30 Yeasrs of Star Wars

By Carolyn Giardina

May 25, 2007

"Star Wars"

New "Star Wars" Web site launches

An anticipated 20,000-plus fans are expected to converge on downtown Los Angeles during the next few days to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of George Lucas' seminal film "Stars Wars" and its profound impact on the film industry and pop culture.

In recognition of the May 25, 1977, opening, Lucasfilm and Gen Con are presenting "Star Wars Celebration IV" at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which will be open to the public today through Monday. The event -- which kicked off Wednesday with a marathon screening of all six films -- includes live entertainment, cast-member appearances, film and video presentations and an exhibit of movie props and costumes.

"Star Wars" was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 1978 and won six. In 2005, the American Film Institute named John Williams' iconic score the most memorable of all time. The film has shown up on additional AFI lists, including the "100 Greatest American Movies" list, where it ranked No. 15.

The release of "Star Wars" marked a milestone in visual effects. Its makers pioneered groundbreaking visual effects techniques, and the work inspired many of today's VFX talent. Among the weekend program events is a Saturday session featuring the five visual effects supervisors from the 1977 classic through 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith." Scheduled to appear are Richard Edlund, John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston and Phil Tippett.

Edlund, who won Oscars for his work on all three films in the first trilogy, said: " 'Star Wars' woke up a sleeping giant. ... Since 'Star Wars,' its audience salivates for new effects movies."

Knoll, VFX supervisor on the more recent trilogy (and a certain three pirate movies, one of which opens today), said that he was in high school when the first "Star Wars" debuted. "Suddenly, there were new exciting things happening in the (VFX) field," he said, adding that he was then invited to tour Lucas' operation. "It was a life-changing experience. It helped me to decide that I wanted to do this for a living."

Carrie Fisher will be among the cast members making an appearance at the celebration. Lucas is out of the country and will not be in attendance, said Tom Warner, senior director of marketing at Lucasfilm.

"Generations of fans have loved 'Star Wars,' many passing along the 'Star Wars' gene to their children," said Steve Sansweet, director of content management and head of fan relations at Lucasfilm. "This is the first chance to celebrate all six movies in the saga -- George Lucas' complete story -- as well as the vibrant future of 'Star Wars.' "

To that end, Warner said the Los Angeles event will include a preview of a new video game, "The Force Unleashed," which will be available on multiple game platforms in early 2008. He said that in the game, the player takes on the role of Darth Vader's secret apprentice.

He also pointed to Lucasfilm's CG-animated TV series "The Clone Wars," which is in production and whose story is set in the time period between Episodes II and III of the film series.

When asked about future home entertainment releases, Warner said, "We are always looking at the formats, but nothing is planned today." He also did not have additional information on Lucas' 2005 comments that he was looking to remaster and rerelease all six "Star Wars" films in stereoscopic 3-D.

Studios aggressive with buys at Cannes market

Hollywood Reporter

By Stuart Kemp

May 25, 2007

CANNES -- A wave of aggressive acquisition activities from various studios, led by divisions at Sony, Universal, Paramount and Disney, rolled across this year's Festival de Cannes titles and Marche du Film projects as players from the overseas indie financing world frolicked in its wake.

Big multiterritory deals struck by divisions such as Universal Pictures International, a slew of deals struck by Sony's units and a visible hunger at Paramount paid lip service to market opinion that the pool of desirable product was deep this year.

Summit, which landed on the Croisette with one of the most sought-after slates it has ever presented, found itself trumpeting its own $100 million-plus sales success.

So confident in its own ability to raise financing without having to conclude a North American sale, coupled with a desire to hold onto hot properties that could feed its freshly launched distribution biz stateside, Summit has, according to buyers, been turning offers away -- on titles such as "Pompeii" -- because they can raise the production financing solely from overseas.

"There are a lot of movies and a lot of money out there. Look at all those boats," Summit Entertainment president Patrick Wachsberger said. "A lot of movies shouldn't be made just because there is so much money out there. We have to be careful about what we produce."

But aggressive studio buying puts pressure on everyone else.

"For the big titles, you often find you are competing with the studios because they are doing multiple-territory deals," German indie Constantin Film acquisitions chief Yoko Higuchi said. "Often a seller will go with a studio because they can obtain more money for multiple territories than with a single-national independent."

But the bean counters also noted that financing on big-budget projects is increasingly available -- and targeted outside the old-fashioned need for a U.S. deal -- to mean the difference between a picture surfing or not.

Berlin's Senator Entertainment chief creative officer Marco Weber, whose company financed and produced the Julia Roberts-starrer "Fireflies in the Garden," said speed is essential.

"European independents like Senator with certain resources have a distinct advantage over these studios in that we can move very fast," Weber said. "When a project is ready, we can greenlight it immediately. We have the luxury of being able to wait until the picture is finished before doing a U.S. deal so we can get better terms."

British-based finance and sales house Capitol Films, snapped up by Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs David Bergstein and Ronald Tutor last year, spent Cannes adding names such as Jennifer Lopez to projects to whet buyer's appetites.

Capitol general counsel Hannah Leader told THR that there was more international cash out there than ever. But Leader said the problem was that while the talent pool remained largely static in terms of the handful of internationally recognized names, the prices demanded to sign for projects was rocketing.

"The problem is not financing the films, the problem is casting them," Leader said. "Last year, getting someone to commit might have cost $300,000, but this year people are asking for $5 million. And they're getting it. But everything is cyclical, so I am sure that will change again."

The scent of money in the air, she added, was due to the tax and state incentives to shoot in America as well as the plethora of private equity cash available and international financiers queuing up to take on some risk with high-end projects with talent attached.

Oscar-winning producer Graham King ("The Departed") launched his own production banner GK Films, secured a three-year, first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures., and reupped his existing production deal with Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil.

King is raising all the cash for his first GK banner project, Jean Marc Vallee's "The Young Victoria," which stars Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt, from international sources.

"Buyers need more information -- screenplays, cast and a longer prep time -- because of the sheer number of new projects and competing films in their market," Robbie Little of the Little Film Co. said.

Italy's Max Pictures CEO and founder Max Alvarez said his company is putting together a $70 million film called "Speed Kills" and is considering seeking studio funding, though it's also prepared to go it alone.

"The big advantage of staying independent is that you control everything. But a studio can bring more than just money. It's expertise and connections," Alvarez said. "I think any independent studio has to weigh the pros and cons of each side and figure out what's best. You can make the argument either way."

Gregg Goldstein, Eric J. Lyman and Scott Roxborough contributed to this report.

It's not even Friday night yet.

'World's End'-led weekend should be biggest in history

By Brian Fuson

May 25, 2007

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

'Pirates' haul begins: $58 mil in two days

It's a foregone conclusion that Buena Vista Pictures' "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" will be swinging from the mainmast of the boxoffice by the end of this weekend and with plenty of plunder in tow. It's just a question of how big the seafaring sequel will be.

But that's only part of the story.

With the second weekend of Paramount Pictures' "Shrek the Third" and Sony Pictures' still-potent "Spider-Man 3" in the mix, the frame is poised to be the biggest in history.

"At World's End" marks the third film in the Walt Disney Co.'s lucrative "Pirates" franchise to set sail in theaters and, like the other pictures, carries the demographically friendly PG-13 rating. For their latest high-seas escapades, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and company board a record 4,362 theater marquees for the Memorial Day holiday frame. Of those theaters, 1,068 will be digital -- a high for that format as well.

To get a jump on the holiday session and prime the boxoffice pump, "At World's End" had previews Thursday starting at about 8 p.m. in about 4,000 theaters nationwide. Midnight shows were to follow, and some exhibitors will be running the film around the clock. Those previews will attract the hard-core fan base and might pull in moviegoers who have today off for the holiday, but they also could drain some of the weekend interest.

But with the buzz surrounding "At World's End" flying so high, that's not likely to be a problem; it's more probable that the film's two-hour, 47-minute running time will have more of an impact. According to MovieTickets.com, presales on "At World's End" are through the roof, and the film already is positioned to break all-time sales records for the online ticketer.

Most industry observers agree that "At World's End" should break boxoffice records this weekend. It's just a matter of how many and by how much.

Last year's "Pirates" film, "Dead Man's Chest," opened to $135.6 million in early July to become the biggest opening weekend in history, breaking the record set just six weeks earlier by 20th Century Fox's "X-Men: The Last Stand," which debuted during the four-day Memorial Day holiday frame with $122.9 million. "Dead Man's Chest" held the record until this month, when Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man 3" vaulted past it with $151.1 million to claim the crown.

Disney understandably is mum on projections in order to manage expectations, but insiders are fairly confident that the opening of "At World's End" will be bigger than "Spider-Man 3." And while "At World's End" has the advantage of an extra day with the four-day holiday frame, it is only a matter of time before another film comes along -- i.e. "Spider-Man 3" and "Dead Man's Chest" -- and does more business in three days than "At World's End" did in four.

Aside from the high expectations for "At World's End," the Memorial Day weekend should be a memorable one. The third "Pirates" is the third high-profile threequel to hit theaters in the past four weeks, and with "Shrek" and "Spider-Man 3" still in play, the marketplace is expected to expand.

Consequently, the weekend is likely to top the $247.6 million generated during the 2004 Memorial Day frame, the biggest weekend of all time. The top three films that weekend were DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" ($95.6 million), Fox's "The Day After Tomorrow" ($85.8 million) and Warner Bros. Pictures' "Troy" ($15.3 million).

In putting together the third and final chapter in the "Pirates" saga, Disney employed the same principal stars and producing, writing and directing team that navigated the first two films. Gore Verbinski helms, with Jerry Bruckheimer producing and Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio handling the writing chores. Principal cast including Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley also are all on board.

Keeping the crew intact for "At World's End" probably was a good idea if one considers that the combined worldwide boxoffice for the first two "Pirates" films, "The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Dead Man's Chest," was a staggering $1.7 billion. The industry rule of thumb maintains that during the average seven-year cycle of a film product, the boxoffice -- the first income generator in a long line of ancillary revenue streams, including video/DVD, television, etc. -- represents about 20% of the product's total gross. With "Pirates' " worldwide boxoffice to date, the projected total gross sales for the first two films alone would be in the multiple billions of dollars.

Speaking of franchises, DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third" will have picked up about $150.3 million in its first seven days of release, and "Spider-Man 3" had caught $289.5 million in its web through Thursday. This weekend, "Shrek" and "Spider-Man" will finish in second and third place, respectively.

In a counterprogramming effort, the only other wide release will be Lionsgate's "Bug," an R-rated thriller from director William Friedkin starring Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Lynn Collins. The film is based on an off-Broadway play written by Tracy Letts.

Oh No, The Sims have taken over.

Fox brings 'SIMS' to bigscreen

Film will be a live-action version

By PETER GILSTRAP

20th Century Fox has acquired feature rights to the life simulation computer game "The SIMS" from Electronic Arts, and has set project up with Fox-based John Davis.

The five-year-old franchise is the best selling PC game in history, with worldwide sales topping 85 million, bringing in over $1.6 billion. Pic will be a live-action version.

Steve Asbell is overseeing the project for Fox with SIMS Studio head Rod Humble managing the creative property for Electronic Arts. Brian Lynch will script; story is under wraps with talent yet to be named.

"'The SIMS has done an interactive version of an old story, which is what it's like to have infinite power and how do you deal with it," said Humble. "Given that that's an old story, you can imagine how easily that would translate to traditional story telling."

Davis' most recent projects include "Norbit," "When A Stranger Calls," and "Eragon."

Lynch scripted and helmed upcoming "Big Helium Dog," and penned "Scary Movie 3," and is managed by Benderspink.

Sims are ok for the computer screen, not so sure about the bigscreen.

Sandra Bullock has a 'Proposal'

Bullock set to star in 'Proposal'

Kurtzman, Orci to exec produce rom-com

By PETER GILSTRAP

Bullock

Sandra Bullock has been tapped to star in Touchstone Pictures' romantic comedy "The Proposal."

Mandeville's David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing; Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will exec produce.

Peter Chiarelli script concerns a demanding female boss faced with deportation to Canada who agrees to a sham engagement and marriage with her young male assistant. A director has yet to be named.

Longtime collaborators Kurtzman and Orci penned "Mission Impossible III," as well as upcoming Dream Works/Paramount features "Transformers" and "Star Trek." Duo are producing "2012" and "The 28th Amendment" for Warner Bros. and "Red Cell" for New Line.

Tyro scribe Chiarelli was director of development at MGM, supervising production of "The Pink Panther" and "The Amityville Horror." In 2005, he moved to DreamWorks to run Kurtzman/Orci Prods., where his projects included "Eagle Eye," "Nightlife" and "Red Cell."

Sandra Bullock has a 'Proposal'

Bullock set to star in 'Proposal'

Kurtzman, Orci to exec produce rom-com

By PETER GILSTRAP

Bullock

Sandra Bullock has been tapped to star in Touchstone Pictures' romantic comedy "The Proposal."

Mandeville's David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing; Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will exec produce.

Peter Chiarelli script concerns a demanding female boss faced with deportation to Canada who agrees to a sham engagement and marriage with her young male assistant. A director has yet to be named.

Longtime collaborators Kurtzman and Orci penned "Mission Impossible III," as well as upcoming Dream Works/Paramount features "Transformers" and "Star Trek." Duo are producing "2012" and "The 28th Amendment" for Warner Bros. and "Red Cell" for New Line.

Tyro scribe Chiarelli was director of development at MGM, supervising production of "The Pink Panther" and "The Amityville Horror." In 2005, he moved to DreamWorks to run Kurtzman/Orci Prods., where his projects included "Eagle Eye," "Nightlife" and "Red Cell."

Movies Opening Today

Place to be last night. At a movie theater near you @ 8 p.m. That is when the general public had the chance to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Disney publicized their decision to not wait for the midnight showing and show it a few hours earlier. The other movie studios are smart, because this long holiday weekend, POTC is the only major film released today. ( I give this film a A++) Some people are over the Pirates, so there are other smaller movies that are now in theaters. I recommend Amu. Previews are below. :)

Amu

Angel-A

Bug

Golden Door

Paprika

Wonder why he changed his mind?

Alec Baldwin returns to CAA

Actor, agency reteam after month-long break

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Baldwin

In an about-face, Alec Baldwin has returned to CAA.

Citing personal reasons, Baldwin had left the agency late last month (Daily Variety, April 25).

The abrupt exit came as he was dealing with the blowback from a Web site leak of a four-minute voicemail tirade he left for his daughter after she missed a scheduled phone conversation.

It was the latest chapter in his contentious divorce with actress Kim Basinger, who is also represented by the same agency -- a situation that may have exacerbated his ire.

Baldwin, who briefly said that he didn't want to return to his series "30 Rock" and would instead devote himself to raising awareness of parental alienation during divorces and the inequities that fathers receive from the courts, is quietly getting things back in order, as his return to CAA indicates.

Through a spokesman, Baldwin said, "I could not imagine being represented by anyone other than Matt DelPiano."

Though Baldwin is coming off strong movie work in "The Departed" and "The Good Shepherd," he won't take a film during the hiatus from the NBC sitcom "30 Rock," which is coming back for its second season.

Baldwin, whose contract calls for him to appear in at least 12 episodes of the sitcom, will be back to work when shooting begins in August. He's also in the middle of writing a book about the impact of the divorce process on fathers, and expects to have it published later this year through St. Martin's Press.

Remember the cartoon He-Man?

He-Man returns to big screen

Joel Silver teams with WB for adaptation

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver are working with Mattel to turn "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" into a live-action film.

Justin Marks is set to write the script. Silver will produce.

Deal, which is contingent on Mattel formally approving an outline for the project, is another example of Hollywood overhauling a 1980s-era pop-culture touchstone in the hopes of seeding a tentpole pic. The sale comes just a few weeks before the July preem of DreamWorks' Michael Bay-directed "Transformers," which began as an '80s animated series and toy line.

He-Man was born as a Mattel action figure, and the toymaker created an animated series in hopes of selling dolls. The series became a cult favorite, but the brand was hardly helped by its first bigscreen incarnation, the campy 1987 flop "Masters of the Universe" that starred Dolph Lundgren as the title character and Frank Langella as his nemesis Skeletor.

The toymaker, which now licenses "He-Man" for high-end merchandise sold to hardcore collectors, has been wary of going Hollywood again. An attempt by Fox 2000 to make another movie, this time with director John Woo, ended in futility as the toymaker didn't spark to the screen plans.

For Mattel, the stakes are potentially high as success could mean an entire relaunch of a toy line.

The franchise has been reimagined by the producer and the writers and pitched to Mattel as a classic good vs. evil battle, using the kind of visual effects strategy employed in "300." A warrior is touted as the last hope of a magical land called Eternia, which is being ravaged by technology and the evil Skeletor.

Many of the characters in the Middle Earth-like universe will be informed by the mythology created in the four different cartoon series done since the 1980s.

The story was hatched by Marks and Neil Ellice, the latter of whom will co-produce. Silver Pictures, which is turning the Japanese animated series "Speed Racer" into a live-action film to be directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, sparked to the potential. Silver Pictures exec Navid McIlhargey brought it in and will be involved in a producing capacity.

The viability of the "He-Man" universe is evidenced by the traffic that has occurred since rumors of a screen resurrection hit the Internet. Contrary to Web rumor, the lead role has not yet been cast.

WMA-repped Marks is writing a number of scripts, including "One Free Murder," for producer Kevin Misher. But he's found a niche reimagining branded properties. He's turning the animated series "Voltron" into a live-action film for producer Mark Gordon; he's developing a screen version of the vidgame "Street Fighter" for Hyde Park; and he's scripting a feature for Warners based on DC Comics character the Green Arrow.

" There's No Need to Fear, Underdog is Here!"

You can watch the new trailer for Underdog. I think it would have been cooler if the movie was animated. Disney's Underdog hits theaters August 3rd.

Buyer feeding frenzy at Cannes

IFC snaps up 'Four Weeks;' who will ring 'Bell'?

By ELIZABETH GUIDER, DADE HAYES

As the hoopla at Cannes finally shows signs of peaking, a number of U.S players came up for air, either to announce pictures they've bought or to trumpet pictures they've sold.

With so much money pouring into the international film business, and with the competition for top titles so intense year-round, most outfits that can afford to are stepping up to acquire product before it's even made.

A half-dozen of the top U.S. players -- Summit, Par Vantage, Picturehouse, the Weinstein Co. and Sony Classics among them -- have been circling a handful of fest titles, with various degrees of "must-have" enthusiasm.

Cocktail scuttlebutt here has almost always included the Competition title Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," whose distrib Pathe put on another screening for buyers at 4 p.m. Tuesday. No deal was expected before that.

Other fest titles that attracted more than nibbles include the Romanian title called "4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days."

Directed by Christian Mungiu, pic had its gala unveiling Thursday and has since set cinephile tongues wagging. IFC bought the picture for an undisclosed sum Tuesday.

Read the rest of the article

Mike Myers to star in 'Mitty' remake

Actor in on Fox, Goldwyn's 'Secret'

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Myers

Mike Myers is attached to star in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," a remake of the Danny Kaye comedy classic that producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. has moved from Paramount to 20th Century Fox.

Jay Kogen, a writer and producer on "The Simpsons," "Frasier" and, most recently, CBS' "The Class," is penning the script. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and John Goldwyn will produce.

Jim Carrey had once been attached to play the daydreamer first brought to life in 1947 by Kaye in a pic based on a short story by James Thurber. Directors attached to the project on and off during the past few years include Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard. When those efforts didn't pan out, Goldwyn moved the film to Par, where "Mean Girls" director Mark Waters tried to do it with Owen Wilson.

Fox and Goldwyn are starting from scratch with a version that will be specifically tailored for Myers.

The long-gestating "Mitty" is one of several projects in the works for Myers, whose green alter ego is cleaning up at the box office in "Shrek the Third." His next live-action vehicle, Paramount comedy "The Love Guru," is on track to begin production in September in Toronto, with Marco Schnabel directing. Myers will play Pitka, a self-help guru character he created and honed in comedy clubs while writing the script with Graham Gordy.

"Mitty" will compete for Myers' next live-action slot with "See Me, Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure," the Spitfire Pictures/Gerber Pictures drama in which Myers will play the hard-living drummer for the British rock group the Who. Playwright Donald Margulies ("Brooklyn Boy") has completed a first draft and will do a rewrite. The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey is aboard as a producer.

The CAA-repped Myers has several projects looming in the future. He is attached to star in "How to Survive a Robot Uprising," an adaptation of a humorous survival guide written by Daniel H. Wilson that is "Reno 911!" duo Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant are scripting for Par. Myers also has begun early discussions with New Line and director Jay Roach for a fourth installment of the "Austin Powers" series. While no writer has yet been assigned, Myers is eyeing a sequel that tells the story from the viewpoint of Dr. Evil.

Year of the Dog Review

Best in show

Quirky and off-center, Year of the Dog is the little indie that could

by Bob Green / 05-16-2007

Be warned: If you’re after a reassuring, largely formulaic romantic comedy peopled with the beautiful, Year of the Dog isn’t it. The first movie directed by eccentric screenwriter Mike White (The Good Girl, Chuck and Buck), this little movie is far more ambitious than, say, the newest Drew Barrymore assembly-line confection. It approaches reality a little closer than is comfortable for some romantic moviegoers, and its characters are less than gorgeous, asymmetrical in every possible way and prone to fits of contradiction.

These people are, in general, their own worst enemies in ways you might recognize.

With a strong cast featuring the always reliable Peter Sarsgaard, Laura Dern and John C. Reilly, the story—what happens to a mousy secretary after her beloved beagle dies—stars former SNL comedienne Molly Shannon, who burrows right in and makes the character-driven movie work. That is, she’s not after the Miss Congeniality award, nor feel-goodism of ordinary romantic comedies. Her character, Peggy Spade, is a composite of tics, internal personal conflicts and ambivalence as lifestyle. Spade’s only friend, and a good one, was Pencil the dog. When she discovers his collapsed body one day, her world goes into a tailspin.

Now more alienated than ever, Peggy finds herself alone in a world in which her relatives talk either of snagging a marriage partner…or how their kids are doing, and they’re beginning to regard Peggy as a liability. (She’s a failure, they suggest, because she’s not married.)

Enter two men: a doltish next-door neighbor (Reilly, really good at being obnoxious) and an animal rescue volunteer (Sarsgaard, as meaningfully off-center as usual). Wisely, Peggy gravitates toward Newt, the Sarsgaard character but, even there, problems arise.

Here the movie imitates life: The path Peggy “chooses” is part savvy, part accidental, part beyond anyone’s control.

In The Good Girl, writer White’s main character was sabotaged by the casting of Jennifer Aniston, too attractive for the part. Now that he directs this one, he’s made sure that Shannon isn’t just another Hollywood Jewish-American princess with an adorable nose job. In some scenes, Shannon is ungainly and plain Jane-ish; in others, she is attractive and winning—as is the movie.

In a summer of super-charged, hyper-speed movies, Year of the Dog might seem a bit leisurely paced, a series of vignettes seemingly going nowhere. But Shannon’s Peggy Spade is not a superhero(ine) and White’s movie is not aimed at overaged adolescents who are a lot more like Peggy emotionally than they care to recognize.

Forget the hype: Year of the Dog is a good movie. Nothing more and certainly nothing less.

The Waitress Review

Waitress: Food For Thought

Here's a generous tip: See this movie

By Matt Brunson

Published 05.23.2007

It's a heartwarming fairy tale scenario. Pregnant with her first child (a girl), a little-known actress pens a screenplay that manages to corral all her fears, anxieties and optimistic impulses regarding this life-altering event. She later turns that story into a film, not only serving as scripter but also as director and costar. The movie gathers positive reviews at Sundance, and then is positioned as a sleeper alternative to the usual big-budget summer behemoths. And everyone lives happily ever after.

Only something went tragically wrong along the way. The 40-year-old Adrienne Shelly, an indie staple back in the 1990s, had the baby and made the film, but rather than having the rest of a long life to enjoy both, she was murdered last November by a 19-year-old construction worker in her New York office. (The Ecuadorian illegal immigrant allegedly knocked her out during an argument over noise and, fearful of deportation, unsuccessfully staged it to look like she had committed suicide by hanging herself.)

One's initial impulse with Waitress, therefore, is to cut it several hundred yards of slack, to view it through a sentimental prism which would render any criticism of the picture about as cruel as burning a puppy with a cigarette. Yet here's the good news about the film: It doesn't require even a centimeter of slack, as it's a lovely motion picture that succeeds within its own self-contained bubble.

This sweet saga's protagonist is played by Keri Russell, the former Mouseketeer and Felicity star whose brief spots in movies (Mission: Impossible III, The Upside of Anger) only hinted that she might be worthy of larger film roles. In that respect, Waitress is to Russell what The Good Girl was to Jennifer Aniston: a choice opportunity for a television beauty to flex her thespian muscles. And like Aniston, Russell doesn't disappoint, delivering a nicely modulated performance that keeps viewers in her character's corner every step of the way.

Russell stars as Jenna, one of the waitresses employed at Joe's Pie Diner. The eatery, one of those quaint establishments tucked away in a small burg in fly-over country, is most notable for its 27 varieties of pies that are made fresh daily. In addition, Jenna creates a new pie every day, each given a quirky name depending on her mood and her present life situation (e.g. "I-Hate-My-Husband Pie," "Naughty Pumpkin Pie"). For friendship, she turns to her fellow staffers, the chatty Becky (Cheryl Hines, partially channeling Flo from the old Alice TV series) and the mousy Dawn (Shelly herself). But for love and affection, she's out of luck, since she's married to a domineering redneck named Earl (Jeremy Sisto), the sort of Neanderthal who orders her to hand over all her earnings at the end of each day and who's so controlling that he won't even allow her to enter a pie-making contest that offers a substantial amount of prize money.

Life with Earl is unendurable enough, but matters become even more complicated once she discovers she's pregnant (as she bitterly recalls, it happened on that one night when Earl got her drunk). She visits her regular doctor, only to discover that she's been replaced by Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), who just moved to the area with his wife. Medical ethics and marital vows be damned, the pair quickly fall into a tentative affair, one that's marked with as many moments of hesitancy and doubt as it is with steamy trysts. As for the baby, Jenna won't consider getting an abortion, but she also makes it clear that she has no use -- and no love -- for this unwanted infant. All she dreams about is leaving Earl and starting a new life, perhaps even one with Dr. Pomatter.

As writer, Shelly makes some missteps when it comes to her attempts to throw some surprises into the basic framework; for instance, Becky keeps babbling about a "secret" that's obvious from the get-go, while there's no question where the windfall will come from that might allow Jenna to escape her drab lot in life. But where Shelly excels is in her ability to dig beneath sitcom scenarios and focus on some hard truths that all too often define one's choices in life. Two of the three waitresses engage in affairs while the third ends up with a dweeb who almost makes Norman Bates look like a catch by comparison. But Shelly never judges these people or their actions, understanding that folks with limited options will often grasp at whatever straws are placed in front of them, as they realize that they have to work with what they've got (as one character states when asked if he's happy, "I'm happy enough"). Shelly's generosity even extends to the largely one-dimensional character of Earl; when he tells Jenna that he loves her, you don't exactly feel sorry for him but you do realize that in his limited world view, he probably does feel affection for his wife but is too much the lumbering misogynist to properly express it (kudos to Sisto for punching across these brief flashes of skewed humanity).

As stated, Russell is resplendent in the leading role, but let's also be sure to heap copious praise on wily vet Andy Griffith. He appears in a few scenes (not enough, by my count) as Old Joe, the diner's cantankerous owner. Naturally, he's disliked by everyone except Jenna, who recognizes the heart of gold beating beneath that cranky exterior. It's a stock role, of course, but Shelly provides the character with some salty wisecracks, a few engaging set-pieces (a couple involving the reading of his horoscope) and a nice monologue in which he attempts to instill Jenna with the sense of self-esteem that he realizes is integral to her growth as her own person. The beloved actor handles the part beautifully, and we're lucky that he's still with us at the age of 80. It's a shame we won't be able to say the same about the lovely and talented Adrienne Shelly.

Waitress

***1/2

DIRECTED BY Adrienne Shelly

STARS Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion

Romantic Comedies

Sacbee.com tells us who they would put in a romantic comedy . I have to say the Romantic Comedy genre is lacking severely. I guess that is not new news as Salon.com wrote an article about the decline back in the 20th century.( June 1999) The movies sacbee mention like Knocked Up and The Waitress, I do not even consider to be close to a romantic comedy. Some of their pairings are a little far fetched too. Maybe women should revolt and demand more romantic comedies. Or maybe not, as that would mean more movies like Music and Lyrics; however Kate and Leopold I loved.

With a goal of trying to resuscitate these glossy romances, here's my list of dream pairings:

Penélope Cruz

and Christian Bale

An intense actor who always seems to be keeping a secret, Bale might be the co-star to finally help translate Cruz's great appeal in Spanish films to American movies. Cruz could be kooky and play off Bale, who would be a stoic, Colin Firth-type romantic lead. Or a Richard Gere-style straight man à la "Pretty Woman," but with even better suits and less prostitution.

Halle Berry and Will Smith

A pairing with Berry might pull in the five or so moviegoers who thus far have resisted Smith's films. Smith could hone the charm he showed in "Hitch," one of the few romantic comedies of the past few years that worked. And Berry, who was adorable in "Boomerang," could make a movie in which her character isn't in peril.

Amanda Bynes and Shia LaBeouf

These graduates of children's television have displayed impressive talent on the big screen. LaBeouf, who shows real depth along with fine comic timing, could both play into and help calibrate Bynes' wacky approach. Think about it: Bynes and LaBeouf. Not quite Tracy and Hepburn or Lunt and Fontanne, but it still sounds great once you learn to pronounce "LaBeouf."

Virginia Madsen and George Clooney

People compare Clooney to Cary Grant, but he's not known for his romantic comedies. Madsen, retro-glamorous before she grew more earthy on screen, could perfectly complement Clooney's old-school charm.

Keira Knightley

and Johnny Depp

We'll know later this week what the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment offers. But in the second film, Depp and Knightley sizzled so inappropriately that you wanted to shield the kiddies' eyes. Perhaps they could transfer that heat to a romantic comedy set in an insurance office or a hospital.

Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman

Freeman would play a widowed businessman who suddenly must raise young grandchildren. Mirren would be the opinionated Cockney nanny with whom he argues about the content and consistency of "pudding." Tempers flare. Sparks fly. And Mirren and Freeman will become the first actors in history to pull off one of those silly romantic-comedy scenes in which people spontaneously break into lip-sync and dance.

Renée Zellweger and Brad Pitt

A blight on the face of modern romantic comedies, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" showed that Pitt would do better with a more down-to-earth partner than Angelina Jolie onscreen, if not in life. And since Jennifer Aniston is probably out of the question, Zellweger will do.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger

Because romantic comedies, unlike "Brokeback Mountain," have happy endings.

Cannes Day 6

For consistent coverage of the Festival de Cannes 2007, you can go over to Indiewire.

On Sunday Morning, 12 a.m. to be exact, instead of people excited to go see the midnight screening of U2 3D just to experience the greatest that is U2, they actually got to REALLY experience, in real lifeD. U2 actually performed on the steps of the Palais de Festival. How cool is that?!




The big movie at Cannes today is A Mighty Heart starring Angelina Jolie premieres at Cannes today ( 10:45 france). Below you can check out the trailer. It is produced by Brad Pitt's company Plan B/Paromount. Speaking of Mr. Pitt, Ocean's 13 makes it Cannes debut on Thursday. That will be one crazy red carpet.