It has been a number of months since Matt Damon was first cast in Paul Greengrass' adaptation of Rajiv Chandrasekaran's book, Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone back in June of last year. Months went by until Amy Ryan and Greg Kinnear joined the feature back in January, and then Jason Isaacs earlier this month. Now, finally, Variety reports that the last leading role has been filled by another Harry Potter co-star -- Brendan Gleeson -- who you might also recognize as Harry Potter's Mad-Eye Moody, Beowulf's Wiglaf, or New York gang member Monk McGinn -- to name a few. He'll play an American soldier.

The still untitled film, written by Brian Helgeland, centers on "the dichotomy between the Green Zone, where troops are housed, and the streets of Baghdad after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein." The feature is sure to tick off those who are already sensitive to the themes of recent Iraq dramas -- it "posits that bureaucrats are making policy decisions about the country's rebuilding even though they're in a sheltered enclave without a clear view of all that is happening." Since Baghdad itself isn't the most desirable filming location out there, the project is currently in production in Spain of all places.

*Titled Edited

What a quiet weekend for indie films! Two holdovers performed very well, while several newly-opened films faced difficulty in attracting audiences. In its second week of release, The Band's Visit (Sony Pictures Classics) expanded from seven to 13 theaters and enjoyed a per-screen average of $9,769, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. The Israeli film may sound like a traditional culture-crossing crowd-pleaser (tiny Egyptian police orchestra gets lost en route to a gig, spends the night in a tiny rural Israeli town, everyone learns important life lessons), but the material is deftly handled to produce a very satisfying and thoughtful entertainment.

Also in its second week out, In Bruges (Focus Features) stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as hit men cooling their heels in Belgium after a job gone wrong. James Rocchi said it moves "in unexpected directions which are the kind of unexpected that you do not actually expect." Specialty audiences turned out in good numbers to see it, to the tune of $8,178 per screen at 112 locations.

Last night saw the first formal party of Sundance 2008 -- the post-screening bash for In Bruges. Held in the Tent at the Lift on Main Street, it featured everything you might expect from a Sundance party: Booze sponsor you've never heard of? Check! (And thank you, Hypnotiq vodka.) Meat on a stick? Check! A cross-promotional tie-in that makes no sense? Check! (Guitar Hero was scattered throughout the party with playable kiosks. If you can explain to me, in a hundred words or less, what the game has to do with In Bruges in any way, shape or form, then please do so; you'll win a prize.) Celebrity guest with no reason to be there? Check! (And hello, Mary-Kate Olsen!) Farrell and Gleeson were in attendance, but attempts to take photos of the stars within the party were firmly -- and understandably -- being rebuffed. Here's a photo of the crowd, though -- just to remind you that if you're a claustrophobe, Park City's a bad, bad place to be for the next few days.

In Bruges, the opening night film at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, comes at you sideways; the opening moments and slick snap of the dialogue lull you into believing that you're in for yet another standard-issue post-Tarantino film. Hit man protagonists; punchy, poppy, profane digressions about everything but the matter at hand that lead to punchy, poppy, profane digressions about the matter at hand; characters whose capacity with vocabulary is matched by their capacity for violence. But then, Martin McDonagh's script moves in unexpected directions - and, more importantly, in unexpected directions which are the kind of unexpected that you do not actually expect. In Bruges, with two killers exiled to Belgium after a badly botched London hit until the heat comes off, turns into something different from the standard-issue post-Tarantino film; it becomes the post-post Tarantino film, one where the talk talk bang bang is actually, just as it was in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, about something.

In Bruges, in fact, reminded me of nothing less than an earlier excellent example of the post-post-Tarantino film, Christopher McQuarrie's excellent, underrated and under-seen The Way of the Gun. Both are about a group of tough guys who, through extraordinary variations on their normally extraordinary lives, find out precisely how tough they really are, the hard way. Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and Ray (Colin Farrell) are in Bruges, and all of their quibbling about Bruges's scenic destinations and charm is a way for them to talk constantly without actually talking about what they need to talk about -- which is how off-the-charts wrong one of their jobs has gone. They're not on their familiar London turf; they're in, as Ken relates from the guidebook, "The most well-preserved medieval city in Belgium, apparently." Ken is enjoying the trip; Ray is not. "I hated history, didn't you?" Ray asks. "It's all just a load of stuff that's already happened." As McDonagh's script carefully, firmly lays out why Ken and Ray are in exile amid the cobblestone streets and Gothic cathedrals, Ray's desire to avoid thinking about what's already happened becomes completely understandable.

Focus Features has sent Cinematical a fourth and final exclusive clip from In Bruges (check out the first clip, titled Hideout, over here, the second clip, titled Review, over here, and the third clip, titled Uzi, over here), which will enjoy its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month. Here's a bit from the film's official synopsis: "Bruges (pronounced "broozh"), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks." For more, be sure to check out the film's official website, www.filminfocus.com/inbruges. In Bruges is due out in theaters (in limited release) on February 8, 2008.

Focus Features has sent Cinematical a third exclusive clip from In Bruges (check out the first clip, titled Hideout, over here, and the second clip, titled Review, over here), which will enjoy its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month. Here's a bit from the film's official synopsis: "Bruges (pronounced "broozh"), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks." For more, be sure to check out the film's official website, www.filminfocus.com/inbruges. In Bruges is due out in theaters (in limited release) on February 8, 2008.

Focus Features has sent Cinematical a second exclusive clip from In Bruges (check out the first clip, titled Hideout, over here), which will enjoy its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month. Here's a bit from the film's official synopsis: "Bruges (pronounced "broozh"), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks." For more, be sure to check out the film's official website, www.filminfocus.com/inbruges. In Bruges is due out in theaters (in limited release) on February 8, 2008.

I have to be honest, I have always had a soft-spot for Colin Farrell and was convinced he could be great in the right role. After watching the trailer for In Bruges, I think this could be the one. Just last week, Peter gave us the heads up that the black comedy had been chosen as the opening night selection for Sundance 2008. Now, a trailer has surfaced and unless you have some headphones at your desk there's no way you're going to be able to watch this one at work ... sorry. Bruges stars Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two hit-men who are awaiting their contact in a hotel room in Bruges, Belgium. Also starring is Ralph Fiennes, playing very against type as a gangster, and Elizabeth Barrington.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, the film is a black comedy with a capital B. Original reports had our two hapless hit-men knocking off a kiddie by mistake and then having to go on the run. By the looks of the trailer though, it seems like there might have been some minor changes. Now, there is no mention of a kid and it looks like the target is a man of the cloth -- which I guess is funnier depending on your sense of humor. So even with my aforementioned bias, I still think this looks like a pretty funny flick. I don't even know all that much about Bruges, but there is one joke that had me almost snorting coffee on the keyboard. Not to mention there are some pretty creative uses of the "F-word" -- and that's just for the trailer. In Bruges will premier at Sundance this January and then a limited release will follow in February. Hopefully the movie will get a wide release sometime in '08.

[via The Movie Blog]

*Update: You can now catch the trailer at the Alliance Films website.

The Sundance Film Festival will open on Thursday, January 17, 2008 with Martin McDonagh's comedy In Bruges, according to Jason Guerrasio of Filmmaker Magazine. McDonagh (pictured) is a playwright whose first foray into filmmaking, Six Shooter, won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; In Bruges marks his feature directorial debut. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who also starred in Six Shooter.

In Bruges is described as a "darkly comic suspense thriller [that] tells the story of hit men Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson). After a botched job in London, the team is ordered by their boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to cool their heels in the storybook city of Bruges, Belgium. Very much out of their comfort zones, the men find themselves drawn into increasingly dangerous entanglements with locals, tourists, and a film shoot. As their stay in Bruges gets weirder, they realize Harry may have other plans for them than a simple vacation."

Martha Fischer first wrote about In Bruges in March 2006, which is when Focus Features made a deal to produce and distribute the film. Monika Bartyzel updated us when the cast was assembled earlier this year. Focus plans to release the film on February 8. Festival openers go down easier when they're a bit light-hearted, and the combination of a new director, stars and a dark comedy sounds ideal. The complete lineup for Sundance will be announced on November 28 and 29; the festival runs from January 17-27. Look for complete coverage right here on Cinematical.

For a few years now, Cinema 16 has been packaging great short films on Region 2 DVDs for European release, but as far as I can tell, this new "European Short Films" collection, with 16 short films on two discs, is the first to get the Region 1 treatment. This new set culls shorts from various previous collections; I'm not sure why they just didn't re-transfer the European DVDs for American release, but no matter. What we have here is a wide selection of shorts from many decades, by filmmakers both famous and unknown. Probably not too surprisingly, the best shorts come from folks you've never heard of. Most of these folks provide commentary tracks for their work (almost all of it in English).

Like many authors, filmmakers sometimes try the short form in order to "practice," which ultimately shows a kind of lack of respect for the medium; it's seen as a stepping stone to features rather than a form in itself. But it also sorts those filmmakers that are good at the short form from those that aren't. Ridley Scott's first film, Boy and Bicycle (1965), starring his little brother Tony as a young boy, is a particular example of a failed attempt. Scott admits a fascination with John Schlesinger (Billy Liar) at the time, and his endless attempts at arty realism are painfully dull. This film was also released on Paramount's The Duellists DVD, and both times I sat down to watch it, I couldn't make it through. It's a pretty long 27 minutes.