Over at CHUD, they're reporting that acclaimed actress Gena Rowlands was on television recently and mentioned that "her son was originally going to direct an Iron Man movie...he's now instead thinking of doing Captain America." Rowlands' son -- with legendary actor/director John Cassavetes -- is Nick Cassavetes. Nick doesn't really have any projects of this type on his resume, but he was attached to the awesome-looking Iron Man for quite a while before Jon Favreau took the reigns. Not to suggest that Rowlands is unreliable by any means, but for now just chalk this up as a tasty little rumor.

Nick Cassavetes has a pretty diverse filmography. Like his father, he was an actor before he started directing -- you might remember Nick as Dietrich Hassler in Face/Off -- a movie with some of the greatest character names of all time. He started his directing career with smaller films like Unhook the Stars and the interesting She's So Lovely, with John Travolta and Sean Penn. From there, he jumped to more commercial fare like the decent Denzel Washington flick John Q and the favorite movie of pretty much every female I know -- The Notebook. Most recently, he gave us the kinda ridiculous Alpha Dog, which featured an unintentionally hilarious performance by a fat-suit clad Sharon Stone. So the guy can do a lot of different kinds of material, sure. But do you think he'd be a good choice for Captain America? And we still don't have a cast for the thing -- who do you want to see step into the tights? This guy?

You think this weekend is light? Next Friday gives us only one new release: that remake of The Hitcher. But this weekend we get a festival-type indie, a giant croc fest and a foot-stompin' dance flick. Expanding from its platform release is Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles, plus we also have a review of Verdict on Auschwitz, a documentary which opens today in NYC.

Alpha Dog (53 positive / 41 negative at RottenTomatoes.com)

Pro: "It's a piece of mainstream entertainment that doesn't require the viewer to disengage the brain to enjoy it." -- Jim Hemphill, Reel.com

Con: "For all of the credibility of the performances (or at least the teens), it all feels like recycled social commentary." -- Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Pro: "Director Nick Cassavetes has a blast with scenes of testosterone-fueled aggression (until it's time to repent), working the subwoofer in a way that'll surely boost DVD sales among boys with bedroom posters of Tony Montana." -- Rob Nelson, Village Voice

Con: "You know you're in trouble when a guy from *NSYNC is the best thing in a movie." -- MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher

Bonus! "A film that's a tad too long, too drawn-out and too over-the-top." -- Erik Davis, Cinematical

Primeval (Did not screen for press; currently has only a few reviews at RT.com, all negative)

Pro: N/A

Con: "The camera is jolted around so much that it's almost impossible to tell what's going on. That's okay for a movie trailer, but it becomes unwatchable for a full-length feature." -- Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

Pro: N/A

Con: "Those seeing this movie just for the crocodile might feel let down, and others might be surprised that the movie might have worked just as well or better without it." -- Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net

Bonus! [Pending; I'm seeing the movie later tonight.]

Stomp the Yard (15 positive / 41 negative at RT.com)

Pro: "By no means great drama, but if you don't feel like cheering half a dozen times, check yourself for low blood pressure." -- Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Con: "Is it really so hard for filmmakers, and particularly screenwriters, to give us something new in the way of a story?" -- Claudia Puig, USA Today

Pro: "The dance sequences are so exciting, so captivating, so full of life, it's almost possible to forget you've seen this movie a hundred times before." -- Josh Rosenblatt, Austin Chronicle

Con: "A silly bit of teensploitation that presents a world in which there isn't a single problem imaginable that can't be solved by winning the big dance contest in the final reel." -- Peter Sobczynski, eFilmCritic.com

Bonus! "I don't think I would have liked Stomp the Yard half so much in an empty theater or on DVD; it's definitely a film to catch on a weekend night with a big crowd." -- Jette Kernion, Cinematical

The Review Roundup will be taking next Friday off, partially because it's Sundance season, but mainly because (like I said) The Hitcher is allllll we're getting next weekend.

It's been almost a year since Alpha Dog first premiered at Sundance, and since then it's had to face a very real battle inside the courtroom as lawyers and criminals fought hard to block its theatrical release. On the surface, Alpha Dog presents itself as an ensemble gang-bang full of pretty faces, sexy bodies and hard drugs. Dig a little deeper and you'll find a painful real-life story that's almost impossible to believe and, at times, just as impossible to sit through, save for dazzling performances from Ben Foster and -- whaddya know -- Justin Timberlake.

Remember that warning your parents would always give you whenever a situation was just about to spill over into punishment land? It went something like, "Keep horsing around and someone is going to get hurt." Well that never applied to Johnny Truelove (Emil Hirsch) and friends, as horsing around and getting hurt were one in the same. Rich punks with rich parents, all caught up in the world of selling dope as if it were the perfect after-school job for a kid trying to make something of himself. Although that something always amounted to nothing, yet it's hard to see that when every day is a rowdy party -- complete with sex, drugs and just a twist of violence -- enough to whet the appetite of any moviegoer on a cold winter's night.

Despite attempted legal injunctions and less than stellar festival reviews, it looks like nothing is going to stop Alpha Dog from clawing its way to the big screen. Most of the details about the movie are pretty familiar by now: The film was inspired by the story of legendary drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood, who was infamous for being one of the youngest criminals wanted by the FBI. Names and details might have been changed for the film, but the actual defense team for Hollywood claimed the film could prevent their client from getting a fair trial. They even tried to get an injunction against the release of the film.

It would seem that the complaints were in vain, as Universal has just launched the official site for Alpha Dog promising a release on January 12th, 2007. The site offers video clips, production history, pictures of the principal leads -- including plenty of shirtless shots of Justin Timberlake, and the obligatory tie-in with MySpace. So if the idea of an Alpha Dog skin for your MySpace page appeals, then today is your lucky day. Since early previews met with mixed reactions -- with some of the shots directed at Timberlake's acting abilities, I'm just glad that after a year of reading about his movie, at least now we'll get to see what all the fuss has been about.

[via JoBlo.com]

Alpha Dog sways the court! No, no, it hasn't yet. I don't want to be spreading rumors here -- although the defense is afraid it might. Nick Cassavetes' film Alpha Dog is based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood. Hollywood is strikingly singular in Los Angeles and criminal history. He is -- or rather, was -- one of the wealthiest and youngest drug dealers ever. He set records -- although not an impressive one -- by being the youngest individual, only 20 at the time, to be wanted by the FBI. The young man reportedly abducted the younger brother of a career-threatening client. Later, instead of serving life in prison for kidnapping he had the 15-year old young man shot to death. Go figure. And the new film Alpha Dog -- based on Hollywood's life and crimes -- may actually face a court injunction blocking it from release. ...

The film changes Jesse James Hollywood to the fictional character Johnny Truelove, played by Emile Hirsch. In fact, all the characters are changed although the story is strikingly similar to the real-life happenings of Mr. Hollywood's frightening choices. Although fiction, the defense still is concerned that there isn't enough separation from truth to not sway a jury. Therefore the judge will view the film before it receives wide release in January 2007. The film has already had its U.S. debut last January at Sundance to less than desirable reviews.

I can understand where the defense is coming from. After rewatching Alex Cox's Sid and Nancy just recently I found myself terrified by director Alex Cox's choice in crafting the ending. It's well known that the relationship between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen was a volatile one but there was never any solid conclusion as to who actually murdered her. According to close confidants in the book Please Kill Me it is believed that it was a drug dealer that did her in, and not her beloved Sid in a heroin haze. It is also believed that if the police thought Nancy to be a positive member of society, they would have found that out on their own.

Unfortunately, Sid died of an overdose before anything would ever be resolved. But perhaps if he were alive and Alex Cox were able to make the film during Sid's trial his defense would ask for the release to be halted as well. And, by God, I would beg for them to grant it! It's not because I like my men corrupt, heroin addicted and bloody it's because everyone deserves the right to a fair trial...right?

I knew I should have caught Alpha Dog at Sundance. If it feels like we've reported more on the controversy surrounding the film than on the film itself, well, we probably have. While the movie was filming, Jesse James Hollywood, otherwise solid citizen who just happened --oops! -- to end up on the FBIs Most Wanted List as the suspected ringleader in the kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz, was tracked down in Brazil. Hollywood is fictitiously portrayed in the film by Emile Hirsh. Hollywood, living up to his name, promptly made headlines for considering legal action to stop the film's distribution on the grounds that it might portray him in a negative light. I don't know about you, but I hate it when I kidnap and murder someone and then people take that the wrong way.

Then there was the whole drama around distrib, with New Line wanting to roll the film out slowly, and director Nick Cassavetes wanting the big-time treatment any film starring Justin Timberlake surely deserves, and taking the film to Universal instead. Now, just a little over a week after the full trailer for the film was released, comes word that one of Hollywood's attorneys last Friday filed a lawsuit against Universal in federal court, seeking a court order that the film not be released until after Hollywood's trial.

The suit raises interesting legal questions, pitting Hollywood's right to a fair trial squarely against the First Amendment. Lawyers of murder defendants have tried unsuccessfully in the past to block made-for-television films from airing before their client's trials. Heck, you'd think Hollywood would be grateful -- O.J. Simpson and the Menendez brothers only had made-for-tv movies to complain about; his is getting a theatrical release starring a former boy-band frontman. Geez. Hollywood's attorney, James Blatt, says, "I've seen this movie, and it depicts Mr. Hollywood in an extremely negative light." Well, duh. Would you expect a film about the murder and kidnapping of a teenager to portray the alleged bad guys as misunderstood Boy Scouts? Hollywood and his attorney might worry more about the actual quality of the film -- it didn't get glowing reviews at Sundance.

What do you think about all this controversy around Alpha Dog? Does it make you want to see the film that much more? Chances are good you'll still get to see it in early 2007; it's pretty unlikely that a federal judge is going to block it. But how do you feel about movies being made about murder cases that haven't gone to trial yet? If Alpha Dog does, in fact, create the impression that Hollywood isn't a good guy, is that unfairly judging him before his trial, effectively painting him as guilty without benefit of a trial?

I love a good "drug dealer who's young, becomes wildly successful, has someone killed and ends up on the FBI's most wanted list at the tender age of 20" story as much as the next guy. So, color me surprised and happy when I saw that the full trailer for writer/director Nick Cassavetes upcoming film Alpha Dog is now available online for your viewing pleasure -- or displeasure, as the case may be.

Cassavetes, son of famed director/actor John, has racked up an impressive cast of hot up-and-coming talent to tell the story of Jesse James Hollywood, one of the youngest and most notorious drug dealers in history. Some of the "Alpha Dogs" and their female counterparts starring in the film include Emile Hirsch, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Foster, Vincent Kartheiser, Dominique Swain, super-hot Olivia Wilde and singer-turned-actor Justin Timberlake. Plus, Cassavetes has also somehow managed to snag several veteran actors to take key roles in the film as well, including Sharon Stone, Harry Dean Stanton and Mr. Live Free or Die Hard himself Bruce Willis.

I guess having the last name Cassavetes has its advantages because I can't remember a recent film, except maybe Sin City, that had a cast with such impressive talent and diversity as this film does. Unfortunately, even though Bruce Willis is in Alpha Dog, sadly Mickey Rourke is not. And, as much as I wanted to like Alpha Dog, the trailer left me wanting more. Maybe that opinion will change when the complete film hits theaters later this year or in early January (can they push this one back any further?). After all, I did like the director's other films, like The Notebook, so maybe Cassavetes and Alpha Dog will prove themselves yet. We'll see.

So, that's what I think. Now go look at the trailer and tell us what you think.

By the end of every Sundance Film Festival, you see one film – or more than one – where the reaction isn't just against the film, but against the Festival itself: What movie didn't get the chance to debut at the festival because this movie took up a slot in the Premieres Category? For me, this year, that film was Alpha Dog – based on the true tale of a young drug dealer and thug in L.A. who spent five years on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List. Written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, Alpha Dog is one in a long line of sun-splashed, kids-in-trouble crime films where a group of young, aimless, drugged-up and violent boys have fun, fun, fun 'till daddy takes their gun away.

Johnny (Emile Hirsch) has a devoted crew of hangers-on and foot soldiers, lifelong friends and flunkies who owe him money; there's also the possibility that Johnny is just a convenient cut-out level of protection for his dad Sonny (Bruce Willis) and the family criminal enterprise. Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) owes Johnny money, and the tit-for-tat provocations and retaliations of trying to figure out how, or if, the debt will be paid culminate in Johnny's boys impulsively picking Jake's little brother Zach (Anton Yelchin) off the street. This isn't just a bad idea: It's a Federal Felony, and Johnny and his right-hand buddy Frankie (Justin Timberlake) are trying to see through their perpetually stoned haze to find an end result for this sequence of events that doesn't leave them dead or in jail.

We almost had a trailer for Alpha Dog awhile back, until it was found out and subsequently pulled offline. Millions of Justin Timberlake fans cried out in agony, left only to their copies of old N'Sync videos to hold them back. Time passes, life goes on and finally legitimate Alpha Dog footage shows up online...in the form of a crummy 35-second clip.

Almost as frustrating as watching its trailer disappear, the clip does nothing but slap us in the face. Sure, Timberlake looks uber sexy covered in tattoos, but why a clip and not a trailer? Hell, give us a teaser, a montage, a voice-over, a freaking online pop-up book - but not a clip. And a boring clip, at that. End rant.

For those of you interested in seeing some footage from the upcoming Alpha Dog (now playing at Sundance), head on over to Moviefone. C'mon, you owe us a trailer by now - cough it up.

Picking what films you want to see based on the Sundance catalogue is challenging. Frankly, I pick what films to see largely based on what people are talking about in the press room (the volunteers are a great source of information). The catalogue is written from a fans' perspective. In fact, it's written by the Sundance selection committee, so it's even more than a fans' perspective--it's the opinion of someone who pushed to have the film in the festival above thousands of other films. It makes sense that they would be glowing.

At the start of Sundance you're really picking films based on the talent, the director, the title, and the photo--that's the truth. It's impossible to know which first time directors will breakout, that's the majic of Sundance and that magic occurs over five days. No one would ever have selected Napoleon Dynamite as something they "had to see" based on the catalogue, for example.

That being said, here are my seven in no particular order.

All Aboard: Rosie's Family Cruise

Wow, a documentary about Rosie at Sundance--that's got legs (at the very least to base a drinking game on). The film was one of three films that still had tickets availble to the public today. The other two were the Shorts Selection and TBD. When your film is neck and neck with "TBD" on the available ticket list you know something is up. This film has camp written all over it, but who knows... I'll try and keep an open mind.

(more after the jump)