Ewan McGregor doing porno?

Just about the only useful thing I learned in a journalism class is you should always grab people with a flashy headline, so there you go. However, as with just about everything in life, it's not quite what it seems.

According to my favorite froggy film site, Cinempire.com, Danny Boyle is finally launching into "Porno," Irvine Welsh's sequel to "Trainspotting." Given my love for the first movie I should be rejoicing, but I just can't bring myself to do it. The reason: the novel is simply a dud.

McGregor, if I have the French translated correctly, sort of agrees with me. He held out the longest among the primary players because of his doubts about the book, but now it seems he, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner are all on board for this new endeavour.

For anyone unfamiliar with the novel, it takes place 10 years after "Trainspotting" and, as the title so clearly reveals, it's about the lads scheming to make a porn movie. Their leader this time is "Sick Boy," who was played with such relish in "Trainspotting" (and presumably will be again) by Jonny Lee Miller.

My beef with the book? What did I love about "Trainspotting," the book almost as much as the movie? It was filthy and funny, but it also gave us characters who, whether we could relate to them or not, we at least cared about. "Porno" nails that first trait with ease, comes close on the second and just punts on the third, making it a failure for me.

I do, however, have full faith in Danny Boyle, so will at least give this a chance if it ever comes together.

By the way, I remember seeing another movie based on an Irvine Welsh book one year at the Rehoboth Film Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (and yes, all you haters, they do actually have a great film festival in Delaware.) It was based on the "Acid House" set of stories, and it was just a real oddity, though not entirely unentertaining. All I can really remember is that it takes three stories from the book, one of them involves a dude turning into a mosquito, and Ewen Bremner is the only holdover from "Trainspotting" who was on board. Check it out if you're a fan of Welsh's view of the world.

Best movie ever?

Just imagine you're a Sony studio suit listening to the pitch for this one.

David Mamet - perhaps you've heard of him - strolls in and says he wants to make a movie based in the Jiu-Jitsu fighting world of West Los Angeles starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. That would be enough to have me hooked.

At his best - and when he wants to - Mamet makes extremely well-written movies for the masses, as this one, "Redbelt," should definitely turn out to be. In Mamet's vision, Ejiofor will star as a Jiu-Jitsu master who has eschewed prizefighting to operate a self-defense studio. When he is conned by a cabal of movie stars and fight promoters, he must enter the ring to fight in order to regain his honor.

David Mamet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jiu-Jitsu and con games? I'm definitely in.

Atonement trailer

And finally, to add a touch of class to your Friday, here's a new, extended trailer for "Atonement," based on the novel by Ian McEwan and directed by "Pride & Prejudice" helmer Joe Wright. It stars Keira Knightley, who will hopefully decide to start eating again soon, and James McAvoy. One workplace warning: Though Ms. Knightley is not nude in the shot you'll definitely take note of, it certainly appears so at first glance. Enjoy!