I was pretty skeptical that Clark Gregg would be able to bring Chuck Palahniuk's novel Choke to the big screen. Fox Searchlight has launched the red band trailer for the dark comedy (along with four new clips), and I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. The first trailer was released back in May, and for anyone who was worried the book's more 'colorful' moments wouldn't be included, I'm here to tell you the filthiness is present and accounted for -- and I couldn't be happier.

Along with the new trailer, there are also some additional clips with the added bonus of exotic dancers filling in the narration from the book -- bizarre, sure, but surprisingly entertaining. Now for the bad news: the site has one of those age-verification login pages that are pretty crappy at the best of the times, but luckily you can always count on You Tube.

Choke is the story of sex addict Victor Mancini (played by Sam Rockwell), a con-man with the unusual tactic of choking in restaurants to earn money to care for his dying mother (Anjelica Huston). It almost sounds sweet, doesn't it? Well, it's not, and if you know anything about the work of Chuck Palahniuk, then you already know how messed up the story gets -- and I truly mean that as a compliment.

Choke arrives in theaters on September 26, 2008.

Finished with my jury responsibilities, I managed to check out some features. A favorite of mine was Chelsea on the Rocks, by Abel Ferrara (director of Bad Lieutenant and a terrific little mob flick called The Funeral). It's a documentary about the infamous Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan, but it's far from traditional. There are lots of odd transitions and edits, the interviews are beyond casual (Ferrara says something along the lines of "No shit!" every ten seconds while listening to the stories of those living in the building), and there are some utterly ridiculous and unnecessary re-enactments of notorious events in the hotel's past (actors play Sid and Nancy, Janis Joplin, and assorted hangers-on). Truth be told, the whole thing was kind of a mess. But watching it felt a lot like spending a night in the hotel, and it's a ride I'm glad I took. I didn't learn a thing, but it brought me inside a place full of fascinating characters, a place I walked past countless times in Manhattan without a second thought.

The first trailer for Choke (based on my favorite Chuck Palahniuk book) has arrived online, courtesy of MTV, and it gets points for hitting a few marks -- though, to be quite honest, this film's greatest moments come in R-rated form. That said, I wouldn't jump all over this trailer and cry foul because there's definitely a lot of good stuff in this film along with an outstanding performance from Sam Rockwell. In it, Rockwell plays Victor Mancini; a sex addict who cons rich folks out of their money by choking in restaurants in the hopes they'll save him, feel guilty and open the wallet. Victor then uses this money to help pay for his wacky mother's (Anjelica Huston) hospital care. That's just the "on the surface" plot synopsis; if you've read the book, you know there's a lot more to it.

Tell us what you think of the trailer (which you can watch above or in HD over at MTV), especially if you're a big fan of the book. Choke hits theaters on September 26.

The first poster for Choke has been released online (click image to enlarge), courtesy of Fox Searchlight, and it's definitely one that catches your eye. Heck, if I was walking down the street and spotted a hot pink poster featuring the silhouette of a guy eating a girl in high heels, I'd certainly be interested -- then again, I'm dirty like that. Choke, based on the excellent book from Chuck Palahniuk, premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival where I called it "a straight-up laugher that really works ... some of the time." Sam Rockwell absolutely steals the show here as a sex addict who pretends to choke in restaurants in order to get wealthy people to feel bad and give him money, which he then uses to help pay for his wacky mother's (Anjelica Huston) stay in a hospital. (I wonder if the timing of this poster had anything to do with the fact that Palahniuk's new book Snuff debuted yesterday with a bright, hot pink cover? Hmmm?)

Choke was recently pushed back and will now hit theaters on September 26.

Sometimes you really need to be careful what you wish for, or at least where you steal coins from. In February, Jessica posted about the new Disney romantic comedy When in Rome, which will star the electric detective Kristen Bell. She will play a real estate agent in New York City who heads to Rome for her sister's impulsive marriage. There, she picks coins out of a "fountain of love" to try to find the romance out of her reach, and when she heads home, she finds a lot of mens waiting for her. Now surprise, surprise, Variety reports that Jon Heder and Dax Shepard have signed on for roles.

Oh, yes -- they're both potential suitors for the lucky Bell. Heder will take on the role of a street magician who tries to win her love with his..."talents," and Shepard will play "a self-absorbed suitor who falls under the spell and chases the girl." I must say -- these weren't the sort of choices I was imagining. Perhaps instead of finding all the possible men she could date, Bell will get a serving of Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered. Where's Logan when you need him?

Oh wait! The Hollywood Reporter has more on the story, saying that Josh Duhamel and Anjelica Huston have also signed on. Bell has been saved -- they say that Josh will be the romantic lead. Huston, meanwhile, will be Bell's boss, who is the curator of the Guggenheim.

Still... I miss Veronica Mars.

Anyone who read Volume I of How Scott (Almost Never) Got to Austin for SXSW might have noticed that I was slightly ... irked at American Airlines, when in fact I SHOULD have been unloading my blogular umbrage upon the guys at the Dallas Fort Worth airport who are in charge of watching the morning weather report. Seriously, 40+ flights and a whole LOT of people were royally screwed because nobody thought to have the de-icing machines warmed up when the words "freezing rain" were mentioned. (So I offer an apology to American Airlines, partially because it wasn't really their fault, but mostly because I'm flying American HOME in a couple days, and I don't want to catch any stewardess stink-eye.)

But whatever. I've been in Austin for almost a week now, so that miserable trek from six days ago seems like nothing more than a infuriating little memory. I did, however, promise a Part 2, so let's pick up where we left off...

I'd been informed that A) my flight had been canceled (after I'd been sitting on the plane for nearly five hours), B) there were no hotels or rental cars available from anywhere within the airport, and C) my luggage and I would not be seeing each other for a day or two. Fun little note: My suitcase -- OK, fine, my massive red duffel bag that my sister got for free from Marlboro -- contained items like: my phone charger, my laptop charger, and my herpes medication.

Fans of author Chuck Palahniuk (and trust me, there's a lot of them) have been waiting a long time to witness another one of his fantastic books show up on the big screen. The first Palahniuk adaptation, of course, was Fight Club, which was handled flawlessly by director David Fincher and featured sensational performances from both Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Choke is an entirely different book, one that relies a little more on comedy, and first-time director Clark Gregg (who also penned the script) decided to turn this adaptation into a straight-up laugher that really works ... some of the time. While I'm a huge fan of Palahniuk, his books and especially Choke, there's only one reason why I would recommend you check out this film, and one reason only: Sam Rockwell.

Rockwell plays Victor Mancini, a scheming sexual addict who, along with his dopey best friend Denny (Brad William Henke), work at a historical re-creation theme park of sorts, where folks dress up in 1800's period garb and give tours to anyone who'd like to see what it was like to live back then. When Victor and Denny aren't getting in trouble for doing something very un-1800's (like reading a newspaper, chewing gum), Victor heads out to restaurants to physically make himself choke on food in an attempt to get a wealthy patron to save his life. It is his goal to bond with this person, to share in the ecstasy of their heroic efforts, and then take advantage of their kindness -- that mutual experience -- in the hope they'll send him money for living such a tough life. Victor then uses that money to help pay for his unstable mother's (Anjelica Huston) long-term stay at a high-priced mental hospital.

Last month, Jessica Barnes threw up the first official still to come from the production of Choke -- the feature adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel. In case you're not a fan of all things Chuck, the film follows a dude called Victor Mancini. After a childhood where his troubled mother would steal him from foster families, Victor grows up into an honorable man -- one who makes a living as a historical reenactor and choking con man. Basically, he goes to restaurants, chokes on his food, and then preys on the kindness of those who "save" his life. Oh yeah, and he also frequents sexual addiction workshops.

Now, it's crunch time. Will the film be able to find the magic that Fight Club did, or was that adaptation a one-hit Palahniuk wonder? It was adapted by, directed by, and co-starring Clark Gregg (The Human Stain, or the Miranda's dirty Catholic on Sex and the City), so I'm expecting good things. The film is gearing up for its premiere at Sundance, and Collider has thrown up a whole slew of images. If these pictures are any indication, we should be in for a sweet, Choke-filled ride. Most of the images have Sam Rockwell in his period garb, and there's peeks at Kelly Macdonald, Brad William Henke, Gregg, and two great shots of Anjelica Huston, who plays Victor's crazy mom. There's one image of her with V as a kid, and another after she's hospitalized. Check out the images and then stay tuned for Cinematical's review from Sundance!

Well it may be dark and it may not be the most jaw-dropping image, but since this is the first official still from Chuck Palahniuk's Choke (one of my favorite books of all time), to me it's just as awesome as any photo of the Joker. Twitchfilm.net has posted the first still from Clark Gregg's (What Lies Beneath) big-screen version of Palahniuk's novel about sex-addiction, Alzheimer's, and a man who makes a living by pretending to choke in crowded restaurants. Sam Rockwell stars as Victor Mancini, the sex-addicted con man who is struggling to pay his mother's medical bills -- it almost sounds sweet if you leave out ... well, practically everything since usually when people think Palahniuk they definitely aren't thinking 'aww' (its usually more along the lines of; 'eww').

This seems to be my lucky day, since Erik just brought us the news that I Am Legend's Francis Lawrence is planning on bringing Palahniuk's novel Survivor to the screen as his next project. Like most of Palahniuk's novels, Choke is not going to be an easy sell to a lot of audiences. Let's just say that it takes a certain sense of humor to see comedy in lines like; "A good addiction takes the guesswork out of death. There is such a way as planning your getaway." Luckily, I think Rockwell and company just might be able to pull this one off. Gregg has long been a big fan of the book and has been pretty dedicated to making a feature film, combined with Rockwell's ability to play people just a little off center and I think it just might work. Choke will show at Sundance and is set for release in 2008.

There are a couple different ways to approach reviewing The Darjeeling Limited. I can look at it from the mainstream audience's point of view, or I can look at it from the point of view of a long-time Wes Anderson fan -- which, coincidentally, I happen to be. The first thing my friend said to me as the credits began to roll: "Loved it ... but the film won't make a dime at the box office." Unfortunately, and most likely, that will be the case -- The Darjeeling Limited is a tough film for audiences to grasp, in that there's not much of a story to hang onto. Sure, there's a beginning, a middle and an end, but when you look back on it, everything sort of mushes together. There's also not a lot of physical action; a majority of the film takes place on a moving train, in one compartment, which subsequently leads to a very claustrophobic feel; albeit one that was intentional. And there's dialogue -- lots of it.

But this is a Wes Anderson film, and those of you out there who appreciate his sense of humor -- his quirky characters, his hipster soundtracks and his extraordinary attention to detail -- will most likely find a lot to love in The Darjeeling Limited. Essentially, it's a meditative piece about three brothers who reunite while on a train in India, having not spoken to one another for a year following the death of their father. In that time, Jack (Jason Schwartzman) was holed up in a hotel room in Paris, unaware of how long he'd actually been there. Peter (Adrien Brody) kept busy tending to his marriage, which he always expected would end in divorce, even though he really loves his wife. And Francis (Owen Wilson), who's the reason why all three are in India, has been recovering from a terrible motorcycle accident that left him near-death, which, afterwards, inspired him to take on this spiritual journey with his two estranged siblings.