From THR via Living in Cinema, good news and rumored bad news:

The Weinstein Co. has closed a deal for Tom Ford’s “A Single Man,” picking up U.S. and German rights to the pic the morning after the movie played to a house packed with distribution executives.

The buy is certain to fuel speculation that another of the Weinstein Co.’s fall releases, Rob Marshall’s “The Nine,” could move out of awards season and into next year; that talk has been heating up in Toronto among sellers and other distributors. Like other specialty divisions, the Weinstein Co. has been careful about the number of releases as it guards against too much P&A spending.

Before we have a collective seizure, let’s repeat the word “speculation” as our calming mantra in that second paragraph. The Weinstein Co. is handling one of the most interesting slate of films this season — The Road, Nine, Inglourious Basterds, and now, A Single Man. Deciding how to place bets on a hand of cards that potent is an enviable problem. (Worth noting that Basterds ticked past $100 million this weekend — topping $204 mil worldwide, and counting. After only 3 weeks in release.)

UPDATE: thanks to JR for finding this press release quote:

“The performances that Tom [Ford] got from Colin Firth and Julianne Moore are nothing short of spectacular. The emotionality of the piece and the universal humanity on display in this film makes us proud to be in this industry and especially proud be a part of this debut”.
–- Harvey Weinstein

With 6 Emmys and 18 nominations, Betty White adds another trophy to her mantle this year. THR reports the the Screen Actors Guild will honor Betty with its Lifetime Acheivement Award.

White is best known for her roles as the deceptively sweet Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and the sweetly naive Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls.” She has also made her mark as a passionate animal activist.

“Whether creating some of television’s most indelible characters, plunging into film roles with joyous gusto or perfecting the art of the quip as a television panelist and host, Betty White has entertained audiences with her impeccable comic timing and remarkable wit for more than sixty years,” SAG national president Alan Rosenberg said.

At 87, Betty White is wittier and naughtier than most actresses of any age. She’s my favorite guest on Craig Ferguson’s Late Late Show, my favorite character on The Golden Girls and probably my favorite character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, too. (Did you know you can watch full episodes of the MTM show on IMDb? Me neither, until today.)

After writing up Mother and Child as a surefire Oscar contender, Jeff Wells at Hollywood-Elsewhere has decided to take five giant steps back and distance himself from the movie – I believe he did this because he made bold proclamations about the film’s Oscar potential. Saying the word “Oscar” about a movie is like yelling (“you yell barracuda, everybody says huh? What? You yell shark and we’ve got a panic on our hands on the 4th of July.”) You can do it if you want to but your words will either make you a mini-star in this weird little universe of Oscar watching or it will be a mild embarrassment. I myself have suffered a few of those. Either way, here is the retraction – which covers him in the event that the film is ignored come Oscar time (even Annette Bening??):

I wrote last night’s riff about Rodrigo Garcia‘s Mother and Child without having seen the final 30 minutes. So I went to see it again today at a 12:30 pm Cumberland press screening and was rather surprised to discover that the last 30 minutes are the weakest part of the film. The plot lurches a couple of times and tone becomes a little too emphatic. The first 95 or so minutes use gradual and subtle shadings; the last 30 minutes use more and more primary colors. I’m not saying it falls apart, but the last act does diminish Mother and Child somewhat.

However, Craig Kennedy at Living in Cinema points us to a Screen Daily review that praises the film, and Ms. Bening:

Bening gives one of her very best performances as a potentially despicable woman who has carried her bitterness around for so long that it poisons her every interaction. Watts matches Bening’s fire, making Elizabeth a manipulative, powerful woman whose motivations are left intriguingly vague.

My advice to Wells on this matches one of his commenters, take the hit. If the Academy ignores it you can just complain about their bad taste. And who cares what other people think about movies. I certainly don’t. Groupthink should be reserved for voting on film awards, not personal preference.

HuffPo talks to Michael Moore, who says Capitalism: A Love Story might be his last documentary, ever.

“I’ve done this for 20 years. I started out by warning people about General Motors, and my whole career has been trying to say the emperor has no clothes here, and we better do something about it,” Moore said. “I’ve been having to sort of knock my head against the wall here for 20 years saying these things.

“Two years ago, I tried to get the health-care debate going, and it did eventually, and now where are we? We may not even have it. What am I supposed to do at a certain point?”

The article names Moore’s sole foray into narrative filmmaking, “Canadian Bacon” a comedy from 1995 starring John Candy and Alan Alda. No matter your personal opinion of Moore, it’s easy to understand where he’s coming from when he says he’s exhausted trying to flog the mule all by himself.

“I think people will be maybe somewhat disappointed because there’s so many things we need to deal with right now, and they wish I would make a film about it. But I want other people to make those films,” Moore said.

“I am tired of feeling like I’m doing this alone. All through the eight years of Bush, you Google `Bush’ and `nemesis’ and I’m the first name up. And there aren’t a whole lot of other names,” Moore said. “It doesn’t work with Michael Moore and Sean Penn and Ted Kennedy and a few others. The people have got to get involved in their democracy.”

As much as I hate to hear about this crisis of confidence from our Muckraker-in-Chief, I can’t blame him for feeling discouraged. The article says Capitalism: A Love Story is a call to arms, but too many fans of Michael Moore — myself included — often feel like we’ve fought the good fight simply by buying a ticket to his movies. The success of his films isn’t enough for Michael Moore, and we shouldn’t be so easily satisfied either. The movies are brilliant spark plugs, but those of us who believe in what Moore is trying to do need to grab hold of the stick and put the engine in gear.

Roger Ebert writes mysteriously about Chloe, saying that it reminded him of a movie but if he even says the title it will be a major spoiler — eroticism….Cat People? The Last Tango in Paris? The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea? Meanwhile, Amanda Seyfried may finally get people taking her more seriously — although fans of Big Love already know what she can do. She’s also great in Mamma Mia and in Mean Girls:

We expect [Julianne] Moore to be a consummate and fearless actress, and so she is. The surprise is Amanda Seyfried. This is not the kind of role she’s been playing: Bold, sensuous, intelligent. In this same Toronto festival, in “Jennifer’s Body,” she plays the victim and foe of a teenage demon (Megan Fox). She does a good job, but with “Chloe” you fully realize that here is an actress worthy of serious consideration.

I thought you might enjoy some of these tidbits from Jan Chaney’s highlights column, like this:

Meanwhile, I have to give top film festival honesty points to Gabourey Sidibe, the young actress who plays Precious in the Oprah Winfrey-endorsed film of the same name. During a cocktail reception for the movie on Sunday night, I asked Sidibe if she was having fun at the festival. “No,” she said, sounding a little panic-stricken. I asked if she felt overwhelmed by all the attention. She said yes. “I did six hours of interviews today,” she added. I didn’t want to tell her things will only get more intense if she gets an Oscar nomination. So I said things will probably get better. Yeah, I had to tell a little white lie in the face of Sidibe’s truthfulness. But what I really wanted to say was: Precious, it’s all right to admit that this Hollywood thing can sometimes be a total pain in the rear.

And this:

I actually spent a few minutes that night chatting with the affable Clooney. What did we discuss? I know we talked about his performance in the movie “Up in the Air.” I also know that he had a few drinks and gave a big ‘ol kiss on the cheek to a waitress when she brought him another glass of champagne. (To her credit, she accepted the kiss without dropping her tray.) (And apparently without becoming his latest girlfriend. — Liz) Beyond that, all I can tell you is that I opened my mouth and words tumbled out. Exactly what I said remains a mystery.

In a Variety story about the dueling Lincoln-related films in development with Robert Redford and Steven Spielberg, Watermelons spots this line about the rumored casting for Harvey:

Spielberg is presently focusing on his “reimagining” of “Harvey,” with Robert Downey Jr. possibly playing the man who sees an invisible rabbit.

[Among our clever readers, Alan of Montreal was the first person to mention Robert Downey Jr as Elwood P. Dowd on August 3rd. A few days later when the discussion reignited, ASHLEY mentioned RDJ on August 18th and Pat included him on her list on August 19th. Check your mailboxes for your invisible prizes!]

The cinematographer for Mother and Child is Xavier P√©rez Grobet, who’s worked with Rodrigo Garcia on In Treatment, shot several episodes of Deadwood, and would have won the Indie Spirit award for Before Night Falls, if not for Matthew Libatique’s Requiem for a Dream.

Among the producers for Mother and Child are the three amigos, Alfonso Cuar√≥n, Alejandro Gonz√°lez I√±√°rritu and Guillermo del Toro. So it’s not surprising to hear Rodrigo Garcia say, “The stories run, to some extent, separately. But they all come together at the end.”

The brave Swayze put up a fight, even with the disgusting paparazzi following his every tragic move. He was only 57. I am one who truly loved Swayze, especially in Ghost, yes Ghost.

Reader Hernan sent in this description of the film:

‚ÄúDawson, Isla 10‚Äù (Dawson, Island 10) a sort of “Guantanamo Bay” jail for political dissidents (ministers) who endured hellish conditions there 35 years ago, is the Chile’s submission for the Oscar race 2010. Based on the autobiography of Sergio Bitar, Allende’s minister of mining, soon after the September 11, 1973 coup Bitar was bundled off to the bleak, wind-swept island located some 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) south of the capital Santiago. Bitar, now 69 and Minister of Public Works in President Michelle Bachelet’s center-left government, was assigned the number 10 of the movie title. The movie also was elect for compete in the spanish Goya (Best Spanish-American Film).

More than 3,000 people were killed or went “missing” during Chile’s 1973-1990 military dictatorship, while some 28,000 others were tortured. ‚ÄúDawson, Isla 10‚Äù is directed by Miguel Litt√≠n, he has been nominated twice for the Oscar: ‚ÄúLetters from Marusia‚Äù for Best Foreign Film in 1976 (M√©xico) and ‚ÄúAlsino and the c√≥ndor‚Äù as Best Foreign Film in 1983 (Nicaragua).

Jeff Wells at Hollywood-Elsewhere is the first I’ve heard declare Mother & Child as a surefire Best Pic contender, and its star Annette Bening in the running for Best Actress. I just have to laugh, though, at the “course and common” reference. Sometimes Wells’ writing seems like Blanche Dubois to me – he’s so easily offended:

I’ve just come from the first TIFF screening of Rodrigo Garcia‘s Mother and Child, and if someone picks it up and puts it into NY and LA theatres before 12.31, it’s a Best Picture contender — guaranteed, hands down, take it to the bank. Because sophisticated filmgoers of a certain age are going to cream over this — trust me, All right, don’t…I don’t care. I know what I know and I go to sleep with that every night.

This is a great woman’s film except it isn’t realy because it got to me big-time and I generally don’t fall for films aimed at the opposite genre so go figure. It’s so good and so exactingly right that a fair sized portion of the Julie and Julia audience may reject it because it’s not coarse or common enough.

On top of this Annette Bening, who gives what I feel is possibly the best performance of her life in this film, will be a Best Actress contender. I know what this is and I’m not going to go all breathless and gah-gah because that’s what some critics do when they see a new film at a film festival. For what it is — a super-sensitive, perfectly acted and exquisitely written adult drama about (the title kind of indicates this) mothers and daughters and parenting and re-establishing connections, Mother and Child is really and truly as good as this sort of thing gets. It’s got Fox Searchlight or Focus Features written all over it.

The New Yorker’s David Denby likes The Informant and its star:

This time, Soderbergh is in full control, and his star is on fire. Usually chary of words, Damon here is as voluble as a travelling salesman at a hotel bar, and he holds nothing back, never distancing himself from Whitacre’s eager, schmucky side, which, given Damon’s natural charm, is almost endearing, at first. The screenwriter, Scott Z. Burns, trying to shed light on Whitacre’s inner life, creates antic voice-over monologues for him. In the midst of an ordinary task, Whitacre will suddenly, and without cause, take off into bizarrely detailed ruminations—most strangely, one about the inappropriateness of Japanese men in suits buying used girls’ panties on the street. Highly inappropriate, he insists. He seems like a moral fellow with vagrant thoughts and judgments—a little crazy, perhaps, but, then, who doesn’t have intricate flights of fancy or indignation while standing at a checkout line or walking across a parking lot? We get the sense of an indiscriminate intellectual curiosity that can’t be contained by the routines of the workday.

He also writes up Bright Star only not as passionately:

The movie is not the kind of portentous bio-pic in which history, like some sort of hooded eagle, perches on the shoulders of every scene, waiting to soar. Campion, who wrote the script as well as directed, keeps the action day-by-day, small-scale, and casually lyrical. The tale of the love affair (chaste, in this version) is told from Fanny’s point of view.

(looks good behind a podium, doesn’t he?)

Nikki Finke has the “exclusive” :

Christoph Waltz who won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for playing a Nazi in Inglourious Basterds (and is a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination) has now been cast as villain Chudnofsky in Sony’s The Green Hornet opposite Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz. Since Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds came out — and crossed the $100M mark this weekend — Waltz has been offered a lot of big movies by a lot of big directors. And he’s getting big bucks now. How great he’s found success at age 52.

Michael Gondry replaces Stephen Chow. Christoph Waltz replaces Nicolas Cage. Now if only they can find somebody to replace Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz we might have ourselves a movie.