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Eleanor Coppola directed an acclaimed making-of documentary about Apocalypse Now's infamous production. Hearts of Darkness won Eleanor an Emmy and is considered one of the best documentaries ever made. Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola endured challenges during the 14-month production of the film, but Eleanor's documentary became essential to film history. She was still directing films in her 80s. Wife of Francis Ford, mother of Sofia and Roman, aunt of Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman, and so much more, she will be missed.

Francis Ford Coppola has been in the news a lot recently, with speculation and anticipation swirling around his long-anticipated epic Megalopolis, but sadly, he's in the news for a different reason today. His wife of 61 years, Eleanor Coppola, passed away at age 87 on April 12 at their home in Rutherford, California.

Born Eleanor Jessie Neil in 1936, Eleanor met Francis on the set of the latter's legitimate directorial debut,...

Cherokee Nation has announced Tava Maloy Sofsky as the tribe’s new film commissioner. In the new position, Sofsky will serve dual roles as both film commissioner for the Cherokee Nation and as the tribe’s film office director.

Sofsky, a Cherokee Nation citizen, brings more than 23 years of industry-leading experience to her new role supporting the mission and strategic growth of the Cherokee Nation Film Office. She will also now oversee the Cherokee Film Incentive, among other initiatives within the tribal film office.

“Tava is among the top film commissioners in the world,” said Jennifer Loren, director of Cherokee Nation Film and Original Content. “The fact that she is a Cherokee Nation citizen who has stood at the forefront of this industry further demonstrates the true breadth of talent inside Indian Country. We are excited for Tava to join us as we continue to grow and diversify the film and television industry in Oklahoma.

Rumble Fish

Blu-ray

Criterion

1940 / B&W / 1:85 / Street Date April 25, 2017

Starring: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane.

Cinematography: Stephen Burum

Film Editor: Barry Malkin

Written by S.E. Hinton and Francis Ford Coppola

Produced by Francis Ford Coppola

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Rumble Fish, Francis Ford Coppola’s Young Adult tone poem, unspools in a black and white never-never land of sullen teens, pool tables and pompadours. It may take a moment for the audience to suss out that we’re not in the Eisenhower era with Chuck Berry, Marilyn Monroe and the Cold War but squarely in Reagan’s domain of MTV, Madonna and the Cold War.

Set in a destitute Oklahoma town with the ghost of The Last Picture Show whistling through its empty streets, Matt Dillon plays Rusty, an inveterate gang-banger growing up in the shadow of his older brother played by Mickey Rourke, a reformed juvenile...

For quite some time now, the folks at Scream Factory have been hard at work on a Collector's Edition Blu-ray of the late, great Wes Craven's The Serpent and the Rainbow. Today, they have rewarded fans' patience by revealing the release's official list of special features, and they are well worth the wait.

In addition to a fresh HD transfer taken from The Serpent and the Rainbow's original inter-positive, this Collector's Edition Blu-ray also includes a new commentary with lead actor Bill Pullman and a "making of" featurette with an impressive number of interviews. Scream Factory will release this special Blu-ray on February 23rd:

Press Release: Loyal fans of legendary director Wes Craven (Scream, The People Under the Stairs, A Nightmare on Elm Street) know well the terrifying story of one man's nightmarish journey into the eerie and deadly world of voodoo from the 1988 horror cult classic The Serpent And The Rainbow,...

Apocalypse Now will make its debut on Blu-ray on October 19 and we certainly have to celebrate this new 1080p release. We have a brand new contest running and we're giving away copies of this new highly-anticipated Bd release. You know these high-def discs will go fast, so be sure to enter this contest today.

Winners Receive:

Apocalypse Now Blu-ray set

Here's How To Win!

Just "Like" (fan) the MovieWeb Facebook page (below) and then leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

If you already "Like" MovieWeb, just leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

In the Vietnam War epic, Martin Sheen stars as Army Captain Willard, a troubled man sent on a dangerous top-secret mission into Cambodia to assassinate a rogue Green Beret, Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has barricaded himself in a remote outpost. As Willard ventures deeper and...

Mis-Fits is the upcoming L.D. Napier official directorial debut and a story of a “necro-detective,” who searches for peoples lost and or dead relatives.

And, by the way, it’s the project with some serious cast, because Guy Pearce, Cloris Leachman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Seymour Cassel and Virginie Ledoyen have all been tapped to co-star in it!

The movie is based on a script by Napier, and producer Doug Claybourne says that Mis-Fits “is a wacky comedy in the tone of Harold and Maude.”

Cinematographer Affonso Beato (The Queen) and production designer Richard Hoover (Dead Man Walking) have also climbed aboard for the project, while Ingrid Michaelson is set to write an original song for the film with music by M. Ward.

Napier previously directed the documentaries The Incremental Injury and Every 21 Seconds: Or Why I Scream at the Refrigerator.

But, we still guess that this could be something quite interesting.

There aren't enough Guy Pearce movies. You can see him right now in a small but powerful part in the Australian crime picture Animal Kingdom, and he'll soon show up in the remake of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. And now he's been cast, along with four other actors, in a comedy called Mis-Fits. THR says that Pearce, Seymour Cassel, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Cloris Leachman and Virginie Ledoyen are all in the film, which will be the feature directorial debut of playwright L.D. Napier. Mis-Fits is based on a script by Napier, and " tells the story of a "necro-detective" who goes in search of people's lost, dead relatives." Producer Doug Claybourne calls it "a wacky comedy in the tone of Harold and Maude," and I invite you to spend a few contemplative moments reconciling that logline with Claybourne's description. Got it? Good. For the film, Ingrid Michaelson is writing...

L.D. Napier's supernatural comedy finally rounds up it's main cast as Guy Pearce, Cloris Leachman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Seymour Cassel and Virginie Ledoyen join the project. "Mis-Fits" centers on a necro-detective who goes in search of people's lost, dead relatives. This marks Napier's feature film debut, previously working as an author and a playwright before landing this gig. Producing is Doug Claybourne under the Make It Happen Productions label with initial filming scheduled to begin in May. Guy Pearce is in a huge number of movies within the next year, the first being his role in Troy Nixey's "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark". He also appears in the thriller "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps" and is in the middle of filming the sci-fi thriller "Lock Out". Leachman appears in the new Fox television series "Raising Hope" and will be seen in Tom Mattera and David Mazzoni's mystery...

Guy Pearce (who will be next seen in the critically acclaimed Animal Kingdom) has been cast in the directorial debut of author-playwright L.D. Napier’s feature, Mis-Fits (not to be confused with the recent dazzling Channel 4 kids-with-superpowers drama).

He’ll join Seymour Cassel, Cloris Leachman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Virginie Ledoyen in this comedy (which according to The Hollywood Reporter) is about a “necro-detective” whose job it is to track down people’s lost, dead relatives.

Scheduled to begin shooting next May, producer Doug Claybourne has remarked that the humour in the film will be “in the tone of Harold and Maude”. Sounds like an unusual project and a real change of pace for Pearce.

Guy Pearce, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Seymour Cassel, Cloris Leachman and Virginie Ledoyen are all set to join the comedy "Mis-Fits" for Make It Happen Productions says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story follows a "necro-detective" who goes in search of people's lost, dead relatives. The tone is described as a 'wacky comedy' along the lines of "Harold and Maude".

Author-playwright L.D. Napier makes her directorial debut on the project, which she also wrote. Doug Claybourne will produce and shooting is scheduled to begin in May.

Guy Pearce, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Seymour Cassel, Cloris Leachman, and Virginie Ledoyen have been cast in author-playwright L.D. Napier’s directorial debut Mis-Fits. According to Variety, the comedy centers on a ‘necro-detective’ who goes in search of people’s lost dead relatives.” I assume he always comes back with bad news. Producer Doug Claybourne says that Mis-Fits “is a wacky comedy in the tone of Harold and Maude“.

Filming is set to begin in May with Affonso Beato (The Queen) on board as cinematographer and Richard Hoover (Dead Man Walking) attached as production designer. Ingrid Michaelson will write an original song for the movie with music by M. Ward. Napier previously directed the documentaries The Incremental Injury and Every 21 Seconds: Or Why I Scream at the Refrigerator. Pearce recently co-starred in the critically acclaimed Animal Kingdom and The King’s Speech.

Would you trust Guy Pearce to find your missing, dead relatives? With his memory? Okay, so he’s come a long way since Memento, but he’s going back on the hunt for people in a new comedy called Mis-Fits.He’s joined the film alongside Catalina Sandino Moreno (last seen in Twilight: Eclipse) Seymour Cassel (Kissing Strangers), The Women’s Cloris Leachman, and Virginie Ledoyen, who has largely been carving out an indie career and working on French films since The Beach.Mis-Fits is the handiwork of novelist/playwright/documentation Ld Napier (though the script isn’t adapted from any of her previous work) and she’s also snatching the chance to direct what producer Doug Claybourne tells the Hollywood Reporter is “a wacky comedy in the tone of Harold and Maude.” So there you go: hope for something dark, funny and classy.We’ll have to wait and...

Guy Pearce, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Seymour Cassel, Cloris Leachman and Virginie Ledoyen are "Mis-Fits."

The quintet of actors has been cast in author-playwright L.D. Napier's directorial debut, an original comedy that she also wrote. Doug Claybourne will produce through his Make It Happen Prods., with filming scheduled to begin in May.

"Mis-Fits" tells the story of a "necro-detective" who goes in search of people's lost, dead relatives.

"It's a wacky comedy in the tone of 'Harold and Maude,'" said Claybourne ("The Fast and the Furious").

Cinematographer Affonso Beato ("The Queen") and production designer Richard Hoover ("Dead Man Walking") have joined the crew, and Ingrid Michaelson will write an original song for the film with music by M. Ward.

Icm, which reps Claybourne, is also repping sales for the film.

CAA reps Pearce ("The King's Speech"). UTA and Principal Entertainment rep Moreno ("The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"). Abrams Artists Agency...

Guy Pearce and Catalina Sandino Moreno have joined the cast of Mis-Fits , a supernatural comedy from L.D. Napier, reports The Hollywood Reporter . Likened to Harold and Maude and described as a "wacky comedy" by producer Doug Claybourne, Mis-Fits is said to deal with a "necro-detective" who searches for the spirits of the dead. Though unconfirmed, the Detective, Sam, is likely to be played by Pearce who will join the previously-attached Seymour Cassel and Cloris Leachman. L.D. Napier, who wrote the script, will also direct. Best known for her work as a playwright, including the 2008 production "The G Word: For Those Born Later". Napier also wrote the novel "Here Comes the Sun...", inspired by true stories of Hurricane Katrina.

Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 war classic Apocalypse Now will finally be released on Blu-ray in two separate editions on October 19. The two-disc set, which will include both Apocalypse Now and Apocalypse Now Redux films, will be priced at $39.99 Srp and the three-disc, three-film set will include those films and the 1991 documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, and will be priced at $59.99 Srp. You can take a look at both cover art images and the extensive special features below. The film stars Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford and Dennis Hopper.

In the Vietnam War epic, Martin Sheen stars as Army Captain Willard, a troubled man sent on a dangerous top-secret mission into Cambodia to assassinate a rogue Green Beret, Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has barricaded himself in a remote outpost. As Willard ventures deeper and deeper into the wilderness of the jungle, he embarks...

Lindsay Lohan will star in the independent fantasy comedy "The Other Side" alongside Woody Harrelson, Giovanni Ribisi, Dave Matthews and Alanis Morissette.The film revolves around a graduate student who spends the summer working at a scientific institute on a remote island. She discovers an unusual community of characters who are hiding a secret about a tragedy that took place many years before.This will be Lohan's first feature role since "I Know Who Killed Me" in 2007, when her career stalled over accusations of unprofessional behavior and late-night partying.David Michaels will be handling directing duties. Michaels co-wrote the script with Phil Reeves.Michaels will also serve as an executive producer with John Molli, Anthony Yohe and Doug Claybourne ("Nights in Rodanthe," "North...

NEW YORK -- In the latest financing initiative to emerge in Hollywood, Film 7 Entertainment Group is launching the venture capital fund Film 7, aiming to back about 25 features in the less-than-$20 million budget range during the next five years.

What makes Film 7 unique is its founding management team, which boasts a who's who of veteran producers, including Barrie Osborne (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Doug Claybourne (The Fast and the Furious), David Ladd (Hart's War), longtime Francis Ford Coppola producer Fred Roos (The Godfather: Part II and Part III) and Clint Eastwood producer David Valdes (Unforgiven). Among them, they have made more than 100 films. Film 7 managing director of finance Brad Blackman rounds out the team.

Film 7 producers, along with investors from Silicon Valley and other non-Hollywood sources, are aiming to develop a library of features through the team's industry connections. They will draw revenue from theatrical, home video, television, merchandising, music publishing and other ancillary sources.

"We are creating a unique and lucrative vehicle for investors, focused around the role, integrity and talent that producers bring to the filmmaking process," said David Valdes, interim CEO of Film 7 Entertainment Group.

Christopher Meloni and James Franco have been cast opposite Diane Lane and Richard Gere in Warner Bros. Pictures' Nights in Rodanthe. George Wolfe is directing the romantic drama, which is being produced by Denise Di Novi.

An adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, the story sees a doctor (Gere) stop at an inn in North Carolina while traveling to reconcile with his estranged son. At the beach town, the doctor has a life-changing romance with an unhappily married woman (Lane). Ken Hixon and Ann Peacock worked on the screenplay.

Meloni is playing the role of Lane's husband, while Franco plays Gere's estranged son.

Doug Claybourne, Alison Greenspan, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Berman are exec producing the movie, which is a Village Roadshow co-production.

Meloni stars in NBC's long-running Law & Order: SVU, which last year garnered him an Emmy nomination. Featurewise, he will be seen in the upcoming indie Carriers with Lou Taylor Pucci and stars in John Krasinski's film Brief Interviews With Hideous Men. He also recently shot Harold and Kumar 2, reprising his role from the first film.

This review was written for the festival screening of "North Country".

TORONTO -- "North County" is an occasionally inspired but much more often didactic story of a woman mineworker, who initiates a class-action sexual harassment lawsuit against a Minnesota mining company. The issue of sexual politics so dominates the story that it's a relief when an emotional showdown involves family rather than workplace issues. Not so surprisingly, these are the movie's best scenes.

Audiences sometimes do respond to issues-oriented movies. When Sally Field held up that strike sign in "Norma Rae", she even won an Oscar. But the issue of sexual harassment in an iron mine may be a tough sell. Whether the movie wins over any hearts and minds, boxoffice may be modest.

"North Country" is the first American film by director Niki Caro, whose "Whale Rider" became New Zealand's most financially successful movie. This is a thoroughly competent and polished work. But one might have hoped she would tackle something a little more artistically daring than Michael Seitzman's predictable fictitious adaptation of of Clara Bingham and Lura Leedy Gansler's "Class Action: The Landmark Case that Changed Sexual Harassment Law." Despite the presence of movie stars such as Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sissy Spacek, the movie feels like an accomplished telefilm.

The world in which the movie takes place is portrayed -- and not without cause -- as one in which men are abusive and women silent victims. This begins right away when Josey Aimes (Theron) escapes a violent husband with her two youngsters. Then she returns to her Northern Minnesota hometown to a glowering father Hank (Richard Jenkins), whom she will never please in a million years. Bars are no escape either as guys make clumsy passes or sneering remarks.

When her old friend Glory (McDormand) suggests she come work with her and a few other women at the mines, Josey immediately seizes the opportunity to bring home enough money to get a house for her and the kids. Glory does warn her about the male miners' rough treatment of women, but she shrugs this off.

Things go from bad to worse. First it's foul language and sex toys in lunch pails. This escalates to sexual come-ons, feces on walls and finally an attack by Bobby Sharp (Jeremy Renner), a guy she used to make out with in school. The only nice guy in sight is Glory's husband, Kyle (Sean Bean). But he's permanently sidelined by a mining accident.

OK, another nice guy does turn up, this being local hockey hero, Bill White (Harrelson). He has returned from New York where, it is implied, the big city and law school have civilized all that North Country redneck behavior. When Josey has finally had enough harassment, it is to Bill she goes to file her lawsuit.

A courtroom scene begins the movie and intermittently Caro and Seitzman cut back to the hearing, making the film one giant flashback. Gradually, the hearing takes over to become the story's focus. Here the corporate boys prove the worst chauvinists of all, playing rougher with Josey than any of her male co-workers would.

But unless you're a lawyer or political activist, the best scenes involve parents and children. Specifically, these concern Josey and her troubled relationship with her dad, and Josey's teenage son, who grows increasingly embarrassed and angry over his mother's notoriety.

Hank, never happy with what he believes are his daughter's loose morals, is humiliated to see her take a job at his very workplace. Meanwhile, the trial causes Josey's son Sammy (Thomas Curtis) to learn the truth about his birth and the identity of his biological father. It devastates him.

These sequences bring out the best in the actors: Spacek as Josey's mom finds the courage to stand up to her husband; Jenkins finds the heart to re-evaluate his daughter; and Theron and Curtis find a ways to communicate.

The movie certainly doesn't look like a telefilm. Chris Menges' camera gives the iron mines a rugged masculinity that fits in nicely the film's political themes. Designer Richard Hoover captures the small company town atmosphere in superb location work and his set designs.

NORTH COUNTRY

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. presents in association with Participant Productions a Nick Wechsler production

Credits:

Director: Niki Caro

Writer: Michael Seitzman

Based on the book by: Clara Bingham, Laura Leedy Gansler

Producer: Nick Wechsler

Executive producers: Helen Bartlett, Nana Greenwald, Doug Claybourne, Jeff Skoll

Director of photography: Chris Menges

Production designer: Richard Hoover

Costumes: Cindy Evans

Music: Gustavo Santaolalla

Editor: David Coulson

Cast:

Josey: Charlize Theron

Glory: Frances McDormand

Kyle: Sean Bean

Hank: Richard Jenkins

Bobby: Jeremy Renner

Sherry: Michelle Monaghan

Bill White: Woody Harrelson

Alice: Sissy Spacek

Sammy: Thomas Curtis

Running time -- 127 minutes

MPAA rating: R...

TORONTO -- "North County" is an occasionally inspired but much more often didactic story of a woman mineworker, who initiates a class-action sexual harassment lawsuit against a Minnesota mining company. The issue of sexual politics so dominates the story that it's a relief when an emotional showdown involves family rather than workplace issues. Not so surprisingly, these are the movie's best scenes.

Audiences sometimes do respond to issues-oriented movies. When Sally Field held up that strike sign in "Norma Rae", she even won an Oscar. But the issue of sexual harassment in an iron mine may be a tough sell. Whether the movie wins over any hearts and minds, boxoffice may be modest.

"North Country" is the first American film by director Niki Caro, whose "Whale Rider" became New Zealand's most financially successful movie. This is a thoroughly competent and polished work. But one might have hoped she would tackle something a little more artistically daring than Michael Seitzman's predictable fictitious adaptation of of Clara Bingham and Lura Leedy Gansler's "Class Action: The Landmark Case that Changed Sexual Harassment Law." Despite the presence of movie stars such as Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sissy Spacek, the movie feels like an accomplished telefilm

The world in which the movie takes place is portrayed -- and not without cause -- as one in which men are abusive and women silent victims. This begins right away when Josey Aimes (Theron) escapes a violent husband with her two youngsters. Then she returns to her Northern Minnesota hometown to a glowering father Hank (Richard Jenkins), whom she will never please in a million years. Bars are no escape either as guys make clumsy passes or sneering remarks.

When her old friend Glory (McDormand) suggests she come work with her and a few other women at the mines, Josey immediately seizes the opportunity to bring home enough money to get a house for her and the kids. Glory does warn her about the male miners' rough treatment of women, but she shrugs this off.

Things go from bad to worse. First it's foul language and sex toys in lunch pails. This escalates to sexual come-ons, feces on walls and finally an attack by Bobby Sharp (Jeremy Renner), a guy she used to make out with in school. The only nice guy in sight is Glory's husband, Kyle (Sean Bean). But he's permanently sidelined by a mining accident.

OK, another nice guy does turn up, this being local hockey hero, Bill White (Harrelson). He has returned from New York where, it is implied, the big city and law school have civilized all that North Country redneck behavior. When Josey has finally had enough harassment, it is to Bill she goes to file her lawsuit.

A courtroom scene begins the movie and intermittently Caro and Seitzman cut back to the hearing, making the film one giant flashback. Gradually, the hearing takes over to become the story's focus. Here the corporate boys prove the worst chauvinists of all, playing rougher with Josey than any of her male co-workers would.

But unless you're a lawyer or political activist, the best scenes involve parents and children. Specifically, these concern Josey and her troubled relationship with her dad, and Josey's teenage son, who grows increasingly embarrassed and angry over his mother's notoriety.

Hank, never happy with what he believes are his daughter's loose morals, is humiliated to see her take a job at his very workplace. Meanwhile, the trial causes Josey's son Sammy (Thomas Curtis) to learn the truth about his birth and the identity of his biological father. It devastates him.

These sequences bring out the best in the actors: Spacek as Josey's mom finds the courage to stand up to her husband; Jenkins finds the heart to re-evaluate his daughter; and Theron and Curtis find a ways to communicate.

The movie certainly doesn't look like a telefilm. Chris Menges' camera gives the iron mines a rugged masculinity that fits in nicely the film's political themes. Designer Richard Hoover captures the small company town atmosphere in superb location work and his set designs.

NORTH COUNTRY

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. presents in association with Participant Productions a Nick Wechsler production

Credits:

Director: Niki Caro

Writer: Michael Seitzman

Based on the book by: Clara Bingham, Laura Leedy Gansler

Producer: Nick Wechsler

Executive producers: Helen Bartlett, Nana Greenwald, Doug Claybourne, Jeff Skoll

Director of photography: Chris Menges

Production designer: Richard Hoover

Costumes: Cindy Evans

Music: Gustavo Santaolalla

Editor: David Coulson

Cast:

Josey: Charlize Theron

Glory: Frances McDormand

Kyle: Sean Bean

Hank: Richard Jenkins

Bobby: Jeremy Renner

Sherry: Michelle Monaghan

Bill White: Woody Harrelson

Alice: Sissy Spacek

Sammy: Thomas Curtis

Running time -- 127 minutes

MPAA rating: R...

As runaway production continues unabated, state film commissions need to collaborate rather than compete with each other, a panel of industry experts said. "You're going to realize that we're really not competitors, that we're partners in a great vision to do great things for the United States of America," Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitchell Landrieu said during the keynote address Saturday at a Producers Guild of America seminar on winning back domestic production with incentives. "A rising tide lifts all boats", he added. Held at the Pacific Design Center, the seminar's panel -- which included 20th Century Fox executive vp Fred Baron; Walt Disney Pictures senior vp Paul Steinke; producers Doug Claybourne, Jim Michaels and Jonathan Sanger; producer and tax expert Dama Chasle; and tax experts Rick Rosas and Jeff Tolan -- discussed the obstacles to keeping production in the U.S. Robert J. Dowling, editor-in-chief and publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, served as moderator.

Frances McDormand and Charlize Theron can't get enough of each other. McDormand is in negotiations to join Theron in the Warner Bros. Pictures drama Class Action. The Oscar winners are currently teamed up on Aeon Flux for MTV/Paramount Pictures. Written by Michael Seitzman, Class Action is a fictionalized account of the first successful sexual harassment prosecution in the United States, Jensen v. Eveleth Mines. Whale Rider helmer Niki Caro is on board to direct. Pending a deal, McDormand would play the role of Glory, a tough but tender iron miner who befriends and mentors Theron's character, Josie, a harassed mine worker who becomes the key plaintiff in the case. Industry Entertainment's Nick Wechsler is producing, with Nana Greenwald, Helen Bartlett and Doug Claybourne serving as executive producers. Courtenay Valenti is overseeing for the studio. McDormand's recent credits include Catwoman, City by the Sea and Something's Gotta Give. She is repped by Endeavor and Frank Frattaroli at Artists Independent Network.

Frances McDormand and Charlize Theron can't get enough of each other. McDormand is in negotiations to join Theron in the Warner Bros. Pictures drama Class Action. The Oscar winners are currently teamed up on Aeon Flux for MTV/Paramount Pictures. Written by Michael Seitzman, Class Action is a fictionalized account of the first successful sexual harassment prosecution in the United States, Jensen v. Eveleth Mines. Whale Rider helmer Niki Caro is on board to direct. Pending a deal, McDormand would play the role of Glory, a tough but tender iron miner who befriends and mentors Theron's character, Josie, a harassed mine worker who becomes the key plaintiff in the case. Industry Entertainment's Nick Wechsler is producing, with Nana Greenwald, Helen Bartlett and Doug Claybourne serving as executive producers. Courtenay Valenti is overseeing for the studio. McDormand's recent credits include Catwoman, City by the Sea and Something's Gotta Give. She is repped by Endeavor and Frank Frattaroli at Artists Independent Network.

Zzzzzzzz is for "Zorro".

Swashbuckling, slapstick, nostalgia, romance -- all set against a political backdrop. Amblin Entertainment's "The Mask of Zorro" has it all, including two Zorros, but its ambition and clear desire to please at all levels ultimately sticks itself.

Sony will undoubtedly fence solid early points with this men-in-black popcorner, but there is, alas, more corn than pop in this return to the thrilling days of legendary heroism, not to mention 1950s television.

Although pleasingly entertaining in segments, it's way too stiff and predictable for adult audiences and, perhaps, way too slow (not to mention gory) for the elementary-school set. Remember whose movie it was that launched the PG-13 rating? Save for those second-graders who yearn for a painstakingly exhaustive portrait of the harsh political realities of a past day and age, it's unlikely to win the hearts of grade schoolers. The moviegoing demographic "Zorro"'s most likely to please? The child-adult.

In this disappointingly cumbersome TriStar presentation, Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas limn the role of the latter-day swordsman who fought Spanish oppression in what is now known as California. In case you're wondering and confused, Hopkins plays Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro, the dashing rogue we all loved from the late '50s TV show, while Banderas is his new protege and successor. Those who relished Hopkins' thrashing, outdoorsman performance in his Bart the Bear movie (we can't recall the title) will relish, in the same vein, his sword-fighting.

As Zorro Emeritus, Hopkins not only imparts the wisdom of his dueling to his newly anointed successor but enhances it with the stentorian solemnity one usually finds only in the House of Commons.

We must, however, commend Hopkins' bravery in attacking the part; unfortunately, it's unlikely that kid viewers might be so charitable, especially since old Zorro's duels take up big swatches of the crucial climax. Indeed, indicative of our wandering attention when elder Zorro is either waxing or dueling away, we tend to look around for John Gielgud to jump in with sharpened blade and enter the fray.

Two words for the narrative: The kind word is "ambitious"; the nasty word is "mess." Suffice it to say there are three credited screenwriters as well as three credited story writers, and "The Mask of Zorro" basks in what appears to be a legal-sized list of "must" suggestions from an assembled story committee.

Fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff, including the mentor-fighter aspects of "The Karate Kid", but unfortunately "Zorro" is so packed with back story and historical exposition and so murkily plotted that one never really finds anyone to root for, including Zorro.

Although Zorro is charming, dashing and wears a zippy costume, we're never quite sure what he's in it for -- revenge, idealism, love of a lady, kicks? Admittedly, it's explained somewhere, but it's done in such a clinical, dry way that Zorro never captures our fancy or our fantasies. We never really root for him, other than in a passive good-guy vs. bad-guy mode. Still, "Zorro" is chock middling full with good old, matinee-movie moments: jumping on speeding horses from windows, swinging from chandeliers, flirting with beautiful women.

As the younger Zorro, Banderas is well-cast. His gleaming smile and elegant athleticism are well-suited for the character's glossy heroics. Newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones steals the show whenever she is on the screen: As Zorro 1's long-lost daughter, she's a comely catch and, natch, causes Zorro the Sequel to drop his swords. However, crankier boomers who loved the TV show and destroyed lots of furniture with their plastic, Piggly Wiggly-bought Zorro swords are going to wonder: Where's Sgt. Garcia, the great slapstick buffoon of the TV series?

Gazing at the credits, we see a Corp. Garcia. Maybe it was the same character before he got his comic stripes. In any event, that's the kind of crabby word-of-mouth "Zorro" is likely to cut among us old folks. Supporting players seem to be well-chosen, but under Martin Campbell's competent but painstakingly measured hand, the supporting characters are not very juicy, just common flavorings.

As one would expect from Amblin, the technical contributions are first-rate and stirringly realized. Cinematographer Phil Meheux's landscape compositions are picture-postcard proper, while costumer Graciela Mazon's clothing colorations bloom with character particulars. Composer James Horner's rousing horns give a thrilling, old-style tone to the movie, eloquently trumpeting its best intentions and traditions.

THE MASK OF ZORRO

Sony Pictures Releasing

TriStar Pictures

An Amblin Entertainment production

Producers: Doug Claybourne, David Foster

Director: Martin Campbell

Screenwriters: John Eskow,

Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio

Story: Ted Elliott,

Terry Rossio, Randall Jahnson

Executive producers: Steven Spielberg,

Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald

Director of photography: Phil Meheux

Production designer: Cecilia Montiel

Editor: Thom Noble

Costume designer: Graciela Mazon

Music: James Horner

Co-producer: John Gertz

Casting: Pam Dixon Mickelson

Color/stereo

Cast:

Alejandro Murieta/Zorro: Antonio Banderas

Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro: Anthony Hopkins

Elena Montero: Catherine Zeta-Jones

Dan Rafael Montero: Stuart Wilson

Capt. Harrison Love: Matt Letscher

Running time -- 136 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13...