Cinematical

Welcome to Where Everyone Has Gone Before, the column in which I continue my film education before your very eyes by seeking out and watching all of the movies I should have seen by now. I will first judge the movie before I've watched it, based entirely on its reputation (and my potentially misguided thoughts). Then I will give the movie a fair chance and actually watch it. You will laugh at me, you may condemn me, but you will never say I didn't try!

The Film: 'A Matter of Life and Death' (1946), Dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

Starring: David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesey, Marius Goring and Abraham Sofaer.

Why I Haven't Seen It Until Now: Every film buff worth his salt has at least heard of Powell and Pressburger, the brilliant duo behind such films as 'The Red Shoes,' 'Black Narcissus' and 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.' After all, here are two guys commonly cited by great filmmakers like Martin Scorsese as major influences. But let's be honest with ourselves here -- how many of you have actually sought out and watched all of their work? As highly regarded as their films are, few of them scream "Watch me! Watch me now!" From the outside looking in, their stuff just looks, well, a little antiquated.

Remember the guys that brought us the 'Mario Kart: The Movie' trailer? Well, they're back with more and this time around they're aiming for those of us who grew up watching a certain boy from Bluffington, Doug Yancey Funnie. 'Doug' premiered on Nickelodeon back in 1991. The first episode focused on Doug's arrival to the town of Bluffington and his attempt to fit in at school. His green-skinned archenemy, Roger Klotz, certainly didn't make it easy on him, but fortunately, Doug had his blue pal Skeeter by his side. And, of course, there's no forgetting the prettiest girl at school, Patti Mayonnaise. When Doug wasn't dreaming of Patti, he was hanging out with his dog Porkchop, going on an adventure as his superhero alter ego Qualiman or listening to the hottest band, The Beets.

The Dr. Coolsex sketch comedy group's trailer features an older Doug, a college graduate. It may not be the same Doug many of us grew up watching, but this trailer is packed with all of the key characters and all sorts of 'Doug' nostalgia from the "Banging on a Trashcan" song to Neematoads and much more.

On top of this simply being an impressively creative and assembled video, the idea of making a live action 'Doug' movie is actually a really sensible idea. At the start, 'Doug' called Nickelodeon home, but Disney assumed control in 1996. Wouldn't it make sense for the studio to put a movie together? If Disney did so and followed Dr. Coolsex's lead, the longtime fans looking for a childhood throwback would come running and newcomers would be able to appreciate it as just a new coming-of-age story.

Romantic comedy? Check. Action thriller? Check. Sci-fi suspense? Uh-huh. The big-screen offerings are diverse this week, and that's not to mention your usual indies and documentaries currently in limited release.

- 'Morning Glory': Rachel McAdams tries to salvage a morning news show anchored by Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford, and Jenni Miller wasn't entirely tickled by the end result: "The meatiest parts of the movie are the scenes with McAdams and Ford, which is unfortunate since his performance is so grating and over-the-top that he's a mere caricature of both himself and of great newscasters. If he had dialed it back a few notches, the poignancy of their relationship would have felt much truer." (Check out the rest of her thoughts here.)

Is there an actor alive today who deserves comparison to Walter Matthau? For decades, he filled a niche that he himself created, subtly reinventing himself to fit the characters he played and the times in which he lived, all without breaking a visible sweat.

Hangdog. Sardonic. Grumpy. If you're a member of the generation that was introduced to Matthau during the 1990s, in the twilight of his career, those words might be the first to come to mind. 'Grumpy Old Men' and its sequel, 'Grumpier Old Men,' showcased Matthau as a charming curmudgeon, snarling at "those darn kids" and the unfairness of life in general, yet always with a bemused expression at the ready.

For those not in the business know, a helpful Google search will inform you that an earnings call "[is] a teleconference in which a public company discusses the financial results of a reporting period." Today, that public company is Viacom, the source is the Hollywood Reporter and the news is that this week's earning call specified a few upcoming Paramount film projects that may prove interesting.

The biggest film is a no-brainer: 'Star Trek 2' is being written as you read this and the script should be finished by the time you're unwrapping the gifts at the holiday celebration of your choice. JJ Abrams will be back in full capacity as a producer but has yet to commit to the director's chair (although he really needs to get his butt in that chair because the man's an exceptional filmmaker).

The rest of the line-up feels a little more random: a sequel to a comedy that came out a decade ago, a sequel to a toy movie that wasn't the hit it needed to be, a reboot of a franchise that was rebooted only a few years ago and the latest installment in an action franchise that has gone through four films and three actors since 1990. Read

- Paul Giamatti is the latest character actor ready to fly out to Thailand to be a part of 'The Hangover Part II,' which will begin filming (with all of the original's core cast returning) in a matter of weeks.

- David Hare (screenwriter behind 'The Reader' and 'The Hours') will write and direct 'Page 8,' a spy thriller featuring Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon, Bill Nighy, Judy Davis and Ralph Fiennes. Plot details are sparse, but The Playlist tells us Weisz will be the main character, a "beguiling woman of mystery."

- Fox 2000 has purchased film rights to 'Pure,' a new trilogy of books from Julianna Baggot about a post-apocalyptic world where people are divided into two classes (those who survived untouched and those who didn't). All of this occurred before 'Pure' has even found an actual publisher.

- And speaking of yet-to-be-released books getting high profile movie deals, Brad Thor's 'The Athena Project,' about a female-only counter terrorism unit, has been picked up by Warner Bros for producers Bill Gerber and Casey Wasserman. [via /Film]

- If you're a big 'Flash Gordon' fan, then you should appreciate this YouTube video that showcases the differences between the version of the film preserved on DVD/Blu-ray and the one that aired on HBO in the '80s. [Via Reddit]

The mystery of "who will play Daisy Buchanan?" appears to be winding down today, with news from Vulture that Carey Mulligan ('An Education') is now the "top candidate" to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Lurhmann's latest movie.

According to sources, actress Scarlett Johansson was originally up for the role, but was unable to commit due to scheduling conflicts with Cameron Crowe's 'We Bought a Zoo.' Crowe's latest begins filming in the spring, while 'Gatsby' is scheduled to begin next summer.

Today's news marks significant progress in the casting of Daisy. Earlier this month, Deadline reported that a number of actresses were up for the role -- everyone from Natalie Portman, to Rebecca Hall to Blake Lively. At the time, Mulligan's name was not mentioned.