The News: All-Positive Friday!

Keira Knightley in the middling adaptation of Atonement (Photo: Focus Features)

By S.T. VanAirsdale

As per tradition, some of this week's more upbeat movie news of note from around New York:

--All-Positive Friday is coming at you a little late for several reasons, not the least of which is that it's a sloooowwww week for positive news. The most encouraging sign of life I could find -- the knowledge that I've never agreed with or appreciated A.O. Scott more than I have after his review of Atonement -- involves putting the film down, so I guess I'm already off to an intellectually dishonest start to the weekend. Stunning, I know.

--And while I'm perverting otherwise downbeat developments for the personal pleasure I derive, how about this: I just got word that Michael Haneke's NY-shot remake of Funny Games has been pushed back a month to a March 14, 2008, release date. Post-Sundance buzz-seeding, or vote of no confidence from Warner Independent? Either way, I'm just fine with the trailer.

--Hey, this is kind of good news: King of Kong director (and ReelerTV alum) Seth Gordon is co-producing an adaptation of the bestseller Freakonomics, featuring segments directed by an all-star roster of New York documentary talent like Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, Eugene Jarecki, Morgan Spurlock, Laura Poitras and Alex Gibney. Variety's Michael Fleming reports that shooting starts next month and will be wrapped by summer.

--Juno may or may not live up to its Oscar hype, but screenwriter Diablo Cody and soon-to-be-ex-husband Jonny Hunt are way out in front of the pack competing for the year's Best Hollywood Divorce. "Two people as bloody freaking kool as us might flame out in the marriage department," Hunt wrote on Cody's blog, "but there's no way we're gonna flame out in the friendship department. Ever." Congrats, I guess.

Posted at December 7, 2007 11:14 AM