Now that you know what Josh Brolin's George W. Bush will look like, you should know that you'll get to see him in action real soon -- probably sooner than you thought. The ever-courageous Lionsgate has picked up Oliver Stone's W, and plans to release it on October 17th. Of this year. That's 2008. Before the election. Notably, the movie hasn't even started shooting yet -- it goes into production on May 12th in Louisiana.

I never really thought the film would fail to find distribution, though early buzz on the screenplay has been fairly toxic. I did think there was going to be a race between when W would be finished and when Dubya would be finished -- that is, out of office. But apparently Stone is not messing around and plans to deliver the film in a few months, with Lionsgate hoping to capitalize on the furor that will surround the election.

Jeez -- maybe it's because I read too many blogs (or because I live in Pennsylvania, suddenly a battleground state), but it's barely May and I'm already tired of the election. Is W really how people will want to spend their leisure time in late October? I can't imagine, but I respect the folks at Lionsgate enough to think they know what they're doing. Incidentally: Dick Cheney remains uncast. Any suggestions?

Oh Ari Fleischer -- the David Cross of Press Secretaries. Wait a minute -- why didn't they get David Cross for this role? He'd be perfect. Anyway, MTV tells us that Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, Semi-Pro ... and a bunch of other random comedies) has signed on to play former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer in Oliver Stone's W. Corddry joins a cast that continues to get larger by the minute, and includes Josh Brolin (George W. Bush), Elizabeth Banks (Laura Bush), James Cromwell (George Bush Sr.), Ellen Burstyn (Barbara Bush), Thandie Newton (Condi Rice), Ioan Gruffudd (Tony Blair) and 50 Cent (as Colin Powell).

Yes, I'm kidding about that last one.

Earlier today, we clued you into a script review of W currently circulating the internets. According to some, the film seems to be taking the Bush is a moronic alcoholic fratboy route, which, if you watch, well, The Daily Show, is kinda old news. As Eugene put it, "Most people -- whether or not they accept it -- have already absorbed the meme that Bush is an arrogant, reckless, hard-drinking buffoon, and I'm not sure that this perception merits its own movie." I completely agree -- and I'd much rather have watched Stone return to Vietnam with Pinkville than sit down for a feature-length version of a joke that's way past its prime.

The script for Oliver Stone's W -- a project we've been discussing a lot around here lately -- apparently leaked to several news outlets this week, and Slate has posted a delightful, albeit spoiler-heavy, review. Now, the extent to which a George W. Bush biopic can be spoiled is debatable, and a lot could change from the October 15, 2007 draft (titled Bush rather than W) that Slate got its grubby paws on, but the review does give away a good number of specific scenes, lines and moments, so proceed with caution.

Slate's prevailing impression is that the screenplay is heavy on Bushisms ("Is our children learning?") and common perceptions that have become clichés (Bush as alcoholic fratboy). Indeed, some of the lines they quote sound like something that I, having done no research and possessing virtually no insight into the man, might come up with if asked out of the blue to write a movie about Bush's life. (On the decision to invade Iraq, for example: "I think it's time we stopped standing around with our dicks in our hands, and raised the stakes on ol' 'Husseny.'")

So far, there are only a few actors officially attached to Oliver Stone's W., the epic biopic about our current commander-in-chief. Josh Brolin was cast as President George W. Bush back in January, then recently Elizabeth Banks was chosen as his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, and last week James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn were locked into the roles of former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, respectively. Unofficial casting bites, though, include a lot of other big name actors. Jeffrey Wright is reportedly in negotiations to play Colin Powell, Tommy Lee Jones is supposedly being sought for Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Duvall has been rumored to be the choice for Vice President Dick Cheney and now both Paul Giamatti and Toby Jones are being named as potentials for the part of Karl Rove (who Giamatti may have already channeled for his character in Shoot 'Em Up).

I'm sorry, but this has got to be one of the strangest projects in recent years. The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Elizabeth Banks is about to sign on to play First Lady Laura Bush in that George W. Bush biopic Oliver Stone is directing. If she signs on, Banks will join Josh Brolin, who's already landed the part of our current President of the United States. Banks, who, funnily enough, just wrapped a film called Zack and Miri Make a Porno, would probably make a pretty good Laura Bush. She definitely resembles a much younger version of the woman, and, like Mrs. Bush, as an actress Banks often fades into the background.

Then again, some folks might think Brolin and Banks are way too hot to be playing the President and the First Lady. Personally, I feel Josh Brolin needs the most work -- but if he slims down and practices that famous Bush dialogue, I can almost see it. The film, which will be called simply W, will begin shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana in late April. Stone will direct off a script he co-wrote with Stanley Weiser (Wall Street).

What do you think about this film? Are the lives of George W. Bush and Laura Bush really that interesting? Or, will Oliver Stone make them interesting?

I've seen a lot of documentaries in the past few years about the decline of small towns and rural areas, how the population has dwindled and local businesses have closed shop and so forth. So it was strange to watch the opening sequences in the documentary Crawford, where the small Texas town starts to flourish when George W. Bush (then-governor, now President) buys a ranch in the area.

Crawford examines the effects on the town and its residents from the day Bush bought the Prairie Chapel Ranch in 1999 through 2007. At first, everyone in the town couldn't have been happier, especially once Bush became U.S. President. Businesses thrived as tourists and media flocked to the town, the local school band traveled to Washington, DC to perform at the inauguration, and the minister of the Baptist church felt confident that any day now, the First Family might join his congregation. However, a lot of things can change in half a decade, and Cindy Sheehan's 2005 protest in Crawford triggers even more radical effects.

The man has already taken on the stories of John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, so this latest bit of news isn't a huge surprise. Variety reports that Oliver Stone, whose schedule was freed up when Pinkville was put on hold, is focusing on President George W. Bush for his next film, Bush. What is a bit of a brow raiser -- he's tapped Josh Brolin to star as Dubya. That is, Brolin will finalize his deal once Stone secures financing.

So, the rush is on to find money and shoot the script that was penned by Stanley Weiser (who co-wrote Wall Street with Stone) this spring -- to be released just in time for the fall election. You would think Stone might have wanted to do this last time around, when Bush was looking at a second term, but I guess not. Whatever the case, should he find the money, much of the Pinkville crew has jumped to Bush, so slipping into production quickly shouldn't be a problem.

Now, considering some of the filmmaker's comments on the current president, you'd think this would just be an anti-Bush rant. However, Stone says it will instead be about how the man came to power: "It's a behind-the-scenes approach, similar to Nixon, to give a sense of what it's like to be in his skin. But if Nixon was a symphony, this is more like a chamber piece, and not as dark in tone. People have turned my political ideas into a cliche, but that is superficial. I'm a dramatist who is interested in people, and I have empathy for Bush as a human being, much the same as I did for Castro, Nixon..."

Whatever he has planned, I really hope that he finds the money, because I have got to see Brolin as Bush. I never would have thought of it, and still find the casting surprising, but I'm well beyond curious. How about you?

Wonderful as the classic family Christmas movies can be, the overwhelming sugary sweetness in most of them can be a little off-putting to adult audiences. I know my friends tend to gravitate more towards the R-rated holiday fare -- Die Hard, Bad Santa, The Ref, etc. Lord knows Hollywood doesn't want to be bothered coming up with original ideas, so I'm proposing seven remakes of Christmas family classics -- souped up for 2008 and aimed at the 17+ crowd. I've set up the plots and even suggested a possible director for each. Enjoy...

Michael Moore's A Christmas Carol

In Michael Moore's return to narrative filmmaking, George W. Bush plays with his shiny new train set, sets out cookies for Santa Claus, and falls asleep in his footie pajamas while watching Power Rangers. He is awoken in the middle of the night by The Ghost of Christmas Past, who takes Georgie through his days of frat parties, draft dodging, drunk driving, and cocaine abuse. Even faced with hard evidence, Bush denies any involvement. The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Bush deep into a post-Katrina New Orleans, where Bush cracks jokes and enjoys some caramel corn. Stunned by Bush's lack of feeling, the ghost takes him to Iraq, where he sees what Christmas is like for U.S. soldiers. Bush yawns. He is sleepy. The Ghost of Christmas Future shows Bush a world ravaged by the effects of global warming and America hated by countries all across the globe. "Not real concerned about my legacy, Future Dude" chuckles Bush, and he falls asleep safe in his bed. Bush wakes up twelve hours later, having learned absolutely nothing. As the movie ends, he runs over a homosexual couple with his truck and kicks a sick orphan in the face.

Hey, remember that film that received so much hype and controversy only to be released with a whimper and a lot of negative reviews? I'm talking about Death of a President, a non-comedic mockumentary focused on the (fictional) assassination of George W. Bush. I thought it was a terrible movie, and not because I thought it was tasteless. I actually thought the idea was interesting; I just didn't think it was executed well in the style in which it was done. But plenty of others, including my friends and colleagues, liked the darn thing. It even played for a few months (mostly on Saturday nights) at the Pioneer Theater here in New York. Most astonishing, though, is the fact that it won an Emmy Award the other night. Actually, it was an International Emmy, for Best TV Movie/Mini-Series.

I didn't even know the International Emmys existed until the other night. I was walking down a Manhattan street and saw all these people in tuxedos walking up the red carpet to the ceremony. I didn't recognize anyone, but now, for all I know, one of the monkey-suited gents I walked past was DOAP filmmaker Gabriel Range. Not that I would have told him I disliked his movie -- once he had the statue in hand he wouldn't have cared what I thought anyway. Still, Robert DeNiro was apparently at the event, presenting a special award to Al Gore. Others who not only attended but also won include British actor Jim Broadbent, Dutch actor Pierre Bokma, French actress Muriel Robin and Stephen Fry, who features in the Best Documentary-winner Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive.

Mmmm! There's nothing quite like a helping of George W. Bush to get the blood pumping and fill your head with visions of lust and romance...right? No? Okay, maybe only if you're Laura Bush. Nevertheless, a documentary made about his 2000 presidential campaign, Journeys with George, is going to be made into a fictional movie. Reuters reports that filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, the daughter of Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House), is going to adapt her doc into a romance, at the urging of Steven Zaillian -- the Oscar-winning writer of Schindler's List. I guess if there's anyone to convince someone of writing something, it'd be him!

Zaillian says that he saw a Devil Wears Prada tone to the documentary, and convinced the filmmaker to make her screenwriting debut with the material. "Alexandra is a talented documentary filmmaker and a great raconteur. She's been places and seen and done things few of the rest of us have, and I'm excited she's decided to share her insider perspective and gift for storytelling with us in a screenplay." The movie will focus on "a young, impressionable news producer who finds herself dealing with the challenges of life and love in the midst of covering a presidential campaign." It's even scored itself a first-look deal with Sony Pictures, so this could become a big deal if the script works out. Good luck, Pelosi!

Movie marketing's a bit of a chess game for a lower-budget indie -- you want to always make tactical choices between advertising (which you pay for) and publicity (which you don't). For a great demonstration of this phenomenon, check out this press release from Newmarket films who picked up shock mock doc Death of a President at Toronto about how they are shocked, shocked that NPR and CNN won't run ads for the film.

Of course, this is the best of both worlds, as the Movie City News point out in their pithy headline -- now Newmarket doesn't have to pay money it probably doesn't have to run ads it can't afford ... and they'll benefit from some nice, juicy controversy. I think my favorite weasel-words in the press release come courtesy of Newmarket co-founder Chris Ball: "As everyone who has actually seen the movie agrees, Death of a President is the opposite of a call for violence – it's a powerfully cautionary tale about the pernicious effects of violence. ..." Take this the right way, Mr. Ball, but I don't think that a cautionary subtext about the pernicious effects of violence is what people go see DOAP for, anymore than they're watching porn for the safe sex message when the condoms come out. And also, let's not forget there's a fine distinction between censorship (which, to me, has always meant the government actively banning something) and the legitimate decision of a business to not accept an advertisement. Are NPR and CNN within their rights, in your eyes ... and will you go see Death of a President when it opens?

(Click here for Cinematical's Toronto Film Festival review of Death of a President.)

Occasionally, on the festival circuit, there's a movie that garners significant press before it even opens, and mainstream press at that. The controversy could be political, artistic or any one of a number of things. This year at Toronto, the as-yet-unseen-but-buzzed-about buzz flick was Death of a President -- a British mockumentary promising a look at a hypothetical 2007 assassination of George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States. Coyly listed in the program guides as D.O.A.P., the film's mere existence and outline caused a controversy, and incited strong feelings from both the Right-wing blogosphere and Kevin Costner (raising the question of which of those is actually less relevant). Political filmmaking about what-ifs is nothing new, nor are mock-docs about politically charged realities. C.S.A: The Confederate States of and It Happened Here both come to mind, as well as much of the work of Peter Watkins. Death of a President, it seemed, might be the newest entry into the field. Or public outrage over its essential plot might make the film disappear, a casualty of a just-declared War on Premises. ...

The proof, however, would be in the pudding -- and today on an overcast Toronto morning, the line for the pudding went around the block from the Cumberland theater. Having seen the film, I'll share the following observations about Death of a President: First, the press-and-industry screening this morning did, in fact, receive some applause as the credits rolled -- neither timid golf-claps nor an exultant celebration, but some. The second fact about Death of a President is even more stark and essential: It's not very good. Death of a President is not made as a broad-scale look at what might happen to the world, the state of things in the event of the murder of George W. Bush, or whoever may hold the office of the presidency. It's a tired, tedious mix of procedural-style storytelling, in which we're asked to engage in a slow-crawl mystery: Who really killed George W. Bush in October, 2007?

When people drop the name "Chris Marker" in this country (if anyone's dropping it at all outside of art school these days), it's usually in reference to La Jettee, a 28-minute short composed almost entirely of still photographs, which is often mentioned as the source material for Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys. Elsewhere in the world, Marker is known as the master of the non-fiction personal essay film. Like La Jettee, his documentaries (if you can call them that; the term applies better in some cases than others) are often structured as letters -- sometimes to the subject, sometimes to the viewer, sometimes to himself -- and always represent the sum of years spent collecting images across various media. Over the course of his 40 year career, the now-84-year-old Marker has seen technologies come and go, and has adapted with the ease and speed of an artist a quarter of his age. The Case of the Grinning Cat (released as Chats perchés on French TV two years ago; the version screening here has a just-finished, English-language narration) finds Marker rolling confidently into the age of the flash mob, and coming out with his own smirk surprisingly strengthened.

Picking a project to follow up the either trite or brilliant Crash (and, since it won best picture, no one really cares about the haters, do they?), writer/director Paul Haggis has gone in an interesting direction: he's in final talks to direct Against All Enemies, an adaptation of Richard A. Clarke's condemnation of the Bush administration's handling of the threat posed by al-Qaida. Though Haggis won't be writing the screenplay himself, he's expected to "supervise" the next draft, which is in the hands of James Vanderbilt. Haggis himself is currently writing and will direct Death and Dishonor for Warner Brothers, and it's not clear which project will be made first.

Aside from its intensely political nature, what's interesting about a movie version of Clarke's memoir is its cast: George W. Bush, for example, is sort of a main character in the thing. Is Columbia actually going to hire someone to play him? What about Condoleezza Rice, and Donald Rumsfeld? While I'd be the first to admit that such a thing could work (Nixon, which is packed to the gills with portrayals of well-know politicians, is fantastic), the fact that the central figures of Clarke's book are still in the public eye complicates things. Will we, for example, be able to see a Bush on screen without giggling, and thinking immediately of SNL?