Eric Lavallée

When director Brad Anderson signs on to helm a pic, you bet two things: One, there will be bizarre plot twists, and two; he will take you on a fast paced ride you won’t soon forget. Thus, it’s appropriate that the next major project for the director will be set on a train racing across the tundra of Asia. Trans-Siberian is set on the infamous rail line as it runs from China to Moscow. Anderson, most recently known for work on HBO’s “The Wire” as well as “Homicide, Life on the Streets”, brings his edgy, slightly seedy world to the big screen.

Variety reports that Sidney Kimmel Entertainment has signed Tarsem to direct Unthinkable a contemporary political thriller set in the U.S, in which Kimmel and Cotty Chubb are producing.

Tarsem is collaborating with scribe Peter Woodward (Closing the Ring) on revising the spec script and production might begin late in the first quarter.

THINKFilm has not only got a winner on its hands – but may we dare say - its got the sort of potential that might see it cross into the mainstream golden evening of the award season – yep the Oscars might not look unattainable as I had first predicted. Given out last night, the Independent Film Project awards were prety much a Half Nelson tribute type of affair - winning in the breakthrough actor, director and picture categories with its closest rival being Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Babel which picked up 2 awards. Note: Rinko Kikuchi (the naked Jap) from Babel and the (always play the same role twice) young Shareeka Epps shared the same award.

What do you do if you are an A-list actor and Oscar nominated director? If you’re George Clooney, you ride the wave for all its worth and book yourself solid for a couple of years. Clooney currently has 7 projects in production or in the can including the highly anticipated and publicized Ocean’s 13. The prêt essential Hollywood “jack-of-all-trades” is working as producer, director, writer and actor in projects that will take him through to 2009.

It comes as no surprise that leading this year’s pack of nominees are Little Miss Sunshine and Half Nelson, but this year’s mix of contenders are a mixed breed coming from films that were showcased a little everywhere – including this year’s Sundance.