For "Redbelt," thankfully "everywhere" does indeed mean everywhere

This post was initially meant just as a celebration of the fact that for once, as promised, a movie that's supposed to open "everywhere" this week will indeed make it out to one multiplex in my little burgh: David Mamet's "Redbelt."

How cool should "Redbelt" be? Well, even with Tim Allen in it, a David Mamet flick starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a martial artist would already have me hooked from the start. Throw in the surprising fact that Mamet is himself a purple belt in jujitsu and you've definitely got what I'll be doing for a couple of hours Saturday afternoon.

Besides, I can't think of too many actors who can list four flicks on the rather long and broad list of my favorites, as Ejiofor can do in his still rather short career. For the record, those four would be "Dirty Pretty Things," "Serenity," "Children of Men" and "Talk to Me." If you've never seen "Dirty Pretty Things," I can't recommend the rather gritty thriller about organ smuggling that also stars adorable Audrey Tautou highly enough.

But, along with the wide release of "Redbelt," there's a lot of other news out there today that at least warrants a brief mention.

Yet another "Jane Eyre"?

First up is Ellen Page, who always generates a few more hits to this rather lightly visited site whenever I mention her name but also just makes me smile whenever I get to bring her up, even when it's for something as potentially meh as this.

Having backed out of going to Hell with Sam Raimi, Ms. Page has now signed for yet another version of "Jane Eyre." Now, I understand that Charlotte Bronte's novel is an attractive target which offers plenty of opportunity to get decked in period garb, but didn't we already have one of these in the last 10 years? Indeed, Franco Zeffirelli made a more-than-slightly appealing version with the delightful Charlotte Gainsbourg in 1996.

No director has yet been attached for this BBC Films adaptation set to begin shooting in Fall, and as snarky as I've been here, I'm sure I'll at least tune in to this one on DVD for the presence of Ellen Page alone.

Yes, Atom Egoyan is still working

It seems like forever since I've heard anything about Canada's greatest filmmaker (at least in my often misguided opinion), but he's indeed about to return very soon with a flick titled "Adoration."

It's not set to be released (and probably not very widely at all) until the Fall, but it will first get a premiere May 22 in competition at Cannes. The flick, starring Rachel Blanchard and Scott Speedman, is described as a "contemporary drama" about a teen who creates a false Internet persona and goes in search of a family secret.

I'm not sure when I'll ever be able to see this, but it's just good to know that Atom Egoyan is still working and apparently thriving.

More from Buckley in the works

After the success of "Thank You for Smoking" I just assumed there would be a run on the works of Washington satirist Christopher Buckley, but it unfortunately never really happened. His books may not be the most intellectual thing out there, but as far as wry commentary on D.C. culture and entertaining writing go, it just doesn't get much better at all.

There was some rumbling that Whit Stillman (remember him?) would indeed make a comeback by making his first film in 10 years in adapting Buckley's "Little Green Men," but I can't find any evidence that that's moving forward. Now, however, GreeneStreet Films has optioned "Boomsday," Buckley's very funny novel about a D.C. lobbyist who casts herself in the center of a firestorm after she half-jokingly blogs about a solution to the stress that retiring baby boomers will place on the Social Security system: A voluntary suicide program for the aging.

Now, I'm rapidly getting to the age where I shouldn't find that funny any more, but I did when I read the novel and I still do now, so definitely bring this one on.

A tease about "Iron Man 2"

An "Iron Man 2" with Jon Favreau on board to direct was already pretty much a foregone conclusion before Marvel penciled it in Monday morning for a 2010 release. No firm word yet that Favreau will direct the sequel, but I can't imagine why not, and here's what Tony Stark himself had to say about a possible sequel in Entertainment Weekly:

There's this idea of Terrence [Howard] putting on a suit and coming back as War Machine, who is pretty iconic in the Iron Man and Marvel universe. Just seeing where it can all go, but grounding it in a very modern mythology. I see it as greatest dysfunctional family story ever told.... In The New York Post a couple days ago, [there was a cartoon] of Iron Man suited up, and he's telling the governor even his super-powers can't get him out of the budget problem. That was what Jon was hoping for and excited to see the most, the idea that Tony Stark and Iron Man can become part of the cultural fabric. When we heard posters were being defaced to promote political or social ideas, he just got such a hoot out of that.

It would indeed be great to see Terrence have a lot more to do in the second installment, and you can read all of EW's interview with Robert Downey Jr. here.

Proof, in case I needed it, that my movie tastes are often just juvenile

I had no idea that "Superbad," easily one of my favorite movies of 2007, would still be up for kudos, but it seems that the esteemed voters on the MTV Movie Awards indeed have yet to have their say.

And "Superbad," not surprisingly, is the big winner in nominations with five. Along with best picture, it also nabbed "breakthrough performer" nods for veryfunnymen Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and McLovin. Hill (but not Cera, WTF!?!) is also nominated for comedic performer of the year. Cera and the aforementioned Ellen Page, however, did each pick up performer of the year nominations (and, this being MTV and all, best kiss) for "Juno," so I guess it's all good.

Now, just how silly are the MTV Movie Awards? Well, in the category of best picture, "Juno" and "Superbad" indeed have to share space with not only "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and "Transformers," but also "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." I haven't seen the latter, so I can't really say for sure, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't the best movie of 2007 by any conceivable standard. MTV does, however, have a lot of fun with this, and you have to at least respect that.

If you wanna show some love for "Superbad" or "Juno," you can vote for the nominees here through May 23. The show, rather unfortunately hosted by Mike Myers, will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. June 1.

And now, in closing, here's the trailer for "Redbelt," which I'm hoping will be a surprise box-office contender in its first week of wide release. Peace out.

The joys of summer: 10 to definitely get geeked up for

Instead of using this space to announce my personal multiplex boycott (which will only last about a week and a half anyways), I've decided to keep things positive and future-oriented here today. Besides, the friggin Baltimore Orioles are 6-1, so what could really be so wrong with the world at this moment?

Now, two things you won't see in my summer 2008 preview are any movies directed by Fred Durst (he actually has one coming out in July called "The Comebacks") because, well, he's Fred Durst, or - despite its obvious primal charms - Anna Faris' turn as a Playboy bunny in "House Bunny" on Aug. 22. (But, as you can clearly see, I have rather crassly included - in honor of both summer and, well, Anna Faris - a picture of her in character.)

Unfortunately, you also won't see any little comedies with the potential charms of a "Waitress" or "Little Miss Sunshine," not because I don't want them but simply because I couldn't find them. If you know of any I'm missing, please let me know. One more disclaimer: I'm really looking forward to "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" on April 18, but since this is about summer, I've restricted this preview to May to August.

And now, without any further hesitation, are 10 movies I surely won't miss seeing this summer, in order of just how unreasonably geeked up for each I am (and in a few cases, the trailers too.)

10. Redbelt
If you're gonna make yet another movie about the world of underground fighting, do you really cast Tim Allen in one of the leads? Two things in this one's favor, though: The truly great Chiwetel Ejiofor is the badass at the flick's center, and it springs from the mind of David Mamet who, oddly enough, is apparently a purple belt in jujitsu himself. I sure hope this plays wide when it opens May 2 and kicks off Summer with a real bang. (The trailer is below.)



9. The Happening
No one is more in need of a winner than poor M. Night Shyamalan, and I, at least, am hoping he gets it with this one. Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and the always-welcome John Leguizamo lead the cast in this "environmental thriller" which, as far as I can muster, is about some kind of force that leads people to commit suicide. Man, do I hope this doesn't just suck when it comes out June 19.

8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
This one should be pretty fascinating, if I indeed have my plot summary right. Instead of taking on Nazis, according to Mike Mignola, this time Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and the crew will be taking on some crazy version of the American Indian who - and can you really blame them? - have gotten their hands on a nuclear weapon or some other silliness and turned on the gringos. I can't see myself really cheering against Indians, but man do I love me some Hellboy, so I'll be there July 11. (The trailer is below.)



7. Iron Man
The more I see of this one the more I'm convinced that Robert Downey Jr. really does have the chops to play our hero May 2 and turn this one into a franchise. Director Jon Favreau has plans to make it at least a trilogy, and you can look for Downey just about everywhere this summer, turning up as Tony Stark again in "The Incredible Hulk" on June 19 and in black face for "Tropic Thunder" on July 11.

6. X-Files 2
Chris Carter said he has struggled to come up with a better title for this one, but I'll be there no matter what it's called July 25. The plot, of course, is pretty tightly under wraps, but I do know that - unlike the rather disastrous first X-Files flick - this one will spring almost directly from one of the show's late storylines (possibly about Scully's offspring), so it should be great.

5. Pineapple Express
Anyone who knows me knows that I hold comedy in extremely high esteem, so you'll find two in the big five, starting with this Camp Apatow offering starring former "Geeks" James Franco and Seth Rogen. Frankly, I can take or leave stoner comedies, but judging from the trailer below this one should definitely provide some serious laughs on August 8.



4. The Rocker
I had forgotten all about this one, but since it stars comedy god Rainn Wilson I'm certainly hoping its almost as funny as it is sure to be simply silly on Aug. 1. Wilson is Robert "Fish" Fishman, the devoted drummer who gets kicked out of the '80s hair band Vesuvius. Twenty years later, he jumps at the chance to make his comeback in A.D.D., the high school rock band fronted by his nephew. If something in that doesn't make you laugh, I probably just can't help you.

3. Wall-E
OK, it's only the big guns from here on out. I don't think Pixar's latest offering will reach the lofty perch that "Ratatouille" holds in my heart, but here's hoping anyway. I do know that it will be an odd offering, with a lot of none-too-subtle preaching about environmentalism and the dangers of Wal-Mart, plus an opening half-hour with no human dialogue at all. Find out if it works or not June 27. (The trailer is below.)



2. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
It was a photo finish at the top, but in the end, I'm just not as excited about Harrison Ford's return to his most famous role as I am about the flick that nabbed the top spot on this list. Now, mind you, I will, assuming there is one, turn out for a midnight show when this opens May 22 (the day after my birthday!), and will hopefully cheer like a giddy kid at least once.

1. "The Dark Knight"
In spite of the tough competition from "Indy," this one was really a no-brainer for me. Either I've managed to tune it out or Warner Bros. has actually resisted the urge to crassly use the late Heath Ledger to market Christopher Nolan's flick. Besides, with a definite step up from Katie Holmes to Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes and the addition of Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, I really don't see any possible way this one can suck on July 18.

So, there you have it. Please feel free to add any I have missed, and have a perfectly pleasant Wednesday. Peace out.