A few weeks ago a DVD of Laurent Cantet's 2000 film Human Resources arrived on my doorstep. I hadn't seen it, but it rung a bell for me, and it took me a little while to remember: the Shooting Gallery series! I couldn't believe I had forgotten about it. It was a huge event in less-than-400-screen lore, successful as well as artistically daring. I poked around and discovered that this brave little distributor had -- of course -- gone out of business. In 2000 and 2001, the Shooting Gallery lined up three series of six movies each, releasing each one for a two-week period, usually on a specific movie screen in selected cities, and then replaced it with the next in the series. If something took off and became a hit, it could play longer. I didn't see all the films, but there were some amazing entries, and certainly some films that otherwise would never have seen the light of day.

The first series unfolded in the spring of 2000. The quirky, dreamy, black-and-white comedy Judy Berlin, starring a then up-and-coming Edie Falco ("The Sopranos"), came first. It didn't exactly break any box office records, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has a small following today. Next up came Peter Mullan's Orphans, which I didn't see, followed by Such a Long Journey, which was yet another story from India about an old-fashioned father balking at the ways of his modern children, but beautifully realized. (The great character actor Om Puri was on hand for a supporting role.) Southpaw was a snappy little boxing documentary about promising Irish fighter Francis Barrett. The sixth film, from Japan, was Adrenaline Drive, a kind of crime story crossed with a drawing room comedy. It seemed ripe for an American remake, which never came.

Some might say that women shouldn't head films, but Paramount's looking for some female-headed Morning Glory. Variety reports that Roger Michell has signed to direct the upcoming comedy, which is being written by Aline Brosh McKenna. Set in New York City, the movie will focus on "a struggling female news producer and the iconic, temperamental anchorman she recruits to revive a failing network morning show." There's no "rom" listed before the "com," so maybe this isn't one of those fighters-turned-lovers stories, although it really sounds like it will be. Paramount is trying to get the project, which has insidiously put Oasis into my head, up and running for production this spring.

Now, whether your tastes match the work of director Michell or writer McKenna, this pairing should spell at least decent success for the production -- if they stay on their current trajectories. Michell is the director of Persuasion, Notting Hill and the recent critical hit, Venus. McKenna has gone from forgettable flicks like Three to Tango and Laws of Attraction to the wildly-popular The Devil Wears Prada and the upcoming Katherine Heigl romcom, 27 Dresses. Beyond this comedy, Michell is also set to direct The Rip, a thriller for Universal, and McKenna has a number of projects in development.

It's difficult to pull off May-December romances in movies, mainly because they're so creepy. As often as not, the movie doesn't even acknowledge the age difference, casting men in their fifties opposite girls in their twenties, with nothing in mind but the potential box office returns. If the movie does acknowledge the gap, it's usually to make some kind of wry statement, most famously in Nabokov's Lolita, adapted for the screen twice, by Stanley Kubrick in 1962 and Adrian Lyne in 1997.

The new movie Venus miraculously manages a deft balance of all this, and on top of it, the age difference is a staggering fifty years, between19 year-old Jessie (Jodie Whittaker) and 70-something Maurice (Peter O'Toole). Of course, this is no traditional romance, but more of an odd, tender friendship, not unlike that of Lost in Translation (2003).

A working London actor busy with plays and television, Maurice loves to spend time with his old colleague Ian (Leslie Phillips). Their dryly hilarious bickering sets the tone for the rest of the film. Ian anticipates a visit from his grand-niece, and expects that she will begin caring for his worldly needs, such as cooking and cleaning. Of course, the girl that actually arrives is more of a modern teenager, Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), with modern teenage ennui, cynicism and selfishness. While these qualities drive Ian into a fit of pique, they actually intrigue the more playful Maurice. He slowly engages her in conversation, and his way of bluntly telling the truth (there's no point in lying at his age) does not repulse her. Later, he impulsively offers to buy her a drink, and she discovers that, as an actor, he's "a little bit" famous.

Maurice (Peter O'Toole) and Ian (Leslie Phillips), veteran actors and lifelong friends, are getting on in years, so Ian is having his grand-niece come to live with him and help take care of him. When the young lady arrives, however, Ian finds himself in a state of shock. Far from the demure young woman of his imagination who would fawn over his every needs, Jessie (newcomer Jodie Whittaker) is a rude, sullen girl who never seems to stop eating junk food, pours milk into his lemon tea, and can't even cook a nice piece of halibut to save her life. Maurice, meanwhile, has just been diagnosed with prostrate cancer -- a fact he conceals from his friends -- and he views Jessie in an entirely different light. Maurice likes Jessie in spite of -- perhaps, one suspects, because of -- her rough edges, and takes her under his wing, escorting her to the theater and the museum and encouraging her to read classic literature.

Here we are at Day Three of Telluride already. Only one more day of fun and film at 10,000 feet to go before I'm off to Toronto. Today was beautiful in Telluride, absolutely perfect for sitting outside to interview Venus director Roger Michell during an afternoon screening of his film. Michell was every bit as delightful in person as he seems in his Q&As. He was due to take off right after the post-show Q&A to get his kids back to London in time for school tomorrow, before heading to Toronto himself to promote the film there. I'll have the interview up as soon as I have enough spare minutes to get it transcribed.

After the interview, I had a little time before I needed to queue up for the screening of Infamous at the Galaxy, so I headed down to Main Street (aka Colorado Street), the heart of Telluride, to score a sandwich to eat in line. On my way back to the Galaxy, I found a nice little coffee shop, where I got a lovely triple-shot latte -- just what I needed to boost me through the afternoon and evening. Finally got into the Galaxy after waiting in the queue forever. It's a neat theater: They convert the elementary school gymnasium into a full-fledged theater by covering everything in black velvet drapes and bringing in lots of cool neon galaxy-themed art. I enjoyed Infamous more than I expected to. I wasn't sure the world needed two films about Truman Capote in as many years, but the film was well-done and well-acted, with Sandra Bullock putting in a particularly strong performance as Capote's childhood friend, Pulitzer prize-winning author Nelle Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird). I love To Kill a Mockingbird, but I had no idea that Lee based the character of Dil on Capote. I know, I'm probably the only person on the planet who didn't know that. That's okay. You learn all kinds of unexpected things at film festivals.

Saturday was interesting. I was supposed to go to an early screening, but didn't sleep well (the altitude is getting to me a bit) and decided to stay in this morning to write reviews instead, while slurping down what passes for coffee here at the lodge. I'd pay serious cash for Seattle's 24/7 access to a latte right about now -- my blood-to-caffeine ratio has dipped dangerously low at this point.

Possibly because of that, I forgot to mention an interesting story in yesterday's report. On the gondola ride back to the lodge, I met a woman who had just been to the Emmys. She is a "seat filler" at the awards shows, primarily the Oscars and Emmys. She's done this for years -- she doesn't get paid for it, but she has a blast. What's a "seat filler," you ask? A seat filler sits in empty seats next to stars whose spouses or dates have gone off to the bathroom or to sneak a smoke, so that when the camera pans their way it doesn't look like they're alone.

Today was the first day of the Telluride Film Festival. I have lots of lovely pics sitting on my digital camera to show you; unfortunately, the cable I need to download the pics is in Seattle, and the closest place to buy a replacement is 40 miles from here. Telluride is beautiful, but very isolated. Never fear, though, for the charming and delightful Eugene Hernandez, one of Cinematical's pals from indieWIRE, has a cable with him that he's going to let me borrow. If we can work out the complexities of our respective viewing schedules long enough for me to download my images tomorrow, then tomorrow night's dispatch will be decidedly more visual.

So, Day One. I got in Thursday evening after a full day of travel that included a three-hour drive from Gunnison after several hours of plane travel. The drive was lovely, so it went quickly enough, but I was too tired Thursday night to do anything other than check in at the Press Office, mosey up the mountain to my lodgings, order dinner in and collapse for the night. Friday dawned bright and sunny after Thursday's menacing clouds and occasional rain, and I can honestly say I've never seen anywhere prettier than Telluride on a clear and sunny day, not even Seattle. It's just majestic. I took the gondola down to the Press Orientation, where I picked up the official bright yellow "press" lanyard that distinguishes press from everyone else with a bright yellow badge. Much like at Sundance, every is always eyeballing each other's badges to see if you're someone important -- especially the blue badges, which are for guests, many of whom are filmmakers.

Well folks, you can chalk this one up as today's most bizarre rumor: According to the James Bond-related website MI6, writer-director Richard Curtis is now writing the screenplay for Bond 22. Not only that, but they also claim regular Bond scribes, Neil Purvis and Robert Wade, have been dropped after punching out scripts for The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day and, most recently, an early draft of Casino Royale.

Add to that the recent news of director Richard Michell quitting Bond 22 over "creative differences", and it appears something is not quite right in 007 land. Out of all the names to circle the latest Bond film (which is due to be released on May 2, 2008), Richard Curtis is definitely the most, um, interesting. Here we have a guy that's made a name for himself off a slew of comedies (Bean, The Black Adder) and romantic comedies (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary, Love Actually) -- is it stupid of me to think Bond 22 is a strange project for him to take on?

Assuming this information is correct (which, of course, is a big assumption), does this mean Curtis will also direct the film? Keep in mind Curtis also wrote Notting Hill, which Roger Michell directed -- perhaps that connection is what's fueling this news.

[via IGN]

Odds and ends from Thursday:

• Okay, so now that we know there are two Philip K. Dick biopics in the works, the question becomes: Which one will garner more heat? So far, according to reports, one (Panasonic) has Bill Pullman in the lead role and the other (The Owl in Daylight) has Paul Giamatti. The screenplay for Panasonic is already complete, though Daylight's script still needs to be written. However, while Panasonic has a very random director in Matthew Wilder attached, word* has it Terry Gilliam has come on to direct Owl in Daylight. Hmm, knowing Gilliam and Giamatti are involved now forces me to heavily favor The Owl in Daylight. Then again, I'm just pumped up about two Philip Dick biopics -- I think the guy is warped.
• The always lovable Jason Biggs has joined Eva Longoria and Paul Rudd in How I Met My New Boyfriend's Dead Fiancée (or How I Just Typed That Title Five Times and Still Screwed it Up). As previously announced, pic will tell of a "female psychic who falls in love with a skeptic while the ghost of his dead fiancée ... tries to keep them apart." Right now, it's being described as "Ghost, except really, really funny." Wait, so Ghost wasn't supposed to be funny?
• After beginning negotiations to helm the next James Bond film (currently titled Bond 22), Roger Michell (Notting Hill) has, apparently, dropped off the project due to "creative differences." With Michell gone, producers will now have to scramble and find a replacement, seeing as they've already scheduled Bond 22 to be released on May 2, 2008. Whether or not this setback will actually affect the film's release is yet to be seen.

*And by "word", we mean "totally unsubstantiated rumor." Make of it what you will.

Odds and ends from Monday:

• Though Casino Royale isn't due out for another few months, its producers are so sure it's going to be a hit, they've already jump-started the follow-up, currently titled Bond 22. Apparently, Notting Hill director Roger Michell is in negotiations to helm it, what some are saying, is an original idea from producer Michael Wilson. Hey, I have a feeling this old school Bond will be fun to watch. If they remain on that path, I'm all for a few more films -- so long as Hugh Grant doesn't play villain.
• Looks like Ang Lee has found the stars for his follow-up to Brokeback Mountain, a WWII-era spy thriller, Lust, Caution. Tony Leung and newcomer Tang Wei have landed the lead roles in this Chinese-language feature for Focus Features, which is based off the short story written by the late Eileen Chang. If the plot stays true to the short story, it will revolve around a man who attempts to seduce and assassinate a spy working for the Japanese government.
• While some feel his films are annoying and self-serving, I'm a big fan of Wes Anderson's work. I mean, how can you comfortably live your life and not think Rushmore is one of the greatest films, like, ever? Currently, the director is working on the animated The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which his is co-writing (based off the novel by Roald Dahl) and directing. However, Owen Wilson recently told CNN he's going to be working with Anderson on another film set in India. Though he didn't give many details, he did say the story followed three brothers who go on a journey throughout India and it's not a buddy comedy movie. India? Owen Wilson? Wes Anderson? I'm there.