My One and Only Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Festivals. As one of our two resident Canadians, Monika B. fittingly wrote about the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicks off tonight. If Telluride warmed things up for the fall film scene, Toronto aims to light the sucker on fire. The hardest part for indie fanatics is keeping up with all the offerings that will soon be on tap. Keep it right here at Cinematical for our coverage from Toronto, and watch this space every week to catch up on any major news items you might have missed. (And for those who keep asking, yes, The Brothers Bloom, pictured in the collage in the upper left, will be coming to DVD soon -- it's due on September 29, complete with an audio commentary by director Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman plus deleted scenes.)

Deals. Acquisition news is spiraling out of control, so I suggest checking indieWIRE for the latest and greatest, where they have details on deals for Richard Linklater's latest, wild and funny music doc Nerdcore Rising, and much more.

Online / On-Demand Viewing. If you missed Linklater's baseball doc Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach when it played on ESPN, now's your chance to catch up -- it's just become available at the iTunes movie store. Don't hesitate to check it out if you're not a sports person; Jette Kernion says: "I'm not into baseball at all, but [the coach] is fascinating to watch at work." If you're a basketball nut and a doc lover, you might enjoy 3 Points, which follows Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady on a trip to Darfur; it's available at Hulu.

Immigration joys and sorrows at the Indie Weekend Box Office -- after the jump!

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Deals. Ahead of the Toronto film festival, distributors are firming up their release schedules for the next few weeks, which means acquisitions a-plenty are being announced. Our friends at indieWIRE have posted details in the last seven days about Police, Adjective (IFC, release next year, after playing at the Toronto and New York film festivals); Trucker (Monterey Media, October 9); Black Dynamite (Apparition, October 16); and Vincere (IFC, no release date yet, will also play at the Toronto and New York fests).

Online / On-Demand Viewing. Starting this week, Scott Hamilton Kennedy's Our Town will be available at iTunes. Kennedy is a skilled documentary filmmaker whose most recent work, The Garden, was nominated for an Academy Award and was recently released on DVD and online. So this is a great time to catch up with Mr. Kennedy. Our Town follows a high school in Compton, California that hasn't staged a play in more than 20 years. Then they decide to put on their version of the venerable Thornton Wilder classic.

Looking ahead to next week, Tickling Leo, described as a family drama about the modern-day aftermath of the Holocaust, will open in theaters on September 4, and will simultaneously be available on Amazon VOD. More and more I'm getting accustomed to this idea of simultaneous release online and in theaters, and more and more I like the increased options for viewing, especially as head into the busy fall season (see more comments on this subject below).

Better than Basterds? Indie Weekend Box Office, after the jump.

Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....

The Marc Pease Experience (pictured) is a comedy, allegedly, about a former high school musical star trying to recapture his glory, several years later, by teaming up with his old director, who still teaches at the school and is sleeping with one of his female students. Jason Schwartzman, Ben Stiller, and Anna Kendrick star -- and so far every review is negative. (Cinematical's Will Goss has a review on the way, and he tells me it will be no exception.) Playing on about a dozen screens, not in New York or L.A. but Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Tampa, Phoenix, Philadelphia, etc.

Casi Divas comes to us from Mexico and is a quasi-satire about four young women competing to star in a film adaptation of a popular TV soap opera. The indication from the lukewarm reviews is that Hispanic audiences with some connection to the stereotypical Latina characters on display might find it funny, but it won't have much crossover appeal. Playing on a couple dozen screens in New York, Southern California, and South Florida.

Here are some casting bites for you, courtesy of Variety:

• According to the Tarantino Archives, funnyman Mike Myers (Austin Powers) has signed up for a "small" role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards. He'll join what's shaping up to be the oddest cast of the decade: Brad Pitt, Simon Pegg, Eli Roth, BJ Novak, David Krumholtz and Nastassja Kinski. Bizarre ... but lets see where he goes with it.
  
• Martin Freeman, who you should recognize from the ever-awesome Hot Fuzz, has picked up a starring role opposite Ashley Jensen in Nativity. The Debbie Isitt film focuses on "two rival English schools vying to outdo each other in the annual Christmas play." It sounds like it could be fun, although I'm sure it could be helped or hurt by the likes of Hamlet 2. Unfortunately we have a while to wait and see. IMDb has it tentatively set for a 2010 release.
• Calamity Jane, otherwise known as Robin Weigert when she's not on Deadwood, has signed on to Renee Zellweger's indie film My One and Only. This is that George Hamilton picture based on his memories of the 1950s, when his mom set out to find him a new dad. In the meantime, she has a slew of other movies on the way, including Synecdoche, New York and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.
• Finally, we have an answer to the rumors. In January, Jessica alerted us to rumors that Maggie Grace was taking over Sarah Michelle Gellar's role in the big-screen version of American McGee's Alice. Well, they were half right... Instead of replacing Buffy, Grace is replacing Mischa Barton in Malice in Wonderland. Yes, she will play Alice in Simon Fellows' film, which is finally getting off the ground.
  

We already know that Renee Zellweger is running towards Chris Noth in My One and Only, but who is she running from? There are lots of creepy possibilities in the Hollywood talent pool (who would make a believable love interest for Zellweger) -- actors like Javier Bardem, Crispin Glover, Cillian Murphy, and of course -- Kevin Bacon.

Variety reports that the cave dwelling, wild thing, hollow, woodsman has signed for the film, which has already started shooting in Baltimore. Based on George Hamilton's memories of his youth, the feature focuses on a road trip with mom, as she drives around looking for a rich man to complete the family. Bacon has landed the role of "the philandering band leader she tries to leave behind."

I've no doubt that Bacon will pull it off nicely, since creepy fare has become a second skin to the actor, but oh, how I'd like to see him in something lighter and fun, or serious, but not dark. He's a footlooser, for cripes sakes! Other suitors for Mamma Anne include Steven Weber and Nick Stahl (talk about traversing the possible ages), while George will be played by Logan Lerman, and his brother will be played by Mark Rendall.

When the writers' strike was looming, folks were rushing to get things done. This time around, with SAG, we've got some big-budget films trucking ahead, or scheduling re-shoots, without worry of the actors heading for the picket line. It almost feels like it's just some wild rumor. But it's not, and Variety reports that there is a pretty large "Waiverland" in case things go ahead.

SAG has set up 300 waiver deals with indie producers for post-June 30 production, should the strike go on. Now, Variety also points out that some of the big productions (like Terminator, which seemed surprisingly carefree about the possible strike), have scheduled in a hiatus just in case (hopefully long enough to cover it, should a strike begin), but others are going on the hope that there won't be one, like Angels and Demons and Prince of Persia. Risky business.

So, if you're wondering what some of the films are that got waivers, Variety shared the following: Edge of Darkness, W, My One and Only, Big Eyes, Labor Pains, Pandorum, Bad Lieutenant, Killing Pablo, and Brooklyn's Finest. Plus an earlier waiver list that included The Rebound, Law-Abiding Citizen, and Brothers in Arms.

We're in June now, so we'll know soon enough what will happen. Hopefully this can all be resolved without a big strike, but only time will tell.

Because of Hollywood Squares, the perma-tanned George Hamilton is one of those guys that is burned into my brain, even though I usually forget what else I've seen him in. (The same goes for ol' Jim J.) Still, he's a face of the '80s and the thought of a dramedy about a childhood adventure he had sounds all sorts of cool. In February, Jessica posted that Renee Zellweger was joining My One and Only, and now Variety reports that Chris Noth, the infamous Mr. Big, will co-star.

The film is based on a story that Hamilton once told Merv Griffin -- about traveling on the road with his mother and brother. (As a child, George lived in Memphis, Arkansas, LA, Boston, New York, and Palm Beach.) Zellweger will play Anne Deveraux -- a woman roaming from city to city to find a wealthy man to become husband and father. Noth will play "a retired military doctor who might just fit the bill." It could be a pretty funky tale, especially since it will jump back in time, based in the '50s.

However, Charlie Peters wrote the script, which has me a little apprehensive; his resume includes Blame it on Rio, Her Alibi, 3 Men and a Little Lady, and Krippendorf's Tribe -- not exactly the best collection of films. Richard Loncraine (Band of Brothers), meanwhile, will direct the film, which heads into production next month.

It goes to show that sometimes the most interesting stories can come from some unlikely places. Variety reports that Renee Zellweger is in talks to star in the family 'dramedy', My One and Only. "Set in the 1950s, the comedy focuses on the glamorous Anne Deveraux (Zellweger) as she drives down the Eastern seaboard from city to city in a quixotic search for a wealthy man to fund a new life for her and her sons".

Now here is where it gets a little strange. It turns out the story is based on the childhood experiences of the perpetually tanned George Hamilton. Hamilton had told the story to TV producer Merv Griffin, who must have seen some feature film potential. If nothing else, Zellweger might be able to score an Oscar nod for playing a self-absorbed socialite mom -- just think of the histrionics she could perform on screen.

Zellweger seems to enjoy working on period pieces; and right after the 20's sports comedy Leatherheads hits theaters on April 4th, she'll most likely be heading back to the past just one more time. Charlie Peters has already produced a finished script, and Richard Loncraine has been signed to direct. Peters is a writer director, and is responsible for a few so-so family comedies including 3 Men and a Little Lady and Krippendorf's Tribe. Loncraine has a more diverse resume, and most recently was at the helm for the Harrison Ford action flick, Firewall. So the writer director-combo might look a little strange, but keep in mind, it's a strange story.