Movie News Page 1134

Time goes by but still fans like 'Batman' the most. Apparently, nearly 15,000 film fans voted the action flick, tentatively titled "Batman Begins," as the Favorite Movie of 2005. Securing the top spot of the poll held by Total Film magazine, 'Batman' beats the like of "Sin City" and "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." The magazine's deputy editor claims 'Batman' as "a smart but funny reinvention" and "excellently directed."

Other award went to actor Mickey Rourke who was voted Man of the Year for his portrayal in cult movie "Sin City." In the meantime, Ian McDiarmid, who played Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in 'Revenge of the Sith,' has been named Best Movie Villain. "War of the Worlds" star Dakota Fanning was named Best Child Actor.

All North American rights to the Academy Award-nominated director Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion" has been acquired by Picturehouse. In the meantime, the team to work on the comedy flick also is ready. Altman's Sandcastle 5 Productions is set to produce, with GreeneStreet Films and River Road Entertainment in hand to executive produce and co-finance. Responsible for foreign sales is Capitol Films.

Moreover, the cast also has been settled. They are Academy Award-winners Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones, Academy Award-nominees Lily Tomlin, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Virginia Madsen, Saturday Night Live star Maya Rudolph, and Lindsay Lohan. The film is based on Garrison Keillor's legendary radio variety show with a script penned by Keillor himself. Besides, Keillor will also star in.

The angel flaps its wings as a sign that it's ready to fly. In fact, it's more than ready for that as the drama musical "Angel From Montgomery" has just started its production in Atlanta earlier this month with principal photography is underway.

"Angel From Montgomery" tells the story of Angela Dalton, a Miami newscaster who brings her rebel teenage daughter Dixie home to rural Montgomery, Tennessee after a military training accident tragically takes the lives of several town resides, including Angela's younger brothers. Back in Montgomery, Angela reunites with country star Bo Porter, the father that Dixie has never met. Bo's heart and talent helps troubled Dixie, while Bo and Angela reconcile their bittersweet past.

This isn't the first project that he works on. But this is yes the first time for him to direct a film. Previously wrote "The Pursuit of Happiness" and "The Weather Man," Steve Conrad will make his directorial debut with the forthcoming comedy titled "Quebec."

The film is slated to be shot in Conrad's hometown of Chicago beginning next spring. "Quebec" actually is a comedic study of the price of the American Dream. It follows two assistant managers at a grocery chain who are vying for the top job. The friends are forced to question how far they'll go as they engage in a campaign of one-upmanship to get the coveted post.

This upcoming footage is a very different one. Unlike many other comedies, this one is very unique. Dubbed "Fan Boys," the story is based on a screenplay by Adam F. Goldberg and Ernest Cline. It follows a group of young, hardcore "Star Wars" fans from the Midwest determined to take their dying friend to Skywalker Ranch so that he can see the seminal sci-fi pic in its perfect setting before he dies.

What do you think? The Weinstein Co. is in the final deal to acquire the film rights, while the movie is scheduled to begin filming on February 1. Already set to star in is Dan Fogler.

How to deal with a "Strange Son"? You should ask that to Nigel Cole, who Revolution Studios has set to direct the Bruce Joel Rubin-scripted true story of a mother's quest to communicate with her autistic son.

"Strange Son" is based on a book written by Portia Iverson, wife of producer Jon Shestack, about her son Dov, now 13. In the book to be published next month by Riverhead Press, Iverson tells how she researched autism to find a way to break through the wall that kept her son from communicating with her. She stumbled across a woman in India who had devised a rapid prompting technique.

Actress Jennifer Garner is away on "Sabbatical," an erotic thriller which she along with LivePlanet's Sean Bailey, and Chuck Weinstock have sold to Touchstone Pictures. The film actually is based on an idea by Weinstock.

It tells a couple that hits the doldrums in their seventh year of marriage. To inject some life into their union, they decide to take a two-week sabbatical from each other during which, within a set of rules, they can do whatever they want. When the wife returns to the agreed-upon meeting place two weeks later, however, she discovers that her husband has disappeared.

Paramount Pictures has just revealed the secret. The studio said that its recent project, which is the drama comedy "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," is turnaround because they fail to find the female lead.

The film, stars Owen Wilson as the leading male, centers on Walter Mitty, a daydreaming accountant with an overprotective mother, likes to imagine himself as a hero experiencing great adventures. His dream becomes true when he accidentally meets a mysterious woman who hands him a little black book. According to her it contains the locations of the Dutch crown jewels hidden since World War II. Soon Mitty finds himself in the middle of a confusing conspiracy and has to admit that being a hero in real life isn't that easy.

It's close to Halloween party and the time has just right for "Saw 2" to top this weekend's box office with a total gross of $30.5 million. The second best movie is new release "The Legend of Zorro," which taking in $16.5 million. At No. 3 is "Prime," scoring $6.4 million, ahead of "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" at No. 4 with $6.3 million.

Clings at No. 5 is "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," with a tepid $4.4 million. Number six is "The Weather Man," $4.2 million, followed behind by "Doom" with $4.1 million at No. 7. Securing number 8 to 10 in succession is "North Country," $3.7 million; "The Fog," $3.3 million; and "Flightplan," $2.6 million.

These days are busy and tiring days for multitalented actor Mel Gibson as he's preparing for "Apocalypto." Nonetheless, he seems to be very glad of it. That's for sure as the highly anticipated film will be a very qualified one.

"Apocalypto" reportedly will star unknown Mexican actors speaking in the Mayan tongue of Yucateco. Moreover, it will focus more on dialogue and heavy on images and action.

The adventure, drama, action flick "Pathfinder" is on board. The Marcus Nispel direction has just started filming. The film actually is a story about warring tribes of Norwegian Vikings and Native Americans which takes place a thousand years ago. When a Viking boy is left behind, he is adopted and raised as an Indian despite his straw-blonde hair. When a Viking raid wipes out his village, he becomes his adopted people's savior in battling the Norsemen.

Loosely based on Nils Gaup's 1997 film, "Pathfinder" stars Karl Urban, Moon Bloodgood, Clancy Brown, Jay Tavare, Nathaniel Arcand, Ralf Moeller and Russell Means. It will be distributed worldwide in 2006 with Daniel Pearl is on board as Director of Photography.

It is reported that Walden Media is planning for another 'Journey.' Though, you should know that this one isn't an ordinary one, rather it is a special one. It's "Journey to the Center of the Earth." An up-dated one.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" follows a group of youngsters unearth Jules Verne's original manuscript of the novel and discover that Verne himself had taken the journey to the center of the earth. Using the manuscript as a map, they follow Verne's journey to the core.

The crocodile is a rogue one. It haunts Michael Vartan and Radha Mitchell. See how the two of them facing the fear in the upcoming "Rogue," which Greg McLean will produce, direct and wrote.

As apparent from its title, "Rogue" is a horror thriller film tells about an American journalist on assignment in the Australian outback encounters a man-eating crocodile. It is said that pre-production will take place in Port Melbourne.

Walt Becker is about to tame the "Wild Hogs." Let's see can he do that perfectly.

"Wild Hogs," a comedy of Touchstone Pictures, is being produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions with Brad Copeland wrote the script.

It's glad to hear that Jack Black will head for a "Holiday" with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. The romantic comedy, written and directed by Nancy Meyers for Columbia Pictures, focuses on a friendship that crops up between an American woman and a British woman, both of whom have been recently dumped.

Black will play a film composer who becomes friendly with Winslet's character after she settles temporarily in L.A. Elsewhere, Meyers is still busy finding a British actor to play the love interest for Diaz's character.