The film centers around the true story of a family changed forever by the 2004 tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia. I’m glad to see this is being handled more as a drama and not as an all-out action movie. Watching Ewan MacGregor trying to plant a nuclear bomb in the heart of a tsunami would hurt the soul.

Leonardo DiCaprio and a balding cap star as the FBI director in a story that spans several decades. The 987th film from celebrated director Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar will hit theaters just in time for awards season by opening wide on November 11th. Though it’s likely to face some strong competition from Darren Lynn Bousman‘s 11-11-11.

“[The movie] is based on the true story of former New Jersey heavyweight boxer and womanizer Chuck Wepner who boxed 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali and inspired Sylvester Stallone to pen ‘Rocky‘.”

The Fighter, The Bleeder — I predict the next one is going to be called The Knocker Outer. Anyway, the movie is going to be directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, who also co-wrote with Jerry Stahl. Now … fight! (Variety)

Jeffrey Donovan will join Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Armie Hammer, Ed Westwick, Ken Howard, Stephen Root, and Dame Judi Dench in the biopic. Does this mean he’ll be too good to sit with Bruce Campbell at the “Burn Notice” lunch table now? Probably not, but I like the mental image of Bruce Campbell eating a meatball hoagie all by himself while the “Burn Notice” guy signs his headshot for crew members. (Collider)

Although there is no start date for filming and no studio (yet) backing this potentially expensive film, Hezog has never had a problem bringing a film in on (or usually under) budget. The director, always a total workhorse, has two other projects in development, but knowing Herzog, expect this film to be completed and released in the next week, and expect it to feature raw, unbridled intensity. And also Naomi Watts! (The Playlist)

The promising-looking J. Edgar also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ed Westwick and Ken Howard, but let’s be real here. None of those actors have boobs (that I’m aware of, at least), and none of them have simulated lesbian sex on film (unless Westwick was in a weird student film or something). That’s where Academy Award nominated Naomi Watts comes in. She’ll offer a nuanced, yet emotional take on J. Edgar Hoover’s loyal secretary, and a willingness to put those lovely boobs in front of a camera. Awesome.

Charlize Theron was rumored to be the front runner for the role, but hopefully she’ll be flashing her boobs to aliens in Prometheus, the new almost-Aliens movie by Ridley Scott. (Deadline)

Christopher Nolan is getting actresses lined up in a pretty little row for The Dark Knight Rises casting. Doesn’t sound like Charlize and Vera are in the mix anymore, unless this is some kind of elaborate rouse, and if that’s the case, Nolan **shakes angry fist** The director will meet for two female lead roles, one a love interest for Bruce Wayne, the other a villain (who will hopefully wear a tight leather outfit). The actresses looking to impress Nolan are Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, and Anne Hathaway. Pssst! Ladies. I hear he likes Vegemite sandwiches. And cleavage. Bring both just in case. (Deadline)

Fair Game seems to take the trappings of the spy movies we love and apply them to the real life situation of Valerie Plame. That doesn’t make it feel any less like a standard docudrama though. This is still an issue movie that doesn’t offer any broader context than the issue it’s reporting.

Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) goes on spy missions. She has contacts and assets and covers. She knows her character details, so you can’t trip her up. The mission just happens to be discovering Iraq’s WMD program. We know how this turns out and there are no kick fights with Plame in a fancy dress or aerial stunts where Plame’s parachute opens at the last possible minute.

The film portrays Plame and Joe Wilson (Sean Penn) well. They have smart banter, not witty like scripted dialogue, but they intuit each other like a good marriage would allow. The strain on their marriage has stakes because Joe really misses his wife. Then when it becomes an issue of national importance, it’s also a matter of private coping.

The film is pretty on the nose even before the leak exposes Plame. She explains her position on lying. The Wilsons have friends who believe the media hype about WMDs and Joe just can’t bite his tongue, but Valerie has to because she can’t share what she knows. I mean, I know this is important but do you have to dramatize it in the most overt possible way?

Fair Game supports the idea that WMDs were false, which I guess is appropriate since that’s what was actually revealed, but it still feels like an agenda. When the truth feels like an agenda, something’s wrong. There’s nothing exciting about the dramatization so it’s only pretty actors recreating the news we saw a few years ago.

There is a tense moment for an Iraqi father and his son, but one scene of basic suspense with supporting characters does not make Fair Game a spy movie. Plame loses a tail but you don’t even see how she used her spy tactics to elude him.

When the film gets really into the issue of a government leak and White House cover up, Fair Game seems really passionate. At least Penn seems really passionate about playing Joe Wilson and his crusade for what’s right. It still seems obvious and preachy. Even if the message is good, you don’t want to hear it that way. I mean, don’t let the Vice President get away with exposing CIA agents, but also don’t make movies that only say it’s wrong to expose CIA agents.

Nothing But the Truth was juicier and more exciting. That was from the perspective of a journalist protecting the source of a CIA leak. It was fictional but it explored the ethics and realities on fighting for those ethics in a much more gripping way. That had the passion of former journalist Rod Lurie behind it. Doug Liman has political passion, but I guess politics just isn’t as exciting as journalism. But then nothing is as exciting as journalism, if I do say so myself.

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Here we have a trailer for the Fair Game that doesn’t include a naked Cindy Crawford. Doug Liman‘s Fair Game tackles the true life story of Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson. The story goes as follows: Bush wanted to go to war, so his administration misappropriated information from Joe Wilson’s report detailing why war wasn’t necessary. Wilson wrote a New York Times editorial, explaining their deception, which sparked a huge controversy. As revenge, the administration outed Plame (Wilson’s wife) as a CIA agent to the world. That’s cold. You don’t mess with a Congressman’s boo like that.

In the film, Plame is played by Naomi Watts and Wilson is played by Sean Penn. So don’t expect a bloody shoot-out in the Oval Office as the film’s climax. You’ll have to wait for the John Cena version for that.

Watch the "ripped from the headlines" trailer after the jump…

Fair Game Trailer – Watch more Movie Trailers

Director: Doug Liman

Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Ty Burrell, Sam Shepard, Noah Emmerich

Synopsis: a CIA agent is revealed by White House officials allegedly out to discredit her husband after he wrote a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece saying that the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to justify the invasion of Iraq.  

Release Date: November 5th, 2010

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Oh man, Woody Allen is really Woody Allening it up in the trailer for You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. The film stars Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto, Antonio Banderas, Lucy Punch, and Gemma Jones all unhappily shuffling through life, falling in and out of love, as an omniscient narrator delivers the subtext.

It could be a sequel to Vicky Christina Barcelona with the unfortunate absence of Scarlett Johansson‘s pouty lips. Allen even managed to make Brolin a schlubby writer with self-esteem issues. Put down that hammer, Woody, you’re breaking too much new ground!

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger plops down into theaters September 22, 2010.

Check out the trailer after the jump…

Director: Woody Allen

Cast: Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch, Gemma Jones

Synopsis: Unhappy people fall in and out of love in a Woody Allen fashion.

Release Date: September 22, 2010

Naomi Watts has signed on to star opposite Daniel Craig in Jim Sheridan‘s Dream House. The title of the film is an ironic pun because the story is actually about a father that moves his family into a murder house. Way to go, Dad.

Watts will play the family’s neighbor in the small Connecticut town where it is apparently not rare for a house to make a father slaughter his family. Between this and The Haunting In Connecticut, the Martha Stewart State is getting a pretty bad rap. They’re gonna have to amp up their key parties if they want to win me back. (THR)