One of the things I hate most about wannabe indie movies is the fallacy of the two-day scruff. That's when a male character wakes up every day with exactly two days' growth of beard, even if the movie takes place over the course of two weeks and even if he lacks the means to shave. That's a small thing, I know, but it indicates that the director is grasping at straws trying to come up with a visual look for his story, perhaps a kind of cool, grungy look. The new Sleepwalking, directed by Bill Maher (not the Comedy Central guy) is filled with such things, like a spookily serene shot of a girl swimming underwater with weird sunglasses on, or swirls of powdered snow wisping across a lonely highway. These images may fill out a 2-1/2 minute trailer, but they're out of place in Maher's feature film.

Nick Stahl plays the "sleepwalking" James, a dead-eyed slacker who works a construction job and goes home to a dreary apartment. One day his sister Joleen (Charlize Theron) disappears and his 11 year-old Niece Tara (AnnaSophia Robb) turns up looking for help. Even though he can't drive, James attempts to maintain a schedule, driving her to school in the mornings, before turning up at his job. One day he's late, and the next he calls in sick to look for his sister. On the third day, they oversleep, just as social services turn up. James loses his job and Tara is shipped off to a home. But the first chance she gets, she coaxes her uncle to help her skip town. Their money carries them only as far as James and Joleen's father's farm, which looks permanently chilled and dried and wind-blown (only scraps of paint remain on the outside walls).

Sleepwalking stars Charlize Theron -- but she disappears from the screen for about two-thirds of the film. It's set in the American West -- but shot in Canada. It's about family, pain, loss, renewal -- all of which are discussed, and discussed more elegantly, in other films at Sundance this year. It even has what's become a fairly standard-issue Sundance finale, as a character hits the open road with a bright future ahead of them, aside from the murder rap in their rear view mirror. It's not that Sleepwalking is bad, per se; it's just that it's inert, a space-and-schedule filler that can now put the words "Sundance Premiere Selection" on the DVD box when it goes straight-to-video.

Joleen Reedy (Theron) has one of those lives where all the things that go wrong keep her harried and distracted enough to not notice how many of them are her fault. She's been thrown out of her house because the cops have seized her boyfriend's on-site marijuana gro-op, and she and her daughter Tara (AnnaSophia Robb) move in with her brother James (Nick Stahl). Joleen doesn't even try to get back on her feet -- or, rather, she figures the best way to get back on her feet involves leaving town in pursuit of another man; Tara's left with James, and his strained life implodes under the stress of trying to care for an 11-year-old girl.

To be honest, I'm a little surprised that today is the first day I have heard about the indie-drama Sleepwalking -- mainly because it stars two Oscar-nominated actors. Heck, one of them even won. You would have thought that the marketing department would have had a field day with that kind of award-winning pedigree. Trailer Addict is now hosting the first trailer for this dysfunctional family drama, which stars Charlize Theron, Nick Stahl, AnnaSophia Robb and Dennis Hopper.

Robb plays a young girl who has to come to terms with the fact that her mother (Theron) has abandoned her, and that she has been left with her uncle James (Stahl), who is not ready to deal with raising a kid on his own. Hopper plays the patriarch of this dysfunctional family and by the looks of the trailer, he is making full use of his skill with playing a 'villain.'

Sleepwalking was written by Zac Stanford, who is a relative newcomer, and this was his first feature film script. Bill Maher (no, not that one) directed the dysfunctional weepie, and is also relatively new to the directing game. (So far, Maher has spent most of his career as a visual effects artist on films like X-Men and Mars Attacks!) The movie was chosen to be a part of the Sundance slate (you can check out stills from the film from our Sundance coverage here), but there is no word about a release date. One look at the credits would lead me to believe that it probably won't take long before the property is snatched up by a studio.

[via Filmstalker]

How's this for a premise? A young reporter who lost the use of his legs in a childhood car accident is asked to look into a group of handicap "wannabes" before he falls in love with a physically-abled woman who, yep, desperately wants to be a paraplegic. Sounds pretty outlandish, doesn't it? But the truth is that there ARE people out there who'd prefer to be wheelchair-bound -- as "crazy" as that might sound to you and me. Strange but true, folks, and Carlos Brooks' oddly illuminating Quid Pro Quo does an appreciably good job of delving into some rather arcane issues.

Although he needs a wheelchair to get around, radio journalist Isaac Knot (get it? I Sick. Not.) is by no means disabled. Aside from the fact that he can't stand or walk, Isaac has no problem getting around New York City, chasing down story leads, and handling a fairly normal social life. (Aside from all the skittish single chicks who get freaked out at the sight of a wheelchair, that is, and all those lazy cab drivers.)

But when a decidedly strange story hits the wire -- apparently a man recently walked into a hospital and offered a doctor $250,000 to amputate a perfectly healthy leg -- Isaac becomes intrigued. Professional interest turns into personal business when a mysterious (and sexy!) informant pops up and offers Isaac an odd exclusive: She'll introduce him to the world of "wannabes" if he teaches her what it's like to be stuck in a chair all the time.

Okay, it's only in rumor form right now, but AICN is reporting that Christian Bale has signed on to play an adult John Connor in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (aka Terminator 4), which will most likely be directed by McG. Harry himself shelled out the news, which he claims comes from an "extremely trusted source who has never been wrong before." Bale signing on to play Connor means the character will indeed be significantly older in the next film; unlike the teenage version who showed up in the form of Edward Furlong (Terminator 2) and Nick Stahl (Terminator 3) in previous films. It also means Bale will jump from one high-profile franchise (Christopher Nolan's Batman flicks) to another that, according to reports, will contain at least three films. Will Bale star in all three?

Here's the film's plot synopsis from IMDb (though we're not sure if it's entirely correct): "After the drastic effects of Terminator 3, the story continues as John Connor and soon to be wife Kate Brewster realize they must create a resistance organization with Earth's remaining survivors against the army of robots slowly being built up by Skynet. As they are building this resistance, one survivor happens to be a traitor in disguise, and has a secret that nobody would ever come to suspect." Though I'm not crazy about McG taking over the franchise, I absolutely love Christian Bale ... especially in this role as a rogue warrior up against an army of machines. Who will take over for Claire Danes and play Connor's wife (if this synopsis is correct)? Any suggestions? We'll let you know more as soon as information is available.

I know I'm not completely in the minority with this, but I have to admit first off that I loved Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. I really thought Jonathan Mostow did a great job delivering the action -- obviously not close to as good as James Cameron would have done, but better than many others could have. When it was revealed that a fourth Terminator was in the works, I hoped Mostow would be rehired for the gig. But I guess he's either doing something else (Swiss Family Robinson perhaps?) or for some reason he's not welcome back. According to CHUD.com, his replacement on the franchise may be McG, who I find to be one of the most annoying guys working in Hollywood these days. Really, though, I just hate on the guy because of his stupid name. I guiltily kinda enjoyed his two Charlie's Angels movies. Apparently, McG is currently in talks to take the helm of the sequel, for a pre-strike production start, but it isn't for certain that he'll get the job.

I'm sure many of you will probably be upset if McG officially signs on, even if you too just criticize him for his name. It could be the nail on the coffin for a lot of fans already nervous about the continuation of the storyline without any definite sign of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes or anyone else who has previously starred in the series. From what we've so far heard, it seems part 4 will focus on the post-apocalyptic period involving the war between the machines and John Connor's army. Everything else, regarding an Arnie cameo, or whatever, I'm still considering to be hearsay. Anyway, all I care about now is that at least Terminator 4 has been scripted by T3's Michael Ferris and John D. Brancato, a duo I'm sure are well-enough-versed in the Terminator universe to make this next installment interesting and worth seeing.

Just when you thought there was little to no movement on the do-we-really-need-another-one Terminator 4, comes word from Moviehole that a couple of high-profile actresses might be battling it out to play the lead female. First off, take this all with a grain of salt since it comes via two websites called Celebrity Spotlight and GlobalArnold.com. Since I dig Clint at Moviehole, and trust his opinion, I've decided to link directly to his story (in which he provides links to the original articles). That said, according to whomever, both Rachel Weisz and Chloë Sevigny approached Terminator producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek at a recent party -- and, apparently, inquired about "the role." I'm not sure what "the role" is, but I assume it's the same character portrayed by Claire Danes in Terminator 3.

Additionally, they also claim that a "high profile hunk has already been cast as the male lead," which most likely means Nick Stahl will not be reprising his role as John Connor. No idea who that could be, but feel free to throw out guesses based on what we already know about the John Connor character and the words "high profile hunk." Fred Savage? Fingers crossed! Another, more interesting (to me, at least) note is that they also mention the following with regards to Weisz's busy shooting schedule: "She is already signed up to star in Peter Jackson's Lovely Bones and next year will start shooting Sin City 2 with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez." Oh really?

First off, when did Weisz sign on for that role (which, in all likelihood, would be that of Ava Lord), and when did Rodriguez solidify a shooting schedule? From what we know, no one is really planning post-strike right now, and even so, Rodriguez has to shoot his Barbarella remake first. So, has Weisz been officially cast? And seeing as she turned down a third Mummy film, what makes you think she'd be interested in a fourth Terminator film? Chloë Sevigny, on the other hand, is super sexy in that "I might kill you after we sleep together" kind of way -- which I really dig -- so go ahead and sign her up. All rumors for now; we'll let you know if anything more concrete materializes.

Years ago, a fan-girl friend of mine convinced me to stand in the cold, pouring rain to meet Gavin Rossdale. We did, he was very nice to my hyperventilating friend and I have kept my eye on him ever since. Yet somehow, this new indie film slipped under my radar, until today. There's a new flick on the pike called How to Rob a Bank, and it stars the Bush frontman along with Nick Stahl (Sin City) and Erika Christensen (The Upside of Anger). It's about a guy named Jinx (Stahl) who gets mighty irked when he can't withdraw his last $20 because the transaction fee will overdraw him, ends up getting thrown in the middle of a bank heist and finds himself locked in a bank vault with Jessica (Christensen), while thief Simon (Rossdale) fumes from the outside trying to get in.

From there, the film has a bunch of interwoven stories, twists and turns. You can check out a synopsis at the film's website here; however, it seems ridiculously detailed and spoilery to me. There's also a trailer up on YouTube, which doesn't look like any stellar achievement in cinema, but seems fun nonetheless... Or, maybe not. It screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival last month, and The Hollywood Reporter has just thrown up a review, saying: "Despite having such semi-name performers as Nick Stahl and Erika Christensen in the cast, this film has zero boxoffice potential." The review continues on, panning the setting, so-so performances, dialogue -- the meat and bones of the picture. Basically, it sounds like a crapshoot. That being said, I'm sure it'll at least draw in fans of the three top actors, and at least there's a soundtrack including bands like The Dandy Warhols and Duran Duran.

Slight morsels for you:

• So we've been filling you in on the upcoming Terminator 4 sequel, which last had rumors of an Arnie return. Now the folks at JoBlo say that Nick Stahl is considering a return in the role that Edward Furlong made famous. (He is part of the "option package" for upcoming sequels.) I'd be surprised if he didn't. We've been robbed of Carnivale, and he's already wrapped up the other films on his docket -- Quid Pro Quo, Ferris Wheel and The Speed of Thought.
• I've finally got some more news for you on Zach Braff's upcoming flick, Andrew Henry's Meadow. In March, there were rumblings that he would be penning an adaptation with his brother, Adam, and Barry Sonnenfeld was in talks to direct it. In an interview with VH1, he's now saying that Cory Edwards will be directing the film, which Braff describes as "if Terry Gilliam had directed The Goonies." It will be his first live-action movie, so I'm curious to see how he deals with the outcast kids who team up to save their parents, like Erik described here.
• Finally, there's more cast to add to the upcoming thriller that Jessica Barnes told us about last month, Pathology, which stars super-absorby hero Milo Ventimiglia. He, Alyssa Milano and Lauren Lee Smith will be joined by Keir O'Donnell, who was one of the Clearys in Wedding Crashers, Michael Weston whose last feature role was the dysfunctional dumpee in The Last Kiss and Mei Melancon, who was Psylocke in X-Men: The Last Stand. The film will get shopped at Cannes, and I'm sure someone will pick it up. What studio can refuse a bunch of young actors starring as medical students who make a game to see who can commit the perfect murder?

We've been back and forth on this a few times, but now it looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger might be appearing in the next Terminator flick after all. Empire tells us (via The Boston Herald) that MGM chairman Harry Sloan recently spoke about the (much-anticipated?) sequel and alluded to a certain aspect of Ahnold's contract that states he's required to appear in a fourth film. So, will he or won't he be back?

Here's what we know for sure: The script is done for Terminator 4, and if director Jonathan Mostow still plans to hit that (summer?) 2008 targeted release, then production on the flick should begin soon. While Nick Stahl is rumored to be playing John Connor, we still don't know for sure who will star ... but we do know it won't be Arnold. Can a new Terminator flick be successful with, well, the Terminator we all know and love appearing in only a cameo role, if that? And what kind of cameo would this be? A "killed off in the first scene" cameo or a "make you smile right before the end credits role" cameo? For me, the more important question is who do you get to replace The Man? The Rock?

Though it wasn't technically screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Overture Films secured their first acquisition while in Park City, picking up the rights to Ferris Wheel, a drama produced by and starring Charlize Theron. Overture, a brand new production-distribution company, plans to shovel out two to three films per year before upping its annual slate to eight to twelve films; the Ferris Wheel deal was made after Overture execs watched only 45 minutes of the film, which currently is not yet complete.

Pic, which marks Bill Maher's (no, not that Bill Maher) directorial debut, revolves around a poor, irresponsible mother who leaves her daughter (AnnaSophia Robb) with her brother (Nick Stahl) for a little too long (since the word 'abandons' is used in the description, I take it this is a rather lengthy babysitting gig) to go party it up with the wrong crowd ... or, more specifically, Woody Harrelson. I tell ya, it's nice to see Theron trying desperately not to play the hot (wife? girlfriend? mistress? girl next door?) in every single film, as easy as it would be for her to do. I take it this will be another Theron role in which we'll find her all strung out, getting down with her bad self in a dramatic, kind-of-pretty-but-not-quite sort of way.

Script was penned by Zac Stanford, who made a splash at Sundance back in 2005 with The Chumscrubber -- the darkly twisted family drama which I found much more enjoyable than the film I always confuse it with, Thumbsucker.

As if she wasn't already busy enough, super-hot Charlize Theron has now signed on to yet another indie project she will apparently try to squeeze in before the end of the year -- the drama Ferris Wheel, written by Zac Stanford of The Chumscrubber and directed by first-time helmer Bill Maher.

By getting on Ferris Wheel, Theron joins a cast that already includes Nick Stahl, Woody Harrelson, Anna Sophia Robb and indie film vet Dennis Hopper. In addition to acting, Theron will also be producing the film, which tells the story of an 11 year-old girl's struggle to come to terms with abandonment, through her Denver and Delilah production company -- along with Film Engine and Infinity Features.

This announcement is a rather unexpected development considering I recently reported Theron was next going to star in fiance Stuart Townsend's writing/directing debut Battle in Seattle. That film was supposed to start filming in November too. Now, with this film, it seems things have changed a bit on the Battle front.

Perhaps Battle in Seattle is being delayed because of those pesky "creative differences" that can sometimes crop up? Or, maybe its simply a case of "being directed by your fiance" - itis? Or, it could just be financial. Whatever the reasons, it would appear Battle is now going to be back-burnered and Ferris Wheel will take its place as Theron's project du jour. Who gets to break the bad news to Stuart Townsend?

Ferris Wheel is expected to begin shooting in November on location in Canada.

Odds and ends from Monday:

• So, it appears telekinetic powers are a hot commodity in Hollywood these days. First there was Doug Liman's, Jumper, and now Nick Stahl and Taryn Manning have signed on to The Speed of Thought. Pic focuses on a "scoper" (Stahl) who helps the government by utilizing his powers, even after he's told they are part of a disease and will ultimately drive him insane. Somewhere along the way he meets a woman (Manning) with similar telekinetic abilities, and the two team up to find out what's really going on. [via Empire]
• Even though Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has come on to direct the upcoming Fletch Won, leaving most to assume Zach Braff would soon follow and sign on to play Fletch himself, the actor has yet to sign on the dotted line. In an interview with IESB, Braff notes, ""No I am not definitely doing Fletch Won, I am thinking about it but I am not definitely signed on." But, why? Personally, I think there are better Flecth's (ahem, Jason Lee) out there, though there's no denying the chemistry between Lawrence and Braff. What do you think? Will he sign?
• While speaking to press at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Steven Soderbergh admitted that Ocean's Thirteen will indeed be the last and final Ocean's-related film. In fact, the only reason they're even doing an Ocean's Thirteen is because George Clooney was upset with Ocean's Twelve (he thought it was too complicated) and wanted to revive the comedic aspect from the first film. Hey, that's cool -- but what if no one finds Ocean's Thirteen funny? Will George want to keep making them until they get it right? [via Coming Soon]