Screening Gotham: Everything's Jake With Fincher

Some of today's movie news of note from around New York:

--In what I wouldn't call a direct refutation but perhaps a gently ambiguous reversal, Jake Gyllenhaal is toning down the David Fincher complaints that made him so popular with his Zodiac co-star Mark Ruffalo this week in New York: "It's like working with a great teacher or coach -- you hate them while you're doing it, and then you win the game, and you'll talk about that for the rest of your life. And the complications of that relationship are what make it so special." Poor Jake -- he'll always be Jack Twist.

--Harvey in the news: The Weinsteins bought the remake rights to the foreign-language Oscar winner The Lives of Others, hammering out a deal with creative partners Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. This story can pretty much only work in Cold War-era East Germany, so expect Minghella standby Jude Law to be brushing up on a bad Teutonic purr right... about... now.

--Chris Rock adapted his new film I Think I Love My Wife from Eric Rohmer's Chloe in the Afternoon -- and according to Rush and Molloy, possibly from an autobiographical source as well. The New York-based dramedy features Kerry Washington in the temptress role originated by Zouzou in 1972; her own engagement broke up last year, Rock divorce rumors started around November, the film is released March 16. Convenient, if counterintuitive. But I don't judge anybody here.

--Obligatory post-Oscar scrap: Movie City News has Martin Scorsese's Best Director acceptance speech and press conference transcribed here. Nothing Earth-shattering, really, but not a bad way to stall actual work for another 10 minutes.

Posted at March 1, 2007 8:32 AM