In the mood for another needless remake?

Of course you are, and Variety will tell you all about it:
Twentieth Century Fox and Lakeshore Entertainment are mounting a remake of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," the 1985 teen comedy that starred Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The comedy will be developed as a potential star vehicle for Miley Cyrus. Lakeshore's Gary Lucchesi and Tom Rosenberg will produce.
The studio has set Michelle Morgan to write a new version of the film, which centered on two girls who share a passion for dancing and the hit show "Dance TV."
Morgan just scripted "Is He the One," a Todd Garner-produced romantic comedy for Fox, and "Imogene" for Anonymous Content.
-Miley Cyrus star vehicle remake...all we need is Uwe Boll...thoughts?

The (American) Return of Paul Verhoeven!

Via The Hollywood Reporter:
Paul Verhoeven is coming back to America.The Dutch director, who most recently helmed his native-tongued “Black Book,” has come aboard to develop and direct “The Surrogate,” a thriller for 20th Century Fox. Ralph Winter is producing via his Winter Road shingle along with Deborah Giarratana, Robin Guthrie and Susana Zepeda. Based on the 2004 book by Kathryn Mackel, the story centers on a couple desperate to have a child who find themselves in an unbearable position when they find out the surrogate they hired to carry their baby is insane.The project originally was set up at Fox Atomic but moved to Fox proper when Atomic was shuttered. Debbie Liebling, who ran Atomic, is overseeing “Surrogate.” Roderick Taylor and Bruce Taylor wrote the original draft.Winter, a producer on Fox’s “X-Men” movies, most recently was a producer on “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Verhoeven, repped by ICM and Marion Rosenberg, became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after directors in the 1990s with such movies as “Total Recall” and “Basic Instinct.” He became disenchanted with Tinseltown after his 2000 sci-fi thriller “Hollow Man” fizzled. He then returned to the Netherlands, where he made “Book.” The World War II thriller won several awards and thrust him back in the limelight. Verhoeven is developing several projects, including “The Winter Queen,” with Milla Jovovich attached to star.
-His films are certainly never boring...

A real life pirate rescue movie coming soon?

Perhaps, according to Variety:
Weeks after his dramatic attempted escape and eventual rescue from armed Somali pirates, captain Richard Phillips’ life rights have been acquired by Columbia Pictures.
Studio, which has also optioned the film rights to Phillips’ upcoming memoir, will bring to the bigscreen the cargo ship captain’s capture by four Somali pirates and subsequent rescue by the U.S. Navy.
Michael DeLuca, Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti and Scott Rudin are onboard to produce. Brunetti, a former member of the Coast Guard, was particularly instrumental in helping land the rights. He flew to the East Coast to meet with Phillips to discuss how the film would be handled.
"We were drawn to this remarkable story of heroism and courage as events were unfolding off the coast of Africa," Col co-prexy Doug Belgrad said.
Film will retell the events that garnered headlines worldwide in April. After his ship was hijacked on the high seas, Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates in order to protect his crew. The married father of two made one unsuccessful escape attempt before an elite squad of Navy SEAL snipers shot and killed three of the four pirates — an action authorized by President Obama. A fourth pirate surrendered and is in custody.
Earlier this month, Phillips signed with CAA to help him navigate book and film offers.
Spacey and his producing partner Brunetti recently teamed with DeLuca and Rudin on an untitled Facebook project at Col.
-Hmm, could be baity, no pun intended...thoughts?

Woody finds that replacement he needed for Nicole Kidman in his next flick

Variety has the casting choice:
Woody Allen has tapped British actress Lucy Punch to join the cast of his upcoming untitled film. She replaces Nicole Kidman.
Allen does not disclose details on plot, characters or even his titles, but sources said Punch will play a high-priced call girl similar to Ashley Dupre, who was at the center of the scandal that brought down New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Kidman bowed out because of a schedule overlap with "The Rabbit Hole," the John Cameron Mitchell-directed film she is producing as well as starring in.
Landing the role is a coup for Punch, who was a regular a few seasons back on the CBS sitcom "The Class." Her screen credits include "Hot Fuzz" and she just wrapped the Anna Faris-Topher Grace-starrer "Young Americans."
Punch joins Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Naomi Watts and Freida Pinto in a film that Allen will shoot in London, with financing from Mediapro, the Spain-based company responsible for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
-This might turn into the English Eliot Spitzer movie? Weird, but I'm in...what about you?

Red Band Trailer for The Goods

-Something about this trailer made me laugh more than I should admit...what did you think of it?

Transformers 2 gets an IMAX Poster

If ever there was a movie that needed IMAX to help its cause...

Natalie Portman goes the comedy route for her next project

From Variety:
Natalie Portman will star with Danny McBride and James Franco in "Your Highness," a Universal Pictures comedy that begins production in July in Ireland. David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express") is directing.
Scott Stuber is producing through his U-based banner.
McBride, who wrote the script with Ben Best, plays an arrogant lazy prince who with his brother (Franco) must complete a quest to save the kingdom and his brother's fiance. Portman will play a warrior princess that the lazy prince falls in love with.
McBride and Best set up the project with U and Stuber last year. Jon Mone and Andy Davis are exec producers.
Portman is currently starring with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rainn Wilson in the Spencer Susser-directed "Hesher," which marks Portman's feature debut as a producer under her banner, Handsomecharlie Films.
She will next be seen in the Jim Sheridan-directed "Brothers," with Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal, which is due out in December. Portman just wrapped the Don Roos-directed "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits."
McBride and Best are exec producers and costars on the raunchy HBO comedy "Eastbound and Down" and they also co-wrote the 2006 feature "The Foot Fist Way" with helmer Jody Hill.
-David Gordon Green has shown he can handle comedy as well as drama lately, so I'm excited...thoughts?

Teaser Trailer for Toy Story 3!

-The child in me smiles...with the way Pixar's been on fire and how good the first two were...can this film not be one you're looking forward to in a big bad way?

Spielberg's Tintin movie gets a release date

Which we can see in this article from Variety:
Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" will hit U.S. theaters in December 2011 -- long after bowing internationally.
Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment unveiled plans to release the motion capture pic Stateside on Dec. 23, 2011. But in an unusual move, film will launch internationally in late October and early November 2011, with Sony Pictures Releasing Intl. handling Continental Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America and India, and Paramount distributing the film in Asia, Australia, the U.K. and all other English-speaking territories.
The two studios also revealed that they will release "Tintin" in 3-D, a move that had been mulled for several months. Insiders said the dailies convinced them that 3-D would offer the best rendition.
Film, which began production in late January, is the first of a planned series based on the iconic character created by Georges Remi, better known to the world by his pen name "Herge." The second feature in the series is scheduled to be directed by Peter Jackson.
The decision signals the two studios' belief that the property, which has been translated into 70 languages, shows stronger potential overseas than domestically. Not surprisingly, the film's cast skews international with Brit Jamie Bell starring as the intrepid young reporter. Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook round out the cast.
Spielberg, Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy are producing the pic, which will compete for North American audiences against Warner Bros.' "Happy Feet 2" and Disney/Pixar's "The Bear and the Bow." Nick Rodwell, Stephane Sperry and Ken Kamins are exec producing.
-Thoughts?

A Poster and Trailer for The Answer Man

-Looks ok to me...what do you think?

Kevin Smith gets an additional "Couple of Dicks"

The cast is coming together nicely, according to this in The Hollywood Reporter:

Seann William Scott and Adam Brody are joining Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in Warner Bros.' "A Couple of Dicks," a buddy action comedy being directed by Kevin Smith.The script, by Robb and Mark Cullen, follows a maverick cop (Willis) and his partner (Morgan) who, while tracking a valuable stolen baseball card, tangle with a memorabilia-obsessed gangster and rescue a Mexican beauty who holds the key to millions in laundered drug money. Scott plays a thief known as the Shit Bandit for the souvenirs he leaves at his robberies. Brody is an abrasive detective not happy to be working with Willis and Morgan. Shooting begins Monday in New York. Marc Platt and Polly Johnsen are producing. Sarah Schechter and Matthew Milam are overseeing for the studio.Scott, repped by CAA, recently starred in Universal's "Role Models" and will next be heard in Fox's sequel "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." Endeavor-repped Brody next appears in Boaz Yakin's indie drama "Death in Love" then in "Jennifer's Body," a Diablo Cody-penned dark comedy starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried.
-I like both of these actors, and dig Kevin Smith, so this film is looking very good to me...what about you?

Poster for the latest Final Destination movie

Hopefully there's some truth in advertising...

Danny McBride gets a new project

From Variety:
Warner Bros. has acquired "Hench" and will develop the AIT/Planet Lar graphic novel as the template for a comic screen vehicle for Danny McBride, who is set to write the script with Shawn Harwell.
McBride will play a football player who suffers a career-ending injury and needs a job. He signs on as henchman to a successful villain.
Original Films' Neal Moritz will produce with Jason Netter's Kickstart Prods. and McBride. Ken Levin and Ori Marmur will be exec producers.
The graphic novel was created by Adam Beechen and Mario Bello.
McBride and Harwell have collaborated as writers on episodes of the former's HBO series "Eastbound and Down."
McBride, who next stars opposite Will Ferrell in Universal's "Land of the Lost," is preparing to star for that studio in the David Gordon Green-directed "Your Highness." McBride wrote the script and joins Scott Stuber as producer. After that, McBride will return for a second season of his HBO series.
-Sounds pretty cool...thoughts?

Chevy Chase joins John Cusack in a "Hot Tub"!

Kinky, right? Actually, it's just more casting for Cusack's next comedy, via this in The Hollywood Reporter:
In an odd bit of symbolism, the Chevy Chase resurgence is leading him back in time.
The comedy vet is now taking a dip in UA's time-travel comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine," with John Cusack and Rob Corddry. The Steve Pink-directed, Josh Heald-scripted film follows a bunch of unsatisfied guys who get thrown back to their younger days in 1987 via their Jacuzzi.
Chase plays a mysterious repairman who dispenses pearls of wisdom and may or may not be behind the metaphysical road trip. The film is shooting in Vancouver and is scheduled for a February release.
The "Saturday Night Live" alum, who toplined a string of classic 1980s comedies, is enjoying something of a comeback. Chase appeared in a recent arc on NBC's "Chuck," and nabbed a role in the Polish brothers' Tribeca film "Stay Cool."
Chase, repped by Fortitude and Kritzer Levine Wilkins Entertainment, also has a starring role on NBC's new series "Community," in which he plays a community college student carrying more divorces than classes.
He is also considering a new script for the Weinstein Co. that would see him reprise his highly quotable role as investigative reporter Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher. A relaunch of the "Fletch" franchise has been in the works for years, with the current screenplay's approach passing the baton to Fletch's journalist nephew as the semi-retired uncle advises him on his stories.
-Good to see him back...thoughts?

Curious about the next slate of Dreamworks Animated Features?

Wonder no further what Jeffery Katzenberg has up his sleeve, thanks to this in Variety:
"Kung Fu Panda" sequels and "Shrek" spinoffs will be joined by original pics on DreamWorks Animation’s sked as the toon studio ups its output to five features every two years.
CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, whose contract was recently extended to 2013, will unveil DWA’s slate through late 2012 for the investment community in Gotham Thursday, revealing five original projects and a handful of franchise follow-ups.
Per Katzenberg’s mandate, all pics will be produced in 3-D.
Among the highlights of today’s presentation is the casting of Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey in "Oobermind."
Downey will voice a supervillain who finds life a little dull after vanquishing good-guy rival Metro Man. The superhero-themed pic, based on a spec script (previously called "Master Mind") from Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films, will open Nov. 5, 2010.
Pic is produced by Lara Breay and Denise Nolan Cascino and exec produced by Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld.
With impressive first-quarter gains — but only "Monsters vs. Aliens" on the calendar for 2009 (down from DWA’s usual two-toon-a-year model) — studio brass stressed that their pipeline can now support an additional pic every other year.
"We now have three very successful franchises, but we also want to tell new stories. Now, in addition to one or two sequels a year, we’ll have a new original as well," DWA co-prexy of production Bill Damaschke told Daily Variety.
"Some people wonder if the market can sustain three animated movies from DreamWorks, and I feel there seems to be room in the marketplace for big event movies the entire family can go to," Damaschke said. "Now that people have grown up on animation, there’s an adult audience for animation."
He pointed to a crowded 2010, which will bring a fourth installment in the "Shrek" series (now titled "Shrek Forever After") flanked by two new properties, "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Oobermind."
"Shrek Forever After" is directed by Mike Mitchell, produced by Teresa Cheng and Gina Shay and exec produced by Aron Warner and Andrew Adamson.
"Dragon" will be written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois and produced by Bonnie Arnold. It stars Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera and Jonah Hill. Set in the world of Vikings and dragons, it centers on an awkward teen who befriends an injured dragon.
The following year brings two projects. For the first, the company confirmed signing Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman for "Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom," due out June 3, 2011. Longtime story exec Jennifer Yuh Nelson makes her feature directorial debut. Melissa Cobb produces.
In its Nov. 4 slot, DWA has "The Guardians," turning to a not-yet-published book series from kidlit-to-toon titan William Joyce, whose work has previously inspired Disney’s "Meet the Robinsons" and "Rolie Polie Olie."
With animation and vfx vet Jeff Lynch attached to direct, "The Guardians" unites characters every child knows — Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost and the Sandman — to defend the world from a Bogeyman-like villain.
According to Damaschke, the figures have been "somewhat renamed and massively reimagined" by Joyce, who has supplied each of the figures with a fresh backstory and is collaborating closely on the film. The first of the books should be released around Christmas 2010.
Christina Steinberg and Nancy Bernstein produce.
The following year gets crowded once again, as DWA returns to the well for a prequel of sorts. "Puss in Boots" imagines events before the popular character’s appearance in "Shrek 2," while introducing all-new characters. Antonio Banderas returns, and Salma Hayek will lend her voice to love interest Kitty. "Shrek the Third" helmer Chris Miller is onboard to direct, with the film slated for March 30, 2012.
Joe Aguilar and Michelle Raimo produce. Adamson exec produces.
Just two months later, "Madagascar" helmer Eric Darnell offers up a third installment in the zoo-break series, which would relocate the critters from Africa to Europe via a traveling circus. Mireille Soria and Mark Swift produce.
Katzenberg has staked out a third date that fall, Nov. 12, for an original feature, to be chosen from a trio of projects currently in development.
The first option, caveman comedy "The Croods," from directors Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, was once intended to be an Aardman collaboration. It’s produced by Kristine Belson and Jane Hartwell. Another, "Truckers," is derived from Terry Pratchett’s "The Bromeliad Trilogy," with Simon Beaufoy adapting a story of miniature creatures stuck living in a department store.
Damaschke also cited a third option, tentatively titled "Super Secret Ghost Project," that asks what ghosts think about humans.
All three projects are currently under way in some form, with the decision on which one lands the late-2012 slot to be determined down the road.
"These projects are such a huge time commitment, so we develop every film as if we’re going to make it," said Damaschke, who also serves as president of DWA’s theatrical division.
Slate news follows Katzenberg’s announcement last week of plans to adapt two of the company’s pics, "Kung Fu Panda" and "How to Train Your Dragon," into traveling, Cirque du Soleil-style arena shows.
-Downey Jr. lending his voice to anything is a good thing to me, and overall these all sound ok, if not amazing...thoughts?

We finally have the winners of the 2006 ACCA's!

Sorry for the delay, but it's been a vacation sort of week for us here at The Awards Circuit (I managed to keep the blog going so it wasn't a total blackout), but we now have the winners for you, so check them out here:

http://www.awardscircuit.com/Images/acca2006.html

-There's plenty more to come for you, our beloved readers, including more reviews (I've recently seen The Girlfriend Experience), more years for the ACCA's, and perhaps some new and interactive additions to the site....keep reading to find out more!

Tarantino continues to fine tune his Basterds...

...in anticipation of unleashing them on American audiences, according to this piece I got from Variety:
In my interview with Quentin Tarantino, he admits that he plans to go back to the editing room with Inglourious Basterds this June. He rushed the movie, getting it done in less than a year to make Cannes, and delivered a cinephile's fantasy:
It’s been a whirlwind year for the director, who has long believed in making films slowly to stand the test of time. That is, until Death Proof, which did not benefit, he says, from too much overfiddling. So he put Inglourious Basterds on a tight schedule with a Cannes deadline.
After finishing last July the 165-page script he had been writing on and off since 1999, Tarantino obtained backing for a $70 million picture from loyal patron Harvey Weinstein and Universal Pictures, landed his most megawatt star ever, Brad Pitt, almost canceled the October shoot before he finally found the multilingual Christoph Waltz to star in a pivotal role, and stayed on schedule during 10 weeks of shooting on location in Germany. And after three months of editing, he delivered a dripping-wet print to Cannes—a place he considers “Cinema Nirvana,” where “cinema matters, it’s important”—at a running time of two hours, 27 minutes: 13 minutes less than Pulp Fiction and 19 minutes less than he needed to retain final cut.
While the war mission movie played better to some than others, the Cannes jury liked it well enough to award the best actor prize to dazzling German linguist Christoph Waltz, who performs fluently in French, German, English and Italian.
As Tarantino goes back to the editing bay, he has some wriggle room. He'll edit together one scene that he shot but didn't assemble; it comes right before the La Louisiane sequence featuring Michael Fassbender and Diane Kruger as a British soldier under cover and a German movie star who wants to help him bring down the Third Reich. Fassbender pops in the movie, so it makes sense that the filmmakers would want to give him more screen time.
The scenes featuring Maggie Cheung as Madame Mimieux, the proprietor of a Paris cinema who takes in Shosanna Dreyfuss (Melanie Laurent), won't be restored. It doesn't add to the narrative.
Tarantino also plans to preview the movie in the States, outside of California, not with research cards but just to see how it plays with an audience. He and editor Sally Menke will then fine-tune and tweak the timing. The Weinstein Co. releases the movie August 21.
-I just want to see it already and find out what to make of it myself...how bout you?

Trailer for A Perfect Getaway

-Doesn't look terrible, but doesn't look amazing either...we do get another look at the man who will be Thor, so that's something...right? right?

Tom Cruise finally picks his next movie...

...if this in Variety is to be believed:
Tom Cruise is zeroing in on the 20th Century Fox action comedy "Wichita" as his next star vehicle.
He'll pair with Cameron Diaz in the James Mangold-directed film. That ends a serious courtship that the star had since January with some of the highest-profile projects in Hollywood.
According to sources, Cruise and Diaz have approved the script, and their deals are in advanced negotiations. While Fox has not officially dated the picture, sources said the studio is eyeing a summer 2010 release.
The script has been through many machinations, but the most recent drafts were done by Scott Frank, with Mangold currently fine-tuning the script with Laeta Kalogridis ("Shutter Island"). Two-hander has several action scenes.
Cruise will play a secret agent who pops in and out of the life of a single woman.
Since the opening of "Valkyrie," Cruise has been courted for and has shown serious interest in the Len Wiseman-directed DreamWorks thriller "Motorcade"; the Bharat Nalluri-directed Spyglass remake "The Tourist"; the David Cronenberg-directed MGM drama "The Matarese Circle"; the Universal/Working Title romantic comedy "Lost for Words"; and "The 28th Amendment," the Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck-directed Warner Bros. thriller.
The competition for the slot came down to "Wichita" and "Motorcade." It is possible that Cruise might do one of the other projects down the line.
-Sounds like it has potential...Get Smart last summer was a decent blend of comedy and action, so it could be a profitable film if nothing else...what do you think?

An Uncensored Trailer for the Werner Herzog directed Bad Lieutenant remake

-This is pretty nuts, though I'm not sure if I like it or not...thoughts?

Dustin Hoffman joins the cast of an indie flick

Variety has the details:
Dustin Hoffman will topline opposite Paul Giamatti in indie drama "Barney's Version," based on Mordecai Richler's final novel, with Robert Lantos ("Adoration") producing through his Serendipity Point banner.
Richard J. Lewis will direct from the adaptation by Michael Konyves. Principal photography will begin Aug. 17 in Rome.
Hoffman, who most recently starred in "Last Chance Harvey," will play a retired cop and father of the story's title character -- who has led a reckless life highlighted by three marriages, two children and status as a "person of interest" in the mysterious disappearance of his friend.
"Barney's Version" is produced by Serendipity Point in association with Italy's Fandango and Montreal's Lyla Films. Co-producers are Domenico Procacci ("Gomorrah"), Lyse Lafontaine and Ari Lantos, with Mark Musselman exec producing; investors include Astral Media, Corus Entertainment, Telefilm Canada, Sodec, HGF, OMDC and CBC.
Two of Richler's novels have been adapted into features -- "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" and "Joshua Then and Now," which Lantos produced. Lantos' credits include "Eastern Promises," "Being Julia," "Sunshine" and "The Sweet Hereafter."
-Could this be Hoffman's last grasp at another nomination?

Poster for Land of the Lost

Am I the only one that kind of wants to see this?

Trailer for Mr. Nobody

Mr. Nobody trailer

-What do you think of this? Personally I think it gives off a heavy Benjamin Button vibe, but that's just me... (FYI, it has no distribution yet, so don't expect to see it anytime soon)

G.I. Joe gets a new Poster

Thoughts?

Seth Rogen to reunite with Superbad director Greg Mottola...with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost along for the ride!

Variety has the story on the casting:
Universal and Working Title Films have added Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader and Jane Lynch to the cast of "Paul."
The road trip laffer stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and will be directed by Greg Mottola.
Pegg and Frost, who wrote the script, will play two science-fiction fanatics on a road trip whose conspiracy dreams come true when they trek to Area 51 and encounter the title character, an escaped alien.
Rogen will provide the voice of the alien.
Working Title partners Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan will produce with Nira Park of Big Talk Prods. Shooting begins in June.
Pegg and Frost starred together previously in the Working Title-produced "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead."
Rogen last worked with Mottola on "Superbad." Hader also starred in that film, and just worked with Mottola and Wiig on "Adventureland."
Working Title and U most recently completed the Paul Greengrass-directed "The Green Zone," and the Richard Curtis-directed "The Boat That Rocked."
-Everything seems in place for a memorable comedy, but time will tell on that front...what do you think?

This week is a rough one for DVD Lovers...

Indeed, the only film I can muster any kind of enthusiasm for was barely released in theaters and is seen as a rather large failure. It is however, my PICK OF THE WEEK. It's:
Killshot
It seemed like this film sat on the shelf forever, and it almost never got released. It finally did come out for a few weeks and it was nowhere near as bad a thriller (or a film) as most films that sit unreleased as long as this one did tend to be. All of the cast do a decent enough job, with Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Thomas Jane, Diane Lane, and Rosario Dawson giving this more star power than many wide releases. Throw in fair direction by John Maddon and this is a better film than you might expect.
-The only other major release is New In Town, and Renee Zellweger did nothing for her sagging career with this limp romantic comedy.
-Worth a small note is the direct to DVD release of Powder Blue, an ensemble drama ala Crash which was notable when it was first announced for featuring a Jessica Biel nude scene. If that's your sole reason for looking up a movie, this is one to take a look at, though it also has Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta, Patrick Swayze, Lisa Kudrow, and Kris Kristofferson to boot.
-My Vintage pick this week is an early Emile Hirsch film called The Mudge Boy. This tale of an outsider dealing with loneliness and the death of his mother in an odd way features a fantastic performance by Hirsch and sublime work by Richard Jenkins as his confused father. Check it out, it's a great little film.
-What will you be watching on DVD this week?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer coming back to theaters?

Seems so, and not the version you'd expect, according to Variety:
In the wake of "Twilight" and "True Blood," it's time to unearth "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
That's the assertion of Vertigo Entertainment, which is pairing with "Buffy" rights holders Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband, Kaz Kuzui, to develop a theatrical reboot of the 1992 movie written by Joss Whedon and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui.
"Now seems like the right time," said Vertigo principal Roy Lee. "Studios are looking for a franchise and vampires are relevant again."
However, those seeking further expansion of Whedon's Buffyverse can look elsewhere. The reboot may not feature any characters from the original film or from Whedon's TV spinoffs, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel."
The Hollywood Reporter reported the Vertigo-Kuzui partnership on its website Sunday night.
TV's "Buffy" ended its run in 2003; "Angel" followed suit the following year. However, Whedon has maintained both franchises by publishing ongoing serials through a partnership with Dark Horse Comics.
Lee, who is now meeting writers with Vertigo partner Doug Davison, says he wants a concept that hews to the original film. "As a producer, I'm just trying to find a movie the studios want to make," he says. "It seems the core concept is the way to go."
-What do you think of this?

The director of The Bank Job signs up for a new project

From Variety:
"The Bank Job" helmer Roger Donaldson is in negotiations to direct "Umbra" for Relativity Media.
Hal Lieberman is producing alongside Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh and Tucker Tooley.
Plot details on the project are being kept under wraps, but it is described as a paranoid thriller.
Steven Karczynski penned the original screenplay.
Lieberman and Brian Paschal developed Karczynski's spec and brought it into Relativity. Paschal will serve in some producing capacity.
Donaldson is no stranger to the paranoid thriller genre. He helmed 1987's "No Way Out" and more recently directed Al Pacino-Colin Farrell starrer "The Recruit."
-With a good cast, a paranoid thriller could be a lot of fun...thoughts?

Did Cannes do anything to clear up the Oscar race?

In a word, no. Projects like Taking Woodstock and Inglorious Basterds, two films that could have moved to the head of the class with raves were met with less than raves (Taking Woodstock seems to light, and people are still fantastically divided over Basterds). A film like Antichrist has chatter on its side, but that doesn't make the film any good, and we all know the Academy hates controversy or original films. Essentially, between Cannes not clearing anything up (The winner of the Palme d'Or, The White Ribbon, might make a play for Foreign Film, but not much else) and recent trailers debuting for things like Woody Allen's Whatever Works, Rob Marshall's Nine, and Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, the race seems about as close to status quo as possible. We also got further evidence that winning the top prize at this festival doesn't do much for you in this corner of the globe...

-I put it to you...what do you think at this point will be the five nominees for Best Picture?

The latest Houdini flick gets a writer

And it's someone familiar to fans of summer flicks, according to IGN:
When Summit Entertainment announced that they had acquired the screen rights to the biography The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero, the studio said it was "not looking to make a biopic but rather an action thriller featuring a character who is part Indiana Jones and part Sherlock Holmes." Summit was apparently serious about the Indiana Jones part because IGN Movies has learned from a reliable source that the studio is lining up Kingdom of the Crystal Skull writer Jeff Nathanson to script Houdini. Both Summit and Nathanson's reps at CAA did not respond to our requests for comment at time of publish, so consider this a rumor until he's officially announced. Nathanson shared story credit on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with George Lucas; David Koepp received sole screenwriting credit for it. Nathanson has also scripted Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can and The Terminal. His other credits include Rush Hour 2 and Speed 2: Cruise Control. In announcing the project, Summit claimed that the book by William Kalush and Larry Sloman became known for insinuating that Harry Houdini acted as a spy for Britain and was asked to be an adviser to Czar Nicholas II's court in pre-revolutionary Russia. The book also portrayed the master escape artist and magician as a debunker of con artists who pretended to be spiritualists, leading to the controversial theory that Houdini's death was caused by the spiritual movement as payback.
-Thoughts?

Bazooka Joe: The Movie?

Unfortunately yes, according to this in The Hollywood Reporter:
Michael Eisner and his Tornante Co. have tapped newcomer Mark Hammer to pen a feature adaptation of "Bazooka Joe," the comic strip that comes with Bazooka bubble gum.Hammer, who this weekend is attending the graduation ceremony at Orange County's Chapman University, where he studied film, wrote a spec titled "Sonny Takes to Peru," which made the studio rounds but ultimately did not sell.That spec, however, turned into a strong writing sample that got him into meetings as well as representation at management outfit the Safran Co. Execs at Tornante, seeking to fill their open writing assignment,liked the spec and brought in Hammer, who gave them his winning take."Bazooka Joe" has been a comic strip used as an advertising device for the gum since the 1950s. Joe, who wears an eye patch for reasons never explained, has child-friendly misadventures, sometime joined by a host of friends with the names Pesty, Mort (always with a turtleneck sweater pulled up over his mouth), Toughie, Hungry Herman, love interest Jane and a dog named Walkie Talkie. Bazooka, the gum and the comic, are part of trading card company Topps' stable. Eisner purchased the company in 2007 for $380 million with a mandate to rejuvenate the brand.
-They really will make a movie out of anything, won't they?

The Palme d'Or is announced....and The White Ribbon is your winner!

Variety has the rundown of the winners from France:
In awards that ran the gamut from the widely predicted to the jaw-dropping, Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon," a stark, black-and-white drama set in a rural German village on the eve of WWI, received the Palme d'Or from the jury of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
Haneke, who had previously won the director award for "Cache" (2005) and the Grand Prix for "The Piano Teacher" (2001), received his first Palme from a visibly delighted Isabelle Huppert, president of the jury. Huppert had won Cannes' actress gong for "The Piano Teacher."
"Happiness is a rare thing, but this is a moment in my life when I am truly happy," Haneke said in his acceptance speech.
The Grand Prix went to French helmer Jacques Audiard's tough prison drama, "A Prophet," which had been a frontrunner for a major prize since screening early on in the fest.
The top two prizes rep a coup for Sony Pictures Classics, which acquired North American rights to “The White Ribbon” before the festival and will distribute “A Prophet” in multiple territories including the U.S.
Sole kudo to an American-helmed film, in a competition light on U.S. fare, was the actor prize for Christoph Waltz for his multilingual tour de force as the Nazi "Jew Hunter" in Quentin Tarantino's German-U.S. production, "Inglourious Basterds." The 52-year-old, Vienna-born thesp was previously unknown outside Germany, where he's spent most of his career in TV.
"I owe this award to (my role as) Col. Landa," said Waltz in his acceptance speech, "and his unique and inimitable creator, Quentin Tarantino."
To a standing ovation in the Grand Theatre Lumiere, French vet Alain Resnais, who turns 87 next month (and was in competition with the elegant tragicomedy "Wild Grass"), received a lifetime achievement award for his work and contributions to the history of cinema. The visibly frail helmer declared it "completely surprising," a possibly ironic reference to his stormy past relations with the fest (starting with 1974's "Stavisky ... "), from which he's previously won only one award, the Grand Prix for "Mon oncle d'Amerique."
While many other Cannes fave auteurs were completely passed over by the jury -- including Pedro Almodovar, Ang Lee and Palme laureates Ken Loach and Jane Campion -- Danish maverick Lars von Trier's latest headline-grabber, "Antichrist," at least walked away with an actress kudo for Charlotte Gainsbourg's performance as a mother whose grief over her child's death takes a psychotic turn.
Sharing the jury prize were Brit director Andrea Arnold's slice-of-lifer "Fish Tank" and South Korean helmer Park Chan-wook's vampire meller, "Thirst." Arnold scooped the same award three years ago with her debut feature, "Red Road."
Australian helmer Warwick Thornton’s well-received Aboriginal teen drama, “Samson and Delilah,” nabbed the Camera d’Or for first film.
Though several of the awards had largely been predicted and were generally seen as well deserved, many of the others were seen as among the quirkiest in recent memory.
All three of the Asian kudos drew heavy booing from the assembled press corps. Biggest scorn was reserved for the director prize for Filipino Brillante Mendoza's rape-and-dismemberment drama "Kinatay" (of which even admiring jury member Hanif Kureishi admitted, "I don't ever want to see it again, myself"), followed by jeers for "Thirst" and mainland Chinese director Lou Ye's "Spring Fever," which copped screenplay (generally seen as its weakest element).
These awards appeared to have reflected deep divisions within the nine-member jury, which, apart from Huppert, included directors James Gray, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Lee Chang-dong, writer Kureishi, and actresses Robin Wright Penn, Shu Qi, Asia Argento and Sharmila Tagore.
Before the awards ceremony, rumors were already circulating that jury discussions had been particularly fraught. One member described it as the worst jury experience he'd ever had, while another was said to have described Huppert as a "fascist." Onstage, Huppert, looking visibly tense, referred to "an unforgettable week" and "several hours, uh, several moments of deliberation."
Show's host, comedian Edouard Baer, jokingly suggested that the onstage jury might "perhaps exchange telephone numbers and addresses" before parting. However, at the press conference afterward, several members went out of their way to stress that deliberations were "harmonious" and democratic."
Somewhat less harmoniously, the ecumenical jury, which gave its annual award for spiritual values in filmmaking to Loach's "Looking for Eric," bestowed an "anti-prize" on von Trier's "Antichrist." Cannes fest director Thierry Fremaux was quick to denounce the dubious honor, calling it a "ridiculous decision that borders on a call for censorship," particularly from a jury headed by a filmmaker, Romania's Radu Mihaileanu.
INTL. COMPETITION JURY PRIZES
Palme d'Or
"The White Ribbon" (Michael Haneke, Germany-France-Austria-Italy)
Grand Prix
"A Prophet" (Jacques Audiard, France)
Lifetime achievement award
Alain Resnais, "Wild Grass" (France)
Director
Brillante Mendoza ("Kinatay," France-Philippines)
Jury prize
"Fish Tank" (Andrea Arnold, U.K.), "Thirst" (Park Chan-wook, South Korea-U.S.)
Actor
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds" (U.S.-Germany)
Actress
Charlotte Gainsbourg, "Antichrist" (Denmark-Germany-France-Sweden-Italy-Poland)
Screenplay
Mei Feng, "Spring Fever" (Hong Kong-France)
UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY AWARDS
Main Prize
"Dogtooth" (Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece)
Jury Prize
"Police, Adjective" (Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania)
Special Prize
"No One Knows About Persian Cats" (Bahman Ghobadi, Iran), "Father of My Children" (Mia Hansen-Love, France)
OTHER MAIN JURY AWARDS
Camera d'Or
"Samson and Delilah" (Warwick Thornton)
Special Mention
"Ajami" (Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani, Israel-Germany)
Critics' Week Grand Prix
"Farewell Gary" (Nassim Amamouche, France)
FIPRESCI AWARDS
Competition
"The White Ribbon" (Michael Haneke, Germany-Austria-France-Italy)
Un Certain Regard
"Police, Adjective" (Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania)
Directors' Fortnight
"Amreeka" (Cherien Dabis, Canada-Kuwait-U.S.)
SHORT FILMS JURY PRIZES
Palme d'Or
"Arena" (Joao Salaviza, Portugal)
Special Mention
"The Six Dollar Fifty Man" (Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland, New Zealand)
CINEFONDATION
First Prize
"Baba" (Zuzana Kirchnerova-Spidlova)
Second Prize
"Goodbye" (Song Fang)
Third Prize
"Diploma" (Yaelle Kayam)
"Don't Step Out of the House" (Jo Sung-hee)
ECUMENICAL PRIZE
"Looking for Eric" (Ken Loach, U.K.-France-Italy-Belgium-Spain)
PRIX VULCAIN TECHNICAL AWARD
Aitor Berenguer, sound mixer ("Map of the Sounds of Tokyo," Spain)
-No real surprises, though mentions in terms of acting for Antichrist and Inglorious Basterds somewhat vindicates me from the mockery of picking them as big upset winners....what are your thoughts on the awards this year?

Poster for Aliens in the Attic

A big old "meh" for this one...

Some awards today out of Cannes!

Variety has the rundown:
In a rare triumph for Greek cinema at Cannes, Yorgos Lanthimos’ unsettling repression drama "Dogtooth" took the top Un Certain Regard Prize Saturday at Cannes.
The triumph of "Dogtooth" - yet another dysfunctional family tale which finally flares into violence at an edition of Cannes which has had a handful - was something of a turn-up for the books.
Turning on three teen children who are kept almost completely cut-off from the world by their parents, "Dogtooth" drew sympatgetic reviews.
But this year’s Un Certain Regard boasted films from a bevy of name international auteurs - Korea’s Bong Joon-ho, Iran’s Bahman Ghobadi, Romania’s Cristian Mungiu and Corneliu Porumboiu, Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda - whose films grabbed a lot more attention.
And a bevy of movies had generated warm buzz during the festival. Three of these took all the other Un Certain Regard kudos.
Porumboui’s much-admired "Police, Adjective," about a cop’s reluctant surveillance of a pot-smoking teen, won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, adding to a Fipresci award earlier Saturday as best film in the sidebar.
Two other praised films shared a Special Prize: French director Mia Hansen-Love’s "Father of My Children," a painful record of the suicide of an indie producer; and Bahman Ghobadi’s section opener "No One Knows About The Persian Cats," a shot-on-the-hoof tale of two budding musicians in Iran’s rebellious, repressed but vibrant underground rock-music scene, a film which marks a change of direction for the helmer.
UN CERTAIN REGARD PRIZE "Dogtooth," Yorgos Lanthimos (Greece)
UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY PRIZE "Police, Adjective," Corneliu Porumboiu (Romania)
SPECIAL PRIZE UN CERTAIN REGARD 2009 "No One Knows About The Persian Cats," Bahman Ghobadi (Iran) and "Father of My Children," Mia Hansen-Love (France).
-Now to wait for the big ones to come down...what film do you think will be the big winner when all is said and done? I'm gonna go with either Antichrist or Inglorious Basterds as upset picks...how bout you?

Poster for Adam

Kind of a Woody Allen poster almost...and in a good way, to me at least...thoughts?

Cannes being dominated by the less known auteurs?

To some degree, yes, according to this piece in Variety:
On paper, the 2009 Cannes Film Festival looked like a classic year of the auteur; all 20 directors with films in the competition had been to the festival before, and there were four former Palme d'Or winners in the mix. To some, the lineup augured well, while others regarded the cast of Cannes faves all too predictable.
A more realistic view was that some would deliver and others wouldn't, which turned out to be precisely the case. This begs the eternal question of whether the competition should mostly devote itself to films by major filmmakers based on their longtime track records, or try harder to bring new names into the mix. The aim for the world's most prestigious film festival, it seems to me, should always be to find and show the most exciting filmmaking happening anywhere on Earth that is available in May, regardless of the director's identity or origin. But we know that certain directors will always turn up here, simply because they always have.
This year, the discoveries lay outside the competition, in the Official Selection's special screenings and Un Certain Regard sidebar as well as in the Directors' Fortnight. But the competition turned up some goodies, with French directors leading the way.
Going into the final weekend, the various critics polls were topped by Jacques Audiard's "A Prophet," a mesmerizing tale of a young French-Arab man who enters prison as an illiterate nobody and comes out a smart, savvy operator. Not far behind were Xavier Giannoli's "In the Beginning," a tale of our times about a con man who takes advantage of the citizens of an economically depressed French town, and 87-year-old Alain Resnais' eccentric and admired "Wild Grass."
It was a year of much blood and long films -- my colleague Leslie Felperin declared that 2½ hours is the new 90 minutes. Among the films contributing to both trends were Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited "Inglourious Basterds," reactions to which ran the gamut; Alejandro Amenabar's non-competing "Agora," an unusual epic about the fourth century female scholar Hypatia that, from conversational evidence, may find its commercial key through its appeal to women; Park Chan-wook's misfired vampire film "Thirst"; and Michael Haneke's involving and grim investigation of small-town German malice, "The White Ribbon."
Among the non-French highlights were Jane Campion's return to form with "Bright Star," about the doomed romance between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne; Pedro Almodovar's "Broken Embraces," a very involving, multi-layered melodrama that is much better than some of the advance suggested; and, to some, Marco Bellocchio's "Vincere," an operatic look at the cast-off first wife and son of Benito Mussolini.
Then there was the obligatory scandale, which this year fell to Lars von Trier with "Antichrist." Steeped with undigested therapeutic nonsense and rife with deliberately shocking imagery that few people would really want to see, the film is ridiculous but I would defend the festival's decision to show it; fests need outrages from time to time, it can't all be decorum and masterpieces.
The hilarious news that came out at week's end is that von Trier has agreed to create a "Catholic" version of the film sans the offending scenes for what the director called the "prude" territories of Europe, Asia and America, where he claims a film can't show male frontal nudity. Somebody better tell Lars to see some Judd Apatow comedies.
A major success as an Official Selection special screening was Ounie Lecomte's "A Brand New Life," a heart-breaker about a Korean girl's adoption process.
Among the favorites in Un Certain Regard were Mia Hansen-Love's "The Father of My Children," about a family's struggle after the suicide of the film producer father; Corneliu Porumboiu's "Police, Adjective," about a cop's stakeout of a school; Warwick Thornton's outback romance "Samson and Delilah" and Bong Joon-ho's "Mother," which, although overlong, most observers reckoned would have been a better Korean competition entry than "Thirst."
Finding particular favor in the Directors' Fortnight were Riad Sattouf's teen comedy "Les Beaux gosses," Axelle Ropert's dysfunctional family tale "The Wohlberg Family" and Kamen Kalev's violent drama about two brothers, 'Eastern Plays."
Maybe not the festival it appeared on paper, but not a bad Cannes either, and one that commendably kept going at full steam all the way to the end; this was not a fest to stay at for just the first long weekend. Other fests should take note.
-I found it to be an interesting read...what about you?

Poster for My Sister's Keeper

It's not much, but we've certainly seen worse...thoughts?

I'm back...along with a new Harry Potter Poster!

Indeed, I'm now a graduate, and eventually, so will be Harry...

"The Surrogates" Trailer: Bruce Willis Looks Better Without The Blonde Wig

Looks like it could have potential, though the fact that the director helmed the supremely awful Terminator 3

does give me pause. Thoughts?

It's my graduation day, so a minor programming note at The Awards Circuit

First of all, yes, that's a horrible picture of me when I graduated High School, but today I'm getting my degree from Stony Brook University (in Cinema and Cultural Studies for anyone who might care) so I figured we could all laugh at my expense.
-On a serious note though, the programming note is that I'll be leaving the blog in the capable hands of Keith and Myles while I get to listen to boring people drone on and on without end. I'll be back on guard towards the end of the night, but if anything big goes down at Cannes or anything of the sort, my brothers in arms will be here.
-With that, I'm off, but here's the commencement I wish I was getting tomorrow:

Michael Moore's latest gets a release date

Who should fear his scathing eye next? Variety tells us:
Michael Moore's new documentary, which tackles the root causes of the global economic crisis, now has a release date: Oct. 2.
Overture Films and Paramount Vantage, which made the announcement, are the film's co-financers and distributors. The film is not yet titled.
Overture and Paramount announced the project during last year's Cannes Film Festival. At the time it was described as a sequel to "Farenheit 9/11," but during production Moore decided to focus on the growing financial meltdown.
On Feb. 11, the director posted an open letter on his website seeking "a few brave people who work on Wall Street or in the financial industry to come forward and share with me what they know. ... be a hero and help me expose the biggest swindle in American history."
Said Moore: "The wealthy, at some point, decided they didn't have enough wealth," Moore said. "They wanted more -- a lot more. So they systematically set about to fleece the American people out of their hard-earned money. Now, why would they do this? That is what I seek to discover in this movie."
Overture's CEO Chris McGurk and COO Danny Rosett previously worked with Moore on the release of "Bowling for Columbine" at MGM/United Artists.
-I enjoy his films, since they entertain as well as outrage me, so I'll be looking forward to this...how about you?

Zach Braff to step behind the camera again!

As someone tremendously in love with his directorial debut (Garden State), this piece in Variety excites me quite a bit:
Zach Braff is in negotiations to direct, rewrite and co-star in the comedy "Swingles" for Paramount Pictures.
Cameron Diaz has already signed on to star.
Story, which is based on a Duncan Birmingham spec, centers on a bachelor who is dumped by his wingman and teams up with a sharp-tongued woman he can't stand in order to meet singles. Jeff Roda penned a draft as well.
Kevin Misher, whose credits include the upcoming Michael Mann-helmed "Public Enemies," is producing.
Project will mark Braff's second feature helming effort; he also directed the 2004 indie "Garden State."
Braff, who just inked a deal for his final six episodes of ABC laffer "Scrubs," also directed a chapter of the upcoming film "New York, I Love You."
-I'm still waiting for his remake of the Dogme film Open Hearts, but until then, this will do nicely...what do you think?

Ghostbusters 3 coming sooner than later?

Perhaps, if this bit taken from The Los Angeles Times:
Aykroyd said Sigourney Weaver is on board now, as are the original squad of ectoplasmic specialists -- Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. Murray's presence was the pivot point in making a third film happen. He holds a one-fifth controlling interest in the property rights and has been seen as the most reluctant to return to the paranormal comedy. Aykroyd said that is true but that it's more nuanced than the public portrayal of the situation.
"I don't put not making the third movie on Billy. We can't do that. I've been very busy. Harold's been busy, Ivan's been busy. And a third script really didn't coalesce properly. And Billy, you can't blame an artist for not wanting to do the same thing again. He did two of them, for God's sake. Although I'm the biggest cheerleader as the originator of the concept but I've never begrudged Billy not doing a third movie. I never said he held it up or that he refused. Hey, listen, he's an artist. You can't force somebody into it. I'm sorry he never read my third draft because I thought it was pretty good but, look, now we're at a point that there's a story that he can accept and that's going to work, and I think we're going to be in production fairly soon. We could be in production by winter."
The script is by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the writing team behind the upcoming Jack Black/Michael Cera movie "Year One" (directed by Ramis), and Aykroyd is enthused about its premise of a new generation of Ghostbusters taking over the duties of the aging team. Aykroyd said he wishes Ivan Reitman would return to direct the third film in the series but that he's "too busy as a mega-producer" to take it on; his second choice is Ramis, who, of course, co-wrote the first two "Ghostbusters" films with Aykroyd and has numerous directing credits, most notably "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This." "He has a lot of things going on, but it would be wonderful to see him do it."
Aykroyd says he believes the movie will move forward but that he has also learned that "at any second everything could blow up." The details of story are still in play, but Aykroyd said he's hoping for a five-member "new generation" team with several female members. "I'd like it to be a passing-of-the-torch movie. Let's revisit the old characters briefly and happily and have them there as family but let's pass it on to a new generation."
Who does Aykroyd think would be good in the jumpsuits? Aykroyd mentioned two names, Alyssa Milano (who is a voice in the upcoming "Ghostbusters" video game) and Eliza Dushku. "I think they're amazing," he said. "And I'm excited about the whole idea of getting this done."
-I like the passing of the torch idea, and would absolutely love to see people like Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd take over, but we shall see...who would you cast as the new Ghostbusters?

Here's that fourth clip from Inglorious Basterds...

...coming off of the three clips Keith posted earlier, and the immediate word out of the Cannes screening (those who love it, love it in a big way, those who don't seem to be saying it's another Death Proof, which will have it's niche, but not be a huge hit like Pulp Fiction) is this last clip, which makes me more excited for this film than anything else we've posted about Tarantino's flick yet:

-August can't come soon enough!

This year's most controversial film at Cannes gets picked up!

It's Lars von Trier's Antichrist, and here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:
IFC Films is getting into business with the Antichrist.

Just several hours after announcing it would be distributing Ken Loach's
 soccer-star comedy "Looking for Eric," the Rainbow Media company announced
 it had picked up Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," a controversial
 relationship-cum-torture-porn movie starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte
Gainsbourg.

"Since it premiered at Cannes on Monday, we haven't been able to stop 
talking or thinking about 'Antichrist,' " IFC Entertainment president Jonathan
 Sehring said.

The movie has indeed been one of the most talked-about of the festival,
 though not always in the best way. With a series of bracing scenes in which
 a grieving couple bloodily brutalizes each other at their country cabin,
 some felt von Trier had stepped over the line.

At a press conference earlier in the week, reporters asked Von Trier to
 explain his choices on artistic grounds, with von Trier coyly refusing to.

 The title had gone through a roller-coaster on the acquisitions side: Its 
stock climbed before the fest, sank when it drew a harsh media and critical
 reaction, and now apparently has climbed enough for IFC to take a flyer.

The film's marketplace potential remains to be seen.
 The sheer volume of press could provide a boost to attendance, though it's
 an open question whether that, along with the smallish cadre of die-hard von
 Trier fans, will be enough to make it a profitable theatrical and VOD 
release.

As it did with the Loach buy, IFC's pickup marks a collaboration with a 
familiar face -- the company previously released von Trier's "The Boss of It All" and "Manderlay."

The pair of six-figure deals bring IFC's festival take to three, after it 
previously scooped up Romanian omnibus pic "Tales From the Golden Age."

 The other only pickups of the movies from the festival came on the fest's
 first day, when Sony Pictures Classics announced it had bought "Coco Chanel
 and Igor Stravinsky" and "The White Ribbon."

Two of the more high-profile acquisition targets, Terry Gilliam's "The
 Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" and Alejandro Amenabar's "Agora," remain in 
play.
-I can not wait to see this film, its horrific torture porn included (and it's porn elements, and it's torture elements...seriously, this sounds like a one of a kind film according to the wildly varied opinions out of Cannes)...thoughts?

Will Smith to fight Hurricane Katrina off?

Not quite, but he's looking to produce a drama about the tragedy that before New Orleans, according to Variety:
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment are set to dive into the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Studio and shingle have obtained bigscreen life rights to John Keller, an ex-Marine who orchestrated the rescue of 244 of his New Orleans neighbors after their building, the American Can Co., was flooded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The five-story structure sat in 11 feet of water after the breach of the levees.
John Lee Hancock ("The Rookie," "The Alamo") is onboard to write and direct.
In addition to Keller's life rights, Sony acquired Adetoro Makinde's spec script, which chronicles the heroism of Keller and will serve as a starting point for Hancock's draft.
James Lassiter, Smith and Ken Stovitz are producing through their Sony-based Overbrook banner alongside Back Door Films' Makinde.
Nicknamed "The Can Man," Keller has been profiled in several publications. He has said that he was motivated to help not out of any financial gain, nor a desire to be a hero, but a concern for the elderly residents of his building.
Hancock is currently shooting the Sandra Bullock starrer "The Blind Side."
-I wonder if he's looking to act in this as well...thoughts?

Trouble from the jump with the King project

The great Joey reported that Spielberg is interested in producing (maybe directing) a MLK Jr. bio pic. Unfortunately, the children of Dr. King are threatening legal action against Dreamworks and Spielberg.

Here's what Bernice King stated:

This is a deal that Mr. Spielberg and his people ... have entered into believing that they have the blessing of the King Estate. They don't have the blessings of Bernice and Martin King.

I hate to see legal qualms thwart an interesting project. That's the nature of property rights, but it will suck if they can't get a MLK bio pic on the big screen.

p.s. I can see Eddie Murphy tackling this role. He's a versatile actor, and can nail the voice. I can't find a clip, but there's one scene in Distinguished Gentleman (terrible movie), where he mimics the voice of a civil rights leader. He sounds almost exactly like MLK. If he gains like 20 more pounds, which he probably won't do, then he might be a good choice.

3 Clips From Inglorious Basterds

Melissa Leo joins The Fighter

Via Variety:
Melissa Leo is in negotiations to star opposite Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg in Relativity Media's "The Fighter."
Paramount Pictures is distributing the David. O. Russell-helmed drama domestically.
Leo will play the mother of Bale and Wahlberg.
Film, which is scheduled to lense in the summer, tells the story of Boston fighter "Irish" Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and how he was helped to the world lightweight championship by half-brother Dicky Eklund (Bale).
Leo, whose series "Treme" has been picked up by HBO, will be seen opposite James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart in the upcoming indie "Meet the Rileys."
-This is coming together nicely, if I do say so myself...thoughts?

Poster for Pontypool

I like Bruce Macdonald, and Cronenberg comparisons always make for interesting discussion, so I'll be seeing this...

A little bit of everything on DVD this week!

Once again we don't have any masterpieces hitting home video this week, but there's more or less something for everyone, making it a week where everyone's PICK OF THE WEEK might be different. Mine is not going to be the most popular one, but it's the one I'm going to go with anyway. It's:
My Bloody Valentine 3D
This comes with a caveat though, since the film probably will not play as well on DVD. In theaters it was a fun time at the movies, cheesy in all the right ways. In another lifetime it would have been the perfect movie for a drive in. The 3D is gimmicky, but works for the most part. Check it out if you think it's up your alley.
-Also out this week worth looking for is Tom Cruise trying to kill Hitler in the somewhat underrated Valkyrie, a group of nerds trying to see Star Wars Episode 1 early in the cute Fanboys, the strange but somewhat satisfying sci-fi flick Outlander (Vikings vs Aliens essentially), and the first season of True Blood, a show on HBO I absolutely love that gives a new spin of vampire lore.
-Unfortunately, we also have Paul Blart: Mall Cop on DVD today. There's nothing really wrong with this flick, it's just so bland and inoffensive that it almost dissolves as you're watching it. You have better things to watch with your time.
-My Vintage pick this week is Game 6. Michael Keaton gives a wonderful lead performance as a writer fearing the review an infamous film critic (played by Robert Downey Jr.) will write for his new play while being a Boston fan in New York City in 1986 during the World Series between the Red Sox and the Mets. It all comes together brilliantly and is an underseen masterpiece worth looking for!
-What will you all be watching on DVD this week?

Steven Spielberg bringing a Martin Luther King Jr. Biopic to the big screen?

Indeed he is, according to Variety:
DreamWorks has acquired the life rights to Martin Luther King Jr. and is bringing a biopic on the slain civil rights leader to the bigscreen.
Steven Spielberg, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones will produce.
King, who was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis at the age of 39, copyrighted his speeches, books and famous works during his lifetime. The DreamWorks project marks the first film to be authorized by King's estate and gives the producers the right to utilize King's intellectual property -- including his famous "I Have a Dream" speech delivered during the 1963 March on Washington -- to create the definitive portrait of his life.
"We are all honored that the King Estate is giving us the opportunity to tell the story of these defining, historic events," Spielberg said. "It is our hope that the creative power of film and the impact of Dr. King's life can combine to present a story of undeniable power that we can all be proud of."
A King film has been a longtime dream for Spielberg and DreamWorks CEO and co-chairman Stacey Snider, who has been working feverishly on acquiring the rights since exiting Paramount Pictures and setting up a solo enterprise.
King's son Dexter, who is chairman and CEO of the King Estate, has been embroiled in a legal tussle with his siblings Bernice King and Martin Luther King III over who controls the personal papers of their late mother, Coretta Scott King, among other things.
King, who was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination, was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.
"In trying to tackle such an ambitious project, the question we had to ask ourselves is, 'Why now?' " Snider said. "The answer lies in MLK's own words: 'All progress is precarious.' With every step forward, new obstacles emerge and we must never forget that his life and his teachings continue to challenge us every day to stand up to hatred and inequality."
De Passe was an executive producer on the miniseries "Lonesome Dove."
Jones has been a central figure in developing and managing the intellectual property of King. He also exec produced "King: Montgomery to Memphis" for CNN and "Assassinated: Bobby Kennedy & Martin Luther King, Jr." for TBS.
Jones and de Passe co-produced the 2009 Commander in Chief's Inaugural Ball.
-You have to wonder if Spielberg will end up directing this, but for now, pretend you have the say...who would you pick to write this, direct this, and play MLK?
-I'll throw in my two cents right now and say that Spielberg would be a fine choice for directing, but if not him, I'd go with Frank Darabount (who could also write it) or Cameron Crowe (same for writing), with Cuba Gooding Jr. getting his career back on track playing King. Feel free to mock my picks in the comment section...

Poster for New Moon

Permission to swoon...granted (insert sarcasm here)

Some George Clooney related news from Cannes!

I've been keeping clear of most of the stuff from Cannes till the dust settles, but for now, Variety has this interesting news from France:
Two George Clooney projects are making news at the Cannes film fest. Focus Features has set Clooney to star in "A Very Private Gentleman," an adaptation of the Martin Booth novel to be directed by Anton Corbijn.
Rowan Joffe is scripting the pic, which shoots in Italy this fall.
Clooney will play an assassin who hides out in an idyllic Italian town before carrying out a final assignment. He resists his usual aversion to human interaction, and his friendships and romantic entanglements complicate his mission.
Clooney and Smokehouse partner Grant Heslov will join Anne Carrey as producer.
Separately, in the first major pickup of the festival, Overture has grabbed domestic rights to war comedy "Men Who Stare at Goats," featuring Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges and helmed by Heslov.
McGregor stars as a journalist who stumbles upon an ex-member (Clooney) of a secret U.S. Army unit that used paranormal tactics.
Peter Straughan adapted a nonfiction book by Jon Ronson.
"Goats" shot in Puerto Rico and was produced by Smokehouse and the BBC, with financing partner Winchester Capital. CAA repped the domestic deal, which was said to be in the $4 million range. Mandate sold foreign rights.
Upcoming for Clooney is the Jason Reitman-directed "Up in the Air," which Paramount releases at Christmas.
-These projects certainly all seem interesting to me...what about you?

Trailer for Sherlock Holmes

While I think we can more or less eliminate this from Oscar contention, it seems like it could be a lot of fun and do rather well at the Box Office...what do you think?

TV Spot for Funny People

This is a decent spot, showing off some stuff from the script that I liked...it has great potential, but once it comes out, we'll know if Apatow pulled it off completely or not...what do you think?

A Christmas Carol gets a Promotional Clip

-Not bad, I must say...thoughts?

We at The Awards Circuit give our thoughts on the year in film that was 2006!

Indeed, we each have our top 10 lists for 2006 up, in addition to Clay's complete awards for 2006. It certainly was no slouch of a year, and the top 10 lists can be seen on the Main Page here: http://www.awardscircuit.com/topten06.html

-As a bonus, here are my top 25 for the year 2006(essentially 15 more films to add to the top 10 that is exactly the same here as on the list on the Main Page):

1.The Fountain

2. United 93

3. The Departed

4. Half Nelson

5. Stranger Than Fiction

6. Bobby

7. Little Miss Sunshine

8. Clerks 2

9. Little Children

10. The Last Kiss
11. World Trade Center
12. Children of Men
13. Pan’s Labyrinth
14. Brick
15. Casino Royale
16. Hard Candy
17. Thank You For Smoking
18. V for Vendetta
19. Rocky Balboa
20. Superman Returns
21. Letters from Iwo Jima
22. SherryBaby
23. A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
24. Wristcutters: A Love Story
25. Click

-Feel free to post here with your thoughts on the year in film that was 2006...

Sean Penn finds another project to add to his slate

From Variety:
Sean Penn is in talks to star in “This Must Be the Place,” a film that will mark the English-language feature debut of Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, who is Un Certain Regard jury prexy at Cannes.
Penn would play a wealthy rock star who becomes bored in his retirement and takes on the quest of finding his father’s executioner, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S.
The script was co-written by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello.
“This Must Be the Place” will be produced by Nicola Guiliano of Indigo Film and Andrea Occhipinti of Lucky Red, producer of Sorrentino’s “Il Divo.”
While conversations about financing are just getting under way, sources said Penn and Sorrentino have made the commitment to work together on the project, pending the completion of his previous film commitments that include “The Three Stooges,” the MGM comedy to be directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly and star Penn, Jim Carrey and Benicio Del Toro; Universal/Imagine drama “Cartel,” to be helmed by Asger Leth; and “Fair Game.” That Doug Liman-directed drama about outed CIA agent Valerie Plame has just gotten under way, with Penn and Naomi Watts starring for River Road.
Penn most recently completed the Terrence Malick-directed “The Tree of Life,” also starring Brad Pitt, for River Road.
-He's certainly not slowing down off of his Oscar win...thoughts?

Kevin Smith wants to gun for some awards with his upcoming Sports Flick

Yes, Kevin Smith and awards don't go hand in hand for most, but he seems to think this passion project he has with Mitch Albom might be the one to break through:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Kind of seems like The Wrestler, only with hockey...what do you think of this potential film?

Another Poster for District 9

This project just keeps promoting itself better and better...agree?

The writer of Milk to make his directorial debut...

...with a promising project, according to Variety:
Liam Neeson and Jennifer Connelly will star in "What's Wrong With Virginia," a film that will mark the directing debut of Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Milk."
Black wrote the script, and "Milk" helmer Gus Van Sant will be executive producer. The film shoots in Michigan in late summer.
Tick Tock Studios is financing the film and founders Hopwood DePree and Scott Brooks will produce with Killer Films' Christine Vachon and Eric Watson. Roar's Jay Froberg and Greg Suess will be executive producers, and Film Bridge Intl.'s Ellen Wander is handling international distribution. CAA, which packaged the picture, will broker the domestic distribution deal.
Connelly will play the charming but psychologically disturbed mother of a 16-year-old son. Her 20-year clandestine love with a sheriff (Neeson), who is running for the state senate, is tested when her son begins a relationship with his daughter.
Neeson is coming off the action hit "Taken," while Connelly was most recently seen in "He's Just Not That Into You." She most recently completed the animated feature "9" and teamed with husband Paul Bettany in "Creation."
Black and Van Sant are separately developing "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," based on the Tom Wolfe classic book about '60s icon Ken Kesey and his hallucinogenic misadventures.
-Nice cast...thoughts?

Cheri gets a Michelle-centric Poster

Is she on her way to a nod this year?

Has Captain Kirk become Thor?

Not that Captain Kirk, but a Captain Kirk nonetheless, as per this from Slashfilm:
Chris Hemsworth has been cast as the title character in Kenneth Branagh’s big screen adaptation of Marvel’s Thor. Hemsworth will also be playing the mythic comic book character in the Summer 2012 superhero team-up film The Avengers.
You might be wondering, “Who the hell is Chris Hemsworth?” While you might not recognize his name, you saw him on the big screen last weekend in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek as George Kirk. Some of my critic friends had a big problem with Hemsworth’s performance in the opening sequence, but I did not.
Nikki Finke reports that Marvel and Branagh made the final decision earlier today after reviewing Hemsworth’s test footage, which was described as “Oh my god.” Chris is currently in production on the Joss Whedon-written Drew Goddard-directed horror film The Cabin in the Woods. The Australian actor was also just cast as the lead role in MGM’s Red Dawn remake last week.
He’s a virtual unknown in the United States, but he was a star on a successful television series back in Oz (171 episodes of Home and Away) and was on the 2006 Australian version of Dancing with the Stars.
Written by Mark Protosevich, the story has been described as being “like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It’s the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god”.
Marvel will self-fiance the production, and the film will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. Marvel has announced a June 17th 2011 release date for the film.
-I thought he was quite good in his small part in Star Trek, so this definitely could work...thoughts?

Poster for G-Force

We could also use better movies than this too, but alas...

Ralph Fiennes gathers a cast for his directorial debut

Variety has the details:
William Hurt, Vanessa Redgrave and Jessica Chastain have boarded Ralph Fiennes' directorial debut "Coriolanus."
Pic is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's study of the way power corrupts, set in the early years of the Roman Republic.
Fiennes will also play the title role.
Lensing will begin in Serbia in early 2010. John Logan ("The Aviator") is writing the script. Artemis Films' Julia Taylor-Stanley and Magnolia Mae Films' Gabrielle Tana are producing. Icon Entertainment Intl. is handling worldwide sales.
Icon has also closed a number of sales for Jim Loach's "Oranges and Sunshine."
Diaphana has picked up all rights for France. Other territories sold include Odeon for Greece and Lusomundo for Portugal. Pic, which stars Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham, looks at the forced migration of children from the U.K. to Australia into hard labor camps.
-Thoughts?

A Poster with some good advice...

Sound advice indeed...

It's almost halfway through the year already...what's your favorite film of the year so far?

Consider this essentially the "Best of the First Third of the Year" list, more or less...there probably will be another one at the end of the summer, before the Oscar season kicks into gear, and then the "official" one at the end of the year. My top 5 of the year so far are:

1. Adventureland

2. Star Trek

3. I Love You, Man

4. Watchmen

5. Two Lovers

-I'm sure people have other choices, so let me know...what are your favorite films of the year so far?

Jerry Lewis returns to films!

From Variety:
In his first leading role in more than 25 years, Jerry Lewis will star in indie drama "Max Rose" for Lightstream Pictures.
Pic, to be directed by Daniel Noah from his own script, is set to go into production in Los Angeles this fall.
"Max Rose" centers on a widower who revisits key moments in his life to unlock the mysteries of his marriage and family.
"We're going to show an old man who is driven by love and optimism, and by his love for his young daughter," Lewis said.
Lewis last toplined in Martin Scorsese's 1983 film, "The King of Comedy," and he had supporting roles in 1994's "Arizona Dream" and 1995's "Funny Bones."
Lightstream is headed producer Lawrence Inglee and co-founder Paul Currie. Inglee's a former exec with Mark Gordon with producing credits including "The Day After Tomorrow" and upcoming drama "The Messenger" featuring Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson.
-FYC Jerry Lewis?

Trailer for Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

-This remake of an old film noir looks pretty terrible, but it could just be a bad trailer...you be the judge!

A bunch of new stuff on the Main Page!

Sorry to not have posted this sooner, but the last week of college can be a hectic one (more to come about that), to say the least. On the Main Page we have Clay's awards for 2006 (with our top 10's of that year to come)which can be seen here: http://www.awardscircuit.com/Images/bestof2006.html

There are also a whole host of new reviews up since the last update (which was for my reviews of Paris 36 and Crossing Over along with Keith's review of Three Monkeys). Now up are Myles' can't miss review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, along with my reviews of the documentary Tyson, the Oscar hopeful The Soloist, and the blockbuster Star Trek. Those can be seen here:

http://www.awardscircuit.com/reviews.html

-Tell us what you think!

Since it's my last week as a College Student...

...this poster is pretty apt...in all seriousness though, this remake is pretty pointless, but at least the teaser poster isn't bad...thoughts?

Kevin Spacey Interested in Hosting Oscars

Apparently, Kevin Spacey is interested in hosting the Oscars. I'd be down for that. Dude's a showman. I'm sure everyone has seen his impressions on Inside the Actor's studio. (below) I'm joining the twitter campaign as we speak.

Mickey Rourke signs on for a Larry Clarke film!

It's a remake, and Variety has the details:
Mickey Rourke has signed on to star in a remake of classic 1980s Brit gangster pic "Mona Lisa."
Rourke will play an ex-con who takes a job as a chauffeur for a high-class escort. Eva Green is in advanced negotiations to star opposite him.
Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson starred in the original 1986 pic directed by Neil Jordan.
Helmer Larry Clark ("Kids," "Wassup Rockers") is writing and directing the remake, which is being produced by Handmade Films with Handmade Films Intl. handling worldwide sales.
Lensing is set to begin in New York in July.
Rourke's deal was brokered by agent David Unger, Bill Sobel of Edelstein, Laird and Sobel and HandMade's Patrick Meehan.
-This could be a brilliant combination of actor and filmmaker....we shall see....what do you think?

Poster for Stallone's new movie The Expendables

Not terrible...thoughts?

LOST Season 5 Finale

Not quite movie related, but if anyone wants to chat about the season finale of LOST, I'll be more than welcome to talk about it. I've been a dedicated follower the last few years, and would love to bounce off ideas/interpretations of the show.

It's been a day for debuting looks at Oscar hopefuls...will this trailer for Veronika Decides to Die continue the trend?

Take a gander and decide for yourself:

-Sarah Michelle Gellar looks pretty good in this, but time will tell...thanks to Doug for the heads up to this!

Trailer for The Road

Thoughts?

Trailer for Nine

-Impressive, though it seemed like they were shielding Daniel Day-Lewis...not sure if that's a concern or not, but if all goes well, this should be seen a lot come Oscar night...thoughts?

Terry Gilliam to try Don Quixote once again!

Interesting news today from Variety:
Terry Gilliam is getting lost in La Mancha all over again.
The director is reviving his passion project "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" nearly a decade after his first attempt was derailed.
Gilliam's first stab at adapting Miguel de Cervantes' classic 17th century romantic tale was blighted by everything from freakish bad weather, which destroyed the sets, to lead actor Jean Rochefort's chronic back problems.
That experience was memorably captured in Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe's 2002 doc "Lost in La Mancha."
Now Gilliam is teaming up with Brit producer Jeremy Thomas to bring his long-cherished project to the bigscreen. Thomas' Recorded Picture Co. will produce after successfully obtaining the rights following lengthy negotiations.
Hanway Films will handle international sales.
Gilliam and screenwriter Tony Grisoni, who also wrote the first version, have rewritten and updated the script. The new film will revolve around a filmmaker who is charmed into joining Don Quixote's eternal quest for his ladylove, becoming an unwitting Sancho Panza.
"I'm not so much a filmmaker as someone who gets possessed by an idea and it doesn't leave me until I make the film," Gilliam told Variety. "I commit myself to it so fully."
Gilliam is also in talks with Johnny Depp, who had been set to star in the first ill-fated attempt as a modern-day ad exec who travels back in time and is mistaken for Sancho Panza by Don Quixote. Scheduling concerns are seen as the biggest obstacle to Depp's participation this time.
Depp also stars in Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," which preems in Cannes May 22. Depp, along with Colin Farrell and Jude Law, stepped in to save Gilliam's fantasy pic after lead actor Heath Ledger's death during pic's production.
Gilliam is hoping to start shooting "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" next spring. The main role of Don Quixote has yet to be cast.
-I wouldn't be surprised to see Johnny Depp in this, but time will tell...who would you cast as Quixote?

Poster for A Christmas Carol

This has potential, and if nothing else, will be a spectacle...thoughts?

Peep out this short film by our very own Myles Hughes!

Not only is he a talented writer, a quick wit, and a good friend, but he's already a better director than Uwe Boll! Scope out his short film:

Lack of Imagination from Myles Hughes on Vimeo.

-What do you think? Post here and give him some feedback...

The return of Lindsay Lohan...

...for better or worse. Variety has the details:
Lindsay Lohan will topline indie fantasy comedy "The Other Side" alongside Woody Harrelson, Giovanni Ribisi, Dave Matthews and Alanis Morissette.
Story centers on a grad student who must spend the summer working at a scientific institute on a remote island. She discovers an eccentric community of characters who are hiding a secret about a tragedy that took place many years before.
Shooting is set for October at an island off the coast of Massachusetts.
Feature role is Lohan's first since "I Know Who Killed Me" in 2007, when her career stalled over assertions of unprofessional behavior.
"Lindsay's very aware of people's perceptions of her," director David Michaels told Daily Variety. "She's really committed to doing what she has to in order to change that."
Producer Kent Harper said Lohan will be insured when lensing starts. She appeared in four episodes of "Ugly Betty" last year and will be seen later this year in the TV movie "Labor Pains." "The Other Side" is produced by Baudelaire, Film Star Pictures and Marston, with Jory Weitz ("Napoleon Dynamite"), Harper and Diane Isaacs producing. Michaels co-wrote the script with Phil Reeves.
Michaels will also serve as an exec producer with John Molli, Anthony Yohe and Doug Claybourne ("Nights in Rodanthe," "North Country").
Project's been in development for three years. At one point, Brittany Murphy was attached along with Jason Lee, Ribisi, Jim Broadbent, Tim Roth and Lili Taylor.
-This actually could turn out decently, and she's a talented actress, so we shall see...thoughts?

The Taking of Pelham 123 gets a new Poster

Very average...

Martin Scorsese to make a Frank Sinatra biopic!

Exciting news from Variety:
Martin Scorsese is bringing Ol’ Blue Eyes to the bigscreen.
Universal Pictures has acquired “Sinatra” from Mandalay Pictures and brought on Scorsese — who has long flirted with a biopic on legendary singer and actor Frank Sinatra — to direct and produce.
Universal and Mandalay’s Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman have been quietly developing the project for two years while they worked feverishly to secure the life and music rights from Frank Sinatra Enterprises — a joint venture of the Sinatra Estate and Warner Music Group.
The process of acquiring the late entertainer’s life and particularly music rights was “very complicated, as you can imagine,” Schulman said, because of the multiple parties involved. “He was such a beloved man,” she added. “The responsibility we are taking on to tell his story — that would cause anyone to be very careful about who they grant these rights to. Everyone knows that Marty Scorsese is a final-cut director. So there had to be a lot of trust that he would tell this story in a way that didn’t destroy (Sinatra’s) memory.”
Project marks the first bigscreen pic to be made about the iconic Hoboken, N.J., native, whose life provided endless fodder for the gossip columnists because of his tumultuous love affairs, infamous friendships with the likes of President Kennedy and possible Mafia ties. Schulman described the story as an unconventional biopic that will touch on all phases of Sinatra’s life.
“My father had great admiration for the talent of the people he chose to work with, and the talented people who worked with my father had great admiration for him,” said Tina Sinatra. “It is personally pleasing to me that this paradigm continues with Marty Scorsese at the helm of the Sinatra film.”
Although no actor is attached to star in the film, Schulman said Leonardo DiCaprio is an obvious candidate because he has become Scorsese’s go-to actor over the past decade, having starred in the director’s past four narrative features: “Gangs of New York,” “The Aviator,” “The Departed” and the upcoming “Shutter Island.” Because any music in the film will come from Sinatra’s recordings, it will not be necessary to cast an actor who is a proficient singer.
Phil Alden Robinson (“Field of Dreams”) is writing the screenplay.
“We have dreamt of making a movie about Frank Sinatra, and Marty Scorsese is undeniably the perfect vision keeper for this project,” said Guber, whose Mandalay shingle has a first-look deal at U.
Gary LeMel, the former president of worldwide music distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures, is exec producing alongside Tina Sinatra and Robinson.
-This could be positively amazing, but if Leo isn't the choice, who would you cast to play Sinatra?

The indie flick/ Oscar hopeful Precious (formerly known as Push) gets a Poster and a Trailer

-The word out of Sundance was terrific for this flicks, but you be the judge...will this be something to watch come Oscar season?

A trio of character Posters for Public Enemies

Opinions?

Kevin Spacey to play Jack Abramoff

Sounds interesting, and Variety has the details:
Kevin Spacey is slipping into the shoes of disgraced Washington power broker Jack Abramoff.
Thesp will topline the true story-based thriller "Casino Jack," directed by George Hickenlooper from an original screenplay by Norman Snider.
Film, formerly titled "Bagman," stars Spacey as the once high-powered lobbyist whose bribery schemes and fraudulent dealings with Indian casinos ultimately landed him in prison.
Gary Howsam, Bill Marks and George Vitezakis are producing the film, which will begin lensing in Toronto this month. Richard Rionda Del Castro, Donald Zuckerman,