Feb. 10)

"John Carter"
Oh, "John Carter," we do not have high hopes for you. That is all. (March 9)

Which movie trailer looked best to you? Which was worst? Tell us on Facebook.

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“Times when we didn’t understand each other … discord and blame …”

Clint Eastwood was reading from a script during this ad for Chrysler on Super Bowl Sunday, but the words also can describe the fallout over the ad. Which has, as pretty much everything does these days, taken on a life of its own as a political football.

Oh, and msnbc.com users said it was the best of the bunch during the Super Bowl.

The two-minute spot, which ran during halftime, has Eastwood discussing challenges faced by the country cut with images of an America seemingly fresh from a John Cougar Mellencamp video.  He compared the country’s struggles with that of Chrysler’s hometown of Detroit – which he said had fought back.

And here’s where party affiliation seems to have to always come in.

Chrysler declared bankruptcy, was bailed out by American and Canadian taxpayers, and sold off to Italy’s Fiat before, early this year, being able to declare it had made its first profit since 1997. So the automaker is an American comeback story, symptom of government run amok, or something in between depending on where you are on the political spectrum.

“I was, frankly, offended by it,” Karl Rove, strategist behind President George W. Bush’s two presidential campaigns, told Fox News this morning. “I'm a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, I thought it was an extremely well-done ad, but it is a sign of what happens when you have Chicago-style politics, and the president of the United States and his political minions are, in essence, using our tax dollars to buy corporate advertising.”

The opposing team, of course, had an opposing view.

“Powerful spot. Did Clint shoot that, or just narrate it?” David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter.

Eastwood, for his part, told Fox News producer Ron Mitchell, "There is no spin in that ad. On this I am certain. l am certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama. It was meant to be a message about just job growth and the spirit of America. I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was OK."

Eastwood opposed the bailouts of Chrysler and General Motors.

“It has zero political content,” Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne told Detroit talk radio Monday morning. “The message is sufficiently universal and neutral that it should be appealing to everybody in this country and I sincerely hope that it doesn’t get utilized as political fodder in a debate.”

Too late. But that’s what happens when you put something on TV in 2012.

Your take on the ad? And do you think Coke’s polar bears pose a threat to our northern borders? And is GoDaddy.com not the paragons of feminism they may have been previously thought to be? Tell us on our Facebook page.

Chrysler ignored some of the unwritten rules of Super Bowl advertising – be brief, be funny – for the second year in a row, but it didn’t matter to msnbc.com readers.

Those readers voted the automaker’s “Halftime in America” spot that aired before the start of the fourth quarter best of the game with 23.4 percent of the vote. Volkswagen’s “The Dog Strikes Back” was a distant second and M&M’s dancing candy ad polled third (results here).

“Halftime” featured a croaking Eastwood ruminating on hard times in America and how the country has always recovered, linking it to Detroit – and by implication Chrysler’s – comeback.

“It’s halftime in America too … and we’re all scared because this isn’t a game,” the Oscar-winning director said.

The ad stood out for several reasons:

• It was long – at two minutes the longest in the game. Rates reportedly ran $3.5 million for a 30-second segment.
• It was serious. Other winners leaned predictably on sight gags and the battle of the sexes.
• It was a surprise. Chrysler mostly kept it under lock while other advertisers rushed out “viral” (as if spending millions on a YouTube campaign was spontaneous) campaigns with teasers and/or making-of footage in the weeks before the game.

The ad, which noted current divisions in America, perhaps accidentally stirred them up online. Chrysler received $5.9 billion in government loans and took a bankruptcy before posting its first profit since 1997 this year. Online, fans and detractors noted the timing.

“Why can't our so called leaders inspire us, be positive and optimistic,” posted Joc Jacquay on Facebook.

“Agh. WTH? Did I just see Clint Eastwood fronting an auto bailout ad???,” Tweeted conservative pundit Michelle Malkin.

“It has zero political content,” Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said on a Detroit talk radio Monday morning. “The message is sufficiently universal and neutral that it should be appealing to everybody in this country and I sincerely hope that it doesn’t get utilized as political fodder in a debate.”

Underscoring his opinion was Fiat’s decidedly non-political ad that used an Italian hottie to sell the company’s new compact.

Chrysler scored last year with a similar, long form, serious approach. It’s “Imported From Detroit” campaign began with a spot featuring Eminem.

We have calls into Chrysler about production of the ad. We’ll share when they call back.

Your take on the ads? Tell us on our Facebook page

Previously:

Some ugly lessons I learned from the Super Bowl ads

GM

Life may be grim after the apocalypse. But at least, according to GM, there will be Twinkies.

By Lindy West, msnbc.com contributor

COMMENTARY

Did you guys see the same Super Bowl ads I did? Well? Are you freaking out? The end is obviously hella nigh! Are you totally barricading right now? Because, seriously, WHOEVER ISN’T BARRICADING RIGHT NOW BETTER GET IT TOGETHER ALREADY.

The powers that be would have you believe that the behavior modeled in this year’s advertisements is “cute” or “funny” or “harmless,” but do not be fooled! If that collection of Super Bowl ads wasn’t the most base, unapologetic paean to depravity ever to air on network television, then my name’s not Madonna’s Awkwardly Shaky Equilibrium (okay, not technically my name yet, but after the apocalypse we can pick whatever names we want—the nuclear hill mutants are terrible with paperwork).

Not content with simply being like nine hours of padded millionaires running around bumping into each other, this year’s Super Bowl also deigned, via advertising, to instruct us on how to live. And it was dark. Very dark. So dark, in fact, that the world may never be light again. If you can take a break from tinned-meat-stacking duty for one minute, then come take a look at how the Super Bowl XLVI ads would have society behave. Also, go kiss your wife WHILE SHE STILL HAS LIPS.

Vote for your favorite Super Bowl ad

Host a macabre talent show and brutally murder all losing contestants by feeding them to a subterranean rapping cannibal (Pepsi)

 
In this dystopian vision, Elton John has been elected king and all currency has been replaced with Pepsi. King Elton calls his unlucky subjects into the throne room one by one, forces them to sing and dance for his pleasure, and then, when he tires of their follies, pulls a lever and drops them through a trapdoor into a dungeon where they crunch to the floor as wet sacks of bones and are promptly devoured by Flavor Flav. DO NOT ATTEMPT.

Feed your best friend to a cheetah just for laughs (Hyundai)

A guy feeds his best friend to a cheetah just for laughs. I guess this is what friendship counts for in the end times.

Expose yourself to a female at a party if you think her outfit is too revealing (M&Ms)

A female anthropomorphic brown M&M attends a party, at which several human partygoers accuse her of being naked because her shell (brown) is the same color as her innards (brown). In a moment of classic victim-blaming and public lewdness, the red M&M sheds his shell-clothing and waggles his nude candy-parts right in her face.

Find global warming adorable (Coca-Cola)

Oh, look! Polar bears debasing themselves in the name of Coca-Cola! Seriously, couldn’t we have a little more respect for polar bears, seeing as we’re currently systematically murdering them? And ourselves? WAIT, I’M THIRSTY.

Our live blog of the Super Bowl ads

Callously abandon your friend dave to the flames and choking blood-rains of the apocalypse because he drives a kind of car you don’t like (Chevy)

Apparently, after the apocalypse, only complete jerks will remain to repopulate the earth. In this commercial, a bunch of smug Chevy drivers stand around eating Twinkies in a blasted wasteland. “Where’s Dave?” “Dave didn’t make it. Dave didn’t drive the longest lasting, most dependable truck on the road. Dave drove a Ford.” YOU GUYS, DAVE IS DEAD RIGHT NOW. COULD YOU AT LEAST PRETEND TO BE UPSET?

Become an accessory to murder in the name of snacks (Doritos)

So this creepy sociopath Great Dane commits cat-murder and then buys his owner’s silence with a snack-size bag of Doritos. I’m sorry — are human men having this much trouble locating and affording their own Doritos? They have to collude with dog-murderers? And it’s not even for a full-size bag? Disgusting.

Train children to urinate in the water supply (TaxACT.com)

Because…taxes? What?

Allow a perfectly cute dog to do the moonwalk (Skechers)

This was a completely adorable French Bulldog situation until Mr. Quiggly started to dance. For shame.

What made you laugh? Cringe? Discuss it on our Facebook page

Shoot a baby out of a slingshot (Doritos)

Out of ammunition in your turf war with the toxic mutants? Why not try a HUMAN BABY!?!! (Wait, don’t — it’s just what they want. Human babies are their food.)

Adopt an abused dog and force it to be your slave (Budweiser)

Mark my words, Super Bowl ads: One day the dogs will rise up and then WE will become the slaves! All of humanity shall reap the darkness that you sow. Now, if you need me, I’ll be down here in my bunker stockpiling pemmican and working on my system for converting urine into potable drinking water (can anyone spare any urine barrels?). Don’t bother knocking. I won’t answer.

Lindy West is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles covering film, television, and pop culture.

Volkswagen

Don't be sad, puppy. Your Volkswagen ad may make you a star.

There's no question that the Giants and the Patriots played some exciting football Sunday night, but what about the ads?

Did you like the nostalgia of seeing Jerry Seinfeld's and the Soup Nazi's return, and Matthew Broderick echoing Ferris Bueller?

Or did you prefer the more serious message Clint Eastwood had in his halftime ad for Chrysler?

And which dog did you like best?

Vote for your favorite ad here, and tell us what you loved — and hated — on our Facebook page.

And if you've forgotten which ad was which already, check out our top selections below the vote. You can see how everyone else voted below the videos.

Related:

Live-blogging the Super Bowl ads

Tell us about your favorite ad on our Facebook page.

Update: Were the fourth-quarter ads as exciting as the game? Scroll to the bottom to vote.

Update: That's the game. Eli Manning got the job done and Tom Brady couldn't work one final miracle. Giants 21, Patriots 17. Stick around. We'll do a vote on the ads in this 4th quarter post and then recap the entire game's worth of commercials.

Update: Two-minute warning. The Giants are driving like this Cadillac ad. ... Does Danica Patrick still work in the Go Daddy ads? On a night when Adriana Lima is selling everything from flowers to Kias, we'd rather see Patrick behind the wheel of something.

Update: A phone! With a pen! Or is it a tablet? Not sure, but Samsung frees the hipsters stuck in a line waiting for the next big thing (from some other phone or tablet maker) with its Galaxy Note.

Update: Adriana Lima is getting a lot of work tonight. This KIA ad featuring a guy's dream -- juiced by a little extra gold dust from Mr. Sandman -- taps into all the necessary male cliches: Racecar driver, supermodel, Motley Crue and giant sandwich requiring loggers to saw it in half. ... And speaking of all of that -- monkeys! 

Update: Here Weego! Bud Light makes up for that Platinum bottle with a cool dog ad built around their usual premise of having dogs serve people beer at parties. Weego is going to give Mr. Quiggly a run, we think.

Remember to vote: Scroll to the bottom of this post for links back to the previous quarters. All of those posts have votes.

Update: Finally. We were just wondering where Ferris Bueller was. This ad easily stole the week-before-the-game hype contest. It clocked in much longer in previously reviewed versions. A close game makes it look like a smart buy for Honda in the 4th quarter ad gamble.

OK, one quarter of football left to play. By my estimation the race for ad of the night so far has to be between Jerry Seinfeld with Acura, Camaro's new grad, Clint Eastwood for Detroit pride and the Volkswagen chubby dog. Tell us what we're missing on Facebook.

The NFL evolution ad that aired just before the 4th quarter opened is really well done. Cool vintage footage.

Related content:

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• Re-watch and vote on the halftime ads
• Re-watch and vote on the 2nd quarter ads
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• Companies that wasted the most in Super Bowl advertising

Update: What was your favorite third quarter ad? Scroll down to the bottom to vote.

Update: Budwesier is back with a decade-by-decade history trip. I like this one. It might be the best of the beer ads so far tonight.

Update: Yes! It's Jerry Seinfeld in all his glory trying to get his hands on the keys to the first Acura NSX. Does Jerry still hold up? We think so. 

Update: I need a new couch. Thanks, Toyota, for this Camry reinvention ad. ... More polar bears ... John Stamos doesn't want to share his Oikos Greek yogurt. And he pays for it with a headbutt that looked like something out of that last Giants drive.

Update: I knew I should have paid attention in my Italian language class in the 8th grade. That's not Adriana Lima, and that doesn't matter. I liked this Fiat 500 ad when I saw it earlier this week. I still do. ... Oh, the good old Coke delivery guy buying Pepsi on the sly, and there's Regis. Not bad.

Update: Patriots get another touchdown to go up 17-9. I'm still thinking about that little kid in the pool. I haven't left my desk in two hours.

We're back for the second half of football and the final stretch of ads. We watched that Madonna performance, but Clint Eastwood stole the show with an ad just before the end of halftime. Make sure you get on over to Facebook to talk about Clint and everything else.

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Update: Scroll down to the bottom to vote for your favorite halftime ad.

Update: Clint Eastwood brings the first goosebumps of the night. Can't beat that voice. Can't beat the message about bringing America back in the "second half." Last year, Eminem sold us on the pride of Detroit. This year it's Clint.

Update: If you haven't heard yet, "The Voice" is coming back. This ad got some laughs for bringing back the ever-popular Betty White. We miss those Snickers days already.

Update: LMFAO got a little taste of the halftime spotlight. Here they are in a Bud Light ad before that:

Update: Strike a pose everybody, here comes Madonna. Feel free to talk about the Material Girl's performance on Facebook. ... And check out this Toyota "Life Stories" ad, along with Will Arnett pushing Hulu Plus:

We've made it through two quarters of football and a bunch of car and beer ads. You can go back to the first and second quarter posts and vote for your favorites of the first half. I like Chevy's new grad Camaro ad best so far. It's not overproduced, it's funny and no babies talk in it. And I like it because picking Adriana Lima's Valentine's Day ad just seemed too predictable.

We'll stick around here and keep an eye on the ads they use around Madonna's performance.

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Update: Patriots get a touchdown before the half and lead 10-9. Scroll down to the bottom to vote for your favorite ad from the second quarter.

Update: Slingshot baby! Well played, Doritos. ... This must be babytime because here are the E*Trade kids. You guys still likes these talking babies after all these years?

Update: That's not David Beckham! "Give and you shall receive," Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima tells us in a Teleflora ad for Valentine's Day. ... And that's followed by Mr. Quiggly beating the greyhounds to the finish line in his little red Skechers. Let's rewind that Teleflora ad.

Update: I love this Chevy Sonic ad featuring Rob Dyrdek, the pro skateboarder who had his own show on MTV for a while, "Rob and Big." It's the Super Bowl -- go big on the stunts, I say. Do you have a favorite car ad so far? Tell us over on Facebook.

Update: David Beckham in his skivvies for H&M. How will that not be a hit with the ladies?

Update: Here we go with Volkswagen Beetle, an early favorite for ad of the night. That overweight dog just has to get through the doggie door so he can chase the new Beetle. We love it. But we're not sure why it cuts back to the Star Wars cantina. It's just an odd segue. ... Those Coke polar bears are playing football. I'm sure my 5-year-old would love the look of these.

Update: I can barely sit through this ad for TaxAxct.com where the little kid has to pee. Must. Get. Bathroom. Break. Remember, we're discussing all of this over on Facebook.

Update: I love this Camaro ad where the new grad receives what he thinks is a new car from his parents. Apparently he didn't know that micro-fridge was stocked with Bud Light Platinum.  ... Budweiser, Clydesdales in harness, recalled the halcyon days when Prohibition was repealed. For without beer, there could be no Super Bowl. ... Doritos finally weighs in with a man striking a deal with his cat-assaulting dog to keep his mouth shut on who was responsible for Fluffy’s disappearance in exchange for a bag of nacho-cheesy goodness. Dumb guys -- yet another Super staple.

The 2nd quarter is under way here in Super Bowl XLVI and the Giants are leading 9-3. Remember to go back and vote on the first quarter post for the best ad from those first 15 minutes. We liked the Best Buy ad and and Chevy's Silverado ad was pretty good, too.

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Update: Scroll down to the bottom of the post to vote for your favorite ad.

Update: That's the end of the first quarter. We'll get a vote together.

Update: It's 60 and sunny where I am, so these Coke polar bears definitely feel out of season. ... This Chevy Silverado pickup ad gets in a nice shot at Ford as the post-apocalyptic dudes share some Twinkies. Maybe they can wash it down with Bud Light Platinum.

Update: The Giants are dominating early. Cheers them with another Bud Light Platinum? I'm already tired of that new bottle. ... There's that new brown M&M. I'm not eating that thing. ... This Best Buy ad is pretty cool. Nice nod to the Alec Baldwin Words with Friends airplane controversy.

Update: All hail! Elton John's chugging Pepsi while sitting in judgment of reality-esque singers. Flavor Flav gets a laugh here. 

Update: And here come the first ads following the kickoff and Giants' opening drive and punt. Bud Light gets it started with a fancy blue bottle for its Platinum beer. Yum? ... There's that Audi #SoLongVampires ad. Have we had enough of vampires yet or does that still work for you?

Update: The Patriots just won the coin toss. Woo!? Hyundai folks are singing the theme from "Rocky." We'll call that a car ad, even though there hasn't been a kickoff yet. 

Quick! Get your face out of the Cheetos bowl. We're off and running with Super Bowl XLVI and the battle for advertising supremacy. Remember to visit us on Facebook to cheer or heckle what you see along the way. Also, look for a vote in these posts at the end of each quarter. And after the game we'll recap it all and let you crown a commercial champion.

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By Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press

Ford is demanding that rival General Motors pull a Super Bowl commercial that implies the Chevrolet Silverado pickup is more dependable than the Ford F-Series.

But GM stands by the ad and says it will run during Sunday's game.

In the ad, a driver in a Silverado navigates a post-apocalyptic scene. When he meets up with some friends, he notices one is missing. It turns out that friend was driving a Ford.

GM says R.L. Polk data shows Silverados remain on the road longer than other pickups. But Ford says it has the most pickups with 250,000 miles on them.

Ford may have the last laugh. The F-Series has been the best-selling truck in the U.S. for 35 years, and outsold the Silverado by nearly 70,000 trucks last year.

Related:

NBC live steam of the game and pregame show  
Live-blog of all the Super Bowl ads
Companies that wasted the most in Super Bowl advertising  
This Bud's for their best Super Bowl ads ever
What made you laugh? Cringe? Discuss the ads here

Honda

He's baaaaack. "Danke Schoen, darling Danke Schoen."

Back in September, after "my" Buffalo Bills had just finished beating the New England Patriots to improve to 3-0 on the young NFL season, I was making much different plans for today, Super Bowl Sunday.

Something happened in between then and now that was more reality based than I would have preferred. So here we are, getting ready to watch those Patriots take on the New York Giants in a spectacle played somewhere in between a bunch of commercials and on either side of Madonna singing something.

The commercials are the concern here. And if you still think the dream of the '90s is alive (when Buffalo went to four straight Super Bowls) than you probably also think you had to wait until game day to see the ads. Here in Internet land we've been watching this year's crop of ads for what seems like months, and has probably been more like a week.

You should know by now that Honda dug up Ferris Bueller for another day off and that Jerry Seinfeld is back, too, thanks to Acura. Those talking E*Trade babies will do their thing, and Volkswagen, the runaway favorite last year with that little Darth Vader ad, is dipping back into the Star Wars pool -- kind of. Around all of that there will be more car ads than you can imagine and lots of beer mixed with Doritos.

Throughout the game today we'll offer a running commentary on the ads that work and the ads that don't. We'll post the clips here and provide votes so you can rank your favorites as the night progresses. And after it's all done we'll recap and you can crown a champion among those companies that just spent $3.5 million for 30 seconds of your attention. Make sure you visit us on Facebook to chat about all of it.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the most highly anticipated ads to help you get your game face on:

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