Eric Lavallée

Oscar vets George Clooney and Cate Blanchett are reportedly at the table with 20th Century Fox Animation in Wes Anderson’s next helmer The Fantastic Mr. Fox, the director’s first foray into the world of animation. The project is based on Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book and will be the fourth major motion picture treatment of the author’s tomes; the previous leaps from paper to celluloid included Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and the more recent Tim Burton jaunt Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Continuing on yesterday’s cue, Indie Queens and Foreign Femme Fatales top 10 list demonstrates an appreciation for performance, grace, style, facial symmetry and once again that je ne sais quoi factor. This year’s compilation is a mix of 2006’s old school – which’ve once again proved their weight in gold and we also witnessed a new generation of leading ladies make their marks. The sum is a healthy representation of world inhabitants and some sizzling performances.

2006 was a relatively tame year when it came to sexy men in indie and foreign features. While some of the gentlemen below deserve Adonis honors (namely number's ten, two, and one), this year's most memorable men are not receiving praise for their abdominal muscles, but instead (gasp) for their talent? Hollywood seems to have the monopoly on the drool worthy D's - Depp, Damon, DiCaprio, but it's the mix of indie faces, some fresh, some familiar, that win our minds then our hearts. From drag queens to dictators, 2006 was full of characters and this list has them all, both on and off the screen.

Faithful to their controversial docu films, Th!nkFilm has picked up worldwide rights Lake of Fire. Featured at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the self-financed black-and-white film is Tony Kaye’s long awaited follow-up to his debut feature length film American History X.