When two people walk away from a high-speed car crash with nary a scratch on them, you know you're watching an action movie. When an innocent, ordinary citizen is suddenly thrust into the middle of a national security crisis, you know you're watching a paranoid conspiracy thriller. When both these conditions have been met, nothing makes much sense, and things go "boom!" every 8-10 minutes, you know you're watching Eagle Eye.

Re-teaming star Shia LaBeouf and director D.J. Caruso from last year's immensely popular, faux-Hitchcockian Disturbia, Eagle Eye, which had a special screening at Fantastic Fest with Caruso in attendance, might welcome comparisons to The Man Who Knew Too Much or The Wrong Man but is actually closer in spirit to The Net, Irwin Winkler's 1995 attempt to wrestle with identity theft and other perils of the information age. Like that movie, Eagle Eye exploits the all too common fear of technology, but shoves the premise way past common sense, positing a world in which an anonymous voice on a cell phone holds the power of life and death over complete strangers.

With this role, LaBeouf ascends definitively into the Hollywood firmament of stars. While this may be good news for his legion of young fans and his accountant, it's bad news for the moral possibilities of the character he plays. Looking like Seth Rogen's younger brother with a scruffy beard and threadbare clothes, Jerry Shaw is a prodigal son living on the cheap in Chicago. He's devastated when he learns that his twin brother has been killed in an accident, but reconciliation with his stern father (William Sadler) is impossible.

Arriving at my place of lodging shortly before 3:00 a.m. very late on Saturday night (or early this Sunday morning), it felt like a short night at Fantastic Fest. That's not to say that everybody parties until dawn, but with three (sometimes four) screens pumping out a steady stream of genre flicks all day long -- some of which don't start until well past midnight -- Fantastic Fest attendees might be forgiven for losing track of "normal" hours.

That's what happened to me on Friday night, which stretched well into Saturday morning. But before that craziness ensued, there were the films, and I got to see a typically odd combination, beginning with Ole Bornedal's Just Another Love Story. One of two productions that the Danish director made last year, Just Another Love Story plays like While You Were Sleeping on acid, which is basically how Alamo Drafthouse / Fantastic Fest programmer Zack Carlson described it in his introduction. A family man is mistaken for the boyfriend of an accident victim in a coma. When she wakes up, the deception ensues.

Rather than romantic comedy hijinks, Just Another Love Story pushes quickly into dark dramatics and the fantasy of a mid-life crisis before circling back around to the territory inhabited by Jonathan Demme's Something Wild. I followed that up with The Substitute, also directed by Bornedal, which was a big box office success in Denmark. It's easy to see why. The terrific Paprika Steen lets her hair down, so to speak, as a farmer's wife who is possessed by an alien life form.

I have to tread ever-so-carefully on anything about Y: The Last Man because I'm so behind (I know, I know, but it was a really long series and trades are expensive). But to all of you who finished Brian K. Vaughan's series, UGO's interview with D.J. Caruso may wind you up.

According to Caruso, the script for the first film has been turned in to Warner Bros (which Vaughan collaborated with them on), and they're waiting for the green light. They're hoping to start shooting as early as winter of 2009, and the studio is aiming for a release date of late 2010. And, yes, they're targeting more than one film -- Caruso hopes it will be one of three, with the first movie ending when Yorick and his monkey, Ampersand, meet Dr Mann and are separated. (Yes! Dr. Mann will be in it! As will 711, though neither have any actors associated with them yet)

As for casting, they still want Shia LaBeouf to play the title role of Yorick (the only surviving male mammal on the planet earth). "I just think Shia would bring such a fun sort of humor to it. And at the same time, keep Yorick sort of grounded and real with the action sequences and all the other stuff," says Caruso.

And what of 355? Is Alicia Keyes playing her? Not yet. Caruso adds, "She's definitely someone to consider. I thought she did a really cool job in [Smoking Aces] ... I'd love to have sort of a (Robert) DeNiro/(Charles) Grodin relationship between 355 and (Yorick). Kind of a Midnight Run relationship ...I think Alicia's a great girl and everything but I have to make sure that she can handle the acting part of it."

So, readers, think they're on the right track? The script sounds promising, but I'm still not sold on LaBeouf. Who would be your ideal cast for this?

Even though the inevitable backlash against Shia LaBeouf has already begun, you have to respect a guy who made his start in flicks like Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd and made his way to the coveted spot of Spielberg's go-to leading man. Plus, he has a way of making me enjoy films that I normally wouldn't plunk down my hard-earned dollars for. Trust me when I say that it took a lot of restraint not to throw things at the screen during Transformers, so, I really hand it to the guy. Hopefully some of that magic will rub off on the Dreamworks action thriller, Eagle Eye. JoBlo now has the first look at the poster and Mr. LaBeouf seems to really be working the 'intense look' this time around.

LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, a slacker who returns home after the mysterious death of his successful twin brother -- gee, do you think there will be a case of mistaken identities? Along with a single mother played by Michelle Monaghan, the two are framed as terrorists, and are threatened into becoming members of a cell plotting to assassinate a politician. Joining in on the fun are Rosario Dawson, and Billy Bob Thornton as the two government agents that are a step behind.

Eye reunites LaBeouf with Disturbia director, D.J. Caruso, in an action thriller that was originally on Spielberg's to-do list. Now that we got a better look at the film, the longer trailer helped ease some of my concerns that instead of Rear Window, Caruso and company were looking to rip-off North by Northwest this time around.

Eagle Eye hits theaters on September 26.

When we last saw a (teaser) trailer for Eagle Eye - the forthcoming thriller that reunites star Shia LaBeouf with Disturbia director D.J. Caruso and Transformers executive producer Steven Spielberg - I commented with something along the lines of, after "reading the synopsis, I've always thought that Caruso and company were following their Rear Window re-do with North by Northwest 2.0."

...which I then followed up with "Whether that's the case or not, I'm a sucker for a chase movie, and more so for [co-star Michelle] Monaghan. Count me in." Well, judging from the new trailer up at Yahoo! Movies, I'll be having a modest amount of crow for lunch later today, as there now seems to be enough distinct differences between that Hitchcock classic and this paranoid techno-thriller that it'll likely excite on its own merits (fingers crossed).

Sure, we seem to have another one of those incredibly elaborate plans on behalf of the baddies that already appears to have too many variables for its own good, but you know what? So long as the thing moves, I'm not above setting aside brains in favor of brawn.

With a cast that also includes Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Michael Chiklis, Eagle Eye hits theaters on September 26.

Oh, that Shia LaBeouf -- isn't he just so damn charismatic? The first teaser trailer for Eagle Eye has just arrived online, and I couldn't help but think of The Matrix while watching it. Remember when Neo gets the call that guides him away from the agents looking for him at the office -- with every one of his moves carefully timed in order to avoid detection? Yeah, well that's exactly what's going on here -- except, apparently, all of it is very real and Shia LaBeouf's character is in a lot of trouble ... even if he has no idea what in the world is going on.

Regardless of the similarities, I'm totally sold -- this looks like it could be a pretty wild ride from start to finish. In Eagle Eye, LaBeouf stars as a young slacker who, along with a single mother (Michelle Monaghan), gets mixed up in a terror cell's plot to assassinate a political figure. Directed by D.J. Caruso, and based on a story from Steven Spielberg, Eagle Eye also stars Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson. Oh, and it hits theaters on September 26.

Check out the trailer over at EagleEyeMovie.com, then let us know what you think.

Granted, it's not like Eagle Eye is the Shia LaBeouf flick that has the world on the edge of their seats (cough, Crystal Skull, cough) -- but, the luckiest guy in Hollywood has been busy bouncing between sets for a while now. Paramount and Dreamworks have released the first photo from LaBeouf's political thriller, Eagle Eye (you can see the hi-res version by clicking the image above).

Eagle Eye stars LaBeouf as a slacker type struggling with the mysterious death of his over-achieving brother. When he returns home, he discovers that he and a single mother (as played by Michelle Monaghan) have been framed as terrorists. When the two are forced to join a real terror cell bent on political assassination, they have to figure out a way to bring down the bad guys and get out alive. On a side note: does it make me a jaded moviegoer if I say that I can smell a twist coming involving the dead brother a mile off?

Another actor has been added to the cast of Eagle Eye, and it's none other than The Commish, The Shield -- Michael Chiklis. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that he's signed on to play the U.S. Secretary of Defense in the thriller, which is coming our way from D.J. Caruso and DreamWorks. As you might remember, this is that weird movie that stars Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan as a slack and a single mother "who form an unlikely partnership when they are framed as terrorists and forced to become members of a cell with plans to carry out a political assassination." I'm not so sure how you get framed as a terrorist and then have to become one, but this is the movies, and they pull off strange premises all the time. I imagine that Chiklis will lead some sort of manhunt for these accidental bad guys in the name of national security.

Sweetening this bit of news are the first images from the set, and they are pretty much all Shia, all the time, although there's also a little bit of Monaghan too. Looking at the images, which are over at Just Jared, I can't help but think that this guy who looks all too comfortable with a shotgun and smoke is the same curly haired peppy kid from the second Charlie's Angels. He's all grown up! They'll be filming this flick until March, and it will hit theaters for our entertainment on August 8.

[via MovieWeb]

Director Sam Raimi is asked once again about Spider-Man 4 ... and he literally beats a reporter to near death. Read all about right here on Cinematical!

No, he didn't hurt anyone (please, Raimi wouldn't hurt a fly), but Comic Book Resources did ask him again about Spidey 4 ... and they somehow managed to spin his answer into something that's just slightly different from what we already know. He did say that as soon as the strike is over, he'll begin working with a writer on the screenplay -- but that it will be up to the writer whether they'll continue the same storyline or mix things up a bit. What's most important to Raimi? "I'd very much like to see Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, so I have a personal interest in that, but certainly anything's possible." Oohh, Kirsten Dunst just got bitch-slapped! Check out the full interview here.

Director Lexi Alexander's new and (hopefully) improved Punisher flick has nabbed an interesting release date. Apparently, Lionsgate has scheduled Punisher: War Zone to be released on September 12, 2008 -- a month that's been kind as of late to genre pics like Underworld and Resident Evil. Rome's Ray Stevenson stars as FBI agent Frank Castle, who arrives in New York to take on an underworld boss who plots to take over -- wait for it -- the underworld. Oh yes, they're saving the aboveworld for the sequel. Julie Benz, Dominic West and Doug Hutchinson co-star. [via JoBlo]

Finally, for those who have always wanted to watch Shia LaBeouf hug another guy for an uncomfortably long time, new video and pics from the set of Eagle Eye have made their way online. JFX Online has a batch of LaBeouf stills, as well as video of the Spielberg apprentice shooting a few scenes while he frolics around the set. Disturbia director D.J. Caruso once again teams up with LaBeouf on a film about a young slacker and a single mom (Michelle Monaghan) who get all mixed up in a terrorist cell plotting a political assassination. Add to that the fact that LaBeouf really hugs a dude ("It's okay Shia, it's not your fault they signed you up for seventeen Transformers flicks") ... and you have the recipe for a delightful little thriller heading our way this August 8.

If you've grown kind of tired of Billy Bob Thornton's recent predilection for comedy (and a little astronaut farming thrown in for good measure), all of the actor's upcoming projects should fix that -- The Informers, Tulia, and Peace Like a River. It's like he just sat and realized that he hasn't given audiences anything meaty to chew on lately and is doing everything he can to rectify that. Now a Moviehole source says he's added another -- Eagle Eye.

Originally set up by Steven Spielberg, who left the project to work on a little picture about Indiana Jones, the film is being directed by Disturbia helmer D.J. Caruso and is re-teaming him with his last star, Shia LaBeouf. It's a thriller about a young slacker and a single mother who are framed as terrorists and then get involved in a terrorist cell that's planning a political assassination while trying to clear themselves. Shia is the slacker, of course, and will be joined by Michelle Monaghan as the single mother, and Rosario Dawson as a government agent. Billy Bob could be her fellow agent, or maybe the head of the terrorist organization.

So basically, this is kind of like Disturbia without the house arrest, and it seems without his mom -- all reports are careful to say "a" single mom, not "his" single mom, but I wonder then, where his is. Moviehole says that rehearsals for the film will start tonight, so I'm sure we'll find out more about the feature soon enough.