The New York Post's Joe Neumaier claims that Jack Nicholson told London reporters that he "warned" Heath Ledger: but about what, exactly? Burning the candle at both ends? Playing a gay cowboy in a homophobic country? "Well, I warned him," is the full and exact quote. Still, under the caption of Nicholson in full purple regalia in the Post, it claims Nicholson "warned Ledger about the part [of The Joker]." Neumaier notes other reports that Ledger had slept two hours a night during the filming of The Dark Knight, and that Ledger had told the press "prescription drugs didn't help."

This might just be a ghoulish attempt to capitalize on Ledger's death by linking him to a celebrated screen and comic book villain, so I thought I'd check Burton on Burton (edited by Mark Salisbury) to see if Tim Burton recalled Nicholson going through similar angst when making the 1989 Batman, giving him grounds for worrying about the stress on another actor playing the role. Not quite. On Nicholson, Burton commented, "He was very cool...he was very calming and helpful and would just say, `Get what you need, get what you want, and just keep going.'" (Thanks to Moviefone for this tipoff.)

You want to start a movie off right? Hire Morgan Freeman as your star and then open the flick with some smooth Freeman voice-over. In this particular case, the film doesn't really need the narration, but there's just something so comfortable about Mr. Freeman's vocal chords. So obviously we're off to the right foot here: The Bucket List stars the endlessly cool Morgan Freeman -- as well as the famously entertaining Jack Nicholson. Already this movie is entertaining by default ... but we have two more very important components to check on before we get rolling.

The director is Rob Reiner, a man who definitely knows how to make good movies -- even if he hasn't really done it in over a decade. And the screenwriter is a relative newcomer ... so that's where I choose to focus. After all, The Bucket List is a movie about two terminally ill cancer patients who decide to hit the road, travel the world, and check all the items off their "bucket list" before the reaper finally comes calling. In the hands of a hacky screenwriter, this movie could easily become Grumpy Old Men 3, complete with oh-so-hilarious profanity, a bunch of Viagra gags, and a tacked-on and completely unearned emotional "payoff."

So what a pleasant surprise it is to learn that A) The Bucket List is Mr. Reiner's most satisfying film in a very long time, B) Justin Zackham's canny screenplay avoids schmaltz and artifice at (almost) every turn, and C) that Freeman and Nicholson strike an on-screen chemistry that's simply joyous to behold. I knew I'd enjoy the leads, but the movie's got a few more assets than that...

Opening only in New York and Los Angeles on Christmas Day, Rob Reiner's The Bucket List has drawn a split decision from the critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes, though 65% of the "cream of the crop" really don't like it. (Look for Cinematical's review on Friday, when it opens wide.) Still, it's been a popular success, perhaps in part because it teams Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman for the first time, and perhaps because the premise has struck a chord.

If you've somehow missed the pervasive television ad campaign, Jack and Morgan play two cancer patients. Facing death, they decide to break out of the hospital and do all the crazy things they always meant to do before they -- dramatic pause -- kick the bucket. Cue choir singing uplifting song. My favorite line in the trailer comes when Morgan is skydiving and screaming at Jack: "I ... hate ... your ... guts!!"

My local paper, the Dallas Morning News, says that the movie is "leading more people to share their lists on the web." Because I'm a film lover and this is a movie site, naturally my thoughts lean in that direction. (Besides, there are several books on the subject.) If I was terminally ill, catching up with all the movies I always meant to see would not be at the top of my list, but I'd try and squeeze in as many as possible before the end credits rolled.

Of course, the idea is probably to get out into the great outdoors and skydive and travel and ski and river raft, but if you've done all those things, what movies would you want to see before you die? With so many to choose from, what would be your criteria? Would you stick with the classics, try some avant garde, explore documentaries, watch more world cinema, or try and keep up with Hollywood blockbusters? Please tell us in the comments section.

The Bucket List stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward determined to complete everything on their "Bucket List" -- a list of things to do before they "kick the bucket." The film, directed by Rob Reiner, was just named one of the Ten Best of the Year by the National Board of Review. Cinematical spoke with the film's screenwriter, Justin Zackham.

Cinematical: You sit down to write The Bucket List, do you ever dream that you're going to get Rob Reiner to direct, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman to star...

JZ: Of course not! I'd have to be an idiot! Not even close. I wrote it with Morgan Freeman's voice in mind, somehow thinking maybe I'd find a way to get it to him. But no, nothing like this.

Cinematical: And how did you get it to these huge names? What were the steps that brought this movie to the screen?

JZ: I went to film school at NYU. I did a TV pilot that I wrote and executive produced in New York with Paul Sorvino years ago. And then I came out here (Los Angeles) and was dicking around for a while. I made Going Greek, which was a very sort of crappy fraternity comedy that I did back in 2000. I wrote, produced, and directed, and that took so much out of me that I spent another couple years dicking around. And then I just sat down one day and wrote my own "Bucket List" just to kind of get my head organized. On that list was like "Get a movie made by a major studio, marry the perfect woman," all that kind of stuff. A lot of the stuff on there wound up in the movie. I had always fantasized about going to the Pyramids, the Great Wall, I've always been sort of obsessed with the whole notion of Everest. All those things were on it, and I just stuck it on a bulletin board.

About a year later, I just came up with this quote one day, a line that's actually in the film -- "You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you." Stuck that up on the bulletin board. And then another year went by before I had the idea "What about making this into a script?" And I thought if it were about me, at the time I was about 34, it wouldn't be that interesting. So I decided to make it about two guys who had lived a full life, and they only have a few months left, and suddenly there's a ticking clock, and the things that do have real importance, at least in their minds. The story really became about the one thing neither of these guys puts on their list but is the thing they most want. And that's a best friend. I have this ridiculous process, and I wrote the actual script really quickly, in about two weeks.

It's not much of a secret that Francis Ford Coppola did The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II in order to work on more personal films, particularly The Conversation. So, it isn't that surprising to find out neither those two nor The Godfather: Part III are among his personal favorites. According to Page Six, Coppola considers his five best films to be Apocalypse Now, Rumble Fish, The Rain People, his upcoming Youth Without Youth and, obviously, The Conversation, which also happens to be my favorite of his work. This shortlist comes from the next issue of Time magazine, which also includes a continuation of a lengthy two-part profile on the filmmaker. Within the article, Coppola suggests that it's his films that took awhile for critics to appreciate, like Apocalypse, or awhile for audiences to discover, like Rain People, that he prefers.

None of this should upset his fans; they still love The Godfather trilogy, and at least his other monument, Apocalypse, is included. It isn't like he selected Jack or Captain EO. Also in Time is Coppola's clarification of his alleged chiding of Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson, which apparently was taken out of context. He told reporters at the Rome Film Festival, where Youth premiered last month, that his comments in GQ weren't true, that he has "nothing but respect and admiration" for the three actors, who he considers the best in the world, as well as his friends. However, he wouldn't address the original comments specifically for Time's article. Other things that were discussed in the profile include Coppola's next film, Tetro, which will begin shooting in Argentina in February, despite the recent robbery. Youth Without Youth, which sounds a lot better to me since Coppola lumped it with my own favorites of his films, is set to hit U.S. theaters (NYC and L.A.) December 14.

I bought my first copy of Chinatown on DVD when it was released in November 1999. The extras were limited to a theatrical trailer and a collection of short interviews with director Roman Polanski, writer Robert Towne and producer Robert Evans. The movie is so good that I didn't care about the lack of extras; DVD was still in its infancy and I was just glad to have it. Fast forward eight years and a new "Special Collection's Edition" is announced -- with no mention of a remastered transfer and only a few extras, which didn't sound so special to me.

The new version was released this week and the final edition sounds like a definite mixed bag. DVD Beaver reports that the video "looks cleaner, brighter, sharper, and more detailed than previous DVD releases. Colors are quite lush, and there is a lit bit more of the image on the sides depending on the shots."

As to the extras, however, Adnan Tezer at Monsters and Critics comments: "What is particularly disturbing about this new edition is that it seems like it was thrown together with little to no care." For example, the back of the DVD case says there are four new featurettes included, while the disk includes only three, two of which have different titles. On the positive side, the features total about 55 minutes and include new interviews with Polanski, Towne, and Jack Nicholson, while the interviews with Evans are from the 1999 sessions.

I'm very glad that the video has been improved, but I'm disappointed that more care was not taken to make this a true "Special Collector's Edition." More far-ranging interviews, including Faye Dunaway, would have been welcome, as well as archival materials and other extras that would delight collectors. The list price of $14.99 is modest, but I would have gladly paid more for a more comprehensive two-disk edition. Maybe that will have to wait until a new Chinatown is made?

Everyone knows about Chinatown and how it's one of the great screenplays of all time. Some people know about the sequel, The Two Jakes, and how it was a critical and commercial failure. Few people know about the plans for a third film that was planned from the beginning yet never came to be. But now Jack Nicholson, who starred in the first two films and directed the second, has resurrected the idea of a Chinatown trilogy, claiming that he'd still consider doing it. During an interview conducted by MTV News, Nicholson discussed the plan for the third film, which he says was to be titled Gittes vs. Gittes. Set in 1968, which would be twenty years after the events of Jakes, the film focuses on no-fault divorces, which went into effect in California that year. Nicholson's Jake Gittes is divorcing his wife (I never bothered to watch Jakes, but I'm assuming his wife is Meg Tilly's character from that film), which somehow leads him to involvement with Howard Hughes, and I guess something to do with planes and flight. See, Nicholson explained that Chinatown represented water, Jakes represented fire (oil) and Gittes would represent air. Hmm, what about the fourth element, land? Or the fifth element, Leeloo?

It's cool that Nicholson is into reprising the role of Jake Gittes, and it seems in the chronology that now would be a good time to do something set twenty years after the last film (released in 1990). But the strange thing is that this is a completely different plot from the one most of us have read about. That one, mentioned as trivia on the IMDb and Wikipedia and elsewhere, even had a title, too: Cloverleaf. Set in the 1950s (making sense after the '30s and '40s setting of the prior two), this other planned film focused on the building of the Los Angeles freeway system. There was still to be an element theme, though; the sequel was to deal with air pollution. So, did Nicholson just make this story up, or has he and screenwriter Robert Towne really always have this fourth idea? Was there to be four parts for the four elements? Did they change this one to fit with the air theme? It's all so complicated -- which I guess is fitting for Chinatown.

Sure, it's easy enough to find the up-side of the handsome hunks of horror film. Hunks are easy. They're (mostly) hot, with their nicely whitened teeth and their hair product-styled to perfection, their six-pack abs, their ... sorry, where was I? Oh, right. Hunks versus Slashers. Jeff and Monika have already brought you the hottest hunks and chicks of horror; guess who drew the short straw and had to pick the slashers? (Actually, I volunteered for this one, so I guess that says something freaky about me ... ) My mission: to determine the hottest horror slashers (at least, according to me). These are the bad boys of horror you just can't stop thinking about, the ones who keep popping up in your dreams ... or nightmares. Whether they slash with blades on their fingers, roque mallets, or your basic kitchen knife, these are the boys you don't want to bring home to introduce to the folks over Sunday dinner ... unless you want your family to be the main course.

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates (Psycho) My mother always told me: Never date a mama's boy. Little Normie's devotion to his mother was sweet, sure, but his methods of showing it left a little to be desired. But you have to admit, there's something about a guy who might stab you through the shower curtain if the mood strikes that guarantees that you'll never be bored while getting ready for your big date night. Anthony Perkins' striking performance as Norman Bates set the bar for horror slashers for decades -- even after all these years, watching Psycho still sends shivers up your spine. (View the trailer for Psycho or go straight to the gallery!)

Doug Bradley as Pinhead (Hellraiser) Sure, all those nails stuck into his skull give new meaning to the word "hammered" -- not to mention making it a little tricksy to coordinate outfits for those hot dates to movie premieres -- but at least, in his own bizarrely twisted way, Pinhead had a sense of fair play. Of course, if you make the wrong choice, your evening is gonna go downhill in a hurry. There's nothing like giant fishhooks pulling your flesh 14 different ways to put a damper on date night. On the plus side, though, you're probably pretty safe being walked home after dinner by a guy who looks like he had a close encounter with a nail gun, on purpose. (View the trailer for Hellraiser ... or go straight to the gallery!)

In the new issue of GQ, erstwhile filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola -- we'll see what Youth Without Youth does for his ailing career -- goes off on an impressively long and specific rant against three of today's geriatric acting legends for not showing passion for their craft anymore. "I met both Pacino and De Niro when they were really on the come," Coppola says. "They were young and insecure. Now Pacino is rich, maybe because he never spends any money, he just puts it under the mattress. De Niro ... created an empire and is wealthy and powerful. Nicholson was -- when I met him and worked with him -- he was always kind of a joker. He's got a little bit of a mean streak. He's intelligent, always wired in with the big guys and the big bosses of the studios."

Coppola goes on to say that he doesn't know what they "want" anymore (in their work, presumably) and then he singles Nicholson out as the most unmotivated of the three. "I think if there was a role that De Niro was hungry for, he would come after it. I don't think Jack would. Jack has money and influence and girls, and I think he's a little bit like Brando, except Brando went through some tough times. I guess they don't want to do it anymore." (Come on -- no tough times? Nicholson found out his sister was his mother when he was, like, 40!)

You think Coppola's done? Oh, no ... he's just getting warmed up. "Even in those days, after The Godfather, I didn't feel those actors were ready to say 'Let's do something else really ambitious,'" he continues. "A guy like Javier Bardem is excited to do something good: 'Let me do this' or 'I'll put stuff in my mouth, change my appearance.' I don't feel that kind of passion to do a role and be great coming from those guys..." So there you have it folks. Francis Ford Coppola is back, and he's looking for young, hungry actors who are willing to put stuff in their mouths.

[via NYDailyNews]

The Shining (1980) marks an interesting spot in Stanley Kubrick's filmography, one that hardly anyone ever mentions. Most Kubrick films are not appreciated in their own time, but while Barry Lyndon (1975) and Full Metal Jacket (1987) are beginning to enjoy a newfound critical reputation, The Shining -- stuck right between them -- is generally left out of the discussion. Despite mixed reviews (recommendations from Andrew Sarris and the New York Times, but pans from Pauline Kael, Stanley Kaufmann, Dave Kehr and Variety), it was a hit film, grossing $44 million on a $19 million budget (according to boxofficemojo.com). It was based on a young, successful horror writer's third novel, and thus it hardly warranted serious consideration. Only David Thomson, in his "Biographical Dictionary of Film," gives the film a once-over; in an otherwise negative essay about Kubrick, he calls The Shining Kubrick's "one great film," but he also calls it "very funny."

At the same time, horror fanatics find the film extraordinary; and by all counts, they're right. Here was a horror entry from a first-class filmmaker who had succeeded in escaping the "horror" classification. Our other masters -- Bava, Romero, Carpenter, Hooper, Craven, etc. -- started in horror and got stuck there, unable to express their artistry in any other medium, and unable to earn the acclaim of someone like Kubrick. He visited, left unscathed and left behind something truly exceptional. But where do these two sides meet? What did Kubrick bring to horror and what did horror bring to Kubrick?

I live a ten minute walk from the Arclight Cinema in Los Angeles, easily one of the best movie theaters in the country. The American Film Institute hosts awesome screenings of new and classic films there weekly, and I try to see as many as I can. Just last week, I enjoyed the new Michael Douglas flick King of California, which was followed by an enlightening talk with the movie's writer and director -- Mike Cahill. Neat, right? But nothing could prepare me for the event that hit my inbox just now. Had I been a cartoon character, my bow tie would have spun around rapidly and smoke would have blasted out of my ears. Readers, if you live in Los Angeles -- KEEP OCTOBER 3RD FREE!

The AFI is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an almost unbelievably cool event. On October 3rd, they will screen eleven classic movies at the Arclight, all at the same time. But what truly sets this event apart are the people they've booked to host the screenings. Check this lineup out, and try to keep your jaw attached to your face: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, presented by Jack Nicholson. Spartacus, presented by Kirk Douglas. The Birds, presented by Tippi Hedren. The Sound of Music, presented by Julie Andrews. Bonnie and Clyde, presented by Warren Beatty. Rocky, presented by Sylvester Stallone. Star Wars, presented by George Lucas (settle down!). When Harry Met Sally, presented by Rob Reiner and Billy Crystal. Beauty and the Beast, presented by Angela Lansbury. The Shawshank Redemption, presented by Morgan Freeman. And Unforgiven, presented by Clint Eastwood. Um...wow. Just wow.

Here is the official site for the event. Tickets go on sale September 19th. which is this Wednesday. Tickets are $25, and include popcorn and soda. The first 100 people to show up for each screening get a 40th Anniversary AFI Book. Dress is "festive attire," all screenings begin at 7PM, and doors are at 5:30. For you non-Angelinos, which screening would you choose if you could go? And if you plan on attending, which one are you going to? I'll be at either Unforgiven or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for sure. Both movies are in my personal top ten, and where else am I going to be up close and personal with Jack Freaking Nicholson or Clint Freaking Eastwood? This is going to be a tough choice! See you there?

I admit to being a little depressed after seeing Roman Polanski mugging frantically in the Rush Hour 3 trailer and Jack Nicholson frolicking at the beach in those unfortunate paparazzi photos. Let's just say that those moments will not be how they are remembered in cinema history. Thinking back to more glorious times, perhaps the career peak for both of them came in 1974's Chinatown, justly celebrated for its eminently quotable dialogue by Oscar-winner Robert Towne and the juicy performances by Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston and Polanski himself ("You're a very nosy fellow, kitty cat.") According to DVD Times, Chinatown will be issued in a new "Special Collection's Edition" on November 6, along with The Two Jakes, the ungainly, belated, Nicholson-directed sequel that finally appeared in 1990.

Both were originally released on DVD in November 1999. The first edition of Chinatown featured an anamorphic transfer, the original mono track, a remixed DD 5.1 audio version, the theatrical trailer and retrospective interviews with Nicholson, Polanski and producer Robert Evans. The forthcoming edition promises a restored mono audio track and four featurettes. Given the advances in DVD technology and the years since the original Chinatown transfer was completed, remastering the video would seem a given -- and would justify a double dip -- but no mention of a new transfer has been made.

The first DVD edition of The Two Jakes was even more bare bones: it had just the theatrical trailer in addition to the anamorphic transfer. The new "Special Collector's Edition" adds one featurette: "Jack on Jakes." Frankly, I'm having a hard time seeing how the new releases will be either special or collectible. The Two Jakes is strictly a curiosity item; a rental would suffice. But Chinatown is a classic; it rewards multiple viewings and deserves the deluxe treatment, which it evidently won't be getting anytime soon from Paramount.

I thought The Departed was fiction, but apparently it is actually "revisionist history." At least, that is the opinion of a man who won't go to see the Oscar-winning film. There are a number of people who are like him, too, who are avoiding the picture because of its "glorified" depiction of real-life Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger. These people are the families of Bulger's victims and they each have their accusations. One man says the filmmakers are cashing in on the story while another claims the film displays "hero worship" for Bulger. One even claims the film protects the still-at-large criminal. Never mind the fact that The Departed is a remake of a Hong Kong film or the complete absence of any claim that the film is based on a true story, Bulger's or anyone else's, and these people have a point. But really, they have no reason to be angry at Warner Bros. because they feel exploited by the film.

It is certainly evident that Jack Nicholson's character, Frank Costello, is loosely based on Bulger, but according to Martin Scorsese, the basis is only enough to make the film's gangster seem true. It doesn't help his case, however, to include a documentary about Bulger on the special edition DVD in the first place. Following two historically based films that were criticized enough for their revisions, Scorsese could have distanced himself as much as possible from making any link to true stories, but he didn't because he shouldn't have to. He makes movies, not textbooks. If Warner Bros. makes him apologize for any of this, we should all complain even louder. Maybe the studio would even apologize to us for being so apologetic.

I can't say I agreed with the Academy's unexpected decision to award the Best Picture statue to The Departed. Like most people, I'm glad to see Martin Scorsese return to the cops-and-robbers genre that he does so well, and I thought the film was entertaining and well-made, but it has some serious problems that prevent it from being taken seriously. The ending is absurd -- don't worry if you haven't seen it, I'm not going to spoil anything -- and most of the scenes with Jack Nicholson have a strange kind of un-directed air, as if Nicholson insisted on being able to riff and do improvisation. There are a couple of scenes where Leo DiCaprio's anxious undercover cop character is required to just sit and stare at Nicholson's googly-eyed maniac, and you're thinking to yourself 'how are these two characters even in the same movie?'

I didn't see Little Miss Sunshine, and based on recommendations from friends, I probably never will. I did see Babel, however, and thought it was an intriguing piece of filmmaking -- it wound up sneaking in at number ten on my Top Ten List for 2006. Little Children would probably have been my number eleven, but I'm not sure if The Departed would have cracked the top fifteen. As for The Queen -- great central performance, but the movie was essentially made-for-television material. It's place on the Academy shortlist was bizarre to begin with. Am I the only one who thinks The Departed wasn't quite deserving of the honor bestowed on it last night?

With only one more day to go, the full list of those folks presenting Oscars at the 79th Academy Awards has been announced -- and, if you're anything like me, the excitement is simply unbearable. Hands twitching, forehead sweating ... what if Scorsese doesn't win? What will we do? Who shall we blame? And, if he does win, will they only give him five seconds to make a speech before bringing up the music?

Among the folks lining up to grace the stage are Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, Al Gore (so, he will be there!), Nicole Kidman and Jayden Christopher Syre Smith ... without papa Will Smith, apparently. One person who will not be presenting is Sacha Baron Cohen; though he was asked, Cohen turned down the offer when he was told he would not be able to present as Borat -- because God forbid the Oscars inject a little bit of life into their ceremony. In case you're interested in the full list of presenters, head on over to the AMPAS official site for more coolness. Also, stay tuned to Cinematical as we'll be live-blogging the awards ceremony as it happens. Stuck in an airport? On a train? A bus? At the house of a relative who refuses to take off those silly home movies? Fear not, we got your back!