More Blueberry Nights and Futureman's Latest Film

The New York Times reports that Wong Kar-Wai's "My Blueberry Nights" features songs by "American institutions," Otis Redding, Ruth Brown and Ry Cooder (who composed the all-time venerable score to "Paris, Texas"). A.O. Scott gives the film a positive, but tempered review and reminds Cannes critics to abate their knee-jerk reactions.

Their weekend movie round-up also makes note of the country-rock soundtrack in the upcoming Wilson brothers film, "The Wendell Baker Story," which features songs by Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett. We want to discuss this film at length, but the protracted version is this: Luke Wilson wrote and co-directed this pet project with his eldest brother Andrew Wilson (who plays the memorable "Futureman" in Wes Anderson's "Bottle Rocket"); their middle Wilson brother, Owen also stars in the film that carries a '70s bent and an estimable cast that includes aged film patriarchs, Harry Dean Stanton, Kris Kristofferson and Seymour Cassel (who's appeared in 3 of 4 Wes Anderson films). The film also includes an uncredited appearance by Will Ferrell. The Times review is positive, but others are lukewarm - a cautionary sign: the film was completed in 2005, but is just getting distribution now.

Soundtrack of the Day: The Last Days of Disco

Today i will spare you the editorializing (for the most part). We already wrote about our beloved Whit Stillman resurfacing so we thought we'd highlight some of the slightly lesser-celebrated disco classics from his "Last Days of Disco" soundtrack (ok, the last two are pretty celebrated).

Download: Michael Zager Band - "Let's All Chant"
Download: Carol Douglas - "Doctor's Orders"
Download: Cheryl Lynn - "Got To Be Real"
Download: Andre True - "More, More, More"

Newly Mustachioed Nazi Sympathiser Becomes Aspiring Film Composer

The aspiring journalists at Pitchfork Media are reporting that Interpol bassist Carlos D. (n?e Dengler) reportedly wants to become an aspiring film composer. Awww, isn't that adorable? Not content with simply being the most syphilis-ridden bassist in indie-rock, Dengler has started a new website where he has already assumed the title of "Film & Television Composer" (that's cute, we're going to add MD. to our bio too).

The up-and-comers at Pitchfork have posted his online bio which has that can-do spirit similarily championed by folks like the Special Olympics.

"Carlos is an aspiring film and tv composer in addition to playing bass and keyboards in Interpol. His understanding of harmonic principles and an ear for colorful orchestration have contributed notably to the Interpol sound and are integral to his work as a composer. Although working in a different musical environment, Carlos utilizes the same skills in scoring as he does in Interpol.

Carlos' influences include film composers Angelo Badalamenti, James Newton Howard, Alexander Desplat, and classical composers Henryk Gorecki, Arvo P?rt, and Dmitri Shostakovich.

How could you possibly turn away that cover letter? Hire this kid, stat! The entrepreneurial musician has posted clips online of films like "X-Men 3" and Werner Herzog’s Kuwaiti oil fields burning documentary “Lessons of Darkness,” and ever so inventively, infringed existing copyright and replaced the existing music, with his own music! Very clever.

People this kid can compose like nobodies business. Personally, we think his peppy version of “The Devil Wears Prada” totally trumps the original. It’s probably only weeks away until Interpol are auditioning new bassists on Craigslist and Dengler is thanking his former chums from an Oscar stage.

Dengler composed the real score (as opposed to the make-believe ones to actually exisiting films) "Golgatha" made by his "friend" Daniel Ryan and it is very deep and dark and makes you go, "hmmmm...." Although he already has two budding careers, the altruistic bass player has also been managed to find the time to help save animals.
Watch: "Golgotha"

Download: Interpol - "The Heinrich Manuever"

Joy Division Film Receives Rave Reviews; Features Bowie, Roxy, Pistols Tracks

We told you all about the Joy Division/Ian Curtis biopic “Control” directed by longtime JD associate/Curtis friend, renowned photographer Anton Corbijn and the film which just debuted at Cannes received “rapturous reception” according to the BBC.

I guess the Killers' cover of “Shadowplay” that plays with the film's end credits didn’t turn anyone off (we find this hard to believe).

According to a Mark Radcliff BBC2 radio broadcast (which is now defunct) there will be two soundtrack CDs, one an actual soundtrack disc and then a covers disc called, Out of Control including, apparently, Paul Hague's cover of “Atmosphere,” as well as, presumably, U2, Manson and many other rumored JD-influenced bands.

The extremely tall Corbijn put most of the film’s success on the mostly-unknown actor, Sam Riley (who played the Fall's Mark E. Smith in “24 Hour Party People,” more connections here.)

This is a very hard role for anybody to play, [it's difficult] to fit in somebody's shoes who has become an icon in many people's eyes," the Dutch director told the BBC. "I can't think of the movie without Sam, to be very honest - I think he gave everything to that role. It was his first film, it was my first film - in a way we had nothing to lose."

Riley said: "I spent a lot of time in the mirror doing dance moves. I tried to play him as fairly normal bloke, with an exceptional talent. He was an incredibly enigmatic performer - unusual, and uncomfortable in a way. And a fantastic lyricist for his age, for any age."

New Order may have broken up very recently, but apparently they heart the movie "They hardly ever agree on anything together, but they all love the film," Corbijn said.

There's a very non-informative clip on YouTube from Dutch TV (not translated) that features some footage from the film. Don't get your hopes up, it's shot off a TV and not stellar, but it does shed some musical light: Riley as Curtis with David Bowie's "The Jean Genie" playing in the background, the band listening to a mix of "She's Lost Control" in the studio with sociopath Martin Hannett and Riley with Alexandra Maria Lara (as mistress Annik Honore) talking on a couch while the ambient, Eno-produced Bowie track, "Warsawa" (from Low) plays on. Update: the Associated Press is reporting that tracks by Roxy Music and the Sex Pistols also appear in the film.

The Guardian points out a juicy irony in the film: "When Curtis recovers from his first epileptic fit, his manager tells him: "It could be worse - at least you're not the lead singer of the Fall" (see above, Riley played Mark E. Smith). The U.K. paper also points out an aesthetic, that while obvious when you think of Corbijn's photo career, that most people have failed to mention: the film is shot entirely in austere black and white.

"When you think of Joy Division... my whole memory of that period is black and white. The album covers were black and white, and they often dressed in shades of grey," Corbijn said. ", There is basically no color photography of that band around. So it felt very proper to the project."

Download: David Bowie - "Warszawa"
Download: Joy Division - "Passover" [Martin Hannett alternate mix]
Download: Joy Division - "The Eternal" [Martin Hannett alternate mix]

The Real Transformers

Transformers trailers are sprouting across the Interweb like erections at Comic-Con conventions, but you know this is what would really happen, right?
Click the image for a larger version. [Perry Bible Fellowship] Oh, and remember how cocky douchebag blockbustorian Michael Bay said they would never show the robots in the trailer to be all "Jaws"-suspsense-like? Total lie.

Bruce Campbell Is A B-Movie Actor; Duran Duran Was Once An A-List Band

Ahoy, Oldspice maties, our tenuous connection is made.

Danish Asshole Lars Von Trier Needs A Hug

After years devoted to brutalizing audiences with misanthropic character studies boasting sadistic and gleeful contempt for humanity, devilish Danish enfant terrible Lars Von Trier is now a sad poopy face.

The poor little pestilent director – who made it his life’s work to tease, taunt and bait audiences (particularly American ones) – has told the Danish press that he has fallen into a deep depression.

His funk is so deep (not in Parliament way), the once pathologically mischievous filmmaker says the despair has left him unable to write further nasty stories and is threatening his career.

"It's very strange for me, because I've always had at least three projects in my head at one time," he told Danish newspaper Politiken. "But right now I am completely blank."

We’re not psychiatrists or anything, but maybe, just maybe having three fiendish films in your head at the same time is bad for the soul?

Von Trier actually checked himself into a Copenhagen hospital in December to treat his depression, but remains unsure if his next project, the Disney-sounding “Antichrist,” will proceed this year as planned (Naturally, "Antichrist" depicts Satan, not God, as the world's creator).

"I assume that 'Antichrist' will be my next film. But right now I don't know," Von Trier told the paper; his rascally giggle curiously absent. "After my downspin, I feel like a blank sheet of paper."

Von Trier Vs. Bj?rk
You might remember Von Trier being a colossal dick to fragile Icelandic fairy queen Bj?rk in his relentlessly excruciating, “Dancer in the Dark” musical (Bj?rk was so traumatized from the experience, she actually disappeared from the set for 3 days leaving producers in the lurch, and once filming finished vowed to never star in a film again; apart from abstract appearances in pretentious Matthew Barney films, this vow remains intact).

Von Trier Vs. The Dogville Cast
Or you might remember him from the twisted and abusive treatment he subjected his actors to in the relentless America-is-morally-bankrupt screed, “Dogville” (a maltreatment so taxing that it spawned, “Dogville Confessions," a film documenting the actors' awful moviemaking experience; Nicole Kidman weeps; Paul Bettany wants to strangle Von Trier; the otherwise unruffled Lauren Bacall calls him an “asshole”)

Von Trier Vs. His Idol
Von Trier even topped his own nefariousness with the documentary “The Five Obstructions” – a film where he psychopathically tormented his hero, Danish elder statesmen J?rgen Leth, by challenging him to make five films, then constructing five impossible-to-overcome artistic impediments for said films, and then smilingly telling his idol how he's failed miserably.

Maybe he just needs a hug. Or some Muesli.

Download: Bj?rk and Thom Yorke - "I've Seen It All" [from Selma Songs, the "Dancer In The Dark" soundtrack]
Download: Bj?rk - "New World" [from Selma Songs the "Dancer In The Dark" soundtrack]
Download: Bj?rk - "In the Musicals" [from Selma Songs the "Dancer In the Dark" soundtrack]

Spoon Springs A Leak

Elf-like Austin indie-rocker Britt Daniel (of Spoon, seen on the left crocheting; his favorite pastime) has been getting deeper into movies of late. He helped score parts of the surprisingly respectable Charlie Kaufman-wannabee "Stranger Than Fiction" (with Sofia Coppola right-hand music supervisor Brian Reitzell) made a cameo appearance on "Veronica Mars" (editors note: that's television). One track off of Spoon's new album Gagagagaga was produced (only one? C'mon!) by multi-faceted musician/film composer extraordinaire Jon Brion. And now the Spoon album has sprung an interweb leak. Have at it.

Download: Spoon - "The Underdog" (produced by Jon Brion)
Download: Spoon - "Don't You Evah"
Download: Spoon - "Don't Make Me A Target"

Things You Already Knew: Frodo Will Play Iggy Pop

We swore we wouldn't insult your intelligence with a Hobbit reference in the headline, but then we flat out lied to ourselves. Elijah Wood is going to play Iggy Pop. This is not new news, but apparently Variety has mentioned it as 100% confirmed so everyone's in a tizz. Pop has even spoke about this already, but whatever. We just don't want to appear like we were caught with our pants down. According to Variety the film is called "The Passenger" (Antonioni and Nicholson are pissed) and is directed by the guy that did the critical masterpiece, "Drowing Mona."

Pop chose to not participate, but has apparently "given his blessing" and said (a year ago mind you): "The script ain't chopped liver... It was a work of art. But subjectively, I don't want to be involved in any way. A producer and the writer sent me a very decent letter, and asked me to write back if I didn't want them to do it... I don't feel negative about it at all."

Wood told Sound & Vision mag (in December 2005 no less): "Obviously, it's daunting as well. The weight of playing someone I and millions of others admire is definitely not lost on me. But I think it will be an incredible tribute to him, particularly because it focuses mainly on the Stooges, a band that just now seems to be getting its due."

Frodo is so gonna embarrass himself.

Download: Iggy Pop - "The Passenger"
Download: Iggy Pop - "Tell Me A Story"

Bluberry NIghtz Features Caturday Power Songs, Thx Plz

Ok, we told you all about Wong-Kar Wai's first english-language film, "My Blueberry Nights," starring Jude Law, Nora Jones and with an appearance by Chan Marshall (Cat Power). Slashfilm has the first trailer and it's scored to the tune of Cat Power's titular track, "The Greatest." Not a huge surprise considering Wai was known to play Cat Power's The Greatest on repeat during filming to get the crew and camera people into the right mood. [Slashfilm with trailer] More production stills here.

Update: 'Nights' premiered at Cannes today and received mixed reviews. [Reuters]

Brainfarts Begin, Logic Ends: It's The Playlist Summer Preview

Summer is upon us and that means blockbuster sequels and intellectually-challenging mindbenders surely to make a dent in well, your mind, and the history of culture and mankind.

But we're not mad or bitter about it or anything.

Pirates 3: This time with 25% more nacho cheese flavor, the homosexual pirates at sea opera concludes in a fireball of nonsensical plot holes, CGI eel-like creatures and crusty Madame Tousseau relic, Keith Richards.

Spider Man 3: Charismatic-less lead Tobey Maguire fulfills his video-game contractual obligations as the conflicted (Jewish?) crime fighter that is quip-filled and fun in costume, but curiously wooden and unfun in everyday life. Kristen Dunst stars as the love interest cashing a substantial paycheck. Villains include television actors attempting to be taken seriously

Transformers: Michael Bay shifts his testosterone-fueled macho fests to the world of potential toy licensing with testosterone-filled do-gooder robots that masquerade as automobiles and blenders to save the world from nefarious robots that impersonate fighter jets and cuisinarts. Nerds are apparently upset that a robot as boom box does not make an appearance. As if anyone could give a flying fuck.

Fantastic Four 2: Producers have the Sisyphean task of chloroforming audiences into believing the first film of this franchise didn't exist. Once again, FF2 includes the incredibly stilted Jessica Alba and the goofball, Laurel and Hardy-esque relationship between the Thing and flame-on fratboy the Human Torch (coincidentally played by real life fratboy Chris Evans). This chapter of the episodic-like feature includes the silent CGI character/potential planet scout, the Silver Surfer and his planet-eating master Galactus. Message board whinners are apparently upset that the normally gargantuan and terrifying Galactus is portrayed by a decidedly ineffectual cloud of dust. They should understand that the budget bottomed out at $200 million and well, tough.

Harry Potter: Scruffy faced young adults play aging teenagers who find sexual awakening through 10-sided dice and wizard capes in the 5th installment of the Harry Potter Mcfilm. Previously directed by artisans like Mexican director Alejandro Cuar?n, this edition is being helmed by untested BBC TV director David Yates. This section of the story involves Cornelius Fudge, the Ministry of Magic, a suspicious Dumbledore and Voldemort. We seriously did not make any of those names up.

Live Free or Die Hard: Honestly, that's the real title of the film. The 4th edition of the tired nonexceptional guy John McClean doing exceptional feats to save the world has the glabrous Willis facing off against deadly computer nerds whose IQ’s are alarmingly higher than their weight.

Rush Hour 3: The third installment in the (sensing a pattern here?) mismatched partners team-up franchise features an actor that has become so fucking rich from these films (Chris Tucker) that he barely gets out of bed to urinate, let alone bother acting, and the amusing, “oh look he's a cute foreigner” routine of Asian minstrel "I don't know why they're laughing, but I like it,' Jackie Chan. This edition of the franchise also stars Grimus and the Hamburgler.

The Simpson’s Movie: Approximately 14 years since anyone gave a rat’s ass, Simpson’s producers timely roll out a 2 hour commercial so unfunny troglodyte Homer Simpson can repeatedly disappoint his family in panoramic widescreen.

Oceans 13: Rich asshole movie stars having a good time reconvene for a 3rd installment of fucking around on set while cameras roll. Notably all these needle-dicks fearlessly took considerable cuts in pay to goof off while serious-director-moonlighting-as-popcorn-auteur Steven Soderbergh nervously tried to corralle the laughter and good times into something he can cobble together in the editing room.

Shrek the Third: The ingeniously-titled third installment (you got that?) of the animated series where a revolting, obese green monster and talking jackass delights audiences the world round, Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers return to add flying yachts and golden rocket cars to their households, plus the edition of Justin Timberlake as an animated something-or-other (really, do you give a shit? He could be a talking animated turd, it's Justin Timberlake!). Antonio Banderas reportedly sings a Sly and the family Stallone song in this one.

The Bourne Ultimatum: Perhaps the only accidental franchise with half a brain, amiable neanderthal Matt Damon returns a Jason Bourne, a secret agent so pissed he returns to reenact vengeance upon villains he has already reenacted vengeance upon. Paul Greengrass, the director who traumatized 9/11 audiences in “United 93” returns to unsettle cinemagoers with his reckless disregard for tripods and steady camera shots of any kind.

Indie-Rock Magazine Overstates Importance of 75 Marginal To Pleasant Records

If you live in an indie-rock bubble, which you might (and the stuck-in-a-1994-time-warp Magnet certainly do), Velocity Girl's Copacetic is a "lost classic." In the real world, it's a record that 44 people in the United States still own. [Magnet via Sub Pop]

Once: Feel-Good Irish Busker Musical or Powerful Romantic Experience?

Our jury is still out on "Once" – a modern day musical cum love story – but reviews are as glowing as a pre-natal class. Check the trustfully snobby Voice review that is positively smitten: "The magic of the movie is how utterly wrenching it renders these songs, which thrive alongside the film's simple, eloquent, dusky narrative."

Ok, maybe we're wrong, but the trailer looks a little stock to us. Who knows maybe it works. "Once" stars Glen Hansard, the singer for the Irish rock group, The Frames singer, and a former busker (Hansard had a small role in "The Commitments" in 1991; Alan Parker's Irish-soul feel good musical). Originally Cillian Murphy was set to star in the film, but according to the Times, he got cold feet after he realized he was going to be the only professional actor in the film.

Conceptualized by filmmaker John Carney, the original Frames bassist, the director convinced his pal Hansard to make a leap of faith by taking the lead role and composing all the songs (often with his co-lead, Marketa Irglova, a young Czech pianist who also plays with Hansard in the Swell Season). Hansard was initially skeptical and took the role on the provision that he could bow out if the first few days of shooting didn't produce any results.

Hansard saw the value early on. “Having to go onstage, if you’re in a good or bad mood, sometimes requires a certain amount of acting,”he told the Times of the correlation between jobs.

Made for $150,000 and a modest Sundance hit, "Once" is starting to take-on, "Garden State"-like expectations, but the director is a little bit more pragmatic. " 'Once' is a tiny fish in an ocean of whales. In terms of expectations everybody needs to be realistic." Update: The Times just posted A.O Scott's very-positive review. And TONY just wrote up a lengthy feature on the film.

“It’s essentially an old-fashioned musical, only done in a sort of YouTube type of format.” - Carney via Time Out.

Download: The Frames - "Falling Slowly"
Download: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - "When Your Mind's Made Up"
Download: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - "Once"
Watch: "Once" trailer

Supernaturally Noir RomCom: Luc Besson's Angel-A

It took six years for French director Luc Besson ("La Femme Nikita," "The Professional") to complete his follow-up to 1999's ill-received "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc" and another two years for the film, titled "Angel-A," to finally hit North American shores. Yes, Besson's been busy producing ("The Transporter," "Unleashed") and writing (Guy Ritchie's "Revolver," "The Transporter") and getting sued repeatedly. The man who practically invented the smart action-thriller genre now gives us a romantic comedy set in Paris and entirely in black and white (with a curiously super-natural element hinted at in the trailer).
Watch: Angel-A trailer.

When A Michael Moore Calls Out A Katie Couric In The Woods Does Anybody Hear?

EW sat down with Michael Moore and (for legal reasons likely) he dodged most of the Cuba talk. This is the good Katie Couric part, the entire interview is here.

Moore: I was on TV was the Today show in January '05, when Katie Couric said to me, ''I'd rather rearrange my sock drawer than talk to you.'' And off camera she's so friendly! Telling me inside stuff like how [the White House] called the big shots at NBC to complain about an interview she did. She's telling me...how she actually got a memo, and this is in the early days of the war, saying tone it down! And I said to her during the commercial, ''Why don't you tell this on the air?'' And she says, ''Aww, I'd lose my job.'' ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You can't lose your job. You have your job. It's called the KATIE COURIC JOB!

Care to clear [the Cuba imbroglio] up?
No. [laughs] I just want to enjoy the next five days reading about how I wanted to go to Cuba to show off their health care system. I think people are going to have to do a serious rewrite after [the first screening in Cannes].

"He Wants To Impregnante Me!"Radio Jock Misses The Joke (Sorta...)

A South Florida disc jockey filed a misdemeanor battery complaint against Tracy Morgan claiming the NBC "30 Rock" star tried to grope her inappropriately [CNN]. Lady, Tracy Morgan wants to impregnante everyone. Calm down.

As he warmly states in the clip, "It's all love."

Michel Gondry: HP Dreamer

Michel Gondry's older brother and up-and-coming filmmaker Oliver, directs little bro in this interesting HP advertisment. The quirky little ad mixes live action, stop-motion and computer animation.

Blah, Blah, Blah: Brian Wilson, Spielberg and Jackson, Heath Ledger, Potter What Ifs

- A judge that recently ruled parts of the Patriotic Act unconstitutional (funny that), just threw out one of ingrate Mike Love's ridiculous lawsuits against cousin and former Beach Boy pal Brian Wilson. This is the first time Wilson has prevailed in lawsuits against the repellent Love (who in 1994 was granted $13 million for songs he claimed to have co-written with Brian in the 1960s, suuuuuuuure you did). [Rolling Stone]
- The world-dominating mega-teamup of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson will yield a collaboration on the Belgian comic book hero Tintin. Hopefully either Pee Wee Herman or the singer from Sigur R?s star. [Coming Soon]
- Heath Ledger will be Bob Dylan that plays alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg in the Todd Haynes Zimmy biopic, "I'm Not There." [Subterranean]
- My friend Autumn finished her Elliott Smith photo book. Good on her. The book contains a CD of five song recorded at Jon Brion's Largo club in L.A. [Pitchfork]
- The world bleeds internally: Paris Hilton is reportedly 'traumatized" by even the mere thought of jailtime [CNN]
- We blogged about Adam Schlesinger's key musical role in Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do!" and curiously enough there's now a special edition DVD. Hmmmm...interesting.
- What would you do to the Harry Potter series? David Fincher would kill the nerdy teen. Rob Zombie would inject "violence and nudity" into the series. Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth") was actually offered the 3rd series before his Mexican buddy Alfonso Cuar?n was. [MTV]

Desperately Seeking Whit Stillman

Ever wondered what happened to erudite indie director Whit Stillman? We do, almost on a daily basis. Stillman’s ‘90s urban haute bourgeoisie trilogy was a first-rate trifecta of sharp wit, wry observations and adultlescent upheaval and his presence has been noticeably absent since 1999’s “The Last Days of Disco” (the two films prior were “Metropolitan” and perhaps our favorite ‘90s movie, “Barcelona”).

Fred: Maybe you can clarify something for me. Since I've been, you know, waiting for the fleet to show up, I've read a lot, and...
Ted: Really?
Fred: And one of the things that keeps popping up is this about "subtext." Plays, novels, songs - they all have a "subtext," which I take to mean a hidden message or import of some kind. So subtext we know. But what do you call the message or meaning that's right there on the surface, completely open and obvious? They never talk about that. What do you call what's above the subtext?
Ted: The text.
Fred: OK, that's right, but they never talk about that.

Not unlike the dry and academic tones of Noah Baumbach, Stillman resurfaced last year to do interviews for the Criterion re-release of his “Metropolitan” debut, and loose project talk was bandied about, but frankly, he’s been nattering on about these scripts and potential movies for almost seven years now.

Last week, Mr. Stillman turned up at the Time 100 party and the gossip mongering jerkoffs at Gawker spent a few moments with him.

The director told them about his upcoming projects: a film set in early 1960s Jamaica, and an adaptation of the Christopher Buckley novel "Little Green Men." Time managing editor Rick Stengel made a grammatical faux pas that amusingly almost induced a seizure in the scholarly Stillman.

Mr. Stengel said that the magazine had many discussions about "who is going to write about who." "Whom," hissed Mr. Stillman. "Who is going to write about whom."

Charlie: Do you know the film, "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise?" When i first saw that title, i though, "Finally, somone is going to tell the truth about the bourgeoise. What a dissapointment. It would be hard to imagine a less fair or accurate portrait.
Cynthia: Well of course, Bunuel is a surrealist. Despising the bourgeoise is part of their credo.
Nick: (disgusted) Where do they get off.
Charlie: The truth is the bourgeoise does have a lot of charm.
Nick: Of course it does, the surrealists were just a bunch of social climbers.

Pardon our skepticism, but Stillman’s been talking up the same few projects seemingly forever. An expat now living in Paris, he told the A/V Club in 2006 that he was working on a Revolutionary War drama and an adaptation of two unfinished Jane Austen novels. The fansite WhitStillman.org can likely painfully detail all the various unfruitful scripts he has mentioned writing or working on since "Disco." We want to be optimistic, but we’re not entirely convinced these films are going to be made any time soon unfortunately.

However, he did tell the Reno Gazette-Journal that John Malkovich and Peter Peter Saarsgard were attached to "Little Green Men."

Who knows. Here's to hoping though.

Download: Brenton Wood – “The Oogum Boogum Song” [“The Last Days of Disco” soundtrack]
Download: Yo La Tengo – “The Last Days of Disco” [A track affectionately named after the film]

Watch: Stillman talks "Barcelona" on Charlie Rose [around the 43: minute mark]

Miscellaneous Debris: Biel, Judd, Pirates 3, More

Jessica Biel wants respect. Sure and we want a million dollars chauffeured up to our doorsteps in a dumptruck driven by Playboy bunnies, but you know what? That's probably not going to happen either. Here's a tip: respect is usually earned, not whined over in US Weekly. And in conclusion, how about following your quote with a turn in a shitty Nic Cage studio film? Oh wait, you already did that. Biel whines that she's too sexy for the roles she wants. Awww. Next for Biel? A potential role in the Oscar-worthy adaptation of the video game, "Streetfighter." (Yes, they already did that with Claude Van Damme. This would be a do-over). Sounds respectastical.
- "I have a really firm belief slogan that it's none of my business what people think of me" – Ashley Judd wisely realizing if people think you're a Hollywood douche bag there's not a lot of point trying to fight that notion. [EW]
-" If you left it up to the merchandisers and marketers, this movie would be called, 'Pirates 3: Nacho Cheese Flavor' " – No matter how odious you might find these films, Pirates director Gore Verbinski just earned himself a gold star in our good books. [EW]
- We love EW! Nic Cage will star in a "Untouchables" prequel. Maria Bello takes over the "Mummy" franchise. Other shit nobody cares about...[EW]

More Zombies: Muse For '28 Weeks'

We can't get zombies off the brain. "28 Weeks Later" couldn't topple the Spider Man juggernaut, but then again what could? We did finally track down the Muse song used in the '28 Weeks' trailer however. It originally comes from the film, "Hullabaloo" soundtrack which is not really a soundtrack at all, but a Muse B-Sides and live tracks collection. We still think they ape Radiohead hard, but a lot of people seem to disagree. They might have eventually gone on to do their own thing, but like many modern Brit-rock bands, they owe their reason for making music to Thom Yorke and company.

Speak of the Devil: Ritchie Rocks Yet Another Caper Film

Ah, speak of the devil and aren't we so prescient? Last week we asked where in the world Guy Ritchie had disappeared to and wondered aloud if wifey Madonna had totally destroyed his career. Ask and ye shall find answers. This morning, news came from the Hollywood Reporter that Ritchie has returned to direct... suprise, suprise, another caper flick.

Titled, "RocknRolla," the script written by Ritchie is said to be in the same vein as "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." According to EW it's about a "Russian mobster who orchestrates a crooked land deal, putting millions of dollars up for grabs, and attracting all of London's criminal underworld, who scheme and double-cross one another to get their hands on the loot." Gee, sounds fresh.

When you're career falls off, might as well go back to what works, huh? If that's the case, look for another pop soundtrack and not the miscast score of his straigh-to-video, "Revolver." The film is eyeing a summer shoot with a reported modest budget (again, after a few failures, they take away the keys).

No actors attached to the project have been reported as of yet.

You didn't think we had forgotten the "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" soundtrack did you? One of the things I really like about Ritchie's soundtracks are the way he deftly uses music to underscore humorous moments
(like appropriating the "Zorba The Greek" theme) and give his bad-ass characters appropriate themes (funk tracks like James Brown and Stretch). We don't feel like posting the obvious tracks, sue us.

Download: John Murphy & David Hughes - "Zorba The Greek"
Download: Stretch - "Why Did You Do It?"
Download: Junior Murvin - "Police and Thieves"

Sopranos Gets Real; And Strangely Post-Modern

*Spoilers*
After 5 tedious and wandering episodes, the Sopranos is finally back on track. Christopher Moltisanti died at the top of the episode in a surprising accidental car accident and things forebodingly opened up from there. In one of the shows odder post-modern moments, Christopher died moments before actively putting on Scorsese's"The Departed" soundtrack; specifically the half-ass cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" (by Rogers Waters feat. Van Morrison & The Band). Things are still brewing at a slow, but simmering pace, but we're not entirely convinced this season is salvagable.

Update: Idolator has a few other songs featured in the episode which included the Pretenders, Lucinda Williams and Calexico. [HBO]

Download: Rogers Waters feat. Van Morrison & The Band - "Comfortably Numb" ["The Departed" soundtrack]
And a bonus track.
Download: Howard Shore - "Departed Tango" ["The Departed" soundtrack]