Jeffrey and Alison will be sharing their thoughts on these movies this weekend! Click on the poster to find out what they thought about a movie you might be planning on seeing.

Or at least he will in an upcoming role.

Variety reports the Oscar winner has signed to star in "The Men Who Stare At Goats," based on Jon Ronson's bestseller. The book is about the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that was formed in 1979 to train soldiers in the use of paranormal powers.

And yes, it's based on real events. The title, in case you're wondering, refers to the notion that you can kill a goat by staring at it.

Clooney would star, and his producing/writing partner Grant Heslov (they co-wrote "Good Night and Good Luck")is set to direct. No start date for production is set yet, because financing still has to come together. For anyone but Clooney, I would say it would be a real challenge to get this project off the ground. But this sounds like the kind of movie he likes to make -- daring and off the wall.

BTW, you can Click here to check out Jeffrey's interview with Senor Clooney when he was here recently promoting "Leatherheads."

With a mega-franchise like 'Narnia' you can expect all sorts of tie-ins, including the obligatory action figures. Prince Caspian himself, Ben Barnes, tells Alison that he expects kids to abuse the action figure (don't call it a doll!) based on his own experience when he used to beat up his old He-Man and Transformer toys.

The 61st Cannes film festival opened last night with Fernando Meirelles’ “Blindness” starring Julianne Moore. It will close with Barry Levinson’s “What Just Happened” starring Robert Deniro. However, the big buzz is around “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” which will be having its world premiere there this Sunday.

So you might be fooled into thinking that Cannes has just become another venue for American movie stars to strut their stuff and show-off their product. Well it is all that…but there are many other great filmmakers who are showing their films this year.

The Belgian Dardenne brothers who did “Rosetta” and “The Child” have a new film in the competition “The Silence of Lorna.” A past winner from Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan competes with “Three Monkeys”…and Atom Egoyan with “Adoration.” Wim Wenders has “Palermo Shooting.” Norwegian director Bent Hamer (“Kitchen Stories”) is in the “Un Certain Regard” category. It will be interesting to see which films get U.S. distribution. Certainly, winning the big prize, the Palme D’or has usually entailed a release stateside. But how many people saw last year’s “4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days?” Or Ken Loach’s “The Wind That Shakes The Barley?” You have to go back to 2004 and “Fahrenheit 9/11” to see a winner with that popular appeal.

Ok, so after getting so many comments on the post Alison made last year about the set design on the film "P.S. I Love You" (click on the photo if you would like to read it.) I've FINALLY got the answer to the question so many of you have been asking...

Just where did the set designer get that great duvet and set of linens from? Well after doing some research and tracking down set designer Alyssa Winter, I have got that answer for you...

Read her response after the jump!

Dear Reel Talk TV,

Thanks for sharing the responses on your site. Most of the bedding came from John Robshaw Textiles. They have a website and are sold in many high end linen stores. I doubt any of the same items are currently available as they are from past seasons but they always have very beautiful patterns. The bed is a vintage piece from Hobnail Antiques in Millbrook NY. They have a great stock of cast iron beds.

Hope this helps,

Alyssa Winter
Set Decorator

If you're a fan of Japanese anime, you may want to clear your calendar next week. The live-action anime film "Death Note" is getting a special two-night debut on May 20 & May 21st in more than 300 theaters across the country.

Read more about it after the jump.

Based on the supernatural anime tv show and manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, it focuses on Light Yagami, a student who finds the Death Note. The Death Note is a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies and now Light has decided to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil.

Got all that?

Besides the picture, the audience will get to see a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and interviewers with the castmembers. These special theatrical events are becoming a specialty of National CineMedia’s (NCM) Fathom and VIZ Pictures, giving fans a chance to see import productions in a format other than DVD and also bringing back cult favorites such as "First Blood" back to theaters. And believe me, anime is a completely different experience when you see it in a theater with top-notch sound.

Click Here to find out if "Death Note" is playing in your area.

Everyone will be KUNG FU FIGHTING this Summer when "Kung Fu Panda" - with voice work by Jack Black and Angelina Jolie -- comes to theaters on June 6th!

Check out the trailer!

Looks like Mr. Michael Moore is going to follow up his indictment of the U.S. health care system "Sicko" with a follow-up to 2004's "Fahrenheit 9/11."

That film, a scathing critique of the Bush Administration, is the only documentary to ever earn more than $100 million at the box office. Moore's new project plans to examine America's standing in the world nearly seven years after Sept. 11., and with President Bush winding down his second and final term in the Oval Office.

According to Nick Meyer, president of Paramount Vantage, which is co-financing the pic with Overture Films, the film will not be about bashing anyone in particular. But does anyone really believe Michael Moore -- the guy behind "Roger and Me" and "Bowling For Columbine" -- will do a movie about the Iraq War and NOT take shots at the current Administration?

Expect the sequel to "Fahrenheit 9/11" in spring 2009, just after President Bush leaves office. Paramount Vantage and Overture will be marketing the movie to international buyers at Cannes this week.

In case you didn't get to see "Fahrenheit 9/11" or if you just need a little reminder as to the kind of documentary it is, here are some clips!

I had some spare time this week, so I took the opportunity to go downtown to my favorite New York City cinema: Film Forum. There is always something screening there that I want to see…either a documentary that I missed, or a new obscure work of art from an independent filmmaker and they often have great retrospectives.

This time, I went to catch a couple of Jean-Luc Godard’s works from the early 60s.

First was “Vivre Sa Vie” from 1962, which you can catch May 30th for a week. This stars Godard’s muse and wife Anna Karina as a record store clerk who descends into prostitution.
Then I saw “Une Femme Est Une Femme” (1961) also with Karina. Godard was one of the fathers of the french “Nouvelle Vague”…and it’s easy to understand how shocking and new his work must have seemed back in the sixties. To us in the year 2008…jump cuts, flashes forward and back, ellipses, voice over and words written on screen don’t seem very revolutionary. But it’s immensely enjoyable to watch Godard’s work and see the modern day filmmakers he has obviously inspired and influenced.

Would we ever have had “pulp fiction” without Godard? Surely Uma Thurman’s black bob owes a debt to Karina’s hair in “Vivre Sa Vie.” And when you watch the divinely sexy Karina dance around a pool table in a white shirt… again, I think of Thurman at Jack Rabbit Slims.

Sometimes I wish I could enjoy Godard’s work without being reminded of Tarantino!! But anyway you watch…Godard (who is still alive and working,) it is a must-see.

Before you go see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" when it debuts (finally!) next week, you're probably going to get the urge to see the first 3 Indy flicks first. Most of the hardcore fans already have the set but for those who don't, Lucasfilm and Paramount have just released an updated version of the Indy dvd box set that was first issued a few years back.

The movies are still the same. Spielberg hasn't unearthed any 'lost' scenes -- and frankly, I don't think I'd want him altering any of the Indy films. They're classics AS IS. The main difference is in the extras. Each film comes with new intros by the principals, 'making of' documentaries, storyboards and interviews with the actors. Much of this stuff was found in the original box set but if you don't have that one, this is the one to get because it's in a space-saving slipcase with the all-time best Indy image ... from the 1982 re-release poster.

Oh, and if you're not a fan of "Temple of Doom" -- something I can't fathom, because I think it's a woefully under-appreciated movie -- for the first time, the first three Indiana Jones movies are available separately.

Tinkering with a beloved book series can be dangerous, but if done well, it can help make the translation from book to theater even better. It worked with the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy ... and so far, so good with "The Chronicles of Narnia" series. Ben Barnes, the new hero in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" which opens in theaters this weekend...told Alison that some of the romantic tension in the new movie between his character and Susan (Anna Popplewell) -- which was not in C.S. Lewis' book -- was cut out of the final print. However, he hinted that we could see this storyline fleshed out in future films.

I'm starting to get a good feeling about "The Incredible Hulk." I think it's going to do justice to the Green Goliath in a way Ang Lee's 2003 film didn't. I'm not one of those guys who hated that film but it still wasn't the Hulk movie I wanted to see. This one, despite all the finger-pointing on the set and reported battles over final cut, THIS looks like the Hulk film that was supposed to hit theaters five years ago.

I think the filmmakers were right to wait until the last second possible to show anything from the film. The reaction they received at the NY Comic Con justified their delay. Check out the newest trailer and see what I mean. "The Incredible Hulk" opens June 13.

Get ready because Fraggle Rock will no longer be just an outdated, eighties, childrens sitcom!

It turns out the Weinstein Co. has just joined forces with Jim Henson productions and plans to turn Henson's puppet series, that ran from 1983 to 1987, into a musical on-screen production.

The series originally ran there first 3 seasons on HBO, and recently released those episodes onto DVD, resulting in successful sales numbers

Cory Edwards ("Hoodwinked!") will write and direct the screenplay. And it just wouldn't be "Fraggle Rock" without the main characters Gogo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red, who will be embarking outside of their comfy cave to interact with humans, whom they think are aliens. Check out clips from their second season below!

Not too long ago Jason Segel stopped in with Judd Apatow and told "Reel Talk" about writing the new "Muppet Movie." Now, we are hearing about a new "Fraggle Rock" movie. It seems these puppeteers are not ready to surrender to the success of Pixar films, when it comes to kid-friendly films.

You can watch that entire interview by clicking right here!

To no one's surprise, "Speed Racer" has turned into the summer's first flop. In its opening week it raked in only $20.2 million , playing in 3,606 theaters. That’s a much lower than expected figure and nowhere near the $50.5 that "Iron Man" earned in its second week. Since the Wachowski Brothers spent a reported $180 million on the film, it's going down as a big disappointment.

I think one of the biggest problems it had is that while the PG-rated movie was obviously aimed at a young audience, the audience that grew up watching the 1960s Japanese cartoon is actually much older. Young kids had no connection to the source material. Parents taking kids of this generation probably went just to see
something, rather than in response to any request from their children.
And Emile Hirsch's superb breakout performance came in "Into the Wild," which wasn't in a family film, so kids aren't familiar with his work yet. That and the fact that the film was too long, had a flimsy story and relied too much of special effects.

Oddly, Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, who played the mother of the title
character, is competing with her longtime significant other, Tim Robbins's movie "Noise," an intriguing and funny black comedy, which also opened this
past week(albeit in limited release).

It'll be interesting to see how the new "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" does in attracting families this coming weekend. The first film did nearly $1 billion worldwide and it has a new lead actor, Ben Barnes, who will be our guest on REEL TALK this weekend.

Yes, that headline is correct. Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone is set to release his movie about the 43rd President of the United States in just over five months. Sounds great, and timely, since that would mean it opens just before the Presidential elections. But, and it's HUGE and production hasn't started yet! I can't envison how Stone makes that release date without compromising the film in some way.

Keep in mind, the role of Vice-President Dick Cheney is still not cast. "Entertainment Weekly" put the First Couple on its cover this week (that's Josh Brolin & Elizabeth Banks) so the publicity machine at least, is up and running. This will be an interesting film set to keep an eye on.

If you're one of those on the fence about seeing "Speed Racer" when it debuts in theaters this weekend, here's something that might help you make up your mind: the first seven minutes of the movie are now up on Yahoo!

Check it out below. You can hear what Jeffrey/Alison think of the movie, and check out Jeffrey's interview with Emile Hirsch , this weekend on RT.

Most people know Famke Janssen from her role as Jean Grey in the “X-Men” trilogy but her resume includes a slew of diverse roles, from TV’s “Nip/Tuck” to the ensemble indie “The Ten” and now to her starring role as a pool hustler in “Turn the River” – which opens this weekend in limited release. Here’s a clip from her recent visit with Jeffrey, talking about how she learned how to do the tough trick shots you see in the movie.

Emile Hirsch is happy to be in a nice, big, brightly colored summer popcorn extravaganza, this weekend’s “Speed Racer.”

Coming off the brilliant but intense “Into the Wild”, Hirsch told Jeffrey he enjoyed playing in the family-friendly, green screen sandbox The Wachowski Brothers used to make the cartoon adaptation, even though it wasn’t the most eco-friendly production. Hear more from Emile this weekend on RT.

This week I saw the revival of the comedy "Boeing Boeing" on Broadway. I had seen it in London in the ‘sixties’ on stage in the west end and the movie version starring Tony Curtis. He played an American Bachelor living in Paris and "engaged" to three flight attendants. One from Lufthansa, another from TWA, and the third from Alitalia. He had a worldwide airline schedule and was able to juggle their stays in his apartment so none was the wiser. Jerry Lewis played Curtis' American friend who comes for a visit and who somehow has one of the flight attendants fall for him.

Someone named Mark Rylance has that role here and is clumsy and unappealing as is this dated, now-chauvinistic and often silly play."Christine Baranski plays his helpful maid in this onstage production, and The West Wing" alumnus Bradley Whitford has the old Curtis role. Gina Gershon does an Italian accent that sounds something like a female Bella Lugosi, and another "West Wing" alumna, Mary McCormack, gives a standard German accent. It worked on screen because back in the 'sixties,’ such humor was still in vogue. Now on stage it's shrill and unappealing. Rent the film instead.

So it seems to me, that not only are romantic comedies increasingly unoriginal and predictable (I’ve ranted about this before), but they seem to be ripping off old episodes of “Friends.”

“Made of Honor” had exactly the same premise as the episode where Rachel decides she really does love Ross. He’s in china on a business trip and she goes to the airport to meet him. Only he’s met and fallen in love with Julie, who becomes a fixture at central perk. Rachel is left smiling through gritted teeth.

And in “What Happens in Vegas,” Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz get drunk in Vegas and get married, much to their alarm the next morning. Ross and Rachel did the same thing when they were in Vegas.

Obviously I watch too many re-runs, maybe I should write a screenplay about a dorky paleontologist and his five best friends. That would be original!

Caught an early screening of "Noise" last night -- Tim Robbins' new film. It surprised me with its storyline and unpredictable arc. Henry Bean wrote and directed it, he did the forceful "The Believer" a few years back.

Basically, it's about a man who rebels against all the street noise of NYC and becomes a crusader for a quieter city. William Hurt costars as a pompous mayor with a bad dye job.

As someone who lives on a very loud block -- with a very low tolerance for car alarms and sirens and beeping trucks, I related to Robbins' character enormously. (Although I deny ever taking a hammer to a windshield.)

But what I most liked about the film was its originality. I really had no idea where the character or the plot were heading. And today, when films such as the formulaic "Made of Honor" are churned out and sold to us as escapist fantasy that's a real treat!

Jeffrey and I will review this film in detail next week on Reel Talk.

Jon Favreau, director of this weekend's big new movie "Iron Man" (and a knowledgeable comics fan himself), dropped by this week and talked to Jeffrey about tons of things, including how he juggled the film's incredible special effects and the quieter, character moments that really make the film stand out from most summer extravaganzas. Take our word for it, "Iron Man" will be HUGE and deservedly so. Take a listen this part of the interview, and remember to check out more of their conversation this weekend on RT.