As you're already aware, talk of a new Spider-Man film has heated up lately. First came the news that Spider-Man 4 and 5 might be filmed at the same time (based on a new story arc introduced by current screenwriter James Vanderbilt), which you heard first right here on Cinematical. Then came word that Sony re-upped their deal with Marvel to make Spider-Man 4. Now, Latino Review reports on who the studio might be looking at to replace Tobey Maguire as Spidey ... and it's definitely NOT who everyone thought it could've been (does that sentence make sense?).

They're saying Patrick Fugit, who first broke out as little William Miller in Almost Famous (and recently starred in the indie hit Wristcutters), is at the top of the "potential Spidey list," alongside Michael Angarano (who just starred in The Forbidden Kingdom). Coincidentally (or not), Angarano played the younger version of William Miller in Almost Famous before they leaped ahead a few years and Fugit took over.

Just the fact that such a wish-list exists means chances are not good that Maguire and crew will return for a fourth installment. For more, head on over to LR -- in the meantime, whaddya think about this one?

The good news? Two of Asia's biggest action superstars have teamed up for the first time. The bad news? It's 15 years too late. And what's with the white kid?

The Forbidden Kingdom is yet another picture in which we are meant to experience an exotic locale peopled entirely by "others" through the eyes of a Caucasian character. In this case, it's a fantasy world cobbled together from classic Chinese literature and period martial arts movies. As the latest entry in the category of "low expectation, Asian-themed, English-language movies written and directed by respectful American creative talent," the film is slightly above average entertainment. But I grow tired of having to lower my expectations in exchange for the pleasure of seeing talented Asian performers make an appearance on the big screen in America.

Writer John Fusco and director Rob Minkoff make fun of some of the stereotypes inherent in period martial arts pictures, while also sprinkling shout-outs into the material to demonstrate their love and knowledge of the various source materials that inspired them. Jackie Chan and Jet Li are cheerfully engaging as a drunken beggar and monk on a mission, respectively, providing most of the film's comic and action highlights in supporting roles. That's right -- Chan and Li have both achieved Hollywood stardom, are top-billed, are no doubt top-paid, but play second fiddle to "the white kid," Michael Angarano. We waited years for this?

With each picture since his 2000 debut George Washington, David Gordon Green has taken at least a small step backward. That gradual regression becomes a full-fledged precipitous decline with Snow Angels, a film in which the director (working from a novel by Stewart O'Nan) flails about in search of poetry, and comes up with only trivial stylistic flourishes that compound his story's overwrought faux-naturalism. Considering the lyrical grace of his heralded first feature, Green's devolution from one of American cinema's most promising talents to his current status as just another middling indie lightweight is tough to fathom. Yet with his latest, Green misses the mark in so many respects -- from a multi-strand plot devoid of insight, to performances that are generally overcooked, to a mise-en-scène that comes up largely empty in the department of inspired grace and beauty -- that it makes one wonder if his upcoming foray into director-for-hire work (with this summer's raunchy stoner comedy The Pineapple Express) isn't a shrewd attempt to escape his own increasingly faulty auteurist instincts.

Things certainly seem to be moving quickly for Gentlemen Broncos. Five days ago, Patrick had first broke the news on the follow-up project for Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre creator Jared Hess. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has already announced that Sam Rockwell has signed to star along side Flight of the Conchords creator Jermaine Clement for the teen comedy. The story centers on a teen fantasy novelist who has his story ripped off by his idol at a writer's camp. Michael Angarano (Lords of Dogtown) will play the teen that comes up with the fantasy story with the unfortunate title of Yeast Lords.

Rockwell will play the fictional character in the story and there will be some "book-come-to-life sequences under two guises: one in the teen's story and one in the author's story". Well, if anybody can pull it off, it would be Rockwell -- the man has a knack for playing some of the most diverse characters without breaking a sweat. If you don't believe me, take an afternoon and watch The Green Mile and then Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and tell me those are two pretty impressive ends of the spectrum.

The script was written by the husband and wife team of Jared and Jerusha Hess, and will be produced Mike White and Ben LeClair. Both White and LeClair worked with Hess before on Nacho Libre. So it looks like Patrick's prediction came true and the cast is going to be an 'indie' affair, but with the addition of Rockwell and Clement there's just a smidgen more of 'hipster' cred. Gentlemen Broncos is scheduled to start production this March and arrive in theaters some time in 2009.

Gregg Araki's stoner comedy Smiley Face (pictured) mysteriously received only a token theatrical release in Los Angeles and New York after receiving favorable reviews (including two from our own Jette Kernion and Monika Bartyzel) from a short run on the festival circuit. Now the rest of us can see it. The DVD from First Look includes a "making of" featurette; look for Erik's review of the DVD later on today.

Danny Boyle's 'space mission to repair the biggest star in the sky,' better known as Sunshine, inspired Nick Schager to describe it as "a gorgeously crafted intergalactic saga sorely lacking in originality or profundity." You know what that means -- it should be perfect on DVD! Fox Searchlight's release includes an audio commentary by Boyle, two short films with intros by Boyle, deleted scenes, web production diaries and an alternate ending.

I loved Emanuele Crialese's Respiro, which featured a great performance by Valeria Golino, so I'm eager to catch up with his latest film, The Golden Door. Eric D. Snider said that this "story of an Italian family emigrating to America circa 1900 ... completely immerses us in the images and sounds of its world." The Miramax DVD has a "making of" feature and an introduction by Martin Scorsese.

Black Irish should play very well on the small screen. As I've written before, the film "revolves around a sterling, thoroughly engaging performance by Michael Angarano as a high schooler in Boston coming to grips with his family and his future; the script and direction by Brad Gann is solid and features a few surprising, gentle twists." The DVD from Anywhere Road Entertainment includes a commentary track and a "behind the scenes" feature.

Also out this week: Eagle vs. Shark, "(in some ways) even better than Napoleon Dynamite," per Scott Weinberg, DarkBlueAmostBlack, "a subtle, rewarding exploration of family," according to Martha Fischer, and Klimt, an unconventional bio-pic by Chilean director Raúl Ruiz.

After screening at Sundance last year, a trailer for Snow Angels has finally hit the net, which you can check out above. The latest from indie filmmaker David Gordon Green, Angels follows his small-town formula, but this time, with dueling stories of happiness and darkness. On the one hand, there's the burgeoning love story between Michael Angarano (the cutie from flicks like Almost Famous and Sky High) and Olivia Thirlby (who you might recognize as Juno's helpful best friend). On the other, there's a complicated familial story focusing on Kate Beckinsale, her estranged husband Sam Rockwell, and their young daughter. Making the whole deal even more tasty -- there's also the likes of Griffin Dunne, Amy Sedaris, and Nicky Katt.

If the trailer is any indication of the film, it should be a great cinematic experience. (But be warned: it does give a lot of detail into the film, as many trailers love to do.) However, if you need more of a reason to go see it, you can check out James Rocchi's glowing review from Sundance, as well as his interview with Green. On the flipside, you can check out Kevin Kelly's review, which was a bit less praising.

[via Empire]

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for The Forbidden Kingdom (click on the image for a larger version), otherwise known as the film that pairs up martial arts veterans Jackie Chan and Jet Li for their first ever big-screen collaboration. Directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King), The Forbidden Kingdom follows an American teen (Michael Angarano) and all-around Kung Fu nut, who comes across a mysterious Chinese staff that transports him back to ancient China. While there, he meets up with two Kung Fu masters (Chan, Liu Yifei) and the Silent Monk (Li), and the four head off to fulfill an ancient prophecy to free the jailed Monkey King. Of course, there's another set of warriors who will attempt to make their journey just a wee bit difficult.

Not long ago, a (sort of) teaser trailer premiered announcing the end of principal photography, and the footage looked pretty insane. Keep in mind the film's fight choreography is from Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix films, Kill Bill) with cinematography from Peter Pau (Shoot 'Em Up) -- which means we're definitely in store for some wicked visuals. The Forbidden Kingdom will arrive in theaters on April 18.

Christopher Plummer gives a black hole of a performance in Man in the Chair, which opened in New York last week and in Los Angeles this weekend. Every time he appears, he inexorably sucks attention away from anyone else on screen. Eventually, everything revolves in orbit around him, even when he's not present. Somehow, though, even as Plummer merges his soul with his character at the molecular level, he does so in a modest manner. The seams between actor and role are not readily apparent. It's a pity that the film as a whole doesn't rise to level of his magnificent performance, but he elevates the material by his grizzled presence.

Plummer plays Flash Madden, a retired gaffer with a permanent scowl etched on his face. We meet him in a darkened cinema, muttering to himself, talking back to Orson Welles in Touch of Evil, and flashing back to his moment of glory when he was fired, then instantly rehired, on the set of Citizen Kane. He's a moviegoer's worst nightmare, the annoying old guy who keeps up a running commentary while you're trying to enjoy a classic, so our sympathies run toward the man who asks him to shut up. Flash tells the man off, which amuses Cameron Kincaid (a wisely subdued Michael Angarano, who also served as associate producer), a high school senior who wants to win a film school scholarship contest.

Flash puts on a great show of being irascible and irritable, but doesn't seem to mind very much when Cameron begins stalking him. Having overhead that Flash used to work in the movies, Cameron seizes on the thought that the old guy might be able to help him make his student film. From the movie posters hanging in his room and snatches of conversation with his only friend, we get the message that Cameron loves movies. (When he decides to steal a car for a joyride, he insists that it be the same make and model as the titular automotive character in John Carpenter's Christine.) Apparently in common with many young filmmakers today, Cameron wants to make his own movies but doesn't really have anything to say.

As a movie lover living in flyover country, three things keep me from watching every movie that comes out: time, money and opportunity. The first two limit how many I can afford to see, while the last limits what I can see, since not every movie plays in my neck of the woods. Faced with these limitations, I'm forever prioritizing: can I wait and watch it later on DVD or cable? Or is the film crying out to be seen right now on the big screen?

As I noted in my weekly Indie Weekend Box Office report, both Black Irish and Music Within opened last weekend and struggled to find audiences. Both appear to be relying chiefly on reviews and word-of-mouth rather than expensive advertising campaigns. Black Irish revolves around a sterling, thoroughly engaging performance by Michael Angarano as a high schooler in Boston coming to grips with his family and his future; the script and direction by Brad Gann is solid and features a few surprising, gentle twists. Music Within stars Ron Livingston as Richard Pimental, a real-life character who didn't find a direction in life until he lost his hearing during the Vietnam War. Ultimately he became a remarkably effective activist for the disabled.

I don't mean to damn the the films with faint praise -- I've seen and enjoyed both to varying degrees -- yet I'm not positive that they demand to be seen in a theater. They're small scale dramas with a degree of humor that would, most likely, play just as effectively on a small screen. If you have an affinity for the subject matter or like the actors, though, by all means seek them out. (Check the official sites for Black Irish and Music Within for more information.) As always, prioritize according to your own criteria.

We've already tossed out some more familiar names like Ryan Gosling, Tom Welling, Jennifer Connelly, Christian Bale and Brandon Routh, but it looks like Warner Bros. and director George Miller are beginning to head in another direction as far as casting goes on the much-hyped Justice League of America live-action movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Miller flew in from his home in Australia over the weekend to check out 35-40 young actors who were brought in to test for roles like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter. A lot of these folks are still somewhat familiar, just on a smaller teen-actor scale.

Among the fresh young faces invited to the table were Adam Brody, Joseph Cross, D.J. Cotrona, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Angarano, Teresa Palmer, Max Thierot and the rapper Common. Those of you following the Justice League flick on Cinematical might remember how we (along with our readers) put Common on the JLA wishlist (which you can see below) as Green Lantern. Perhaps folks from Warners were listening to our cries ... Apart from those already listed, it seems some kids from the cast of NBC's Friday Night Lights were also in attendance, including Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki and Scott Porter. Could our JLA cast be born out of this list? It's still too soon to tell, but Miller was itching to go in this direction because he wanted actors and actresses that could "grow into their roles over the course of several movies." That right there indicates Warners has plans in place for a lot more than one JLA film, not to mention they will most likely use these same folks for spin-off movies.

Personally, I feel this is the right way to go. While I still feel now is not a good time to rush out a JLA flick, I do think we need a fresh crop of faces to take on the roles. It's better that way, and there's less of a chance the film will hinder future stand alone Batman and Superman films. But what do you think of the direction they're heading in? Would you rather more well-known actors in the cast?