It is called Fantastic Fest, and porn is pretty fantastic, so I guess it's a perfect match: Kevin Smith's new comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, will have its U.S. premiere as the opening-night film at the raucous genre fest in Austin on Sept. 18. Smith will be there to introduce the film and take questions afterward, so start coming up with good Jersey Girl zingers now.

Afterward, they're holding the Air Sex World Championships there at the Paramount Theater, and audience members are invited to join. Air Sex is like Air Guitar, only dirtier, and requiring less musical ability. If you wanted more proof that Fantastic Fest is not your typical film festival, there you go.

Zack and Miri stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as platonic friends who decide to raise money by making a sex tape; hilarity ensues. Smith has promised that the film is the filthiest thing he's ever done, which is no minor feat. The film opens theatrically on Oct. 31.

Fantastic Fest runs Sept. 18-25. The Zack and Miri gala is part of the package for badge holders, and individual tickets will go on sale this Saturday. Check out the fest's website for more details, then prepared to get really bummed if you can't go. I've only been to Austin for South By Southwest, and while that's always a raging good time, I'm jealous of the Cinematical crew that gets to indulge in Fantastic Fest. Maybe if I ask Scott Weinberg really nicely he'll bring me back a severed-head prop or something.

The most we can hope for now is the unrated director's cut of Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno, because the filmmaker has won his appeal with the MPAA and received an R rating, according to the Associated Press. It's been a long road for Smith's movie, which was unsurprisingly smacked with an NC-17 last month -- as if we didn't see it coming due to Smith's track record and the fact that it's a movie about a couple who, yes, that's right, make a porno. Oh, and of course there was that raunchy trailer, which gave us some semblance of the material the movie is dealing with (coprophilia jokes are likely always deemed adults-only content, at least in the initial ratings board screening).

So much for the MPAA and National Association of Theatre Owners' plans to remove the stigma attached to the NC-17. If ever there was a popular filmmaker to usher in a new wave of non-porn adults-only fare, Smith would be that person. And considering that Zack and Miri is about porn, it would be an appropriate gateway for the rating. Last week, when Smith spoke to AICN about the appeal, he seemed fine with the need for an R rating, stating that it's just "part of the process." Of course it is. The process consists of toning down a film to ensure an R and then releasing the original raunchier version on DVD in order for Hollywood to get the most buck for its bang.

Update: When Cinematical reached Smith for a quote, he had this to say on the decision: "I'm very happy with the result of the appeals process. Sadly, however, it doesn't cure my biggest headache: I'm still grossly overweight."

What can you expect from the MPAA when you make a movie with "some some graphic sexuality"? Yup, the kiss of death. Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno has been slapped with a rating of NC-17 by the MPAA, according to a list posted today by The Hollywood Reporter.

The rating was posted on the MPAA film ratings site at least as early as last Saturday, but News Askew noted that it was marked as "pending appeal" and had received the rating for "some graphic sexuality." I just checked the MPAA's site, and now the film doesn't show up at all. What happened? Was the appeal lost? Will cuts be made to secure the R rating? Who made the "some some" typo -- the MPAA or THR?

The ratings tussle is not entirely unexpected. Seth Rogen complained about the MPAA last month because of the film's difficulty in securing an R rating, and Smith took down a raunchy online-only teaser until the MPAA approved it. I would imagine that Smith is contractually obligated to deliver an R-rated version, but I wonder what nightmares he faces to please the MPAA?

As it happens, Smith will appear at Comic Con on Friday evening to talk about his film, and I'm sure he'll have something to say about the rating. Zack and Miri Make a Porno is still due to hit theaters on October 31.

Eddie Murphy. Raw.

That really used to say it all. A comedian known for his brash wit and go-for-broke charm, Murphy used to be willing to say anything to get a laugh. Trading Places. Coming to America. Beverly Hills Cop. Now, he's clearly willing to do anything.

Somewhere along the way, "I believe that children are the future" became not so much a punchline as a personal career credo. He's fallen into the rut of safe family-friendly fare, led on by the likes of Steve "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" Martin and Tim "The Santa Clause 3" Allen, the success of both having come to suggest that the water's quite fine in the kiddie pool. Dreamgirls proved that this man still has a genuine something left in him, and yet, we the world are instead subjected to a little less of that and a little more of Shrek.

Safe. That's what Meet Dave is, and what Murphy never used to be.

Kevin Smith's latest, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, is apparently having trouble securing an R rating from the MPAA, sending star Seth Rogen on the obligatory rant about how the MPAA cracks down on sex while giving virtually all violence a pass. You can check out his full comments at MTV if you like, and no prizes for guessing which torture-happy recent horror franchise he cites as an example of what the MPAA should be targeting instead of pestering his movie. The tongue-halfway-in-cheek kicker from Rogen: "The MPAA? It's my mission to sue the MPAA and take them down. I don't know how to go about doing that. But to me, it seems like it's something that has to be taken care of."

I'm in the camp that thinks the problem lies less in the MPAA's attitudes toward "objectionable" content and more in the stigma placed on the NC-17. For a movie whose marketing campaign has consisted of cheerfully courting controversy -- check out the hilarious teaser if you don't believe me -- it's a bit disappointing that Zack and Miri doesn't run with the harsher rating. The asinine restrictions on advertising that accompany the NC-17 stamp would be a bummer, but the blogs and magazines would go nuts, and I think the movie would do pretty well.

Do watch that teaser (which had MPAA issues of its own) if you haven't already. Among other things, it will make you fall in love with Elizabeth Banks. Uh, if you haven't already.

Updated: Teaser after the jump. (Watch for language; it's R-rated)

The first teaser for Kevin Smith's new comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno will premiere online tonight at Midnight PST (3am EST). To see the trailer, head on over to QuickStopEntertainment and Kevin will unveil it right on time, we assume. But don't worry about this teaser spoiling anything; giving away scenes or ruining the film's best jokes. Over on his site, Smith says, "Don't call it a trailer, 'cause it's not a trailer; it's a teaser. There ain't a frame of footage in this puppy that's in the actual flick, so feel free to watch it without fear of "spoilers". This is just a little something to give you a bit of a feel for the flick."

The film, due out in theaters on October 31, follows two platonic friends (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) who, hard up for cash, decide to make a porno together. We imagine some trademark Kevin Smith hilarity will ensue. So there you have it. The first teaser for Zack and Miri Make a Porno will debut online tonight at midnight (on the west coast) right over here.

Definitely let us know what you think.

In a natural progression from amateur porn of the Zack and Miri variety, Elizabeth Banks has taken on some a cappella-themed production work. The Hollywood Reporter posts that the actress is going to produce a new film called Pitch Perfect, through her shingle, Brownstone Productions. Kay Cannon (30 Rock) is going to adapt the film from Mickey Rapkin's nonfiction book.

An editor at GQ, Rapkin spent some time covering a cappella college competitions, focusing on teams from the University of Virginia, Tuft University, and the University of Oregon. Oh, but this isn't just a bunch of goofy nerd singers competing. Apparently, it's a world full of "singing, groupies, partying, and rivalries."

A cappella groupies? I just can't wrap my head around this notion. Do the girls put on skimpy outfits and try to sleep with the singers? Do the performers sign breasts and keep score on their bedpost? And to think I thought a cappella wasn't sexy ... maybe it's because of performances like this.

The book will be a comedy set in this world, and so far, I'm itching to see it. It's certainly unique! As of right now, Banks isn't attached to a role in the film, but I imagined that might change once the adaptation is complete.

Oh Ari Fleischer -- the David Cross of Press Secretaries. Wait a minute -- why didn't they get David Cross for this role? He'd be perfect. Anyway, MTV tells us that Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, Semi-Pro ... and a bunch of other random comedies) has signed on to play former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer in Oliver Stone's W. Corddry joins a cast that continues to get larger by the minute, and includes Josh Brolin (George W. Bush), Elizabeth Banks (Laura Bush), James Cromwell (George Bush Sr.), Ellen Burstyn (Barbara Bush), Thandie Newton (Condi Rice), Ioan Gruffudd (Tony Blair) and 50 Cent (as Colin Powell).

Yes, I'm kidding about that last one.

Earlier today, we clued you into a script review of W currently circulating the internets. According to some, the film seems to be taking the Bush is a moronic alcoholic fratboy route, which, if you watch, well, The Daily Show, is kinda old news. As Eugene put it, "Most people -- whether or not they accept it -- have already absorbed the meme that Bush is an arrogant, reckless, hard-drinking buffoon, and I'm not sure that this perception merits its own movie." I completely agree -- and I'd much rather have watched Stone return to Vietnam with Pinkville than sit down for a feature-length version of a joke that's way past its prime.

So far, there are only a few actors officially attached to Oliver Stone's W., the epic biopic about our current commander-in-chief. Josh Brolin was cast as President George W. Bush back in January, then recently Elizabeth Banks was chosen as his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, and last week James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn were locked into the roles of former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, respectively. Unofficial casting bites, though, include a lot of other big name actors. Jeffrey Wright is reportedly in negotiations to play Colin Powell, Tommy Lee Jones is supposedly being sought for Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Duvall has been rumored to be the choice for Vice President Dick Cheney and now both Paul Giamatti and Toby Jones are being named as potentials for the part of Karl Rove (who Giamatti may have already channeled for his character in Shoot 'Em Up).

I'm sorry, but this has got to be one of the strangest projects in recent years. The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Elizabeth Banks is about to sign on to play First Lady Laura Bush in that George W. Bush biopic Oliver Stone is directing. If she signs on, Banks will join Josh Brolin, who's already landed the part of our current President of the United States. Banks, who, funnily enough, just wrapped a film called Zack and Miri Make a Porno, would probably make a pretty good Laura Bush. She definitely resembles a much younger version of the woman, and, like Mrs. Bush, as an actress Banks often fades into the background.

Then again, some folks might think Brolin and Banks are way too hot to be playing the President and the First Lady. Personally, I feel Josh Brolin needs the most work -- but if he slims down and practices that famous Bush dialogue, I can almost see it. The film, which will be called simply W, will begin shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana in late April. Stone will direct off a script he co-wrote with Stanley Weiser (Wall Street).

What do you think about this film? Are the lives of George W. Bush and Laura Bush really that interesting? Or, will Oliver Stone make them interesting?

It's Eddie Murphy ... in Eddie Murphy!

While the premise for Murphy's latest film, Meet Dave, definitely had some potential (think: Innerspace), I'm not so sure this new trailer brings all the boys to the yard, if you know what I mean. Here, Norbit director Brian Robbins re-teams with Murphy on a film that tells of a crew of miniature human-looking aliens whose human-looking spaceship walks around Earth doing funny things. Though, originally, they set out to save their planet, problems arise when their spaceship (in the form of Eddie Murphy) falls for a regular Earth girl (Elizabeth Banks).

Murphy looks to be using a combination of his Coming to America accent and his usual shtick for the spaceship character, and then he also plays the miniature alien operating said spaceship. Cue up a ton of fish out of water jokes, a few raunchy set pieces and a good amount of special effects -- and, well, Meet Dave. The film's July 11 release date will definitely secure a healthy box office take, especially since all our brains will be in dumb, popcorn summer mode. Check out the trailer above (or in a better quality over at Yahoo), then let us know what you think.

Cinematical has just confirmed that The Weinstein Co. plans to release Zack and Miri Make a Porno on October 31, 2008 (aka, Halloween babyyyyyy!). The film, which recently wrapped production, is currently in post-production -- where Smith is editing in HD, using Adrenaline, which he claims "crashes at least twice a night" according to statements he's made on his message board. Thus, he's gotten used to hitting the save button. Zack and Miri stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as two platonic friends who, hard up for cash, decide to make an adult film. At some point during the process, however, they begin to have "more than friends" feelings for one another.

The film also stars Smith regulars Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson, as well as Traci Lords, Craig Robinson, Tom Savini and Smith's hottie wife, Jennifer. Recently, Smith stopped by his site to offer up a second summary of his time in production, where he noted that he kinda wants to keep things under wraps for awhile: " I want folks to discover the flick for themselves, instead of me jamming it down their throats. I'm also gonna try to keep from over-selling it with hyperbole and absolutes. I'll let you guys apply those (good or bad) when the time comes. Just know that we had a problem-free, productive shoot in which everyone was firing on all cylinders and the result was THE FUNNIEST F**KING MOVIE WE'VE EVER MADE!!!"

Once again, Zack and Miri Make a Porno will arrive in theaters on October 31. Oscar push?? Maybe???

Considering how much Kevin Smith hates having his surprises spoiled online, he got really lucky with the new on-set photos from his latest comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Slashfilm is now hosting a couple photos taken on set at a local mall, as well as some shaky camera footage of the man at work. Nothing groundbreaking, but hey, Smith always brings a smile to my face, so I'm not complaining.

Zack and Miri is the story of two childhood friends who are brought together again at their high school reunion. The two then come up with the idea of making a porn flick together. Seth Rogen stars as Zack and Elizabeth Banks plays Miri. Originally the role had been written for Rosario Dawson, but she backed out to work on Eagle Eye with Shia LaBeouf.

Rehearsals for the film started back in January, and judging by Smith's posting on his personal blog, things seem to be going well. Smith wrote that, "I've got a guy whose inflections I wrote for/to reading the scenes and sounding like he's not acting at all, as much as being the character. I've got a chick who could read the Bible aloud and make it seem charming. They're naturals. They're excellent". OK, so Smith has never been known to be less than totally committed to his films for better or for worse. Luckily, it looks like this one is going to be one of the better ones. Zack and Miri Make a Porno is scheduled for release later this year.

Several things conspire to make Definitely, Maybe seem a dicey proposition at first glance. There's the rarely-inspiring presence of Ryan Reynolds, whose film career has, up to now, moved between mediocre comedies and mediocre action and horror films and served mostly as a demonstration of the phenomenon of 'failing up.' There's also the gimmicky nature of the pitch giving off warning signs, as divorcing dad Reynolds tells his daughter Abigail Breslin the story of his life before he got married, shielding names and facts so she can't figure out which of the three women (Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks or Rachel Weisz) he knew and loved when he was single came to be her mother. "I like it," Breslin says early in the film, appraising Reynolds's efforts. "It's like a love story-mystery." And even that's a somewhat off-putting moment; Gee, kid, thanks for pointing that out for us.

But Definitely, Maybe, written and directed by Adam Brooks, surprised me as it unfolded, and got around my initial reservations with its mix of good humor and grace. Not only is Reynolds an appealing lead here -- possibly because the boyishness that's undercut his other work is an integral part of his character – but Definitely, Maybe also has some grit and gristle under the glib gimmick of the mommy-mystery hook. As Reynolds explains the long and winding road of what happened and when, Brooks's script mostly doesn't shy away from the tough stuff, and it doesn't paint Reynolds as some perfect, hapless everyman undone by random chance; he makes mistakes, and he pays for them, and he tries to set things right. Reynolds is normally light and charming enough on screen, but there's something new in his performance here, as his inner feelings keep coming into view behind his smile.