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.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Traitor (click to enlarge), starring Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce. Based on an idea from Steve Martin (who you usually don't see take on this sort of high-stakes drama), and a script from Jeffrey Nachmanoff (who also directed), Traitor finds Pearce playing a straight-edge FBI agent who heads an investigation on international conspiracy, where all clues lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn (Cheadle).

The first trailer for Traitor is now live over at Yahoo, and I have to say I'm really enjoying the film's fast-paced edge. Cheadle looks pretty badass in this, and I don't believe we've seen him this tough on screen in quite some time. Pearce (who's always reminded me of a more disturbed and intense Val Kilmer) is on his game as usual, so I expect good things from Traitor. I like a film that makes the audience work a little and think a little. You?

Traitor is set to hit theaters on August 27.

Moviefone has just debuted the first Hotel for Dogs trailer (watch it above or over on Moviefone in glorious HD), starring Emma Roberts, Don Cheadle, Lisa Kudrow and Johnny Simmons. Based on Lois Duncan's 1971 children's book of the same name, Hotel for Dogs tells of two mischievous orphans who hole up and attempt to hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. God bless these kids, because I currently have one dog and she's more than a handful. Imagine taking care of an entire hotel full of dogs ... and having to feed them, bathe them and, well, clean up the poop! Hate the poop! Hate picking up the poop! Why do dogs have to poop all the time? Who knows, but I do love the way the kids in this film deal with the poop issue and it's given me a few new ideas. The flick actually looks pretty cute and cuddly, especially if you're an animal lover or a young kid ... or a young kid who also happens to be an animal lover. Check it out above.

Hotel for Dogs barks into theaters on January 16, 2009.

UPDATE: We've been asked to take down the trailer as it hasn't been approved for distribution yet.

Note: You might want to kick up the speakers a bit here; this one comes in a tad low.

Above you will find the first trailer for the film Traitor, starring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and Jeff Daniels. The wild thing about this film is that Steve Martin (yes, THE Steve Martin) came up with the idea for Traitor, though he left scripting duties to writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff. Based on what we see above, Traitor seems like one of those "have fun figuring it out" types. Pearce plays a straight-edge FBI agent who heads an investigation on international conspiracy, where all clues lead back to former U.S. Special Operations office, Samir Horn (Cheadle). Thus begins what appears to be a dangerous cat and mouse game between the two -- with Daniels playing a veteran CIA contractor with his own agenda.

What I'm liking about this one is that Cheadle looks pretty rough, tough and ready to rumble -- and we don't get to see him much in roles where he can beat the living hell out of anyone within shouting distance. Go Don Cheadle! That guy always gives a tremendous performance, so no matter what I believe Traitor will be worth the watch just to see Cheadle in action. But let us know what you think.

Traitor hits theaters on August 29.

Two reasons I'm writing this story: 1) I love screenwriter success stories, and 2) I love New York City screenwriting success stories. (No, I'm not very interested in seeing a sequel to New Jack City ... unless, of course, Chris Rock loses fifty pounds and plays another crack addict.) Over at Yahoo, they have a great story about a NYC tollbooth worker who wrote a crime script last year called Brooklyn's Finest. See, his car was totaled in an accident and so he entered this screenwriting competition with hopes the cash prize would help pay for a new ride. While Michael Martin had studied film in college, he had never written a full screenplay before -- and though his script placed second, it attracted attention from all over the place; landing on the steps of a Warner Bros-based producer who was searching for someone gritty enough to write the sequel to New Jack City.

Dude eventually moved to Los Angeles, wrote for the Showtime series Sleeper Cell, but then got homesick and returned to New York -- where, to this day, he works for the Transit Authority (he was just promoted to construction flagger). In between flagging, he still works on the New Jack City 2 script (which will probably go direct to DVD) on break in the subway tunnels, all while Brooklyn's Finest gears up to go into production this May -- in Brookyln -- with Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Richard Gere and Ellen Barkin starring. Training Day's Antoine Fuqua will direct.

Oh, and he has a new car now.

Great story; you can read the entire thing here. And good luck to you Mr. Martin!

I crashed pretty much right after the Oscars last night, but I convinced my wife to leave the TV on in bed in order to watch a little of whatever Jimmy Kimmel was going to do for his post-Oscars show. And, to my delight, he chose the time to seek his revenge on girlfriend Sarah Silverman and her "I'm f**king Matt Damon" music video. Oh yes, Kimmel took his video -- "I'm f**king Ben Affleck" -- to the next level. Not only did it open with a Brad Pitt cameo, but by the time it was over, a group of people were singing in a "We are the World" format; folks like Don Cheadle, Huey Lewis, Robin Williams, Joan Jett, McLovin', Lance Bass ... and Harrison Ford. Yes! Harrison friggin' Ford driving a car with a bumper stick that read, "Honk if you're f**king Ben Affleck." I don't know how in the world they convinced Mr. Serious to appear in this thing, but nevertheless the entire thing was a riot.

Check out the video above. And in case you missed the Silverman/Damon video that started this whole thing, you can view it after the jump. Enjoy.

It's kind of funny if you think about it, but Steve Martin really does have two entirely different careers. First, there is the goofy family friendly guy who stars in middling comedies like Bringing Down the House and Cheaper By the Dozen; and then there is the acerbic wit who writes abstract New Yorker pieces and stars in David Mamet films. Plus, occasionally he comes up with an idea for a movie of his own. RowThree.com is now hosting two new stills from the political thriller, Traitor. Martin will not be starring in this film, although he will serve as an executive producer. Originally Disney had lined up to produce the film back in 2002, but after a few staff changes at "mouse headquarters," the project was dropped.

Traitor stars Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, and Jeff Daniels. Jeffrey Nachmanoff directed the film and the plot is is described as a "topical, politically relevant story dealing with international terrorism and U.S. traitors." Pearce plays FBI agent Roy Clayton; a straight arrow type who is drawn into a political conspiracy when everything points to a Special Operations officer (Cheadle). From there on it sounds like your usual espionage fare and, "obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue."

Nachmanoff isn't exactly a household name, but you might recognize him as the man who wrote The Day After Tomorrow (which isn't exactly good news, now is it?). But, I'll rely on the reputations of Pearce and Cheadle to guarantee me at least a decent popcorn movie if nothing else. Nachmanoff also wrote the script for Traitor before heading off to work on pre-production for Jerry Bruckheimer's video game flick, Prince of Persia. Traitor is still in post-production so a release date has not been set. Stay tuned to Cinematical for any updates that come our way.

Would you like to see a movie in which Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Clooney unite against a genocidal African nation? How about a movie dealing with racial problems in the Sudan from the producer of Crash? Technically, you can see both movies in one with Darfur Now, a new documentary featuring the star power of the two actors mentioned and produced by co-star Don Cheadle, who was one of Crash's six producers.

Of course, if you're looking forward to Schwarzenegger and Clooney double-handedly kicking some Sudanese butt, or for Cheadle to head-up a multi-character drama focused on race relations within a society in denial, then you're sure to be disappointed. Still, the latter idea does closely describe Darfur Now. The film spotlights six individuals, some of whose stories directly inter-weave, who are affected by the tragedy in Darfur and have been successful at making a difference.

These individuals include Cheadle, an Oscar-nominated actor using his celebrity to draw attention to the issue, Adam Sterling, a 24-year-old waiter and activist urging Governor Schwarzenegger to sign a bill to keep California funds from investing in companies with interests in Sudan, and Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Then there's the ones actually situated in Darfur: Hejewa Adam, a woman whose baby was beaten to death by Janjaweed attackers who now fights in the Sudanese Liberation Army; Ahmed Mohammed Abaka, a displaced builder and farmer who now serves as a leader of a camp of 47,000 other displaced Darfurians; and Pablo Recalde, leader of the World Food Program in West Darfur.

Spider-Man 3
The many flaws of Spider-Man 3 have been well-documented: The elevated cheese factor, the overabundance of baddies, that absurd 10-minute stretch of song, dance and unsightliness where it suddenly feels like we're watching some strange mash-up of Willard vs. The Mask... But it's not like this is a bad movie. Underwhelming compared to its pair of astonishing predecessors? Sure, but still entertaining enough for a Sunday afternoon slouchfest. Yes, a movie that costs $250 million (or more?) should make our eyes pop and our remaining senses tingle (and possibly even leave us a craving a cigarette and a shower afterward), and Spidey 3 has moments of such bliss. Its single biggest flaw is that when it needs to get really dark, it gets really hokey -- perhaps catering to a younger audience, but losing a whole lot of credibility in the process.

Talk to Me
About a month back we ran a feature speculating (guestimating, too) over early Oscar contenders, and a few of our readers astutely inquired, "Where the f*** is Don Cheadle?" Our bad. Cheadle does indeed deserve to be part of the discussion in the Best Actor race, as crowded a field as it looks this year. Shoot, even Cate Blanchett wants in. Cheadle begins chewing the scenery faster than you can say Chiwetel Ejiofor as Civil Rights-era radio talk show host Ralph "Petey" Greene in this honest and engaging portrayal. Also thoroughly impressive -- and who I wish would also get mentioned in awards chatter -- is Taraji P. Henson. The Hustle & Flow breakout has a vibrancy about her to match Cheadle at every turn, AND she's got a killer Afro to boot. Though unexpectedly conventional at times, the film is a rare treat for folks who appreciate thoughtful yet feel-good, socially relevant entertainment.

This week features a trio of intriguing indie DVDs. In her review of the dramatic and poignant Journey From the Fall, our own Kim Voynar wrote: "The journey of the 'boat people' of Vietnam has never before been documented in an American film, but if it took this long to do it right, it was worth the wait." She notes that "writer/director Ham Tran did countless interviews with Vietnamese refugees and survivors of the re-education camps to make certain his script for Journey from the Fall was authentic." The effort certainly sounds like it paid off. Look for the DVD from ImaginAsian Home Entertainment.

Cinematical's very busy Kim V. also reviewed Charles Ferguson's documentary No End in Sight when it debuted at Sundance earlier this year. She acknowledged the many other Iraq War docs that have been made recently, yet felt "the difference with No End In Sight is that it takes a ruthlessly fact-finding, information-based approach, simply in finding the right people to talk to and listening to what they have to say, that ultimately paints a very different picture of the Iraq War than the one spun by the folks currently in the Bush administration." Magnolia's DVD includes a flock of extras.

Talk to Me reportedly features a galvanizing performance by Don Cheadle, playing an ex-con who became a very popular radio personality in Washington D.C. Jeffrey M. Anderson was duly impressed, expressing his opinion that director Kasi Lemmons' major achievement "is the way that she has been able to trace nearly 20 years of history while still allowing the film to live in its current moment." The DVD from Universal Studios includes deleted scenes and two featurettes.

Other releases of interest include the five-disk set The Cinema of Peter Watkins, Russian action fantasy Day Watch and romantic comedy In the Land of Women. Oh, and a box set of some television show co-created by the dude that made Eraserhead.