We found out from Erik back in February that Ellen Page is becoming a mom for the upcoming weird psychological thriller Peacock, which will co-star Cillian Murphy. Now Variety reports that three more have joined the cast -- Susan Sarandon, Bill Pullman, and Josh Lucas. (Who they will play has not been revealed.) This film is sounding better by the minute!

If you remember back, this story focuses on Peacock, Nebraska, where Murphy's character has a split personality -- a man and wife. That's not quite as weird as the fact that he fools the whole town into believing that there are two people. (I guess this is some sort of Clark Kent/Superman thing where no one notices that they're never at the same place at once.) Anyway, Page plays a young mom "who holds the key to his past and sparks a battle between the personalities."

Oh, but it gets better. The description with this story says: "a quiet bank clerk's (Murphy) life is shattered by a train crashing into his back yard revealing a woman living there." (Page, perhaps?) A train crashes onto his lawn? Revealing a woman living there? Umm... Is there some bomb shelter? Is his back yard just really, really cluttered? I don't get it. Whatever the case, it sounds like an insanely interesting story.

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.

Say it ain't so! I want this to be nothing more than hyperbole and ugly rumor mongering. But let's look at it anyway: According to Flicks.Co.NZ, there are troubling stories surrounding the set of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones.

The first is a bit of a yawner. Reportedly, Jackson is having creative differences with his art director over the best way to portray Heaven -- a pretty key location in the book, if you remember. Things even reached a point where the production had to take a break as the disagreement was sorted out, according to reports.

But then came word (today) from The Bad and Ugly that the film has now been delayed, and instead of a March 13, 2009 release date, it's been pushed to Fall, 2009. No word on whether this was due to production issues or if they'd rather hold the film for a potential Oscar push.

Additionally, Susan Sarandon seemed like she was pretty iffy on the film and especially her performance while speaking to press at the London premiere of Speed Racer: "I play the comic relief, an alcoholic grandmother – my first grandma – but she doesn't really seem like a real grandmother because she has a lot of hair and jewelery and nails and liquor. I don't think I ever talk without a cigarette and a drink in my hand. Peter Jackson is really a nice guy and very interesting. It was really a very different way of working. We had a good time, I'm really curious to see what it's like because he kept pushing me to be more and more extreme and sometimes that's when you make your big mistakes so I'm not sure how it will come off -- it will be interesting to see it from the point of view of the audience."

So much has been released lately, I am honestly losing track of what Speed Racer footage is new -- but the Internet is raving over the new featurette posted over on Apple. If you've been to the theatre in the past week or so, you've seen at least half of this on the First Look.

The rest of it is ... well, probably most of the movie. For a movie full of such eye-blowing visuals, you would think they'd hold back a little. Hopefully, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and Speed Racer fans will be stunned anew.

I confess, the trailers and featurette are enough for me. It certainly is pretty -- the world of the future that I long to live in -- but it just doesn't grab me otherwise. I feel terribly out of touch and I shouldn't admit it, but my first thought upon seeing Matthew Fox's racing gear was "Oh, he's Scottish." At least I know the plot, now. I am still amazed they managed to snag Susan Sarandon for this. It has to be pretty cool if she's involved, right? We will find out soon enough. Speed Racer comes to the theatres on May 9th, 2008.

So they might not be as likely to 'freak your trip' as the last poster, but Comics2Film now has four new character posters for the Wachowski's highly-anticipated adaptation of Speed Racer. Our first poster release came back in December and now these new releases give some of the main characters their very own one sheet. Racer X, Trixie, and two new posters of the Speed Racer himself, Emile Hirsch, are now available (I guess nobody thought that a Chim Chim poster would help draw in the crowds).

Based on the popular Japanese series, the film centers on a young man with the unlikely name of Speed looking to be the champion of The Crucible; a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon star as Speed's parents, and Christina Ricci plays his girlfriend -- with the advantage that she kind of looks like a cartoon to begin with. Rounding out the cast is Matthew Fox (LOST) as Racer X and Scott Porter as Rex Racer.

There has been plenty of discussion about the somewhat 'trippy' look of the film, and these new posters are keeping right in line with that psychedelic vibe. Which is kind of funny if you think about all the hassle the Wachowski's got over keeping the film 'family friendly'. So whether fans like it or not, it seems like the new Speed Racer is going to be all about wholesome spectacle (probably best enjoyed in IMAX). If you don't believe me, you could always take a look at the new trailer over at Yahoo. Speed Racer will arrive in theaters on May 9th, 2008.

Cinematical has just received seven stills from the hit Disney flick Enchanted (which hits DVD on March 18), along with the source of Classic Disney inspiration. Enchanted was one of those films I missed in the theater, but really want to catch on DVD -- especially after our own Kim Voynar gave it such a glowing review. She said, "Enchanted hits every high note, and a great family film that entertains both the kids and adults is something we can all be truly thankful for." Once again, Enchanted (starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon) will arrive on both DVD and Blu-ray disc on March 18. All seven images are in the gallery below; additionally, feel free to check out Moviefone's Unscripted session with Dempsey and Adams over here.

Note: Release date changed -- thanks for the catch!

This particular Cinematical Seven took awhile to sort out. First, I needed to decide whether I would focus solely on women who play sports in film or if I should open it up to women who play sports and/or appear in sports films. As you can see from the photo above, I went with the latter. Then I needed to decide whether I would only select drop-dead gorgeous women, or if there was room for the girl next door in the list as well. I'm sure you sympathize with the tough choices I had to make this afternoon. Anyway, in honor of Superbowl Sunday (Go Giants!), here are my picks for the hottest sports girls on film (a title which took me all of about an hour to come up with -- after all, there are so many different ways to write it):

Kelly Preston as Avery Bishop in Jerry Maguire -- She's harsh, she's intimidating and she doesn't exactly use those legs to kick a long field goal. Before Jerry (Tom Cruise) had his moral epiphany and wound up wooing the adorable Dorothy (Renee Zellweger), he was attached at the hip to the cunning, yet super sexy Avery. She'd come a long way from Space Camp, and after watching Jerry Maguire, I was extremely jealous that John Travolta got to spend every boot camp with this gal.

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.

What do you get if you mix together Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, toss in a dash of Ariel and a smidge of Belle, and drop her into the cold, harsh light of reality? Writer Bill Kelly and director Kevin Lima ask just that question in Enchanted, Disney's newest family film offering, which merges classic Disney animation with live action in bringing fairy tale characters to life.

Animated Giselle (Amy Adams) has been spending her time doing what all good little Disney heroines do -- sitting around her cute little cottage in the middle of a forest, hanging out with all the little forest creatures and dreaming of her Prince Charming coming to carry her off to his castle in the clouds. Giselle doesn't seem to have much purpose or direction in her life beyond that singular goal; after all, she already has the two things every good animated future princess needs in order to snag a royal sweetie: delicate beauty and a lovely singing voice.

Giselle does meet her Prince Charming, er, Edward (James Marsden) when he rescues her from a troll who was about to eat her for a little pre-dinner snack. After bursting into song in a perfectly harmonized duet (actually sung by Marsden and Adams, both of whom have surprisingly good voices), the pair plan do what all good fairy tale folks do the day after they meet someone they like -- get married for ever, and ever, and ever. The one person who isn't thrilled with the happy couples' nuptial plans is the prince's stepmother, Narissa (Susan Sarandon), who, in addition to being secretly evil, isn't about to give up her crown to the sweet Giselle. Disguised as a hag, Narissa enchants Giselle as she rushes to her wedding and sends her down a magic well and into the real world.

Production began last month on Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's ultra-popular novel, The Lovely Bones -- just as Ryan Gosling left his role as dad, and Mark Wahlberg jumped in. The film focuses on a young girl who is raped and murdered, and then watches her loved ones and killer from heaven as her family falls apart and they try to find her body. It's pretty dark, but with word finally coming from the set, we're finally getting hints to just how Jackson will present it -- Susan Sarandon recently talked to MTV about her role as Grandma Lynn, and just what sort of adaptation Jackson has been cooking up.

She says: "I play kind of the comic relief. She's [a] drinking, hard shooting, smoking [old lady] cutting across all of the pain, pain, pain. Whenever I possible can blow smoke in someone's face, I'm doing it!" But it seems that this levity is not just present in her role. As she says of the film on a whole: "I haven't figured out the tone of the movie, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is. It's going to be a strange jumble of things. But Peter Jackson did Heavenly Creatures. It's like that." So the director is turning to his roots, but that doesn't mean he's completely left the world of special effects. The actress also says his treatment of the heaven sequences "will work better in the film than they did, for me, in the book." Why that is, I don't know, but considering all he did with Lord of the Rings, it must be good.

Closing the Toronto International Film Festival, Paolo Barzman's Emotional Arithmetic opens in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, where a family's awaiting the arrival of a guest. But it's not a normal family, and it's not a normal guest. Melanie (Susan Sarandon) is looking forward to the guest's arrival; her husband David (Christopher Plummer), less excited. The guest is Jacob (Max von Sydow), who Melanie hasn't seen since the darkest days of World War II, where Jacob looked out for her and a young Irish boy, Christopher at a French transit camp. At the airport, Melanie's surprised to find that Jacob, just released after 35 years in a prison psychiatric camp, is accompanied by the now-grown Christopher (Gabriel Byrne). Memories, regrets, past pain and and what-could-have-been hang in the air. ...

Based on Matt Cohen's novel, Emotional Arithmetic is earnest and fact-filled ... and completely inert; it's like looking at a civics class diorama. The problem isn't primarily the actors, all of whom are fine; it's more that they aren't asked to do much more than show up and be who they are -- Plummer brisk and brusque, Sarandon flighty-yet-flinty, Byrne handsome but haunted, von Sydow weary but wise. Roy Dupuis, playing Melanie and David's son, actually stands out even though his character's not given much to do; it may be because Dupuis isn't simply coasting on his familiarity and prior roles.

See, the movie has the word "cock" in the title. That's what makes it funny.

And I hope you get a whole lot of laughs from that hilarious moniker, because it's funnier than anything found in this witless, worthless waste of ... anything. Time, money, effort, you name it. I've seen documentaries about hair cancer that offer more laughs than this movie. (Well, not really, but I'm trying to make a point. My apologies to anyone who has ever suffered from cancer of the hair.) Not to pat myself on the back, but that parenthetical comment I just made? Also funnier than anything found in Mr. Woodcock. And the comment wasn't really all that funny.

Forgive me for spinning my wheels in the early part of the review, but asking me to review Mr. Woodcock is like asking an experienced food critic to review warm water. There's just nothing here, folks. OK, stop me when this sounds like it'd be worth your nine dollars: A self-help author returns to his cozy hometown only to discover that his mother is sleeping with a despised gym teacher. (Are we at $9.00 yet? No? Only about 64 cents? Fine, but I think you're being generous.)

Shoot 'Em Up may not have been a smash at the box office (at this point it might struggle to match the gross of Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot), but it provided us plenty of laughs with last week's Insert Caption contest. Still, while the film may be cartoonishly violent and slightly satirical, there's a strong social message at the heart of it: Guns don't kill people, Clive Owen does. Hundreds, thousands, maybe even cajillions of them. Congrats to our winners below, you've got a hat, t-shirt and shot glass (get it?) on the way.

1. "What happened next was completely logical." -- Jordan M.

2. "Look... I'm hungry and you're hungry, it is an unfortunate situation. But there is no reason we can't share these baby bottles." -- Tom O.

3. "You know, if it weren't for those colored baby bottles over there, this would totally be a cliche." -- Bob M.

See full image and all captions

This week we have a photo from another film with some stirring social commentary, Mr. Woodcock, which I believe was originally scheduled to release in 1993. Susan Sarandon flaunts her liberalism by playing a woman who marries a gym teacher (Billy Bob Thornton), much to the chagrin of her son Stifler (Seann William Scott). In the spirit of Fashion Week, writers of our three favorite captions will win various items from the limited edition Mr. Woodcock clothing line. Good luck!

UPDATE: WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Click Here

Susan Sarandon is about to play a grandmother in one of the best novels of 2002, but I was taken aback when I first read that last week -- is she really grandmother-age already? Anyway, I tend to trust Peter Jackson's decision-making (as long as an oversized ape is not involved.) He'll of course be directing an adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel, The Lovely Bones. It's an incredible story about a young woman who is abducted, raped and murdered; we follow the aftermath from her point of view as she rests in heaven, looking over the lives of her family and her killer. She (and we) watch as some family members try to get on with their lives, the sister grows into adulthood and the killer continues on his own journey. The book is a tragic, compelling story that could really benefit from a big-budget, big-screen push, and the fantastical but true-to-the-source world of Lord of the Rings that Jackson created is proof enough that he can balance his own creativity with honoring an author's vision.

The film has not only nabbed Sarandon, but another favorite of mine, Stanley Tucci, to play the murderer. Playing the kid watching everything from above will be newcomer Saoirse Ronan. And, of course, the cast also includes Rachel Weisz and Ryan Gosling. Production begins this fall and the pic will probably be ready for release by fall of 2008.