I’ll say right off the bat: I LOVED “The Greatest Game Ever Played”! It’s the film that made me slightly fan-crazed for Shia Labeouf, and it’s just a great movie.

THE MOVIE: Based on real-life golfer Francis Ouimet, it tells the story of how he beat the odds of his working-class life to play in the 1913 U.S. Open Championship against pro Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane). Josh Flitter as Ouimet’s pint-sized caddy is a hoot! Directed by “Big Love” star Bill Paxton, it’s rated PG for some brief mild language, so basically a family movie good for ages 7 and older. It hits store shelves on Blu-ray June 16, 2009.

THE GIVEAWAY: One Blu-ray Disc of “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

BONUS FEATURES: Audio commentary with Paxton, audio commentary with author/screenwriter/producer Mark Frost, “From Caddie to Champion: Francis Ouimet,” “Two Legends and The Great Game,” and “On the Set of The Great Game Ever Played.”

HOW TO ENTER: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. A winner will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winner for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

THEATRICAL TRAILER:

Image: Amazon.com

The 23rd James Bond film is in a go mode! No word on the plot, but the film has three writers on board: Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who co-wrote the past four Bond films, and Peter Morgan, who wrote "Frost/Nixon."

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of Eon Productions Ltd. will produce.

The movie will once again star Daniel Craig as Agent 007, and the three-writers theme melds with the last two pictures, "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace." Purvis and Wade drafted the script, which then got the onceover from "Crash" writer-director Paul Haggis.

Interesting that Morgan has quite a few period movies on his IMDB page, including "Henry VIII," "The Last King of Scotland," "The Queen," and "The Other Boleyn Girl." Not sure if that means anything in terms of Bond, though.

At any rate, it can’t get here soon enough for me. I’m already suffering from Bond withdrawal.

Image: Sony Pictures, 2008; Source: Hollywood Reporter

The film "Moon" is out in limited release this week, but has been on the film festival circuit since January. Just the title alone wouldn’t make me go see this movie, but after reading more about it and watching clips, I’m definitely interested. If I don’t see it beforehand, maybe it’ll play at the Traverse City Film Festival in August.

It’s directed and written by Duncan Jones, son of the legendary David Bowie, and follows an astronaut (Sam Rockwell) who pursues his own departure from a futuristic lunar mining base. "Moon" is rated R for language, and also stars Kevin Spacey (who voices a robot), Matt Berry, and Robin Chalk. 

Tribeca caught up with Jones recently at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The Sydney Film Festival took place last week, and below are a few images from the premiere of "Beautiful Kate."

Directed by Rachel Ward (yes, the same one who was in "Against All Odds" way back when), the film follows writer Ned Kendall (Ben Mendelsohn), who’s asked to return to the family home by his sister Sally (Rachel Griffiths, so great in these dramatic roles) to say goodbye to his dying father. Memories of his beautiful twin sister Kate (Sophie Lowe) bring back long-buried memories from their past. 

Miranda Otto:

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New in theaters this weekend are a couple of very different movies, featuring John Travolta as a bad guy and Eddie Murphy as a clueless dad:

The Taking of Pelham 123 (R). It’s a little sad watching John Travolta play a bad guy and thinking about all the grief he’s had this year after losing his son. Still, this movie has couple of great character studies, with Travolta and also Denzel Washington as a subway navigator who’s forced into a take charge position. [Film Gecko Preview & Trailer] [World Premiere Pics] [Official Site]

Imagine That (PG). It’s a familiar story of a distant dad (Eddie Murphy) bonding with his little girl (Yara Shahidi), but the two share some sweet moments. And Thomas Haden Church plays a goofy Native American character – well, sort of! [Film Gecko Preview & Trailer] [Official Site]

In limited release: "Call of the Wild 3D"; "Food, Inc."; and "Moon." "Away We Go" expands this weekend, as well.

Image Credit: © 2009 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Attention, anyone looking to play Seth or Leah in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"!

There’s an open casting call listed for these two characters at EclipseOpenCasting.com. Thanks to Nieko in Film Gecko’s "New Moon Casting News & Rumors" thread for the heads up!

From the Open Casting site:

Seth Clearwater: Seth is a Quileute Indian and the youngest member of the La Push wolf pack. He is a tall, gangly limbed boy with a huge, happy grin, the son of Harry and Sue Clearwater and the younger brother of Leah. Seth idolizes Jacob, and is always eager to please. NOTE: This is an excellent opportunity for Native American and First Nations actors. Seeking age 14-19 to play age 15.

Leah Clearwater: Leah is a Quileute Indian and the only female member of the La Push wolf pack. She is tall and slender with beautiful skin and short cropped black hair. She would be considered gorgeous if not for the perpetual scowl she carries due to a broken heart and her anger issues. She is the daughter of Harry and Sue Clearwater and the protective older sister of Seth. NOTE: This is an excellent opportunity for Native American and First Nations actors. Seeking age 18-25 to play 19.

Auditions are due by June 30, 2009. Again, visit the Eclipse Open Casting site for more info and to submit your audition.

Good luck, everyone! First dibs on interviewing the lucky actors who make it!

Image: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The vampire trend continues with “Blood: The Last Vampire,” coming to theaters July 10, 2009. It’s actually an English version of a Japanese anime feature film from the producer of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

Saya (Gianna Jun) is a 400-year-old half-human, half-vampire samurai who preys on those who feast on human blood. Joining forces with a covert organization known as the Council, she’s dispatched to an American military base, where a series of swordfights leads her to the deadliest vampire of all!

Directed by Chris Nahon, “Blood: The Last Vampire” also stars Allison Miller, Liam Cunningham, Michael Byrne, Koyuki, and Colin Salmon. Check out the film’s Facebook Page, MySpace Page, and Official Site.

On the surface, this movie looks like it’s trying to glom onto the vampire trend created by “Twilight,” “Moonlight,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” among others. But I would hasten to add that the original anime film was released in 2000 (and won several awards, too), so it may have been leading the pack on this current wave. Yes, I know Buffy started pre-2000 and, of course, people have always been fascinated with vampires.

What do you think? Are you planning on seeing “Blood: The Last Vampire”?

More stills and a trailer after the jump…

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Clint Eastwood continues to knock me out with his heartfelt performances, this time in "Gran Torino," in which he plays Korean War vet Walt Kowalski. It’s a racially charged story that’s also violent and disturbing, with Eastwood’s classic humor thrown in for good measure.

Read my review of "Gran Torino," and buy the DVD on Film Gecko’s DVD Store on Amazon.

Bonus Features include some of the filmmakers reminiscing about their first cars or dream cars. We also get to see a Detroit rally of classic cars along Woodward Avenue, which is bittersweet considering Detroit’s altered auto scene in recent months. 

Also on DVD this week:

Crossing Over (R). Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ashley Judd, and Ray Liotta star in this movie about crime, fraud and murder, all revolving around a missing illegal. Buy "Crossing Over."

The International (R). Clive Owen and Naomi Watts star in this crime thriller about an obsessive Interpol agent who spearheads an investigation into a high-profile banking institution. Buy "The International."

Image: Amazon.com

My pal Julie Bonner, who blogs at DisneySociety.com, had an opportunity to talk with Yara Shahidi, the girl who plays Eddie Murphy’s daughter in "Imagine That."

The movie hits theaters tomorrow, June 12, and Yara had some fun things to say about it. Have you seen the trailer with the pancake scene? That was her favorite scene (it would have been mine, too!).

She said that Eddie Murphy didn’t actually eat the pancakes; instead, he threw them over his shoulder and pretended like he ate them. I can totally see him doing that.

Read Julie’s interview here, and see what Yara had to say about Queen Latifah and  learning karate, as well as her philosophy: "If you don’t enjoy it, then don’t do it."

My kind of girl! Check out her official site, and watch the trailer below:

Image Credit: © 2009 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

I’m looking forward to “Shrink,” mainly because Kevin Spacey was one of my late sister-in-law’s favorite actors, and seeing him always makes me think of her. Not that I don’t think of her other times, but Spacey makes me feel closer to her. And thus ends my own private therapy session right here in this post! Rox would love that (and somehow, I think she’ll be sitting in the theater with me for this movie).

In “Shrink,” Spacey plays a top celebrity shrink who turns into a pothead after a recent personal tragedy. It looks both funny and dramatic. A dramedy. “Shrink” hits theaters July 24, 2009. It’s directed by Jonas Pate, and also stars Dallas Roberts, Keke Palmer, Jack Huston, and Pell James.