BBC - Films -news article - High Noon

		Penn Is Mightier Than The Sword Sean Penn is the latest high-profile thesp to add his name to a petition against a ban on pre-Oscar screeners to be enforced by the Motion Picture Acadamy of Arts. The policy is also being backed by the major studios, striking a fatal blow for independent filmmakers who otherwise wouldn't have an ice cube's chance in Hollywood of getting recognition for their work. Other celebrity signatures include: Holly Hunter, Naomi Watts, Hilary Swank, Nick Nolte, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Tinseltowners who claimed to be "unavailable" for protest are director Steven Soderbergh, whose production outfit Section 8 is firmly under Warner Bros' thumb, and Spike Lee, who is currently "on location". Steven Spielberg flat out refused to get involved due to his position at DreamWorks, while George Lucas turned his back on the cause on "general principle".

		The End Of The Ring Road There are only six weeks to go until the world premiere of The Return Of The King - but Peter Jackson is still filming key visual effects shots. Nevertheless, executive producer Mark Ordesky tells New Zealand newspaper The Dominion Post he is "committed" to premiering the third instalment of the trilogy in Wellington on 1st December. This comes after a row between New Line and the Wellington City Council - the latter having refused to pump money into the renovation of New Zealand's biggest cinema, The Embassy. But they've since come around, donating $7m to the cause. A rather smug Ordesky states: "This is our cherished film, and it needs to be showcased appropriately. Not only is the Wellington premiere important for Wellington and New Zealand, but we plan to have VIP guests from all over the world. It reflects on New Line, it reflects on the filmmakers, and it reflects on the country." You've been told.

		Taking The Mickeybo The low-budget arm of Working Title Films is gearing up for the frankly stupidly-titled Jonjo Mickeybo. Shooting begins tomorrow, and marks the directorial debut of Irish writer/director Terry Loane. Based on a play by Owen McCafferty, the plot revolves around two boys from opposing sides of Ireland's sectarian divide who flee to Australia to live out their fantasies of being Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It stars Julie Walters and Ciarán Hinds (Veronica Guerin). We can only assume Walters is Butch (again).

		Karma Chameleon Fresh from whupping Kiwi butt, New Line Cinema has greenlit Instant Karma, a comedy blending live action and CGI effects to tell the tale of a safecracker (The Rock), who dies and is reincarnated - gradually working his way up through the food chain. It's the perfect analogy for The Rock's ascent through the Hollywood hierarchy, as he'll be taking top billing over Pierce Brosnan, Mira Sorvino, Burt Reynolds, Gene Wilder, and er, Dom DeLuise.

		The Shrink Did It! Gary Sinise has joined the cast of psychological thriller The Forgotten, which begins shooting on October 25th in New York. Joseph 'Money Train' Ruben is at the helm, while Julianne Moore stars as a bereaved mother who learns from her psychiatrist that memories of her son are entirely false. Dominic West (Chicago) plays a friend who helps Moore's character uncover the truth, while the squinty-eyed head shrinker will be portrayed by Sinise. Hence, we reckon the shrink did it.

		Spielberg's Spaghetti Bind Eye-talian American activists have accused Steven Spielberg of perpetuating "harmful" stereotypes of da paisanos. DreamWorks' Shark Tale (aka Sharkslayer) is a CGI tooner that takes place in an underwater underworld ruled by The Shark Mafia. Most of the voices are being provided by stars of The Sopranos, namely James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore. This all makes John Mancini, the Chairman of the Italic Institute of America, mad as Marlon Brando in a muesli bar. He huffs: "For a talented man like Steven Spielberg who fully understands the power of film on the human mind - and especially on the juvenile mind - to perpetuate blatant ethnic demonising is particularly disturbing." He also added that if Spielberg continued production on Shark Tale, he would "send da boys round" to make sure he "sleeps wid da fishies". (Not really.) So far, Spielberg has kept schtum on the matter.

		Hoffman And Hackman Face Off They roomed together as struggling actors, but it's taken 35 years for Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman to share a scene. The two Hollywood heavyweights come eye to eye (almost) in Runaway Jury, playing opposing attorneys trying a case involving a major gun manufacturer. Hoffman took the stand, and confessed: "We were both very nervous. We had never worked together, and we admitted later that we felt like we were in the first year of acting school - 35 years before when we'd first met." But it wasn't all bad, as Dustin adds: "It was a painful experience for about a half hour, and then it was a great high!"