Next time Terry Gilliam gets down about his bad luck, he should talk to Constantin Film about Pope Joan. In October of 2006, Franka Potente signed on. In April 2007, John Goodman got sued for backing out of the feature. That made production stop. Then director Volker Schlöndorff was fired over comments he made to a paper. Last we heard, there was a new director, Sönke Wortmann, but that was last August.

And I just had to go and say: "How funny would it be if she could no longer do it? Also disappointing, since I'd love to see her really command a period piece." The Hollywood Reporter posts that due to scheduling conflicts from the rampant delays, Franka is out and German actress Johanna Wokalek is in as Pope Joan. That news just, well, sucks. It would've been a great opportunity for Franka, and Wokalek isn't well-known stateside, which could affect the production further.

But here's where things get weird. It seems that although he was sued and left eons ago, "Constantin said Wednesday that it remains in talks with Goodman and that the actor could still join the cast." That would certainly help foreign cred, but is he really still around? Is this just due to the lawsuit? The whole production just seems like a mess.

Should I even bother saying that principle photography is now set for August, with the film's release set for 2009? Will this come to fruition, or are more problems on the way?

I don't know a lot about Speed Racer aside from what I've gleaned from the theme song over the years -- apparently, the young man's a demon on wheels -- so, in many ways, I'm the best possible audience for Larry and Andy Wachowski's new big-screen interpretation of the character. Originally a Japanese animation program exported and re-dubbed for the American market in the '60s, Speed Racer has now been revived and revitalized for now. And the Wachowskis have created a blast of pure pop family fun; Speed Racer's a bright, bold visual spectacle designed for kids.

And why shouldn't it be? Or, rather, how could it not? This is a property where one of the supporting characters is, after all, a monkey; any fully-grown individual hoping for an adult action film or racing realism is looking in the wrong place. Speed Racer plays like a car-crazed visual wonder -- it looks and feels like what pop artist Roy Lichtenstein would dream if you locked him in a room full of gas fumes, gave him only candy to eat and showed him nothing but Tron, Indianapolis 500 footage, episodes of the '60s Batman TV show and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. All at the same time. With the volume very, very high.

After delays presumably linked to the little tot that Isla Fisher just had with Sacha Baron Cohen, the adaptation of Sophie Kinsella's Confessions of a Shopaholic has finally gone into production -- with some shopaholic-breeding parents along for the ride. Variety reports that Joan Cusack and John Goodman have signed on to play Rebecca's (Fisher) parental units in the comedy.

I say "Yay!" to the casting, because Joan and not-brother John are great, but oh, I love how real-life ages never really factor in. That is, unless Joan's character had the money-obsessed daughter in her early teens. Joan is 45, and Isla is 32. Luckily, the credit card-addicted heroine of the film is 25. This is just like The Graduate, where Anne Bancroft was only 6 years older than Dustin Hoffman, when she was really supposed to be old enough to be his mother.

Anyhow, this shallow shopping extravaganza is currently shooting in New York and Connecticut, and is scheduled to hit theaters just in time for Cupid's next holiday on February 13, 2009.

To be perfectly honest, the premise of Gigantic didn't grab me at first. The plot seemed a little too self-aware and contrived.

Paul Dano (who is also executive producer) will be playing a depressed mattress salesman, who is on a quest to adopt a Chinese baby. But he's sidetracked by falling in love with a girl named Happy, played by Zooey Deschanel. (That's the second reason this film didn't grab me. You're depressed and you meet someone named Happy? How lucky! When I was depressed, I just made good friends with a cold Russian named Stolichnaya.)

But it's starting to win me over now, particularly with these latest cast members. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Ed Asner, John Goodman, and Jane Alexander have signed on.

Asner will be playing Dano's father, who loves pot and gangsta-rap, and Alexander will be playing his long-suffering mother. Goodman will be playing Happy's brilliant and domineering father. The parental combo overcomes my misgivings about the film -- although a stoned Asner could fall incredibly and painfully flat. But they inexplicably have me at "gangsta-rap loving father."

The first poster for Speed Racer has arrived online (courtesy of JoBlo) -- a film that's sure to give you an "interesting" experience at the theater when it arrives on May 9. The trailer, which first hit Moviefone recently, has caused all sorts of commotion from people who either love the trippy live-action look to people who hate the fact that it looks like a high-priced video game. This particular poster, according to recent photos over at FirstShowing, appears to be lenticular for the in-theater versions. That means the image changes based on the way you look at it. So next time you visit the theater, expect a bunch of stoners to be standing in front of the Speed Racer poster like a pack of hypnotized Chim-Chims.

Directed by the Wachowski Brothers (or siblings), Speed Racer is based on the popular '60s cartoon. It stars Emile Hirsch as an up-and-coming race car driver who enters into a dangerous race in order to help thwart an evil company's plans to destroy his car and his family's business. The film co-stars Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon and Matthew Fox. You can check out the trailer over on Moviefone, or visit the film's official site for more info.

You've probably already seen the pics, so now it's time to enjoy the first trailer for one of this summer's most anticipated films, Speed Racer. Based on the classic 1960s cartoon, Speed Racer was brought back to life on the big screen by those Matrix wizards, the Wachowski Brothers. And whether you agree with what they've done or not, guaranteed you haven't seen anything like this before. Bursting with vibrant colors, and featuring scenes that look absolutely spectacular to watch (you'll need to see this one in the theater), Speed Racer stars Emile Hirsch as the aspiring race car driver Speed, who, with help from his family (Mom and Pops played by Susan Sarandon and John Goodman), his girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) and a little chimp named Chim Chim, builds the unstoppable Mach 5 and teams with the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) to win the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible in order to save his family's business and beat the evil Royalton at his own game. You can check out the trailer up top, or head on over to Moviefone to see it in glorious HD. Additionally, we've included a gallery of still photos below. Speed Racer is set to crash its way into theaters on May 9, 2008.

Today we salute the military veterans who have either served in wartime or in peace. I think technically Veteran's Day specifically honors war veterans, but I don't see why the non-combat military personnel needs to be excluded. Still, in the movies, it's the war vets that are most memorable, and on this holiday, I'd like to present my list of seven favorites.

Obviously this list isn't comprehensive -- in fact, I don't feature any examples of the now-stereotypical Vietnam vet character, which would include Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July or Gary Senise in Forrest Gump. This is just a list of characters, positive and negative, that I prefer and which I think somewhat represents the wide and diverse scope of war vets.


"Homer Parrish" from The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, William Wyler)

About fifty years before Robert Zemeckis was digitally removing Gary Senise's legs to make him the disabled vet Lt. Dan of Forrest Gump, William Wyler directed a real amputee veteran named Harold Russell as the handicapped character Homer Parrish in this movie about the difficulty of coming home following World War II. Russell actually won an Oscar for his performance as Parrish, a former high school quarterback who returns to his childhood sweetheart, with whom he's engaged and for whom he no longer feels good enough. The actor/character has hooks for hands and appears in some sappy, obligatory scenes where he has trouble with them, but he ends up a guy that is beloved more than pitied, and it's almost easy to forget he has the handicap, especially after hearing him play piano with the false limbs.

Here's the biggest problem most folks will have with Bee Movie: It's not Ratatouille. Both films have a lot in common with one another, except the latter is far greater in terms of story, character and overall charm. And if Ratatouille hadn't arrived only a few short months ago, I might have felt differently about Bee Movie. Instead, I walked away feeling a bit jaded, expecting more from a man who had entertained me for so many years on one of my favorite television shows of all time. But that's not to say Bee Movie is a bad film; it will most certainly entertain the youngsters with its colorful, larger-than-life spirit, and there are enough adult-orientated gems scattered throughout to make it worthy of your family's hard-earned cash. But when your kids turn to you and whisper, "I liked the one with the rat better," don't say I never told you so.

If you're not aware of this film by now, then I'd seriously take a look around because you might, quite literally, be living in a bubble. The film is co-written by, produced by and stars the voice of Jerry Seinfeld, and the man has been buzzing "Pssst ... Bee Movie -- pass it on ...) in our ears for months. When he wasn't dressed up in a giant bee costume, hanging from a construction crane in France, he was promoting the film through commercials, television shows. From what I hear, several people claim the man actually entered their dreams at one point to promote Bee Movie. It's been nearly a decade since Seinfeld (the television show) ended, and it might take another 10 years for the man to do something else. Problem is, after Bee Movie, I'm not sure we'd mind.

With "geek" stuff like comics, sci-fi, and horror taking over the mainstream, ComicCon has become one of the biggest film events of the year. The studios really take it seriously, and this should be an excellent week for major film announcements. Today, the fairly new studio Fox Atomic, an offshoot of Fox targeting the 17-24 demographic, announced what festival goers can expect from them this year. It looks like their biggest push is for the upcoming revenge thriller Death Sentence. There will be an online sweepstakes to win a 1969 Ford Mustang featured in the film, starting when ComicCon opens its doors tomorrow. If you can't make it to the festival you can enter at the official movie website, http://deathsentencemovie.com, up until the film is released on August 31st. Death Sentence stars Kevin Bacon as a man out to avenge his son's death, and co-stars John Goodman and Kelly Preston. James Wan (Saw) directed. Bacon, co-star Garrett Hedlund and Wan will be signing autographs at ComicCon this Saturday at 3PM.

Also, be on the lookout for a contest to win a Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by the cast of the upcoming comedy The Rocker. You can read more about that movie here and here, it tells "the story of a failed, over-the-hill drummer who is given a second chance at fame." Rainn Wilson plays the drummer and Christina Applegate will be his love interest. Only in the movies, folks! Fox Atomic is understandably putting a big focus on their graphic novel publishing arm at ComicCon as well. Signings and giveaways are scheduled for Joe Harris and Stuart Moore's The Nightmare Factory, due out on September 4th, as well as their film-based graphic novels -- 28 Days Later: The Aftermath by Steve Niles and The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. It looks like just about all of the artists and authors will be in attendance. We've got all sorts of ComicCon news, announcements, and goodness coming your way from San Diego (which, of course, is German for "whale's vagina") all this week and through the weekend, so stick around and stay classy.

Just when you were starting to worry that Racer X wouldn't have a girlfriend in the Wachowski's Speed Racer ... whew, the role has been cast. Nayo Wallace, previously known only for some scattered television work on The District, Sleeper Cell and a few other shows, has grabbed the role and will be appearing opposite Matthew Fox, who's been previously cast as the enigmatic Racer X. Speed Racer is currently filming in Germany, with Emile Hirsch in the title role, Christina Ricci as his girlfriend Trixie, and Susan Sarandon and John Goodman as his parents. Richard Roundtree is also in there somewhere. As far as I know, all of the film's major roles have now been cast, and we have only to sit back and wait for the Wachowskis to start actually delivering some footage on this thing.

The last thing we heard about the production was that PETA was up in arms about a monkey possibly being smacked around on the set after it bit some people, and that's pretty much it on the Speed Racer news front. As far as the film's ComicCon plans, the list of participants is still unknown since everyone is busy shooting in Germany, but the word is that there may be some production footage and a cast interview reel shown, as well as some of the film's storyboards. We'll have our people at the Warner Bros. presentation, and we'll be live-blogging all Speed Racer unveilings, so stay tuned.

"Donny, you're out of your element." "That rug really tied the room together." "Careful man, there's a beverage here!" "Eight year olds, dude." "Nice marmot." "Obviously you're not a golfer." I could go on. I saw The Big Lebowski in a mostly empty theater when it was released. If any moviegoers other than me were laughing, I couldn't hear them. Now, almost ten years later, the film is hailed as a modern classic, it is endlessly quoted, and it even has its own festival: Lebowski Fest. According to the press release, this year's sixth annual event will entail:

•Unlimited Bowling •Costume, Trivia, Farthest Traveled, and Bowling Contests •Celebrity Appearances

•White Russians, Sarsaparillas, and Oat Sodas •Screening of the film •What-Have-You

Lebowski Fest takes place next weekend, on July 20th and 21st, in Louisville, Kentucky. And believe it or not, the fest has gone global. On August 24th, there will be a festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, and on August 30th, one will be held in London, England. Pretty reasonably priced tickets for all events are on sale now, at the festival's home page. Be sure to check out the site, you can also get some great merchandise like T-shirts, posters, and famous quote bumper stickers. There's even a link to Lebowski action figures! As for the celebrity appearances, don't go expecting John Goodman and Jeff Bridges (although Bridges has attended in the past!). It looks like so far it's just James G. Hoosier, who portrayed "The Jesus' bowling buddy Liam." The event sounds like a blast to me, and I guarantee there'll be some memorable characters there. I might have to hit the Los Angeles event this October. Has anyone been to one of these fests before? Is anyone thinking about heading to one this year?

Who's that guy playing a racer-turned-commentator in next summer's big-screen Speed Racer flick? Shaft! Ya damn right ... so says The Hollywood Reporter. Yup, Richard Roundtree (aka the original Shaft) has signed on for a role in Speed Racer. Can ya dig it? As I said before, he'll be playing Ben Burns, an ex racer who's settled down as one of them iconic commentators with whom fans (including our hero Speed) absolutely adore. Roundtree joins a cast that already includes Emile Hirsch (as Speed), Christina Ricci (as Speed's hottie girl friend Trixie), John Goodman (as Pops Racer), Susan Sarandon (as Moms Racer), Roger Allam (as Royalton) and Matthew Fox (as Racer X). There are a host of other minor characters (including a real-life monkey playing Chim Chim), but you can check out the film's main page to see who's playing who.

Based on the popular animated series, this new (and hopefully improved) live-action version of Speed Racer will go the family-friendly route, as in it's rated G. Does that mean Ricci won't appear half-naked and handcuffed to anything? Written and directed by the Wachowski Bros (The Matrix), pic will follow a race car driver named Speed who attempts to obtain glory while riding in the souped-up Mach 5 his Pops created for him. Along the way, however, he'll have to deal with the mysterious Racer X and the devilish owner of Royalton industries who's out to sabotage Speed after the young racer declines an offer to work for him. Set to hit theaters on May 9, 2008, the film is currently shooting in Berlin. Here's hoping we get a better look at the film once ComicCon rolls into San Diego later this month.

"Lighten up." That's what people say when you dare to criticize a big dopey comedy, especially a potential summer blockbuster. Didn't think the Shrek movies were that funny? Were you annoyed by the sexism in one of the guy-centric comedies that seem to be taking over the genre? Didn't crack a smile during Napoleon Dynamite? Then you need to lighten up, obviously, and stop complaining just because the comedy film wasn't very funny to you. And I predict that by the end of this review of Evan Almighty, people are going to tell me to lighten up, and will probably accuse me of having no sense of humor, because I didn't love the film unquestionably.

Evan Almighty, the sequel to the 2003 Jim Carrey vehicle Bruce Almighty, is in fact funny at times, because a cast like this with such superb comic timing and such charismatic screen appeal cannot help but entertain you. You're aware that the dialogue is dumb and the situation is lame and yet, thanks to the actors, you laugh anyway. And after the movie is over you feel almost like you've been conned, and you're not entirely sure what was so funny in the first place.

... Although, at this point, it's still kind of revving in the starter's gate. The Wachowski-crafted adaptation of the well-loved anime series is fully cast, but the just-unveiled official site for the film mostly has a plethora of audio, video, and photo material ... all from the May 31st Berlin press conference featuring producer Joel Silver, star Emile Hirsch, co-star Christina Ricci, the film's bad guy Matthew Fox and other members of the cast (and, notably, not the actual Wachowskis themselves, which is actually typical for the press-shy Larry and Andy Wachowski.) The site's got some pretty sweet photos of the Mach 5, though -- and bear in mind, for a film that won't be hitting theaters until May 2008, any information is impressive.

Whether you're a hard-core Speed Racer fan or you have a more casual level of interest in the project -- like, the idea of the Wachowskis directing a racing film where things go really fast seems appealing -- there's plenty of information at the site nonetheless. You get extensive information on the international co-financing of the production, the suggestion that a lot of the action will happen virtually as opposed to on-set and confirmation of the fact that coolest man alive Richard Roundtree is in the cast. There's still no word on who'll get to perform the iconic theme song (which, to me, is the best thing about Speed Racer) but if anyone from the production's reading, Matthew Sweet's 1995 take on the theme (on a fairly rare EP) still holds up (although we'll probably get Maroon 5 or Nickelback or some other worst-case scenario ...)

Those fine folks over at Warner Bros. have sent Cinematical an official Speed Racer press release which provides a full cast list, as well as lots of plot info. Although it wasn't very difficult to piece together all the nuggets of information we've received over the past month or so, it is nice to see all things Speed Racer in one place. (Check out the recently released pic of Speed's Mach 5 to the right) As expected, the meat and potatoes of the story will revolve around Speed's (Emile Hirsch) attempt to take down the powerful and corrupt Royalton Industries before its evil owner (Roger Allam) puts Speed and his family out of business for good.

One of the casting choices I'm most interested in is that of Ji Hoon Jung (aka the popular Korean singer Rain) as a rival driver. Although the press release suggests this is his feature debut, I managed to catch some of Rain's acting in Park Chan-wook's I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay -- a film that actually marked his first feature role; one that was pulled off rather successfully, if I may say so myself. In case you've been living under a rock, Speed Racer was written and will be directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski (of Matrix fame), and will be based off the old acid trip of a cartoon. Pic also stars Christina Ricci (as Speed's friend Trixie), John Goodman and Susan Sarandon (as mom and pops racer), Matthew Fox (as the mysterious Racer X), Kick Gurry (as Sparky) and Paulie Litt (as Sprittle). (Now all we need is for someone to play a character named Sprite and things will be all set.) I've included the full press release after the jump; Speed Racer is set to drive into theaters on May 9, 2008.