El Cid
Unrated 2-Disc Box Set
Directed by Anthony Mann
Starring Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren
Available Jan. 29, 2008

The sixties were a funny time”¦ You know, for EVEN MORE than the obvious reasons. It was the decade that the studio system in Hollywood finally fell to corporate ownership. The debate rages to this day on whether or not this was a development for the better.

As Martin Scorsese notes in his liner-note introduction for today’s film, Anthony Mann‘s El Cid “is a picture that marks the passing of an era in American moviemaking.” Quite possibly the last huge epic before corporations. Before Kubrick. Before Hippies. Before Altman.

Watching El Cid in this, its first-ever American DVD release, I was struck by something I was never able to articulate before. Why the hell do these old-school De Mille-style epics seem so much”¦ BIGGER than the epics we make today? Is it the lack of computers? Is it the fact that movie stars were “movie stars” back then and not models with delusions of grandeur? Is it that they were all shot in 70 millimeter while we’re slowly but sure converting to George Lucas’ Godawful digital video in the present? Or is it just that Anthony Mann rules all?

Because El Cid is big with a capital “BIG.” And if there’s anyone who loves them a big-assed movie, it’s me. I’m all for subtlety and character development and all that other horsecrap, but for Christ’s sake, this is the MOVIES! Go big or go home.

Charlton Heston plays Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar in 11th-century Spain. He is dubbed “El Cid” by a Muslim man working to tear-ass in conquest through Europe. He is captured by Rodrigo, but spared. This act of mercy by Rodrigo on behalf of the Muslims gets Rodrigo a treason charge and imperils his marriage to the lovely Jimena (Sophia Loren).

Ever since Cloverfield‘s strong box office opening earlier this month, the rumors has been flying that a sequel is not too far behind. Director Matt Reeves even speculated what story the sequel would follow (basically, just someone else’s filmed perspective of the night of the monster attack).

Today, Variety reports that Paramount is in early talks with Reeves, producer J.J. Abrams, and screenwriter Drew Goddard to return for a proposed Cloverfield sequel.

Reeves recently made a deal with GreeneStreet Films to direct The Invisible Woman, a film described as “a Hitchcock-style thriller that probes the mind of a former beauty queen who turns to a life of crime to protect her family.” Reeves wrote the original script and will produce the film along with J.J. Abrams and GreeneStreet’s John Penotti, Fisher Stevens and Tim Williams.

The Odd Couple
Season 3
Starring Jack Klugman, Tony Randall
Paramount Home Video
Available Jan. 22, 2008

Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!

Next to “Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!” no name resonated more among TV viewers of the 1970s than Tony Randall‘s Felix Unger complaining about Jack Klugman‘s slob Oscar Madison.

In fact, one can’t see Randall or Klugman in anything else without thinking of Felix and Oscar. Each time I watch Quincy, I wonder if there are any half-eaten sandwiches or cigar butts in the morgue.

Season Three of the Odd Couple is now out on DVD, and viewing it confirms that it is one of the funniest shows ever to appear on television. It seemed like a simple premise with stories that were sure to dry up after a season. But by season three, they are quite on a roll. For those of you who don’t know: New Yorkers Felix and Oscar became roommates when their wives divorced them (which was quite risqué on TV back in the day). A voiceover in the opening credits explains the premise of the show, questioning, “Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?” Why is this pondered? Because Unger is fastidiously neat and Madison the ultimate of slobs.

THR reported on Tuesday that director Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) had dropped out of the Universal Studios classic horror remake, The Wolf Man, because of “creative differences” and a dispute over the film’s $100 million budget.

The studio plans to replace the director by week’s end, though it’s unknown whether the film will begin shooting in the UK as scheduled in a few weeks and if it will meet its planned release date of early 2009.

AICN has heard from someone they claim to be “a incredibly reliable source,” that Brett Ratner will be stepping into the director’s chair. Ratner is known for the Rush Hour film trilogy, as well as X-Men: The Last Stand (taking over that franchise from Bryan Singer). There’s been no official word on a new director yet, but, because of the writer’s strike, whoever steps in will have to work with the script that Romanek developed with screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (in which case, if it’s Ratner, that won’t be a bad thing).

The official Star Trek XI site has launched their Forum section.

Check out the movie’s official site and click on the link for “Forums” (at right beneath “Under Construction”) to register to start posting (or don’t register and just lurk).

J.J. Abrams‘s Star Trek XI hits theaters Christmas Day 2008.

In other Star Trek XI news, there’s been a few castings this week: