When I first posted about the film back in November, I said that the upcoming Clive Owen and Julia Roberts-starring Duplicity filled me with curiosity and dread. The curiosity (and a little excitement, I must admit) came from the fact that it was re-teaming two stars from Closer -- a film I really enjoy. On the other hand, I hear "Duplicity," and I think of the similar-sounding Derailed. That makes me want to run for my life. (Famous last words said before watching the latter: It's got Owen. It can't be all bad.)

All that said, there's two more great actors joining the cast, which should start to erase those Derailed fears. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Tom Wilkinson and Billy Bob Thornton are looking into joining the cast. (Wilkinson is in negotiations, and THR doesn't say whether BB has officially signed on yet.) This will re-team Wilkinson with Michael Clayton director Tony Gilroy, who also wrote the script, so I imagine he'll sign on the dotted line soon enough -- Tom's role in the film did nab him an Oscar nod for supporting actor, after all.

The thriller focuses on Roberts and Owen's characters, "who are longtime lovers and rival corporate spies who team to pull off an elaborate con." (Sounds like Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets Ocean's 11.) Wilkinson is set to play the CEO of a large company, while Thornton's role is said to be "a more maverick type of CEO." The film will shoot this spring in the Big Apple.

You're going to see a lot of bad reviews of Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream, as I did before I went to see it. But having gone in with lowered expectations, I came out thrilled. I liked Cassandra's Dream a great deal. I went back and looked at some of the reviews, and I couldn't see how what they said related to the film. It seemed that most of the bad reviews were directed at Allen himself, his habits and ideas, or perhaps an expectation of Allen, or an expectation of the crime genre, rather than the film itself. This leads to a complex discussion of Allen's career, which goes much deeper than I'll ever have room for here. But suffice it to say that Allen has had a far more difficult time pleasing moviegoers than he did before he broke up with Mia Farrow and married Soon-Yi Previn.

I am a longtime fan, and in the past I have willingly put myself in the position of defending Allen's work even when there wasn't much to defend. I have written rave reviews only to revisit the films later and realize that I may have been wrong. But I believe he has tried harder, and tried more different kinds of things, in recent years than he did when he was younger and far more popular. I also believe that in the future, Allen's work, like Ozu's or Fassbinder's, may make up a far more coherent whole than it will a collection of individual masterpieces. That said, Cassandra's Dream is the third of Allen's British series. It ignores the previous entry, Scoop (2006), and harkens back to Match Point (2005), which most critics considered a successful comeback and a reinvigoration for Allen. It also revisits the themes that bubbled through Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), wondering not how one accomplishes a crime but how one deals with the concept of having accomplished a crime.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees:

Casey Affleck -- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Javier Bardem -- No Country for Old Men

Philip Seymour Hoffman -- Charlie Wilson's War

John Travolta -- Hairspray

Tom Wilkinson -- Michael Clayton

Predicted Winner: Javier Bardem

Once in awhile there comes to cinema a character, and a performance that goes with it, that goes on to haunt us for years. Such a timeless villain is played in No Country for Old Men by Javier Bardem. It's the actor's third Golden Globe nomination and will be his first win. How do I know? Here at Cinematical headquarters we were going to toss a coin to find out if Bardem would get the statue. But then we realized that this award isn't about chance (plus we were afraid of getting an air blast to the skull if it came up that he'd lose). Bardem will win because he deserves the award, because his is the most well-developed and most memorable performance of the bunch.

Now it's your turn to vote ...

I was a little hard on the International Press Academy last year, but they made some ridiculous decisions when handing out their Satellite Awards. Still, at least they came off as being different than every other year-end awards giver by picking winners like Joseph Cross and X-Men: The Last Stand (best comedic actor and best editing, respectively). Those are at least some interesting, unpredictable picks, right? This year, I feel the need to be harder on the organization, because it's gone totally predictable in honoring No Country for Old Men, Juno, Sicko, American Gangster, Ratatouille, Diablo Cody and Christopher Hampton, among others. The actors they honored -- Marion Cotillard, Viggo Mortensen, Ellen Page, Ryan Gosling, Tom Wilkinson/Casey Affleck (tied) and Amy Ryan -- aren't all the most obvious choices, but they aren't shocking, either. Couldn't they have at least gone with nominee Clive Owen or his nominated "comedy or musical" Shoot 'Em Up (!?!?!?), or something?

Not that the winners aren't deserving, but what good is yet another awards ceremony if it's not going to distinguish itself from the Golden Globes, which are the Satellite's unrecognized yet unmistakable "baby daddy". Yeah, the Hollywood Foreign Press will likely go with some other winners, but they won't seem that different. Again, I do salute the IPA for having a documentary category, though it wouldn't have hurt to give The King of Kong its one possible prestigious(?) award -- not that it was actually a better film than fellow nominee No End in Sight. Also, it's always enjoyable to see what the IPA picks for best DVDs (The Prestige for overall; Borat and Masters of Horror Season 1 (tied) for extras; Ratatouille for youth-oriented; Ken Burns' The War for documentary; The Graduate 40th Anniversary Edition for classic). For the rest of the nominees and winners, head over to Variety.

The release dates, they are a-changing! Universal just moved the release of the action flick Wanted, which stars Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, from March to June 27th, 2008. That June release date was also held by Pixar's new one, WALL-E, and the Tom Cruise "Hitler assassination plot" flick -- Valkyrie. According to Coming Soon, Valkyrie has officially budged (though I think it would have absolutely crushed Wanted and it's courting a different audience than Wall-E). United Artists will now release the film on October 3rd of 2008 -- a date also held by less intense competition -- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Guy Ritchie's Gerald Butler drama RocknRolla.

Valkyrie is directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Nathan Alexander. Tom Cruise has become everyone's favorite punching bag lately, and reaction to the trailer, particularly Cruise's lack of a German accent, was pretty hostile. (Although probably not as hostile as it would have been had he...attempted a German accent!) But the plot sounds awesome, Singer is a great director (Superman Returns aside), and it's got a hell of a cast -- including Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Fry, Eddie lzzard, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson, and Black Book's stunning Carice Van Houton. How bad could it be? It's got to be better than Wanted -- have you seen the trailer for that thing? Haven't I seen that movie, oh, a thousand times already?

We've seen pictures, a featurette went live on Apple yesterday, and now Yahoo has the first official trailer for this summer's Valkyrie, directed by Bryan Singer, and starring one heckuva cast including Tom Cruise, Carice van Houten, Bill Nighy, Terrence Stamp, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson and Eddie Izzard. Apart from it being a tad weird to watch English and American actors play a group of high-ranking German officers, the film looks great. I've been looking forward to Singer stepping away from the superhero world for a bit; I absolutely loved The Usual Suspects and it's been ten years since the guy came out with something on the big screen that wasn't based on a comic book. Coincidentally (or not), Singer's last hardcore drama (Apt Pupil) also dealt with Nazi themes, but this time the director decided to take it one step further and set his film in Germany, during World War II.

Based on a true story, Valkyrie (which was written by Christopher McQuarrie, who also penned Suspects) follows a group of German officers who, in 1944, conspired to assassinate Adolf Hitler in an attempt to end the war. The trailer looks sharp, cold, and though Cruise seems a bit out of place (then again, maybe it's just me), the rest of the cast look solid in their roles. Additionally, as freak-ish as it might sound, Cruise looks exactly like the real-life character he's portraying, Col. Claus von Stauffenberg. Valkyrie will attempt to find a home stuffed between two giant comic-related films (The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight), but I have a feeling it'll do just fine when the film hits theaters on July 27.

Right from the start it's clear they're marketing this one as a straight drama, and the trailer plays out more like a thriller. After earning raves for Match Point, then boos for his follow-up comedy Scoop, Woody Allen returns with his third UK-set film Cassandra's Dream. Terry (Ewan McGregor) and Ian (Colin Farrell) are brothers who can't seem to stay out of debt. When their rich Uncle (Tom Wilkinson) comes to town, both boys rush to his side with hopes the man with help them elude their monetary woes. However, things don't come that easily: In exchange for money, their Uncle wants the boys to "get rid" of a business partner ... if you know what I mean. Throw in a romantic interest with not-so-great intentions (Hayley Atwell), and Woody hopes to win back some of his fans with yet another drama that blends crime, romance and lust. But will the results taste as good?

In her review of the film from Toronto, Monika had mixed feelings about the film -- most of which had to do with how unlikable both brothers are, and the strange shifts in tone. She says, "While the brothers are quite unlikable with their wavering morals and crappy lack of common sense, they do have some intriguing layers. Terry is the superficial "bad" guy with his drinking and gambling, but he's got a much tougher conscience than his outwardly do-gooder brother who is more opportunistic than loyal. Just when you think Ian couldn't get worse -- he does." The trailer looks interesting, and some folks are loving this film, so I guess we'll see how it really does when Cassandra's Dream arrives in theaters on December 28.

I was talking with a friend the other day about the shocking decline in the quality of Kevin Spacey's films. It seems as though that Oscar for American Beauty was some sort of horrific curse, sending him into a long run of ill-advised, disastrous movie projects. Look at the man's filmography pre and then post Beauty. It's distressing! But Variety is reporting on a flick that sounds like it might turn things around. HBO Films' Recount will tell the story of the Florida results in the 2000 election, one of the most controversial political events of recent years. As Monika recently told you, Sydney Pollack was supposed to direct but dropped out due to "an undisclosed illness." Jay Roach, a director primarily known for broad comedy (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Meet the Parents, and their lesser sequels), will now direct. Danny Strong wrote the screenplay. The film will document "the legal and political maneuvering from the point of view of both the Bush and Gore camps."

Spacey will star as Ron Klain, "former chief of staff to vice president Al Gore and one of the lead attorneys who challenged the voting results in Florida." In addition to Spacey, Recount has lined up one hell of a supporting cast: Laura Dern will play Katherine Harris, the Florida secretary of state who certified that George W. Bush had won the state. Denis Leary (what went wrong on this season of Rescue Me, DL?) plays Michael Whouley, a Democrat pollster. John Hurt plays Warren Christopher, a key player for Gore. Tom Wilkinson plays James Baker, brought in by the Republicans to see that the disputed results held up. And two Christopher Guest alums will duke it out in the courtroom. Ed Begley, Jr will play David Boies, the lawyer who appealed the results and argued for the Democrats. Bob Balaban plays Ben Ginsberg, head attorney for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. See what I mean about that supporting cast? You won't have to demand a Recount -- look for the film on HBO during the 2008 presidential election.

It's probably no secret by now that Germans have a 'complicated' relationship with superstar Tom Cruise. But they seem to be softening just a little. Variety reports that Bryan Singer's Valkyrie will be given the go-ahead to film at the historic location of Bendlerblock; a memorial shrine to the German officers who conspired to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and the location of their executions. The site is maintained by the German finance ministry and initial requests from director Bryan Singer to film on location at the site were refused. According to Thorsten Albig, a spokesman for the finance ministry, "The latest request by the film team was given a positive answer...There was a different feeling about the project. We will take a closer look with director Bryan Singer at the location and, while ensuring that the dignity of the shrine is protected, see what's possible and what's not".

Valkyrie is the story of Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, and the failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944. Joining Cruise are Tom Wilkinson, Bill Neighy, and Kenneth Branagh. Written by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Nathan Alexander, the historical drama has had its share of complaints from both antecedents of von Stauffenberg as well as those who were worried that Cruise would be using the film to promote Scientology. But according to Variety, opinions have changed, saying that the initial refusal to allow Singer into Bendlerblock "...sparked a wave of support for the film from leading German newspaper columnists and filmmakers, including Wolfgang Petersen. They admonished their countrymen for being small minded, ignoring the chance to share von Stauffenberg's story with a global audience and demonstrate that there was in fact resistance to Hitler". Valkyrie is currently shooting on location in Berlin, and set for release on June 27th, 2008.

When the lights dim and the first moments shine upon the screen, you know that you're watching a Woody Allen film. That classic font smiles, and we quickly get the cast of characters. There's no long, music-laden intro -- just a quick rundown of the top names and then into the story. That's where the similarities to classic Allen die, though, but maybe it's time to stop comparing Allen to the works of his past. Over his last few films, the filmmaker has broken out of the mold. This time around, however, the mold might have helped keep things together. Cassandra's Dream is an interesting but superficial film that isn't sure if it wants to be a light drama or a dark comedy.

Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor star as brothers Terry and Ian. Terry is a mechanic with a penchant for gambling, while Ian is a wannabe businessman who bides his time in the family restaurant while he waits for his big financial break. Terry has been having quite the winning streak -- he keeps betting himself into a corner, and then comes out with a big win every time. After betting on a race dog with 60-1 odds at the races, he comes into a bit of money, and he and his brother buy a boat that they name 'Cassandra's Dream', after the winning dog. Ian, meanwhile, runs into a beautiful actress named Angela (Hayley Atwell), who is having car troubles on the side of the road, and he falls hard.

I walked out of Michael Clayton feeling something like 'let down,' although a brief examination of my expectations got to the root of the matter. Walking into Michael Clayton, I was hoping for a film along the lines of classic '70s Sidney Lumet or Alan J. Pakula; what I got was something more along the lines of an above-average '90s John Grisham adaptation.

And even that's not necessarily dismissing Michael Clayton; when you realize that it's gone off track from the destination it tried to reach, you're still gladly along for the ride. George Clooney plays the title character -- a New York lawyer with a fairly specific brief. Clayton's been at the big-time firm of Kenner, Back and Ledeen for years, but he's not a partner, and he hasn't set foot in a courtroom in a long time. He's a troubleshooter, a fixer; when a client's in the glue, Clayton's the guy with enough grease to just maybe get him unstuck. That's how we first meet him -- driving in the middle of the night to the house of a client who's gotten in trouble. Clayton can brace the man for what's coming, and guide him through it, but he can't make it go away: "I'm not a miracle worker; I'm a janitor."

And so, we get a fast understanding of Clayton: He knows how the law works -- even if he may not necessarily like it. He can fix anything -- except, it seems, his own life. He's not crazy about his work -- but it pays the bills, and he's got plenty of them. The film (after an unexpected development) flashes back a few days, to show just how Clayton got to where he is right at the moment ...

The international trailer for Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream has arrived on a French website, complete with subtitles, and I have sort of a mixed reaction to it. It seems like a poor trailer for what might be a great movie. The clip doesn't really give us a clear understanding of exactly how the brothers, Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor, get into deep money troubles -- some kind of gambling debts? -- but it does seem pretty clear that the film is going to have a body count in the same way Match Point had one, which can only be a good thing, considering how good that film was.

Also, after watching the trailer, I have a feeling that Colin Farrell might be the revelation here. These days it's almost hard to remember that he used to be considered a rising acting talent, with movies like Tigerland under his belt. Lately he's been known more for tabloid exploits and for Alexander, Phone Booth, Ask the Dust and assorted other bad choices, but somehow I think this part is going to give him some opportunities he might run with.

Tom Wilkinson also seems to have an interesting role in the film, but the real question mark is Hayley Atwell. Woody is clearly trying to launch her as a star with this movie, but who knows if he'll succeed. (What I've seen of her so far isn't terribly impressive.) Cassandra's Dream is premiering at the Venice Film Festival and then moving on to Toronto, where Woody will be on hand to hopefully dole out a few interviews and maybe give some new information about his next film, Midnight in Barcelona.

While all you women out there might be a bit miffed over the fact that red lettering is taking away from a crystal clear picture of the overly hunk-ish George Clooney, I happen to think it looks great. Warner Bros. has supplied Cinematical with the first and final one-sheet for Clooney's upcoming drama/thriller Michael Clayton (click on the poster for a larger version), and I certainly dig it. In the film, Clooney plays Michael Clayton; an in-house "fixer" at a major law firm. Basically, when someone screws up, they send this guy in to, well, fix it. Problem is, Clayton has issues of his own to deal with (a divorce, a failed business, lots of debt -- essentially, it appears his entire life is out of focus; hence the image), and when a lawyer at his firm sabotages a multi-million dollar class action suit, guess who's job it is to clean up the mess? And what a mess it is ...

Michael Clayton also marks the directorial debut of writer Tony Gilroy, who previously penned all three Bourne films, as well as another great law flick, The Devil's Advocate ("Free will, right?"). Joining Clooney in the film (which debuted a trailer back in May) are Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton and the great Sydney Pollack. Is it just me, or do I smell Oscar season on the horizon? Michael Clayton arrives in theaters on October 5th.

If I really scour my memory, I can vaguely remember the excitement that Guy Ritchie used to incite with his films. God, it has been seven years since I last went to the theater to see one of his movies -- Snatch. Yet no matter what cinematic pitfalls he has suffered since then, he's got one heck of a cast lined up for his next film -- RocknRolla. Variety has just announced the cast, which consists of Gerard Butler (300), Tom Wilkinson (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Thandie Newton (Crash), Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges (Hustle & Flow) and Idris Elba (The Reaping). (No, surprisingly, there's no Jason Statham anywhere to be seen.) Not only is this cast much better than Madonna, but it's pretty great in its own regard!

Erik Davis first posted about RocknRolla last month, when word hit that Ritchie was writing and directing another feature in the vein of his big successes -- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. The film is about a Russian mobster who coordinates "a crooked land deal, putting millions of dollars up for grabs and attracting all of London's criminal underworld." If this cast is the collection of criminals, this is looking to be a group reminiscent of the pirate kings in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean, but with much more recognizable faces. The budget on this puppy is under $20 million, it has already started production and will be done in his classic "fast-paced, low-budget style." Now, will it sweep away that really bad offering and get him back on track as the guru of bad arses, or will Dark Castle Entertainment and Warner Bros. have a stinker on their hands?

I don't know what to think about Tom Cruise playing a German general, but at least he'll be well-supported in Bryan Singer's Valkyrie, which is about an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Hitler during WWII. Last week we learned that rising star Carice van Houten, who just so happens to be my new favorite actress, is on board, possibly as Cruise's character's wife. The only other confirmed member of the cast had been Kenneth Branagh, seemingly as much a fan of playing Nazi as he is of playing Shakespeare. Now we have an official announcement that two of my favorite actors, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy, are also part of the ensemble. The pair was already listed on the IMDb as being "in negotiations" (as are Patrick Wilson and Stephen Fry still), but they have apparently finalized the deal and are now definitely involved.

Wilkinson and Nighy are perfect for the project, because they fit in with Singer's cinematic interests. Like the director, both Wilkinson and Nighy have been able to do comic book or action or other franchise-type movies (Nighy more so) while still maintaining their respective reputations as serious artists. I think that Valkyrie will actually fall somewhere between the two extremes (too Hollywood to be amazing, but too serious to attract the masses), but aside from Cruise the acting talents will at least make the pic seem to be amazing (sure, it could even be amazing, but I'll remain a cynic until I see it). I could probably watch a ten hour film in which Wilkinson and Nighy simply talk about economics (surely their respective characters from Separate Lies and The Girl in the Café could be friends, no?). They are that interesting. I just can't believe this is the first time somebody thought to put them together in the same movie.