The trailer for Changeling, the new movie from Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich, is out and what has sounded like a drag-along, boring premise for a movie to me for the last few uber-hyped months actually looks really good.

Jolie plays Christine Collins, the mother of a kidnapped child in 1920’s Los Angeles. The movie is based on actual events and tells the story of the corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department and the treatment one mother was subjected to when she tried to stand up and ask questions.

John Malkovich plays Reverend Briegleb, who helped Collins when it looks like no one else would. Malkovich can be somewhat of a one note actor, but it’s a good note, so he’s always enjoyable to watch. He sure has gotten in good with the Jolie-Pitts this year, too, starring with both of them in highly anticipated movies. I expect child #7 to be named Malkovix, in his honor, and keeping with the whole X thing they have going.

Also starring is that hot guy from Burn Notice on USA, Jeffrey Donovan, as the LA Police Department baddie.  Mmm, he plays bad so good!

Angelina Jolie once again finds herself in a role that places her in a mental institution, and some might say they’re the roles that suit her best. But lets not forget what happened Oscar night the last time she delved into such a role; a statuette and more than anyone needed to see about her familial relationships.  The possibilities are endless for what this role, this year, could bring us!

Changeling hits theatres on October 24th.

[Film details from IMDB]

Filmmaker Michael Moore is doing something pretty novel: he is releasing his entire next film “Slacker Uprising” on the internet. There will be no theatrical release, and the film isn’t being streamed; it will be available on BlipTV. Everyone can download the entire thing online, and Moore’s not asking for any compensation in return – except for a record voter turnout.

Firebrand filmmaker Michael Moore will release his latest documentary exclusively on the Internet for free on September 23, eschewing a traditional theatrical rollout, he said on Thursday.

“Slacker Uprising” documents Moore’s 62-city tour of key swing states during the 2004 U.S. presidential election, when he tried to convince young non-voters to give voting a shot.

“This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans,” Moore said in a statement. “The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November.”

“Slacker Uprising,” budgeted modestly at over $2 million, was funded by Moore along with movie executives Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who hold international rights, said a spokesman for Moore.

It marks his follow-up to the healthcare expose “Sicko,” which earned just $24.5 million at the North American box office last year, far short of the $119 million haul for his 2004 political blockbuster “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

[From Reuters Canada]

It’s a pretty interesting concept. I’m assuming they’ll be some sort of advertising and someone will make some money somehow, but who knows? Reuters does make an interesting point in that Moore’s last film didn’t make much money at the box office. Maybe he thought he’d have a better chance of getting his message out this way, and that was more important to him. It’s all speculation, but interesting to wonder about. Perhaps this is where more mainstream films are headed as well.

Here’s the trailer for “Slacker Uprising.”

It takes a brave man to admit to watching tons of porn these days. Wait, no. It takes an average, normal man to admit to watching tons of porn these days. And that’s pretty much the reputation upon which Seth Rogen has built his career: the average guy who’s funnier than most. Rogen is starring in Kevin Smith’s upcoming film “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” It’s about two best friends who decide to make a porn film in order to pay down their debts. Rogen says he was into the film from the moment he got an email from Kevin Smith; not just because of the chance to work with his icon, but because… what guy doesn’t love a film about porn?

Smith wrote the script with Rogen in mind, having seen the actor in the acclaimed short-lived TV series “Freaks and Geeks” and later in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” By the time Smith finished the script in spring 2007, Rogen was the cusp of leading-man stardom with “Knocked Up.”

“I started seeing billboards going up with his face on them and I was like, we lost this guy,” Smith said. “This dude was like a supporting actor in `40-Year-Old Virgin’ and he’s just waiting for somebody to give him his own movie.” But Smith said that when he sent an e-mail to Rogen asking if he would read the screenplay, the actor shot back an answer within 2 minutes. Rogen read “Zack and Miri” on the beach in Australia while doing press for “Knocked Up” and was eager to sign on from the start.

The comedic sex depicted in “Zack and Miri” is tame by hardcore pornography standards, and the subject matter never gave Rogen a moment’s pause. “I love porn. I watch tons of porn. The Internet speeds have evolved directly with my sexual drive,” Rogen said. “I almost did it purely based on the title.”

[From the Huffington Post]

Something tells me that if Rogen is anything like most guys his age, he’s been researching this movie role religiously for at least the last ten years. Kevin Smith does movies that you either love or hate; there doesn’t really seem to be much middle ground. But this film seems like it could cross over into a larger audience, if for no other reason than the title alone. I’m pretty sure 99% of the guys that go to see it are going to end up pretty disappointed by the relatively tame sex scenes. Well, tame compared to all the aforementioned porn.

Here’s Seth and costar Elizabeth Banks at Comic Con on July 25th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

It’s been 24 years since the comedy blockbuster Ghostbusters hit screens, and 19 years since it’s less successful sequel, Ghostbusters II. Universal Studios is said to be working on a third installment of the hilarious ghost-fighting squad, and intends to feature all four of the original castmembers, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. The scriptwriters of the new installment, two guys who write for The Office, have presented their initial version of Ghostbusters III to Universal, which is said to be on board. The only problem is that Harold Ramis, the writer/director of the first two Ghostbusters films, wasn’t told about the planned new film until the script was already written, and he strongly objected. Ramis plays the nerdy Ghostbuster with the glasses, and he’s said to be pretty pissed that all this was done without consulting him first.

So, a few of the trade websites, including Ain’t It Cool News, are reporting on the possibility of a Ghostbusters 3, mostly based on this statement Dan Aykroyd made to EOnline:

“Well, y’know, two sharp young writers are purported to be writing the sequel, the third movie now. If I could interest Seth [Rogen] and Judd [Apatow] to be part of it, that would be an absolute dream.”

There had also been some talk that Rogen and Apatow are actually writing a script for Ghostbusters 3, which Rogen denied last month.

Anyway, here’s the scoop: A couple of guys named Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, writers for “The Office” who wrote the script for the forthcoming Year One, had been secretly working on a script for Ghostbusters 3. Their idea was that they’d hand it off to a new generation of Ghostbusters. However, Columbia Pictures never actually told Harold Ramis they were working on the script. Oops.

So, Stupnitsky and Eisenberg wrote an outline, which Columbia loved. Ramis found out, however, and he was pissed, and when they sent the outline to Ramis, he shat all over it.

Now, to appease Ramis, Stupnisky and Eisenberg have started working with him on a new outline.

The problem: Columbia Pictures is worried because they don’t like any of Ramis’ ideas, all of which presumably leaves the future of Ghostbusters 3 up in the air.

Then again, if we can get a Ghostbusters 3 out of the writing duo behind some of the best episodes of “The Office” — without the involvement of Ramis — I’ve got high hopes for Ghostbusters: The New Class.

[From Pajiba]

Maybe Ramis will let go of creative control if enough cash is in it for him. It’s a great idea and one that’s long overdue - maybe too long. The first Ghostbusters was hilarious, the second not too much. If the writers work on The Office though, it could be a fresh and funny take on the original theme. Just don’t expect to see Ramis making another appearance.

Vanity Fair notes that Ghostbusters is the third highest grossing film for Universal ever, and only falls behind Men in Black and Spiderman. We’ll see another sequel if it’s possible.

Here’s a tribute to the first Ghostbusters movie by user ghostbusterfan on YouTube

The first trailer is out for Lindsay Lohan’s upcoming comedy Labor Pains, which is currently in post production and is due for release next year. Lohan plays a disgruntled employee who cooks up a scheme to keep her job by claiming to be pregnant. She’s not pregnant, has to fake it, and hilarity hopefully ensues. The trailer makes it look like a decent comedy. I didn’t laugh or anything, but I also didn’t feel insulted or like I wasted a couple minutes of my time.

Lohan has been blogging a lot on her MySpace. Yesterday she said that Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter took the focus away from her record and positions on the issues. She also recently blogged that she was looking for a specific type of ice cream for her girlfriend, Samantha, and while she didn’t quite call her that she did end the post with “this song [Trouble by Ray LaMontagne] is for sr, ILY” which pretty much means “I love you, Samantha Ronson.” That’s kind of sweet. Damn you, Lindsay Lohan, for making me start to like you again. You’re definitely poised for a comeback. Just continue to avoid all the drama your family tries to drag you down into.

Trailer via ONTD.

Lohan is shown on 8/21/08. Credit: Fame Pictures

Last night Brad Pitt was given the trophy he won last year from the Venice Film Festival for best actor in 2007’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The awards at the festival are handed out on the last night, at which point a lot of stars have gone home. Pitt had a run-in with a crazed fan at last year’s Venice Film Festival, which gave him even more reason to hightail it home. Usually the trophies are mailed to the stars, but it seems they held on to Pitt’s in order to make a big deal out of handing it to him:

Now back as star of the Coen brothers’ “Burn After Reading,” which opened the festival, Brad Pitt was handed the prize at last.

“I guess you forgot something here years ago,” said the mistress of ceremonies, handing him the gold cup.

“You can run but you can’t hide,” Pitt said accepting it. “It was an honor to receive this last year and it’s an honor to receive it this year. Thank you very much.”

It’s common for stars not to be present to accept the Venice Film Festival awards. The prizes are bestowed on the fest’s final night at which point most celebs have gone home. Sometimes winners turn around and hurry back to reap the honor, but often they can’t. That’s what happened to Ben Affleck. Two years ago he found out that he won best actor for “Hollywoodland” soon after he landed in Los Angeles after returning from Venice. Affleck scrambled to try to arrange flights to get back before the fest officially closed, but without success.

Last year Brad Pitt attended the Venice Film Festival to promote “Jesse James,” but left before awards night after being jumped by a crazed fan who pushed past his bodyguards and threw her arms around the heartthrob star. Pitt was obviously shaken by the ambush and said afterward, “I haven’t been jumped like that in a while. It tells me that we’re vulnerable. It’s something I have been thinking about, but I don’t want to change my life to avoid those kind of things. I’ve had break-ins in the house and I’m dealing with a recent one now. You also develop a radar. You feel it when you are approached by unbalanced people.”

It’s strange, however, that the Venice Film Festival didn’t ship the award to Pitt after he won. That’s how Affleck eventually caught up with his golden cup.

[From The LA Times]

The mistress of ceremonies also congratulated Pitt on his twins and handed him a yellow flower - saying it was for his “friend George.”

Some reviews are in for Burn After Reading and they’re disappointing. Variety trashes it, calling it “sophomoric,” “immature” and “silly.” The Hollywood Reporter says it’s a “minor piece of silliness” full of idiotic characters and that some may love it and others will want to leave it.

Here is some footage for a press conference for “Burn After Reading” in which Brad and George get asked those stupid questions that they joke about. It’s not as funny when you see it. You can tell Brad’s “two more kids by next year” was just a throwaway comment.

And here are pictures from the premiere at the film festival last night as well as the opening night party. Thanks to WENN.

Rumer Willis is one of the stars in the new comedy The House Bunny, which is out in the US tomorrow. It features Anna Farris as a Playboy playmate kicked out of Hef’s mansion who just happens to stumble upon a sorority of geeky college chicks in need of makeovers and someone to show them the way to hotness. The premise seems tired and more than a little sexist, but the trailer makes it look like it could be funny.

Rumer, 20, stepped out with her new boyfriend, actor Micah Alberti, 24. Alberti used to play James Edward Martin on All My Children and has had guest roles on 8 Simple Rules and Smallville. He’s pretty attractive and that’s great for Rumer that she landed a live one.

Rumer’s divorced mom and dad, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, were both there with their younger partners. Bruce, 53, was there with his Demi lookalike, actress Emma Heming, 30, and Demi, 45, was with her 30 year-old husband, Ashton Kutcher. Rumer’s sisters Tallullah, 14, and Scout, 17, were also there.

People Magazine reports that the whole family sat together inside the theater, and that the last time they all made a public appearance was for the 2003 premiere of Demi’s film Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Rumer said her family “has always just been very supportive,” and that she’s “very grateful.”

A lot of people make fun of Rumer because she’s not a traditional beauty yet has no hangups about her appearance. I kind of admire her, I must admit. She said last month that “There’s so much pressure to look a certain way, and I don’t fit the convention. But it’s okay if you’re not the perfect picture…

“Everyone can feel out of place, but it’s not about whether you’re popular or nerdy. As long as you’re comfortable with yourself, and your friends and family love you, that’s all that matters.”

I don’t quite think that’s the message of her first feature film. They probably stuck some feel-good stuff in there to make it seem as if they’re not touting beauty over character despite the fact that everything will surely get better for those girls once they slap on some makeup and do their hair.

Here’s the trailer for the film. It made me laugh a few times.

Here are photos from the premiere, thanks to WENN and Fame. Also shown Hugh Heffner with the real House Bunnies, Kendra Wilkinson, Bridget Marquardt, and Holly Madison, Anna Farris, and Katherine McPhee.

Irresponsible dog owner Dane Cook can’t be bothered to pick up his dog’s poop after multiple, multiple warnings. He should be grateful he’s achieved his level of fame despite pretty accurate allegations of jacking other people’s jokes and not making them any funnier. True to form, Cook is complaining on his myspace about the movie poster for his upcoming film with Jason Biggs and Kate Hudson, My Best Friend’s Girl. He’s right, the poster looks slapped together by someone who just learned how to use the pen tool in Photoshop, but maybe he should talk to producers and not air his grievances online. Lesser mortals have been fired for blogging negatively about their jobs. I would guess he has producers’ blessings though and that someone slapped this thing together to give him something to “joke” about and get the film some advance buzz:

Before the downpour let me just say that my new movie, “My Best Friends Girl,” is the best / funniest film I’ve done yet. It’s got a terrific cast. Kate Hudson, Alec Baldwin, Jason Biggs, and myself really kicked the funny around. This movie showcases our talents accordingly as it expands on them. It’s a fun R-rated flick. An edgy comedy with a dash of romance.

That being said, let me address the fact that although I’m not a marketing major, I have a bit of a trusted reputation after 18 years self promoting. I’d like to inform you I had no say in this marketing campaign, but if I did, things would be different since it is obvious that this poster is boring / odd and has zero to do with the movie I performed in.

Here are a few things that truly blow about my upcoming movie poster to promote the release of the film opening on September 19th:

1. Graphics:
Whoever photoshopped our poster must have done so at taser point with
3 minutes to fulfill their hostage takers deranged obligations. They should have called Donnie Hoyle and had him give a tutorial using “You Suck at Photoshop” templates. This is so glossy it makes Entertainment Weekly look wooden.

2. My head:
The left side of my face seems to be melting off of my skull. I guess I am looking directly into the Ark of the Covenant? Are they going for the bells palsy thing here? My left side looks like Brittany Spears’ vagina.

3. The Stare.
My character apparently has fallen in love with a strand of Kate Hudsons hair. Kate’s mannequin is desperately in love with the inside of my right ear while Jason is half stunned, half corsage.

4. Lips:
It looks like I’m wearing Maybelline Water Shine Diamonds Liquid Lipstick. My characters name is now Winter Solstice and I’m a hooker with a heart of gold. Jason is my floral carrying pimp, while Kate is my first trick!

5. Fashion:
My character is sporting a very high collar I mean damn they should be snow capped at that altitude. It’s going for the vampire lurking in the castle basement vibe. An Olympic pole vaulter would have a tough go clearing that collar. I’m also able to turn my head comfortably 180 degrees, because I was raised in an abandoned barn by a family of owls.

6. Flesh:
It’s no secret that I’m more rugged facially due to a drunken visit by the teen acne fairy, but according to this poster I’ve got perfect porcelain flesh. I look like the fuckin’ bathroom floor at Caesars Palace. One of Marie Osmond’s dolls would look at me and say “shit … that guys got flawless skin!”

7. Hair:
It’s actually a close up shot of Tom Sellecks Magnum P.I. mustache they photo-slapped on my noggin’.

8. The set:
Pick one. This entire film takes place:

A. on Gattaca
B. at the Fortress of Solitude
C. inside a crystal wind chime

9. The cast:
Alec Baldwin is so fucking funny in this movie! Is he on the poster? I think so. He plays the wise talking plant Jason is clutching.

10. Final thoughts:
I set out to make a movie like the contemporary men and women, that you and I respect, are making. My generation of comedians, actors, directors and producers that I wish to collaborate with as I build a solid body of work.

Granted, one poster stinking up the joint isn’t the end of the world. Yet it sends the wrong message about our movie and I just wanted you to know, that I feel the pain. I really love the film and I know from past missteps marketing wise that the wrong poster sends the wrong audience into the theater.

Thanks again for all of your support. If you have not seen the red band trailer (which is excellent and represents the flick accordingly) watch it below! Just click of the mute button and your rolling!

PS - “Its funny what love can make you do.” I just threw up all over this awful poster.
Wow, wait … it looks better.

Hey … I love my new movie. Jeez … it IS funny what love can make you do.

[From Dane Cook’s myspace via WeSmirch]

Maybe he’s trying in his own back asswards way to promote the film. Cook knows complaining will generate controversy and coverage, and he tries to temper his bitching with plenty of compliments for the movie. It’s possible this whole thing is a publicity stunt and they deliberately put out this bad poster to give fodder to Cook. Maybe it was his idea in the first place. What makes the poster suspicious is that Cook’s face has been obviously altered while both Hudson and Biggs look relatively normal.

Here’s the trailer. It looks completely predictable and annoying - except for Alec Baldwin. That man is teh sex. You can mock me all you want, I’m not changing my mind.

When I think of Tom Cruise a lot of words come to mind. Wee. Peculiar. Elfin. What I don’t think of are big strong man hands. But being that Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise and thus quasi-delusional by his very definition, he has no clue that the rest of the world sees him that way. Tom thinks he’s still the masculine leading man he used to be in the days of old. And apparently he really wanted Ben Stiller to play up that angle in his upcoming film Tropical Thunder.

Ben Stiller recently spoke to Elle magazine about Tom Cruise’s role in the upcoming satire “Tropic Thunder,” and reported that Cruise had some interesting thoughts about his character.

“Tom said… ‘I want to play the studio guy. I want to dance, and I want to have big hands,’ ” Stiller told the magazine. “I’d never thought about the size of a character’s hands, ever. …Tom was doing this little dance, and I was like, ‘This is insane. If this thing was on YouTube, it would be all over the world. It would be a crazy screensaver.’ ”

Stiller’s complete interview, where he also discusses his inspiration for “Tropic Thunder,” is available in the September issue of Elle, on newsstands Aug. 11.

[From MSNBC’s The Scoop]

“‘I want to have big hands.’” There are just so many jokes I could make about that. They’re almost too easy. But I’ll stick with the (slightly) less obvious and point out that it’s pretty damn hard to change the size of your hands. I know this because I unfortunately do have man hands. Or so I’m convinced. And I can tell you right now, it’s not everything it’s cracked up to be Tom. That whole thing about big hands equaling a big penis is bullshit. I can’t even find mine. And I can only wear stretchy gloves, like the kinds little kids wear. It’s totally not worth it Tom. Focus on what you can control. Focus on the dance.

Here’s Tom and Katie at the US MotoGp in Laguna Seca, California on July 7th. Images thanks to WENN.

Tropic Thunder, a comedy out this week that parodies the movie industry, has drawn criticism from disability rights groups over the repeated use of the word “retard” to refer to a character played by Ben Stiller. Stiller plays an actor trying to get an Oscar by playing a mentally handicapped guy named “simple Jack.” This has mightily offended disability rights advocates, including higher ups at the Special Olympics and National Down Syndrome Congress, who plan to picket the film at its premiere tonight and call for a boycott:

A coalition of disabilities groups is expected as early as Monday to call for a national boycott of the film “Tropic Thunder” because of what the groups consider the movie’s open ridicule of the intellectually disabled.

The film, a movie-industry spoof directed by Ben Stiller, is set for release on Wednesday by Paramount Pictures and its DreamWorks unit.

“Not only might it happen, it will happen,” Timothy P. Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, said of the expected push for a boycott. Speaking by phone, Mr. Shriver said he planned to be in Los Angeles with representatives of his group and others to picket the movie’s premiere on Monday evening in this city’s Westwood district.

A particular sore point has been the film’s repeated use of the term “retard” in referring to a character, Simple Jack, who is played by Mr. Stiller in a subplot about an actor who chases an Oscar by portraying a mindless dolt.

Mr. Shriver said that he had also begun to ask members of Congress for a resolution condemning what he called the movie’s “hate speech” and calling for stronger federal support of the intellectually disabled.

“The most disappointing thing, the most incredible thing, is that nobody caught it,” said Mr. Shriver, who, as a co-producer of the DreamWorks film “Amistad,” is no stranger to the studio. He spoke of what he described as the studio’s and the filmmakers’ blatant disregard for the disabled even as they stepped carefully around other potentially offensive references, notably in a story line that has Robert Downey Jr. playing a white actor who changes his skin color to play a black soldier.

[From The NY Times via We Smirch]

The Special Olympics chairman has a point. Robert Downey Jr. plays a white actor playing a black man using makeup, but no one uses the “n” word to refer to him in the film. Saying someone is a “retard” is just as offensive and hurtful to many people.

Ian Spiegelman over at Gawker reminds us that this is a send up of all the actors who play handicapped people, not a mockery of people with special needs. He says that their ire should be directed where it belongs - at producers and actors who portray mentally challenged people without a second thought. Spiegelman tries to explain their reasoning, “Because it’s fine for actors to cynically go bobbing for Academy apples every year by playing a special character, but it’s not okay for a comic actor to make fun of them for doing so.”

I think what the advocate groups are objecting to is the repeated use of the word “retard” and not the portrayal. There was even a ad for the film online that read “Once upon a time there was a retard.” Dreamworks says that despite objections they’re not changing a thing about Tropic Thunder. It’s probably way too late at this point anyway without pushing back the release and losing millions:

In a statement on Sunday, Chip Sullivan, a DreamWorks spokesman, said the movie was “an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses and makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations.” Mr. Sullivan, in the statement, added that the film was not meant to disparage or harm people with disabilities and that DreamWorks expected to work closely with disability groups in the future. But, he said, “No changes or cuts to the film will be made.”

[From The NY Times]

Dreamworks may not have been able to edit the movie but they did respond to the criticism by taking down the website for the “Simple Jack” subplot of the film.

The Times notes that this is the largest coordinated boycott of a film by disability rights groups ever. If they want to take a stand against use of the “r” word, this seems like the right way to do it. Everyone knows better than to use the “n” word in that context and maybe this boycott will help spread awareness of how demeaning and derogatory it is to call someone the “r” word.

Here are photos from “Tropic Thunder.” I’m pleased to see that Nick Nolte’s in it and am not ashamed to admit I’m a fan. It also stars Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. Thanks to All Movie Photo.