Leo, Ellen and Cillian

Is it just me or is it hard to picture these two acting together onscreen? What is it about Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page that give me that ole' oil and water feeling? They seem to be kindred spirits of drably dressed boredom in this photo so perhaps I'm wrong. Speculate with me in the comments...

via lots more photos here

The movie in question is Inception, due for a teaser trailer any second now, which is Christopher Nolan's sci-fi follow up to The Dark Knight. For all I know -- the plot is closely guarded -- they're playing brother and sister. Unlike James Cameron, who seemed spooked after Titanic, Nolan is just getting back to work. That's always the best move when you've just made a game changer. Get your follow up out of the way and bring your career back down to earth... even if you're still breathing rarefied air while touching ground.

Batman does not appear in the generically titled Inception but the cast is plum. Rising stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard (as DiCaprio's wife apparently) the enduring if never foregrounded Lukas Haas and Nolan/Batman holdovers Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe. I'm glad to see Nolan sticking by Murphy in particular who we assumed, back in 2003 when he carried 28 Days Later with such magnetism, was going to be a much bigger star by now. At the very least, he's always entirely watchable.

Donut World

Mars Attacks! (1996)

Today is National Donut Day. I knew it and then I forgot it and then I passed by a rack of donuts at the grocery store not one hour ago. Aren't you thrilled to have a play-by-play of my life!? Well, aren't you? I opted not to buy them thinking "Sugar is not the answer, Nathaniel!"

See, I've been totally depressed. Like, Laura Brown depressed (yeah, that bad), which is totally an appropriate screen comparative because it's my birthday tomorrow and you know how much trouble Laura Brown had with that cake. That damn cake that she just couldn't get right!

If Toni Collette were to drop by for a cup of coffee right now, I'm reasonably certain I would try to make out with her.

So sugar isn't the answer even if it is Donut Day.

Maybe Mars Attacks! is the answer? I should watch it right now. It's not quite Tim Burton's funniest movie, that honor going to Pee Wee's Big Adventure, but it's surprisingly strong competition. If I only had a copy of the movie handy, I would run back to the grocery store and kick back with a whole mess of those deep fried rounds.


I'd lift a donut to salute Lukas Haas each time he appears. He seems like a sad fellow even in happy movies, even surrounded by donuts in Donut World, and misery loves company.
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Red Carpet Rendezvous

Checking in with a random sampling of stars @ events this past week or so, all of them sized to represent their actual heights. Because I'm anal like that. I like to keep you (and myself) guessing about who I might include.

individual images

Remember when Chlöe Sevigny was like the "it" fashion girl. What happened to that? And what happened to her acting --is it just me or has she been a little dull lately onscreen. I'm thinking of Zodiac and Manderlay? Angelica Huston still goes to things... but apparently only Wes Anderson remembers that's she's quite a great actress. I'm including Brooke Smith because now that she's been unceremoniously dumped from Grey's Anatomy... maybe filmmakers can remember that she's been all kinds of terrific in movies like Vanya on 42nd Street and Silence of the Lambs and Series 7: The Contenders and maybe without a television contract bogging her down, they ought to throw some interesting supporting roles her way. I'm just saying. Lukas Haas still looks like a little boy, albeit a 6' 1" 30 year-old boy. We'll always have Witness (1985). Pink! I know she's not a film person but so what... she's still a rock star (plus I love her so I must include). And finally Regina King. Remember how hard she worked her big moment in Ray? Remember how sweetly funny she was in The Year of the Dog? Apparently casting directors do not. What's wrong with them?
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