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Man, a few hours after I mourn the fact that crappy Leonard Cohen tickets were too rich for my blood, there's word that Spinal Tap is going back on tour -- Unwigged and Unplugged. It might sound unnatural since these are the guys who like to crank it up to 11, but Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are getting ready to tour as themselves -- just three guys and their guitars.

If it's anything like the clip above, expect a good mixture of Spinal Tap and The Folksman (you know, A Mighty Wind). It makes sense -- there comes a time in life when long hair and rockin' outfits just looks all wrong (sorry, David Lee Roth). Along with the spanky clip above, Collider has posted video of the entire Q&A and the tour schedule for this Unwigged and Unplugged tour.

I'm itching for my chance to see the trio live, but what about you? Are you in for an unplugged and unwigged Spinal Tap?

Cinematical has just learned that Woody Allen's Whatever Works will open the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, marking Allen's return to New York (and New York filmmaking) since shooting his last few films in Europe (he last shot in NY back in 2004). On debuting his new movie in NYC, the always-brief Allen said, "A lovely idea of showing my film in a film festival in my own city. It's very exciting." The film will premiere on April 22, and the festival will run through May 3.

Though there's no firm synopsis for Whatever Works yet (other than the fact that it's being pegged as a "blackish comedy"), though we do know that it stars Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley Jr. As a big fan of all those involved, I'm itching to see how Larry David delivers Woody Allen dialogue. I can either see them knocking one way out of the ball park or striking out miserably -- there's no way this one will settle somewhere in the middle. And knowing Rachel Wood (and Allen), I'm sure she'll be sexing it up in some way, shape or form. The Sony Pictures Classics film will be released later this summer.

Cinematical will once again provide extensive coverage of this year's Tribeca Film Festival where we'll have a review of Whatever Works to coincide with its premiere. Stay tuned ...

Here's a link that may have made some of the rounds yesterday, and I apologize for the delay, but I honestly wanted to watch it for myself before vouching for it. Sure enough, the award-winning distributor-less Sita Sings the Blues is as much the uniquely charming semi-autobiographical animated break-up story that I had heard it was, and due to some copyright issues, it has been wholly thrust by creator Nina Paley upon the Internet and our good fortunes, in its entirety and very much for free.

It's not often that Roger Ebert, Neil Gaiman and I agree on something, but if those ringing endorsements plus a price tage of $0.00 (plus $0.00 shipping and handling) isn't enough to sell you on this fine film, perhaps you don't deserve it. For those more patient readers in the NYC area, PBS is scheduled to show the film this Saturday night, March 7th. As for everyone else, getting your own local affiliate on the horn might see similar rewards. And for all who are willing to contribute donations to get this film a proper release, here would be the place to do just that.

A bunch of us really got a kick out of Mystery Team when we saw it at Sundance earlier this year, and now you lucky ducks in New York City can catch two free screenings next week ... assuming you march your ass down to the Cinema Village in a timely fashion. Director (and good pal of Cinematical) Dan Eckman told me earlier that they're trying to set up something similar for you Los Angeles fans, and more word on that will be coming soon.

I definitely know I'm not alone in feeling that Mystery Team was one of the most marketable films at Sundance, and for some reason it still wasn't picked up for distribution. The boys from Derrick Comedy (watch some of their YouTube stuff over here) are pretty damn hilarious, and I'm sure this is just the first in a long line of quality comedic offerings from the group. Seriously, and I'm not just saying this because Derrick Comedy bought me a house, a boat and a new sports car last month -- go see this flick if you're anywhere near New York City. The audience I watched it with were rolling in the aisles; this was probably close to being my favorite moviegoing experience at Sundance this year. So check it out ...

Warning: This trailer contains foul language

In this week's edition of Indie Roundup, we begin with prison and end with a liberating acceptance speech.

Deals. Tough prison drama Bronson has been acquired by Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (the Pusher trilogy) and starring Tom Hardy as the real-life inmate who adopted the name and persona of the titular tough guy movie star, Bronson moved Scott Weinberg to describe it as "raw, blistering, harsh and compelling in the way that only a really good 'prison film' can be." [via indieWIRE]

News. In unhappy distribution news, "after 43 years in business, New Yorker Films has ceased operations." That's the simple statement posted on their official site. Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE notes that the company has "a legendary legacy, boasting a long-standing track record in international film distribution, bringing a staggering number of international auteurs to this country's movie theaters over more than four decades. The company's crucial role in establishing a lasting film culture in this country cannot be underestimated."

Indeed, New Yorker Films played a crucial role in my own personal education, giving me the opportunity to see challenging work like Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Wim Wenders' The American Friend, and Wayne Wang's Chan is Missing, among many others.David Hudson at IFC's The Daily rounds up reactions ranging from dismay to shock. Reportedly, the company's film library will be sold off at auction to satisfy a loan taken out by its former owner.

After the jump: Indie Weekend Box Office, San Jose's Cinequest opens, and Mickey Rourke's Spirit Awards speech.

Warner Brothers has made an interesting move with regards to The Green Lantern (which Casino Royale's Martin Campbell is rumored to be directing) as they've announced a December 17, 2010 release date for the superhero flick. No, this isn't the Green Hornet (which we wrote about earlier telling you of Michel Gondry's involvement) -- this is the other green hero, Green Lantern. It'll be interesting to see how well a superhero movie does during the winter months [cough] Spirit [cough], and while this one is kinda flying under the radar, I'm a fan of Green Lantern and I'm real curious to see what they do with it.

In other Warner Bros. release date news, they seem to have pushed Sherlock Holmes (starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law) to a December 25, 2009 release -- making this the studio's big Christmas Day movie. The film was previously supposed to open on November 13. Additionally, the final Harry Potter film (part 2 of the Deathly Hallows)has scheduled a release date of July 15, 2011. And guess what else is opening that weekend -- um, just a little flick called The Avengers. Could you imagine Potter squaring off against Marvel's Avengers? How cool would that box office battle be?

Other release dates announced by Warners:
Jonah Hex - August 6, 2010
Christopher Nolan's Inception - July 16, 2010
Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch- October 8, 2010
Clash of the Titans - March 26th, 2010

Which of these projects brings you the most excitement?

[via ERC]

Because we don't post enough Star Wars junk on this site, here now is a first look at some brand new Disney statues that will be available for purchase by visitors to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disneyland in California this summer. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck have been Star Wars-ized into Mickey Luke, Minnie Leia, Goofy Chewie and Donald in Carbonite -- with each statue costing $195 each. That may seem like a lot of money (and don't get me wrong, it totally is), but keep in mind there will only be 600 of these available. 500 will be sent to Florida and 100 are heading to California, so if you do decide to throw down some cash for hottie Princess Slave Minnie, know that you will be one of only 600 people who have her in their living room ... or bedroom (okay, let's not go there ...).

All statues will be available beginning the second week of June, so get on the horn and book that family trip now. Check out the full image of each statue in the gallery below.

Confession: I have been watching the Oscars for as long as I can remember but I have never, and I mean ever, managed to see all five best picture contenders before the ceremony. Embarrassing? Maybe. But this year I have made myself a promise. I'm going to see all five films before the winner is announced on Sunday.

Lord knows I watch a lot of movies, so how did these five slip through the cracks? I don't want to point the finger, but I blame the Academy -- wait, hear me out. This was the year that I thought I was on top of my game. So like most of the civilized world I went to see The Dark Knight assuming that it was an Oscar lock (and how wrong I was). Then, I thought, hey, Revolutionary Road is bound for glory, right? I'll catch it early, but nope, other than an acting nod for Michael Shannon, I had managed to pick another dud.

Like most people, I have a job and a life outside of a movie theater (even though it doesn't seem that way sometimes), so there isn't always as many hours in the day to see all the movies I would like. I usually end up seeing the rest of the films after the awards season has long past. I have probably wasted a little more time than I should have watching films that didn't have a chance in hell of making it to the podium -- Thanks a lot Mr. Shyamalan.

Premiering at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 13, The Vader Project features 100 reimagined Darth Vader helmets created by some of today's most talked-about underground and pop surrealist painters, artists and designers. Dov Kelemer, who curated the project along with Sarah Jo Marks of DKE Toys, notes that "it's because of trailblazing artists like Andy Warhol that The Vader Project can even exist today. We couldn't be more honored to be showcasing The Vader Project at the Warhol."

From their website, here's a brief history: "The Vader Project originally premiered at Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles in May 2007. From there it traveled to Star Wars Celebration Europe in London in June 2007. July 2007 brought 10 new helmets to the Star Wars Pavilion at the famed San Diego Comi-Con International. Then in July 2008, 13 Japanese artists joined forces with the existing Vader Project when their helmets premiered at Star Wars Celebration Japan."

Some of the artists featured include Shag, Peter Kuper, Attaboy, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Dalek, Paul Frank, Ron English, Jeff Soto, Michelle Valigura, Frank Kozik, Wade Lageose, Joe Ledbetter, Alex Pardee, Suckadelic, Cameron Tiede, Michelle Valigura, Mister Cartoon, Marc Ecko and Amanda Visell.

The Vader Project will rest at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh from February 13 - May 3, 2009. Check out some of our favorites below.

As of February 4, My Bloody Valentine 3-D grossed nearly $46 million domestically at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo. Some theaters did show the movie in old-fashioned two dimensions, but at least half the screenings were surely 3-D. So let's say -- $25 million in 3-D ticket sales. That's at least 2.5 million people seeing the movie, right? (According to Engadget HD, it's even more than that.)

That means at least 2.5 million pairs of 3-D glasses were handed out to audiences. These are not your mother's 3-D glasses; they're not like the ones you got for the Super Bowl ads, flimsy cardboard with red-and-blue cellophane. When you watch My Bloody Valentine or Bolt or Coraline in 3-D, you're given relatively sturdy plastic glasses that remind me of cheap sunglasses.

So what happens to those millions of pairs of plastic glasses after each screening of a 3-D movie? Do we throw them away, recycle them, or keep them for another movie? Imagine how much space 3 million pairs of glasses would take up in a landfill, all for one 3-D movie. At a time when our society is paying more attention to environmental sustainability and green initiatives, you'd think we'd have heard some outcry about the waste.