Woody Allen still lives in New York, but after decades of creating cinematic valentines to Manhattan, he's set to make his fourth consecutive movie in Europe.
Barcelona is the location for his next project, to be shot in the summer. As ever, Allen is reluctant to divulge much advance information, other than confirming that two of Spain's hottest actors, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, will have leading roles in the untitled film, and that the narrative revolves around foreign tourists in the city and a romantic entanglement. Allen's three most recent movies were made in London: Match Point, Scoop (which seems unlikely to be released here), and Cassandra's Dream, which he is now editing and features Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor as brothers.
Gone in 60 seconds
The front-runner in the Best Supporting Actor category at the Oscars this week, Eddie Murphy, who is said to be petulant, beat a hasty exit from the ceremony when the award went to rival nominee Alan Arkin. Murphy left the building before his Dreamgirls co-star Jennifer Hudson collected her Oscar as Best Supporting Actress.
Arkin, who is 72, commented that he was glad his 11-year-old Little Miss Sunshine co-star Abigail Breslin lost out in Hudson's category. "I feel enough is enough," he said. "I love her and I love her family. She is a kid. She needs to have her childhood."
A carnival of carnivores
New Line Cinema, which backed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has signed Neil Jordan to direct Killing on Carnival Row, a fantasy film set in "a Victorian city inhabited by humans, fairies, elves and vampires, with a detective pursuing a serial killer". Jordan ventured into similar territory with The Company of Wolves and Interview with the Vampire. He is now editing his 15th feature film, the US thriller, The Brave One, which opens in the autumn and stars Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard.
McGuckian's fertile vision
Apart from Neil Jordan and Pat O'Connor, there is no more prolific living Irish director of feature films than Mary McGuckian, who is preparing her seventh feature, Art in Las Vegas, for production this summer. It completes her trilogy of experimental movies that began with the tabloid journalism satire, Rag Tale (2005) and Intervention, now in post-production and set at a celebrity rehab clinic in Mexico.
A comedy about the test tube baby industry, Art in Las Vegas features several actors from Intervention - Andie MacDowell, Jennifer Tilly, Rupert Graves and Donna D'Errico - and from Rag Tale - Lucy Davis, John Sessions and Graves again. McGuckian's earlier feature films were Words Upon the Window Pane, This is the Sea, Best, and The Bridge of San Luis Rey.
Juicy Bigelow
Whatever happened to Kathryn Bigelow, who proved herself as one of the best action movie directors with Point Break and Strange Days? She hasn't directed a feature film since K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), but she's back and on fine form with Mission Zero, a stylish car-chase film starring Uma Thurman as the imperilled driver of a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo. Running just over four minutes, it's a lavish ad for Pirelli tyres and you can see it on www.pirellifilm.com/thefilm
Klein cut hero
On the subject of ads, Djimon Hounsou, the former model who received Oscar nominations for In America and Blood Diamond, is following fellow nominee Mark Wahlberg as the focus of the campaign for the new Calvin Klein underwear range. "Representing such an iconic American brand like Calvin Klein Underwear signifies to me that I have been accepted," Hounsou said in a press release. "Dreams really do come true." Hmm.
Meet the Fockers' kids
Meet the Parents made more than $330 million dollars (€250m) at the international box office and its sequel, Meet the Fockers - the biggest hit of 2005 at Irish cinemas - passed the $500 million (€379m) mark. So it's hardly surprising that the producers are planning a second sequel. Jay Roach, who made the first two, will be back in the director's chair - reunited with key cast members Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Teri Polo and Blythe Danner - for Little Fockers.
mdwyer@irish-times.ie
