Rachel McAdams is in negotiations to star opposite Owen Wilson and the recently added Marion Cotillard in the yet to be titled Woody Allen film scheduled to shoot in the summer. Read the full story

Critics who saw Whatever Works, in limited release today, felt it appropriate to note Woody Allen’s out-of-step return to New York City was not of the romanticized breadth present in some of his finest films. Whether or not this bandwagon bash affects Allen, he’s fleeing again – this time, to France for a project set to commence filming next year.

He wants Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the French first lady, to star because she possesses the charisma of a movie star. The pick is not far off base, since Bruni-Sarkozy is a former singer, supermodel and songwriter. She’s also appeared in a few films.

Allen told RTL Radio in Paris on Thursday: “She’s got charisma, she’s already acted so she’s not unknown to an audience. There are a lot of ways I could use her though I don’t have a story for her at the moment.”

Typically, Allen writes a script without a specific actor in mind. Then again, with Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow on board for much of his career, it wasn’t difficult.

What international political figure would fare well on the silver screen?

Woody Allen marks his return to New York with a worthy welcome that recalls back to his earlier films. Whatever Works certainly won’t go down as a great Woody Allen film, but it’s charm is too irresistible to ignore. It falls alongside the minor Allen films, failing to reach the heights of his earlier landmarks.

The film revolves around a sharp-witted New Yorker named Boris Yellnikoff, played by Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm). Boris prefers a life of isolation and despises mostly everyone he meets. One day on his way home Boris finds a young beautiful southern girl named Melodie laying by his apartment. Boris decides to take the young girl in and they soon become friends. Boris becomes infatuated with Melodie and the odd couple decide to get married. Later on they discover they must suffer the burden of Melodie’s dysfunctional parents-who seem to despise Boris.

Read the rest of this review below >>

Editor’s note: Due to a trip to NYC I wasn’t able to update as frequently as I hoped. Here are the major (and minor) news stories I missed.

First Promo Posters From Cannes Include Shutter Island, The Lovely Bones, + More [Firstshowing]

Quentin Tarantino has an Inglourious Basterds prequel “ready to go”. [NYTimes]

Nicole Kidman No Longer in New Woody Allen Flick [Variety]

Trailer for Woody Allen’s Whatever Works [Apple Trailers]

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Hello fellow Film Stagers, I’m going to start posting a round-up of smaller film news around the web in a section called Back Stage. These stories aren’t quite big enough to garner a full post, but worthy checking out regardless.

The End of Terminator Salvation will Divide Audiences [/Film]

The Green Lantern Has $150 Million Budget, Shooting in Sydney [THR]

Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for “sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images and language.” [ropesofsilicon]

Check out more articles >>

By Dan Mecca

If honesty is the best quality, Adventureland is the gem of the cinematic year so far. Written and directed by Greg Mottola (the guy who directed Superbad) this dramedy is a throwback in every way – from the setting of the film (summer 1987) to the laid-back comic delivery. There’s barely anything that can be defined as a joke in this thing.

For the most part, all the movie’s laughs are natural and observatory rather than fed and forced. This is not to say that the latter doesn’t work – see I Love You, Man for proof of this, a film that feeds jokes consistently with a natural rhythm that does not overwhelm.

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Last Sunday Slumdog Millionaire swept the Academy Awards concluding the culmination of 2008 cinema. 2009 film is now upon us. It’s been a bit of a mix with the horrendous Paul Blart: Mall Cop kicking off the year, but so far, it’s left us with a couple gems (Taken and Coraline 3-D). It’s not too early to take a look at the films that we will be seeing in next year’s Academy Awards. If you are looking for a more mainstream/blockbuster films, check out my 50 Must-See Movies of 2009. If you want a list of higher caliber films, here are my predictions for the major 2010 Oscars categories:

Best Picture/Director

I’ve decided to lump these two categories together since it’s too early to separate them out. Here are 10 films that I can see being in the running with some other contenders after:

Martin Scorsese – Shutter Island (a.k.a. Ashecliffe

Plot: Drama is set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island. Leo DiCaprio leads an all-star cast, including Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and Max von Sydow

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Variety reports Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto, along with Naomi Watts (The International)  join Anthony Hopkins and Josh Brolin in Woody Allen’s yet-to-be titled feature. The film is expected to shoot in London this summer.

It’s great to see the ‘Slumdog’ stars get work after their huge Oscar sweep. As previously reported, Dev Patel will join the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

Do you think it’s a good choice for Pinto to join a Woody Allen film? Patel in a Shyamalan film?

Entertainment Weekly posted an incomprehensibly awful list of the 50 Greatest Active Directors. Check it out below:

1. Steven Spielberg
2. Peter Jackson
3. Martin Scorsese
4. Christopher Nolan
5. Steven Soderbergh
6. Ridley Scott
7. Quentin Tarantino
8. Michael Mann
9. James Cameron
10. Joel and Ethan Coen
11. Guillermo del Toro
12. David Fincher
13. Tim Burton
14. Judd Apatow
15. Sam Raimi
16. Zack Snyder
17. Darren Aronofsky
18. Danny Boyle
19. Clint Eastwood
20. Ron Howard
21. Ang Lee
22. Paul Thomas Anderson
23. Paul Greengrass
24. Pedro Almodóvar
25. Jon Favreau
26. Woody Allen
27. Brad Bird
28. David Cronenberg
29. Sofia Coppola
30. Bryan Singer
31. Sam Mendes
32. Mel Gibson
33. The Wachowski Brothers
34. J.J. Abrams
35. Alfonso Cuaron
36. Hayao Miyazaki
37. Mike Leigh
38. Oliver Stone
39. Roman Polanski
40. Spike Jonze
41. Richard Linklater
42. Spike Lee
43. David Lynch
44. Wong Kar-Wai
45. Wes Anderson
46. Mira Nair
47. Andrew Stanton
48. Michael Moore
49. Mary Harron
50. Sidney Lumet

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By Dan Mecca

There may be nothing sadder than the life of the average independent film. Every year thousands are made for pennies when put next to even one summer blockbuster. And every year some of them are good enough to run the film festival circuit. Among that batch, a handful get picked up and distributed by film companies.

…Around, written and directed by David Spaltro, is the embodiment of the independent film, and a very fine example of one at that. Made for around $175,000 dollars, most of it swiped on some 40 of Spaltro’s credit cards, the fact that this “little” film even got made is an accomplishment. The story is told, and lived, by a young man named Doyle, played by Rob Evans, an extremely talented young actor who’s uncanny resemblance to actor Ryan Gosling only helps, as he is in most every frame.

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