Thompson On Hollywood

Clooney Watch: George Does Charlie Rose Wednesday Night

Clooney fans: set your Tivos. Charlie Rose interviews Clooney tonight.

[Photo by Jeff Vespa, WireImage]

New Line Comments on Future Hobbit

EW goes through the story behind the once and future Hobbit movie; and MTV asks New Line chiefs Shaye and Lynne: what's up?

One thing I do know: New Line's Robert Shaye, like Viacom's Sumner Redstone, likes to be the boss in charge, and doesn't defer to talent, even when he should. On some level, he wants Peter Jackson to be grateful to him for greenlighting and backing his Lord of the Rings trilogy when nobody else would. The other thing I know: Shaye likes to holds a grudge.

On the eve of their 40th anniversary, Shaye and Lynne went on Charlie Rose:

Rock Music Movies

The NYT's David Carr writes up the current vogue for rock-inspired movies.

Robinov Still in Chick Flick Biz

It's silly to suggest that a major studio would turn its back on movies starring women. Here's Warner prexy Jeff Robinov's response:

Poor execution and bad timing at the end of the most recent horror cycle were part of the poor reception for the horrific "The Reaping" and "The Invasion," which both Kidman and co-star Daniel Craig refused to promote. As for Neil Jordan's brainy twist on the vigilante genre, "The Brave One," Robinov said he is "proud of the movie," which Foster continues to support around the world. "It's tricky," he said. "It may have been too rough for women, and we didn't get the reviews we had expected."

Action features starring women remain a hard sell for many moviegoers. But Robinov said he is still willing to put a femme star into an action role. "But, like any other movie, it has to be the right movie with the right actor and the right filmmaker at the right time," he said.

Jeffrey Wells makes an important distinction in his story about the unsubstantiated rumors that Robinov had put a halt to movies with women stars:

Would Robinov be saying "no more movies with women in the lead" if WB had recently made a film as good and successful as The Silence of the Lambs, Aliens, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Kill Bill? Not likely. If a sweeping statement is required, Robinov should actually be saying that Warner Bros. "is no longer doing female-starring thrillers and actioners produced by Joel Silver." Silver, after all, produced The Brave One, The Invasion, Gothika and The Reaping.

Agreed. Warners greenlit three violent action pics starring female stars with femme appeal--Jodie Foster, Hilary Swank and Nicole Kidman, respectively--and then marketed the movies like Joel Silver movies. There are myriad reasons why each of these pics failed to thrive. A brainy twist on the vigilante genre, The Brave One may have been too disturbing for moviegoers, who remain uncomfortable with realistic stories about women with guns or angry women who take revenge on violent men. (Angelina Jolie with guns in a fantasy action pic is another matter.) The Brave One required careful handling and may have needed a slower release plan. Selling Foster as some kind of action hero may not have been the best approach. Audiences did buy her in Panic Room and Flight Plan, probably because in both she was a frightened mother defending her child. That's one of the only ways that audiences will forgive a woman with a gun.

The Reaping and The Invasion were both expensive B-pictures that were poor vehicles for any star, and were badly timed at the tail end of the recent horror cycle. Their fate had nothing to do with Swank or Kidman's performances. One thing that Warners and Silver should keep in mind with any movie aimed at women--they tend to be more discerning, read reviews, don't show up en masse opening weekend, and look for movies to be well-executed. Ouch.

UPDATE: Sasha Stone weighs in.

Darjeeling Limited: Anderson's Best Film Since Rushmore

I'm not of the Wes Anderson-can-do-no-wrong school. I loved Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, blew lukewarm on The Royal Tanenbaums (which was often wonderful, but also awful in places), and froze out Life Aquatic. So I am happy to report that Darjeeling Limited is the best thing Anderson has done since Rushmore.

Darjeeling is gorgeous to look at, full of the hum and vibrancy of India, quirky, delightfully detailed, and often funny. The script by Anderson, Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola--all members of the extended younger generation Coppola "family"--hangs together and delivers a satisfying conclusion. It ties up nicely. Is Anderson one of our deep thinkers? No. But this movie is a satisfying entertainment.

Before I clicked on the Rotten Tomatoes ranking I guessed 65% fresh--it's 64. Here's the Variety review.

I had fun at my Variety screening series Q & A with Anderson, Roman Coppola, and Adrien Brody. Anderson decided to incorporate Schwartzman's character in the short Hotel Chevalier, which he shot while they were writing the screenplay, into the Darjeeling script. Eventually he may stick the short in front of the movie induring its theatrical run, but insisted that Fox Searchlight did not dictate what he should do with it. He made the decision to release the short on iTunes and hopes that people view it there before seeing the movie. I would argue for including the short before the movie. I think it enriches it.

It was incredibly difficult to find the train that they use in the film (it sounds like high-level bribes were involved). The crew took over the train, using each car for different purposes--catering, props, wardrobe etc. They altered the train to make it filmable, adapting ceilings and doors. They took advantage of local craftspeople, hiring them to create wallpaper, fittings and many of the cool details. The train took off every day, so god forbid a member of the cast should be late.

Here's a NYT video clip, a New York Post feature, and a Globe & Mail Anderson interview.

Lust, Caution: Ang Lee Faces His Fear

At Sunday's BAFTA screening for Lust, Caution, director Ang Lee explained that this particular nexus between sex and politics scared him to death, which was why he had to do it. He insisted on not cutting the 5 to 10 seconds that would have yielded an R rating. The sex scenes are intensely powerful. (And for some of us, even educational.) And they were much more frightening for Lee to execute than the two gay cowboys in Brokeback Mountain, he said.

The movie is about the possibility that a specific political situation would create two people who are on the one hand enemies--literally seeking to kill one another--and on the other passionately in love. The film is very Chinese, very period, very beautiful, very sexy and very long. And the acting by Tony Leung and newcomer Tang Wei is very fine. Lee described the incredible lengths he had to go to to recreate the costumes, the sets, the aging of the tea cups. The Chinese are not known for preserving their culture, he said dryly.

Lee's native Taiwan has submitted Lust, Caution for the Oscar, beating out the Chinese, who were considering doing the same. It's strong contender in that category, as well as cinematography, art direction and costumes.

Here's a Reelz video clip on Lust Caution.

Redacted at the NYFF: Mark Cuban Vs. Brian DePalma

When I first interviewed Brian DePalma on Redacted, his super-indie HD anti-Iraq flick produced by Mark Cuban's HDNet Films, I was surprised that DePalma was so angry at Cuban, who gave him carte-blanche and $5 million to make his film. DePalma said that Cuban had censored his film, "redacting" the photo montage at the film's end, and that his lawyers had made it impossible for him to make the movie he wanted to make.

I feel strongly that DePalma's movie in its fiction form is much watered down and less powerful --it is, on some level, finally, fake--than it would have been if he had followed his initial conception through and made a documentary instead.

When I saw DePalma in Toronto, it seemed like he was regretting the film's selection by four major fall film fests. He was feeling beat up, and it wasn't over yet. While the director was feted in Venice by the Europeans, he was grilled less mercifully in Telluride, Toronto and New York. I don't think DePalma had any idea what sort of maelstrom he was walking into.

Here's the New York Film Festival press conference:

Cuban has gotten his share of attacks as well. Here he defends himself on his blog.

Oscar Watch: Early Line on Oscar Actresses

As more and more of this year's would-be Oscar contenders have been screened, Oscar pundits are starting to declare their favorites. MCN's Gurus 'o Gold makes the following Best Actress picks:

1. Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

2. Julie Christie Away from Her

3. Keira Knightley Atonement

4. Ellen Page Juno

5. Cate Blanchett Elizabeth: The Golden Age tie

5. Angelina Jolie A Mighty Heart tie

7. Laura Linney The Savages

8. Halle Berry Things We Lost in the Fire

9. Cate Blanchett I'm Not There

10. Julia Roberts Charlie Wilson's War

This list seems on the mark to me, given where things stand now, although The Weinstein Co. will campaign for Blanchett, whose cover photo on this weekend's New York Times Magazine didn't hurt, for supporting for I'm Not There. In the end, the actress race is competitive enough that if Elizabeth: The Golden Age falters with critics or audiences, popular as she is, Blanchett could fall out. [Here's her LAT profile by Rachel Abramowitz.] She should have won the first time! It's hard to come back in a sequel. The first Elizabeth was a classy art film. The second is more of a rousing entertainment (with fabulous sets and costumes). Although Elizabeth did not play well with critics in Toronto, Universal has plenty of sizzle to sell to moviegoers hungry for a period spectacle.

Boston Herald blogger Stephen Schaefer lets fly on the Best Actress race: MY RESPONSES TO HIS PICKS ARE IN CAPS.

BEST ACTRESS JULIE CHRISTIE, “Away from Her” The brightest, most enigmatic star of the ‘60s has retained her luster and her acting chops as this low-key Canadian Alzheimer’s drama proves. Hardly a blockbuster, the spring release is on DVD making it accessible to Academy voters. A sentimental favorite. AGREED.

MARION COTILLARD, “La Vie en Rose” They probably should inscribe the Oscar statuette now. Who can possibly come along to match one of the most jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring pieces of work of this or any year? As Edith Piaf, Cotillard not only ages from youthful sprite to a nearly unrecognizable, arthritic crone but masterfully lip syncs the Little Sparrow’s recordings and then, as if that was simply the warm-up, proceeds to devastatingly etch the triumphs and tragedies of a life that, had it not been lived, would have been called fiction. I AGREE SHE'LL GET NOMINATED, BUT ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

HALLE BERRY, “Things We Lost in the Fire” As the slightly eccentric widow who invites her dead husband’s longtime friend, a recovering junkie, to live with her and her two young children, Berry reminds us how delicate and powerful an actress she can be in the right circumstances. A lot will depend on whether anyone goes to see this smart, resolutely low-key character study. THIS NOMINATION SEEMS IFFIER. THIS SMALL, HEARTFELT, PRECISE DRAMA COULD GET LOST IN THE CROWDED FRAY. BERRY'S COSTAR BENICIO DEL TORO SEEMS MORE LIKELY.

JODIE FOSTER, “The Brave One” The two-time Oscar winner stumbled at the box-office with this revenge drama whose in-your-face physical violence and downbeat reviews were probable factors in its failure to attract mass moviegoers. How that will affect Academy voters remains to be seen. Will they be repelled by Foster’s ferocity? The damage done to her in the bruising attack that leaves her fiancé dead? THIS IS NOT HAPPENING, EVEN FOR POPULAR OSCAR PERENNIAL FOSTER. SADLY MIS-MARKETED, THE BRAVE ONE IS PERCEIVED AS A TOO-VIOLENT VIGILANTE MOVIE. IT HAS TURNED OFF BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, AND DID NOT PLAY WELL FOR THE ACADEMY.

STILL HOPING:
Buzzed about but yet to be seen: Michelle Pfeiffer, “I Could Never Be Your Woman”; Keira Knightley, “Atonement”; Julia Roberts, “Charlie Wilson’s War”; Laura Linney, “The Savages”; Helena Bonham Carter, “Sweeney Todd.” MY HUNCH IS THAT OF THIS GROUP, KNIGHTLEY, WHO WAS NOMINATED FOR PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, COULD WIND UP IN THE TOP FIVE, ESPECIALLY SINCE ATONEMENT WILL BE A ROBUST CONTENDER IN ALL CATEGORIES. LINNEY IS AN ACTORS' FAVE BUT FOX SEARCHLIGHT NEEDS TO BRING SUNDANCE HIT THE SAVAGES BACK INTO THE SPOTLIGHT. UNTIL WE SEE THE OTHER FILMS IT'S HARD TO JUDGE.

OUT OF THE RUNNING: Cate Blanchett, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”; Reese Witherspoon, “Rendition”; Charlize Theron, “In the Valley of Elah”; Michelle Pfeiffer, “Stardust”; Nicole Kidman, “Margot at the Wedding.” AGREED, BUT IF CRITICS AND SMART-HOUSE AUDIENCES COME THROUGH FOR MARGOT AT THE WEDDING AND KIDMAN, SHE COULD BE A LONG SHOT. IT'S A LAYERED SOPHISTICATED PERFORMANCE THAT THE ACTORS SHOULD APPRECIATE. THINK SHIRLEY MACLAINE AS AURORA GREENWAY IN TERMS OF ENDEARMENT.

Oddly, Schaefer does not mention Angelina Jolie. Vantage will campaign for her when A Mighty Heart, which was well-reviewed, is released on DVD. Actors will likely recognize the caliber of her performance as Mariane Pearl. On the other hand, it's a crowded field and the movie did not score at the boxoffice. How many people will watch this difficult subject on DVD? That is the question.

Michael Clayton Vs. Leatherheads; Gilroy Talks

Things are looking up for Michael Clayton, which opened to rave reviews (a terrific 88% fresh on rotten tomatoes) and boffo initial box office in limited release.

Michael Clayton will be an interesting test of George Clooney's star power, as unlike the FX-heavy Perfect Storm or the Oceans flicks, the movie rests on his shoulders. Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck were both boosted by Oscar campaigns, a fate that may also meet this film. I've seen the movie twice; it's a smart-movie pleasure which sprang full-blown from the head of Tony Gilroy, who wrote all three of the Bourne pictures. He waited some five years to be able to direct Clayton himself, and managed to land Clooney, who initially resisted meeting him. "When asking someone to direct, your level of trust has to be so high," Gilroy told me over coffee at the Four Seasons bar.

Typically, it was only when CAA's Rick Hess raised some indie equity coin for the picture (from Steve Samuels) that Gilroy was able to say to one of Michael Clayton's director godfathers, Steven Soderbergh, "OK, I'm making this, may I please meet George to see if we get along?" They did, and talked for eight hours straight. (The other mentor was Sydney Pollack, who also stars in the film.) Clooney agreed to star for back-end gross only: the movie cost just $20 million upfront. Even so, Gilroy was able to shoot in New York City, with Clooney on hand to press the flesh whenever he needed help. "He'd put Vernon Jordan on hold to talk to the cops," says Gilroy.

Gilroy always wrote Clayton with the opening monologue from the mad lawyer, which is nailed so well by actor Tom Wilkinson (In the Bedroom). Gilroy actually shot it on the first day of filming, in a freezing Queens jail cell with Clooney. "I had Tom do it in front of him. George knew he was doing that, he wanted it. He went home and got a good night's sleep," Gilroy jokes.

Wilkinson is getting serious Oscar buzz. So are Gilroy and Clooney. Like Soderbergh's similar Erin Brockovich, Michael Clayton could win up as one of the last films standing in the Oscar fray.

Perhaps remembering how hard he had to work to equally promote his two Oscar contenders in 2005/2006, Clooney has decided, following his recent motorcycle spill which painfully broke one rib, to back off trying to finish his third film as director, Leatherheads, this year. Reshoots were always planned for the last weekend in September, when Clooney had grown a beard for the Coens' Burn After Reading.

Now Leatherheads will open in April, giving Clooney more time to promote Clayton, finish Burn After Reading, and edit Leatherheads. Sounds like a sane move. I hear there's a character in Leatherheads who smokes a lot, which may be another potential thorn in Clooney's side. Universal marketing is buying a Superbowl promo spot, so the studio stands behind the period football pic.

Here's one Gilroy interview. And here's David Poland's video sit-down:

First Look: E.T. does Charlie Wilson's War

One of the last movies to break in this year's list of Oscar wannabes--it's certainly the one I know least about-- is Mike Nichols' Charlie Wilson's War, which looks to be a comic-toned black comedy based on a true story about a boozing womanizing Texas Congressman's 80s rush to arm the Afghan tribes in their fight against the Soviets. E.T. is promising a first look Tuesday. This footage showcases star Tom Hanks in a hot tub, plus a blonde Julia Roberts in a bikini--I suspect that the marketing of this film will avoid the pic's political content in favor of its two stars. Here's E.W.'s fall preview.

Charlie Wilson's War offers yet another (supporting) role for Philip Seymour Hoffman, who gives strong lead perfs in Tamara Jenkins' The Savages as well as Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Trailer

Veteran director Sidney Lumet's next picture, the psychological thriller Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, debuted well at Toronto, due to incendiary perfs from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei. Check out the trailer:

Terror's Advocate: Barbet Schroeder Talks

Barbet Schroeder is one of those brainiac filmmakers, like Werner Herzog, who moves effortlessly between docs (General Idi Amin Dada), features (Reversal of Fortune), studios (Murder by Numbers) and indies (Barfly), in whatever country (Maitresse) or language (Our Lady of the Assassins) that suits him. He's a global opportunist. And like Herzog he's not a bad actor; he does a memorable cameo in Darjeeling Limited as a bemused auto mechanic.

When I saw his ambitious new documentary Terror's Advocate in Cannes, I knew nothing about it. I sat in the huge 4000-seat Lumiere crammed with journalists from all over the world, entranced by this stranger-than-fiction tale of a French lawyer, Jacques Verges, who starts out championing the Algerian war for independence and winds up defending the world's nastiest criminals, from Nazi Klaus Barbie, the Butcher of Lyon, to Carlos the Jackal. He also had fascinating relationships with Algerian resistance fighter Djamila Bouhirid, whom he married after he rescued her from prison, and Carlos's gorgeous revolutionary wife Magdalena Kopp. And he completely disappeared from view for eight years. Talk about dropping out! The movie speculates about whether he was hanging with his old school chum Pol Pot in Cambodia.

Every documentary is as compelling as its central character, and Schroeder did well by picking the charismatic and complex Verges, who offers the filmmaker a great vehicle for navigating the global network of world terror. Verges is a familiar figure in France, which may explain why the audience seemed to like him so much, laughing heartily when he suggests he'd even be willing to defend George Bush--if he pleaded guilty. I was more uncomfortable with this guy. He is not on the side of the angels. But like someone who has made a pact with the Devil, he is entertaining as hell. And through him we meet some of the crazier criminal characters in the world.

Schroeder suggested that we do our interview via video Skype. So I signed up my MacBook at home and we tuned in at 5:30 PM my time in L.A., 9:30 AM his time in Japan. It worked well: my only regret is that I didn't realize that I could have taken a screen grab of our conversation. Just for illustration's sake.

What are you doing in Japan?
I'm doing the craziest project I have ever attempted since Our lady of the Assassins, Inju, by the famous Japanese writer Rampo Edogawa, the Edgar Allen Poe of Japan, who died in 1965. It's a very extreme and perverse kind of thriller. It's a rivalry between two writers. A French writer comes to Japan. He is copying a very famous Japanese writer. It's psychic plagiarism. His book is doing better than the mysterious Japanese writer. Some crimes have been committed using his book. This one is quite special, with Japanese actors. Only I am French. I'm doing it with a crew of 90 people; less than 10% are from Europe. We're shooting in about two weeks. The French and the Japanese are funding. I use Skype a lot in Tokyo for casting.

Like Werner Herzog, you seem to believe that fiction and documentary are much the same thing?
Obviously there is an exciting part of reality that feels like fiction. There is no reason not to go with it. I consider the movie as much a documentary as fiction. I want to treat it as if it's some sort of mystery unfolding and you don't know 'til the end. This movie suffers as much from spoilers as a thriller.

Darjeeling Limited: Owen Wilson Lauded by Academy Crowd

[Posted by Tatiana Siegel] Who says Hollywood is jaded? Owen Wilson was showered with hearty and heartfelt applause when he graced the stage with fellow castmembers of The Darjeeling Limited during the film's premiere at the Academy screening room Thursday night. Wilson's showing marked his first public appearance since his much-reported ER visit last in August. The actor, looking fit and rested, was a far cry from his bruised and bandaged Darjeeling alter ego. In introducing his one-time college roomate and frequent collaborator, director Wes Anderson said he hopes he never has to make a film without his Texas buddy.

Top 25 Lists: Rolling Stone's Music DVDs, IDA's Docs, Dystopian Flix

The International Documentary Association named the 25 best documentaries. Number one? Hoop Dreams. Number two is Errol Morris's The Thin Blue Line, and number three is Bowling for Columbine from Michael Moore, who, not surprisingly, has three films in the top 25.

Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz, featuring The Band and Bob Dylan, leads Rolling Stone's top 25 music DVDs. Here's a Dylan/Band clip from the movie:

It's also hard to argue with Monterey Pop or A Hard Days Night as absolute must-sees.

And Snarkerati has the top 50 dystopian movies. The top 5: Metropolis, A Clockwork orange, Brazil, Wings of Desire and Blade Runner. Next time they do this list, they may want to add Pixar's upcoming Wall-E.

Weekend Boxoffice: Heartbreak Kid vs. Game Plan

This weekend, Variety expects The Heartbreak Kid to top The Game Plan. I figured that the Farrelly brothers' modestly funny remake of Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid would play well to mainstream audiences desperate for comedy relief, but it's not tracking as well as it should.

Do the Farrellys measure up to the Judd Apatow standard? No. Apatow somehow manages to make smart comedies about real people, while the Farrellys have always fallen squarely in the dumb wiseass comedy genre. And the Heartbreak Kid functions as a dumb romantic comedy. Is it Something About Mary? No.

Michael Clayton and Lust, Caution should do well in limited release. That's easy. Into the Wild and Across the Universe are doing well too. The trick is how and when to broaden them and sustain them over the long haul. Here's my column on this fall's spate of super-sized movies.

Here are the Fandango weekend stats, which don't predict accurately the level of an opening, but do show where there's weakness. The Heartbreak Kid should be doing better. I'll be interested to see how The Kingdom holds.

Fandango Five – Ticket Sales (as of 10/05/07 9:00 a.m. PT) Movie Fandango User Rating % Fandango Sales

The Game Plan “Must Go” 13%

The Kingdom “Go” 12%

The Darjeeling Limited “Go” 9%

The Heartbreak Kid “So-So” 6%

Resident Evil: Extinction “Go” 4%

Fandango Weekly Poll (as of 10/05/07 9:00 a.m. PT)

Lust, Caution, directed by Ang Lee, expands its release this week. Of the following, which is your favorite
Ang Lee film?

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 39%

Brokeback Mountain 23%

Sense and Sensibility 16%

Hulk 16%

The Ice Storm 6%

Sweeney Todd Trailer Downplays Sondheim Music

"Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd. His skin was pale and his eye was odd. He shaved the faces of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard of again. He trod a path that few have trod. Did Sweeney Todd. The demon barber of Fleet. Street."

That's the memorable, propulsive opening of Stephen Sondheim's musical Sweeney Todd--and it's nowhere to be heard in DreamWorks/Paramount's first trailer for the Tim Burton film, which downplays the score. The marketers are playing this one carefully. They don't want to turn people off. They figure that they have the Sondheim and theater buffs who know the music. It's everyone else they want to lure into the theater. Yes, Johnny Depp does break into song in this trailer. And he's singing the right words to the right music. "At last my arm is complete again!" Yes, it does send a chill.

Scorsese Caught Between Two Studios

Jay Fernandez reports on the tug-of-war between Paramount and Warner Bros. over a possible Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio project, The Wolf of Wall Street.

Hot Ticket in NY: Absinthe Review

From NYC, Michael Blowhard writes about the bawdy circus show Absinthe, now touring the country.

Kite Runner: Doing the Right Thing, Ebert Review

This is not the original PR campaign that Paramount Vantage had in mind for The Kite Runner. The NYT reports on the complex story-- reported September 20 by by NPR's Kim Masters and updated by her on Slate here-- of how the young stars of The Kite Runner may be in danger in Kabul, Afghanistan:

Executives at the distributor, Paramount Vantage, are contending with issues stemming from the rising lawlessness in Kabul in the year since the boys were cast.

The boys and their relatives are now accusing the filmmakers of mistreatment, and warnings have been relayed to the studio from Afghan and American officials and aid workers that the movie could aggravate simmering enmities between the politically dominant Pashtun and the long-oppressed Hazara.

In an effort to prevent not only a public-relations disaster but also possible violence, studio lawyers and marketing bosses have employed a stranger-than-fiction team of consultants. In August they sent a retired Central Intelligence Agency counterterrorism operative in the region to Kabul to assess the dangers facing the child actors. And on Sunday a Washington-based political adviser flew to the United Arab Emirates to arrange a safe haven for the boys and their relatives.

“If we’re being overly cautious, that’s O.K.,” Karen Magid, a lawyer for Paramount, said. “We’re in uncharted territory.”

Vantage wants to do the right thing in this delicate situation --assuming that they can figure out what it is. The PR damage that would result from mishandling it would also be costly. UPDATE: The Kite Runner opens the Chicago Film festival tonight. Here's Roger Ebert's four star review. And Variety's. That should help.

I saw this film some weeks ago, before Toronto, at a special industry screening marked by considerable snuffling from the crowd. Nurtured over the years by producers Bill Horberg and Rebecca Yeldham and DreamWorks' Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, the movie has been well-adapted by writer David Benioff and director Marc Forster, whose search for authenticity led him to cast locals from Kabul. Kite Runner has many of the hallmarks of not only a crowd-pleaser, despite its Dari dialogue and unknown cast, but an Oscar contender as well. Whether that can happen under these unusual circumstances remains to be seen.

UPDATE: Here's The Washington Post and Variety coverage of this story.

Bee Movie: Seinfeld Returns to Work

Jess Cagle's story about what Jerry Seinfeld has been up to all these years, and how he got back into the movie biz (with Bee Movie) by pitching Steven Spielberg at the beach is an entertaining read.

I'm not sure I want to see the movie though. I'm oddly resistant. Maybe it's because the plight of exploited honey bees is real! I am obviously not the target demo, however.

[Photo for Time Magazine]

The Assassination of Jesse James, Sex and the City Scoop

Until I get my thoughts organized on The Assasination of Jesse James, here are some strongly worded thoughts from a Variety colleague who travels the blogosphere under the nom de plume MiraJeff.

He also has an early scoop on Sex and the City, which reveals that the movie boasts a flashback with younger versions of our four heroines.

Haynes Talks I'm Not There

Here's an interview at The Reeler with I'm Not There director Todd Haynes.

Michel Gondry Talks Jack Black

MTV talks to Michel Gondry about his latest pic starring Jack Black, Be Kind Rewind.

HBO's Five Days

The five-part Brit mini-series Five Days starts Tuesday night. I was riveted by the ultra-realistic story about a beleaguered mum with a teen daughter and two little ones who suddenly disappears. It takes a while for everyone to figure out the scope of what has happened, and to whom. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it.

Here's Brian Lowry's review. And Robert Lloyd in the LAT.

No Country for Old Men: Trailer 3

The third trailer on Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country for Old Men went up today.

Kubrick Blooper Reel

One of my Facebook chums posted on her wall this Stanley Kubrick cartoon spoof from Dan Meth Animation featuring 2001, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut and Spartacus.

Lars and the Real Girl: Gosling and Gillespie

Lars and the Real Girl is one of those movies that walks a tightrope between laughs and genuine emotion. Think Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude or Being There, two movies that Ryan Gosling brought up at our Variety screening series Q & A the other night. In this case, rookie commercial director Craig Gillespie and Gosling saw the value in Six Feet Under scribe Nancy Oliver's original script about a closed-down young guy who falls in love with a mailorder full-size plastic doll. After they got nowhere with the studios, finally Bill Horberg at Sidney Kimmel Entertainment pulled the green-light switch. This could be a sleeper hit for SKE (and distributor MGM).

The film's casting is impeccable: Emily Mortimer and Paul Schneider (who also shines in The Assassination of Jesse James) are standouts. But the movie belongs to Gosling, who is doing remarkably mature work for a guy who is just 27. Next he's going to play the father of a 12-year-old in Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones--hence the aging beard.

Lars and the Real Girl is funny throughout, utterly inoffensive and quite moving. Finally, the film becomes (like It's a Wonderful Life) about the small rural community that supports one of their own. It was shot not far from Gosling's Ontario home; he stayed in his mother's basement during filming.

Here's part of our video conversation. And Variety's review. And Patrick Goldstein's Gillespie column. UPDATE: USA Today's feature on new discovery Bianca.

McIntyre Joins L.A. Times; Grego Joins Hollywood Reporter

Bravo to my old THR crony Gina McIntyre, who is leaving The Hollywood Reporter after seven years to join the L.A. Times, reporting to Entertainment Editor Betsy Sharkey.

Here's the announcement memo:

2 October 2007 To the Staff: From: Betsy Sharkey, Entertainment Editor We are pleased to announce that Gina McIntyre will join the Calendar staff later this month as an assistant entertainment editor, replacing Rene Lynch, who has moved to the web.

Gina brings an extensive background in film and television journalism to her new post and will help shape our reporting in those areas, as well as pop music. She comes to us from the Hollywood Reporter, where her duties as managing editor/features included overseeing the "Next Generation" report, which spotlights the hottest young executives in film, television and new media; the Cannes Film Festival special issue; and the Indie Power survey. During her seven years at the Reporter, Gina also was part of the writing/reporting team that covered most of the major film festivals.

Early in her career, Gina edited "The 'X-Files' Official Magazine," which should make her our go-to person for any conspiracy theories.

Gina officially takes up her new post on Oct. 29 and will report to me.

Back at the THR film department, Carl DiOrio is now covering boxoffice as well as the legal/guilds beat, while tech reporter Carly Mayberry and legal eagle Leslie Simmons are now film reporters. And months after Glenn Abel's departure, Melissa Grego has taken over as web editor of THR.com. She was managing editor for TelevisionWeek after spending her first two years there as a news editor and also worked for Variety.

UPDATE: Here's LA Observed.

Newspapers Ramp Up for Awards Season

As more "traditional" print media expand their online presence, the folks who already inhabit that space are not always happy. Movie City News founder David Poland is not thrilled that as award season looms---with its inflated ad buys---the NYT, the LAT and the trade papers are boosting their online strategies.

Variety.com is starting its long in-depth coverage of the awards season on Awards Central.com. UPDATE: In Contention.com blogger Kris Tapley will be supplying a new Oscar blog for the site.

NYT media columnist David Carr says he is returning to Oscar blogging duty sometime in November in his The Carpetbagger guise; he says he'll focus more on the New York side of things and churn out more stories for print first, blog later.

And the LAT is beefing up its awards season supplement (full of ads, natch), The Envelope, both in print and online.

Beginning this week the world's friendliest film critic, Maxim's Pete Hammond, who used to cover the Oscar season for Tom Tapp's Hollywood Wiretap, will kick off a new awards season column.

Todd Martens, former associate editor and staff writer at Billboard, is The Envelope's new music columnist.

Mark Olsen, a regular LAT contributor, will report on awards and write regular features.

The Envelope editorial team is lead by consulting editor Gregory Ellwood, a former consultant for Variety on the Boffo project, who used to work for Paramount Pictiures and still writes his twice a week column on MSN.com. My old THR colleague and fellow blogger Sheigh Crabtree, who until recently was supplying entertainment reporting to the LAT, is now the LATimes.com's associate entertainment editor overseeing The Envelope.

[Montage created for awardsdaily.]

Sweeney Todd: Old and New

Before the new movie-friendly Tim Burton Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street arrives this December--and even if the early marketing of this movie downplays the Stephen Sondheim of it all, the movie is a full-on musical in which Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen do sing--here are some swatches of some fave Sweeney Todd moments: