You might remember that back in October, a new project started to gear up called The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Based on Arthur Miller offspring Rebecca Miller's upcoming novel (that she adapted and will direct), the pic will focus on "a dutiful wife whose husband falls for a younger woman, freeing her to explore her buried sensuality and leading to a very quiet nervous breakdown."

I was ouching just at the thought of sensual exploration leading to a nervous breakdown, but now I have two reasons: along with the added cast just posted by The Hollywood Reporter, it's been confirmed that Robin Wright Penn is the wife, and Winona Ryder is the younger woman. For frak's sake, there's only a handful of years between the two women. Are they planning to age Wright Penn, or do they just think she looks that much older?

Anyway, adding to the tasty cast is Keanu Reeves, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Alan Arkin, and Monica Bellucci. Arkin will, of course, play the husband who leaves Wright Penn in the dust, and Bellucci will play his first wife -- so he's a dude who loves those May-December romances. Gyllenhaal will get the honor of appearing in flashbacks as Pippa Lee's "diet pill-addicted mother." Julianne Moore is some "lesbian novelist." And finally, Reeves gets to explore Wright Penn's sexuality. Now it all makes sense -- fool around with Keanu and you'll go crazy!

Once everyone finishes up their current gigs, production will kick into gear this April in Connecticut.

The second edition of the Rome Film Festival kicked off in high style last night, featuring Monica Bellucci, back to her natural brunette after dying her hair blonde for French gangster flick Second Wind (AKA Le Deuxième Souffle), and the always elegant Sophia Loren, who received a lifetime achievement award after not even being invited to the festival's first edition last year. Second Wind is a remake of Jean-Pierre Melville's 1966 original; the new version also stars Daniel Auteuil and was directed by Alain Corneau (the very good Fear and Trembling). It doesn't yet have Italian distribution, so it seems like a bold choice.

Gala screenings continue tonight with what The Hollywood Reporter called "the highly anticipated European premiere of Elizabeth: The Golden Age." Queen Elizabeth herself -- otherwise known as Cate Blanchett -- is expected to be called on the (red) carpet. But with all due respects to the Elizabeth sequel, my greatest anticipation is for the world premiere of Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth. On Saturday afternoon (October 20), Coppola will attend a screening of his wife's documentary Coda: Thirty Years Later, "participate in a public encounter" (evidently a conversation with a moderator), and then proceed to the public unveiling of his first film in a decade.

The stars will continue to shine when the Lions for Lambs trio of Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise jet down to Rome in time for photos and a screening on October 23. Jane Fonda and Gerald Depardieu are also expected to enjoy a Roman holiday. The Rome Film Festival runs through October 27. Check out the Cinematical Gallery below to see photographic evidence of the lovely stars doing their thing on opening night.

I cannot remember the last time I was so excited for an action flick as I am for Clive Owen's new gun-crazy movie Shoot 'Em Up, which relies on the premise: "Violence is one of the most fun things to watch." As you might remember from our previous coverage, Owen plays a guy who helps keep Monica Bellucci and her baby safe from the maniacal Paul Giamatti. As Owen describes it in the first trailer: "I'm a British nanny, and I'm dangerous." Now, the film's official website has got a new rated-R trailer for the movie, which you have to enter your name, birth date and zip code to check out. Don't we all hate that part?

It's worth it. Where the first spent a bunch of time on flashy introductions and transitions, this lets the over-the-top and wonderfully unbelievable action speak for itself. Since it's R, we also get to see the action when it hits the bedroom -- and I mean both sexually and with a shower of bullets. Remember that scene in Spider-Man 2 where Peter rolls on the floor with Mary Jane to keep her safe when the cafe is under attack? Imagine that, but with a naked Owen and almost-bare Bellucci upping the ante. This time around, you can also see the many Bugs Bunny references as Owen chews on carrots and gets called a bunny. You wouldn't think someone could make Bugs impressions and carrot-eating look tough, but Clive pulls it off. Luckily, the wait to see it is almost over -- the movie finally hits theaters on September 7.

Earlier this month, Scott Weinberg threw up a link to the Shoot 'Em Up trailer, which he so perfectly described as "maniacally kinetic." (Before I go on, please head over to the post and watch it, if you haven't yet.) It's got Paul Giamatti as the bad guy, Clive Owen as the sharp-shooting good guy and Monica Bellucci as the woman whose baby he is trying to protect. It's kind of like the old days of Tarantino -- a macho film that knows just what to say and what to do to make you beyond-excited in that fanboy/fangirl sort of way. Now, I start with this, because the whole thing sounds a lot different (not in a bad way) once you learn what Michael Davis' inspiration was.

In an interview with VH1, the writer/director says that it is like a live-action Looney Toons: "It is a kind of violent cartoon. Clive has this Bugs Bunny quality because he's always getting out of these crazy situations and [at the same time] screwing over Paul Giamatti. We even enhanced that later on in the story: Paul's ringtone is the Wagner [opera parody] 'Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit.' It really does have a Looney Toons quality." In fact, VH1 says it's pervasive throughout, having seen 20 minutes of the film: "Owen shoots an oil can, then uses the dripping grease to slide across an entire warehouse floor, shooting bad guys; throws a rope down a stairwell and acrobatically twirls 10 stories, shooting bad guys; breaks his windshield, hits an enemy's truck, flies through both windshields, spins and, yes, shoots bad guys. And oh yeah, he does all of this while holding the baby." It's obvious in the trailer (and this news) that they don't take themselves so seriously, and what could be better than some Toons for the adult set, that ties into our cartoon youth with guns, machismo and kick-ass action?

What is it with Clive Owen and his fiercely protective behavior around babies? First he was charged with saving the future of humanity in the brilliant Children of Men, and now he's forced to protect a newborn from a feral Paul Giamatti and what looks like more gun-totin' villains than Crank, Running Scared and Smokin' Aces put together. Oh yeah, and Monica Bellucci is involved! Sold!

Click right here to enjoy the maniacally kinetic trailer for Michael Davis' Shoot 'Em Up. It's obviously a hyper-nutty action flick in the vein of the movies mentioned above, which means it's already high on my Must See list. Attentive movie geeks may remember Michael Davis from low-budgeters like Monster Man, 100 Girls and 100 Women. (They're two different movies.) The IMDb indicates that New Line will be unleashing this one on September 7, which would put it up against a few comedies (The Brothers Solomon, The Nanny Diaries, The Savages) and the long-awaited Hatchet.

Apparently the movie's about nothing more than an ultra-tough Brit who stands in the way of a ruthless hitman and his innocent prey. Good enough for me. Yeah, yeah, so it looks mindless. Forgive me for enjoying the hell out of Clive Owen's bad-ass mode, Paul Giamatti cackling like a lunatic and the obvious assets of Ms. Bellucci.

Italian director Paolo Virzi is a hard man to get in touch with -- after seeing his new film Napoleon and Me at this year's Tribeca, I attemped to track him down for an interview, but he would only consent to being emailed questions and responding thusly. So I sent him questions, and I'm happy to say I got a response back a few days later. For those who didn't get a chance to see it at the festival, Napoleon and Me is a historical drama that tells the story of Napoleon Bonaparte's brief exile-imprisonment on the Italian island of Elba, before he escaped with a loyal following and was eventually captured once again. Here are Virzi's answers to my questions about the film: I have to say I love the fact that in response to my question about whether or not he has any ambitions to work in Hollywood, he said that the "Californian majors" are not looking for him to come to Hollywood. I think Californian Majors would be a good title for a movie, don't you?


Talk a little about the casting of Monica Bellucci -- was it easy to get her involved in the project? How did you view her character? Also, did getting her involved help sell the movie to the financiers?

PV: Monica and I had repeatedly promised each other for a long time that we would work together, and the role of the Baroness, who is malicious and vulgar, infantile and wise, sentimental but a bit of a whore immediately seemed the right occasion. I also enjoyed the opportunity to ironically work against the myth of her picture-perfect beauty that has made her a global icon of Italian glamour. I made her speak in an unusual mix of literary Italian, broken French and Umbrian dialect. I also asked her to assume the manners of a spoilt, gossipy idler. Working with Monica I learned a lot, but it was also a lot of fun. I was struck by her modesty, her great dedication to the film and the intelligent self-irony thanks to which, especially here in Italy, she managed to give the impression that she was making fun of herself, too.

"Please excuse the invasion -- it's an old habit." Napoleon Bonaparte, entering a room, in Italian director Paolo Virzi's new film, Napoleon and Me. Virzi's film, which is a mixture of soft comedy and emotional soapboxing about ideals like freedom and honor, focuses on a brief period at the end of the Napoleonic Wars when the vanquished French emperor was sent into exile on the tiny Italian island of Elba. The film imagines Elba as a prototypical small town that's about to be visited by a superstar. Most of the people want nothing more than to stand and gawk at the arriving celebrity, while others work behind the scenes to try to sponge something off of it, and at least one person is nursing an unhealthy obsession about it. In this film, Martino (Elio Germano) is that person. Both in awe of Napoleon and repulsed by him, we first see Martino teaching children, and trying to instill in them the idea that Napoleon -- "the paladin of liberty turned despot and assassin" -- should be greeted with curses and rotten fruit when he arrives.

Once the captured Emperor sets foot on shore, complete with his Muslim bodyguards and traditional tricorn hat, he so easily gets the crowds eating out of his hand that some people assume that Elba is his latest conquest, instead of seeing themselves as his jailer. A plot contrivance then has Martino being selected out of all the literate men on Elba to be Napoleon's secretary during his stay on the island. Right up until the moment he enters Napoleon's presence, Martino intends to simply walk in and open fire, but when the time comes he can't do it. The Emperor's presence captivates him, and he decides to hold off the assassination plan until he learns a little more. What follows is a moderately entertaining film, as the untested ideas of Martino bounce off of Napoleon's immeasurably deeper experience and more importantly, his insatiable desires, which inform his every step. The biggest idea that you take away from the film is that powerful men are men who acquire what they want first, and then debate the morality of it afterwards.

Considering how easy it is to whip together a sequel or remake, and how tantalizingly delicious they seem to be to many filmmakers, you've got to give props to those who decide to make a sequel to an old movie without re-doing the first film. Last year, we spread word of Un-Dead, a sequel to Dracula, the Bela Lugosi classic. Written by Dracula scholar Ian Holt, it is a screenplay that, shockingly, the Bram Stoker kin approve of (they haven't given approval since the 1931 flick). The film picks up 25 years after the end of the first, collecting all the surviving characters together, along with Inspector Cotford, who was cut from the novel before its publication.

Now Blackfilm has a source that brings a lot of names to this intriguing sequel. Ernest Dickerson, one of the directors of the ever-juicy Demon Knight, has reportedly signed on to helm it, and there are a few big names currently negotiating for the film's roles -- Javier Bardem as Dracula, Monica Bellucci as Lucy and in some incredibly cool casting, John Hurt as Professor Van Helsing. They could cast Rob Schneider and Jessica Simpson next, and I'd still watch it to see Hurt in that role. Interestingly, there's no word on who will be playing Jonathan and Mina Harker, although they're said to be part of the film. Of course, the feature will take place in England and Transylvania, as Holt has scouted out both locales, including Dracula's crumbling castle. As this film gears up, is there anyone you want to see in the remaining roles, or casting changes you'd make?

Roman Polanski is preparing to make his largest movie yet: the dramatic thriller Pompeii, which is said to be budgeted at a whopping $130 million. Scott brought you news of the project in February, and now more details have emerged. The lead role will be Marco Attilio Primo, "a young Roman engineer sent to Pompeii in A.D. 79, just days before the devastating eruption of Mt. Vesuvius." Polanski is looking to cast an A-list star as Primo. (Sorry, but your dreams of a trailer announcing "George Wendt...in...Pompeii!" are not going to come to fruition). Polanski and Robert Harris are currently finishing up the screenplay, which will be based on Harris' best selling novel of the same name. Polanski has said Pompeii will use lots of CGI effects, and will be shot largely on Spanish soundstages, backlots, and locations.

Pompeii is one of the most expensive European film projects ever, so its easy to see why they're not taking any chances with casting. I'm fine with them going for a name, but here's hoping they draw from a wider pool than they usually go to for these movies. We've seen the Colin Farrells and Brad Pitts of the world do these historical epics before, I hope we get a more interesting choice. Every great hero needs a love interest, and a variety of European actresses, "including a top Italian thesp," are being considered for the lead female role. (If I had to guess here, I'd say that "top Italian thesp" might be the gorgeous Monica Bellucci?) Pompeii's projected five month shoot starts this August, and the movie should erupt into theaters some time next year. What do you think, will Rome and Roman be a good match?

Writer/director Michael Davis has been toiling in the B-level genre arena for quite some time now (perhaps you're familiar with his 100 Girls or Monster Man), but the kid looks to be moving up in the movie world. His newest feature stars Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci -- and ever since the thing's been in screenplay form, it's been described as "ultra-mega-over the top action mayhem." And after checking out this exclusive promo reel at Latino Review, I'm tempted to put Shoot 'Em Up right next to Smokin' Aces on my "action flicks I gotta see!" list.

The flick's about a noble hero who helps deliver a baby (mid-gunfight) and then spends the next 90-some minutes trying to protect the infant from a ceaseless hail of hot lead. Mr. Giamatti is the villain, which looks like a nifty change of pace for the nice-guy actor. New Line hasn't yet set a release date for Shoot 'Em Up, but I'm guessing it'll hit sometime in February or March.

Check out the promo clip, which might be yanked any minute, at Latino Review.

In only its first year of life, the RomeFilmFest (See how they mush the words together? That's a sign of hipness.) is pulling out all the stops in an effort to compete with its financially trouble big brother in Venice. Though the full slate won't be announced until the end of September, proud RFF officials revealed this weekend that Steven Shainberg's much-anticipated Diane Arbus biopic Fur will hold its world premiere in Rome, opening the Festival on October 13. And, as if that's not enough, Nicole Kidman (the film's star) is expected to attend the screening, making the RFF red carpet the place to be, if only for one night.

In addition to Fur, Fest officials indicated that N -- the first (and, since it stars Daniel Auteuil, surely the best) of the many upcoming Napoleon flicks heading to our screens -- will premiere in Rome, with costar Monica Bellucci in attendance. It's also expected that Mira Nair's (Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala) The Namesake will appear, shortly after its world premiere in Toronto.