Over at USA Today, they've got a first look at Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx in The Soloist, due out November 21st. Based on a true story, Downey Jr. plays Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who discovers a schizophrenic music prodigy (Foxx) living on Skid Row. On this role versus playing a superhero in Iron Man, Downey Jr. notes, "I've loved every part of Iron Man. But the last thing you want is to be seen as that guy, who just does that role." Funnily enough, he says this as he's about to play another real-life reporter not long after he took on the role of Paul Avery in Zodiac. Next up for Downey Jr.? Well, Superman, of course -- this way he can play superhero and reporter! The perfect mix! The Soloist also stars Stephen Root and Catherine Keener, and it was directed by Joe Wright (whose Atonement popped up on all sorts of awards lists last year).

Whaddya think? Can you see Jamie Foxx as a homeless, schizophrenic music prodigy?

Despite all the awards attention it received, Joe Wright's Atonement still sounds too much like a lushly romantic period melodrama for my personal taste. Still, it's one of those movies you probably need to experience yourself before deciding if the praise was too lavish (Ryan Stewart thought it was a "stunning achievement") or the criticism too harsh. The DVD from Universal Studios includes deleted scenes, two "making of" features, and an audio commentary by the director.

From all that I've read, Southland Tales sounds like an astonishing train wreck. Nick Schager began his review for Cinematical by writing: "Let me present Exhibit A in the case against granting talented young filmmakers extensive creative autonomy." Given my perverse nature, that makes me want to see Richard Kelly's futuristic epic even more. The DVD from Sony Pictures includes a "featurette" and an animated short.

Steep presents thrilling footage of big mountain skiers who swoosh down incredibly steep slopes. As I noted in my review, though, I felt it raised more questions than it wanted to answer. The DVD from Sony Pictures includes an audio commentary by director Mark Obenhaus with some of the skiers, photo montages, and an additional interview with one of the sport's masters.

Though it was ignored during last fall's awards season, Mike Newell's Love in the Time of Cholera might be ripe for discovery. (On the other hand, Jeffrey M. Anderson really didn't like it.) Javier Bardem and Benjamin Bratt star in an adaptation of the novel by Gabriel García Márquez. The DVD from New Line includes an audio commentary by Newell, a "making of" feature, and deleted scenes.

You could go batty trying to figure out why Oscar voters like what they like -- these are the rocket scientists who thought Crash was Best Picture material, as opposed to say, a candidate for the worst movie of that year -- so it was only with mild bemusement that I greeted the Academy's decision this year to snub Atonement director Joe Wright, who deserved a Best Director nomination for every reason you can possibly summon. A few reasons: 1) He managed the extraordinary challenge of taking a piece of dense, modern literature and turning it into a compelling drama and a romance that works as a movie without dumbing down the material. 2) He's a talented, 'every shot counts' style of director, who labors over his shot selections and has the visual acumen of a Stanley Kubrick. 3) He deserved a nomination for his last film and got snubbed that time too.

The Guardian recently got its own elaborate set visit to Wright's upcoming movie The Soloist, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, and the topic of Wright's snub was on everyone's mind. Downey, in particular, was ready to open up about it, saying that "it's a f**king crime Joe wasn't nominated. He's the goods, man, he really is." When Wright was asked directly about it, he responded "Well, out here it's all they bloody talk about, so yes for twelve hours or so I was gutted because everyone seemed so angry about it on my behalf. Then I just looked around and thought: What am I even thinking? I'm making a movie in Hollywood with these amazing actors I'd only ever seen sitting there in my cinema seat like a mad fan -- and they seem excited to work with me for some reason." A pretty classy response.

The snub talk is only one part of a huge and interesting set visit report that includes new details about The Soloist and a lot of funny stuff with Robert Downey, Jr. Here's a sample, to leave you with -- Downey talking about his working relationship with Wright: "First day, I said 'Listen Joe, just don't f**k with me and we'll be okay.' But the whole point is that we're supposed to f**k with each other and he did f**k with me -- for some reason he got under my skin and f**k, it worked."

It didn't win any Golden Globes, but Juno still reigns supreme. Jason Reitman's likable teen comedy made another $10.25 million for distributor Fox Searchlight, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. That works out to a per-screen average of $5,197 at 2,915 engagements. The box office take is down 24.7% from the previous week, which indicates continued good word of mouth; the film's cumulative gross in seven weeks of release now stands at more than $85 million.

Forget about 27 Dresses; the real perpetual bridesmaid is Joe Wright's Atonement. The period romantic drama expanded by more than 300 theaters and maintained its solid performance for Focus Features. The film's weekend gross swung upward by 12.7%, resulting in a per-screen average of $3,686 and a cumulative total of $31.8 million.

Demonstrating that nobody in the general moviegoing public really cares about the Academy's best foreign film shortlist, audiences still flocked to Persepolis, giving it the highest per-screen average of the weekend: $9,366, in 30 theaters.

Paramount Vantage expanded Paul Thomas Anderson's magnificent There Will Be Blood from 129 to 389 locations with good results; the film demonstrated surprising strength, averaging $8,023 per screen for a four-week total of $8.1 million. I say "surprising" only because of its subject matter and the length of its running time.

Poor Woody Allen. I generally agree with Jeffrey M. Anderson that Cassandra's Dream is better than you might have heard, though I think it nearly falls apart completely at one point. There were barely 20 people at the 10:00 pm screening I attended on Friday night at its only Dallas engagement, but in other cities the reaction must have been better, as the film pulled in $4,682 per screen at 107 theaters in key cities nationwide for The Weinstein Co.

Best Director

Nominees:

Tim Burton -- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Ethan and Joel Coen -- No Country for Old Men

Julian Schnabel -- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Ridley Scott -- American Gangster

Joe Wright -- Atonement

Predicted Winner: Ethan and Joel Coen

No Country for Old Men could go on to win Best Director at the Oscars, but unlike the Academy, the Hollywood Foreign Press will actually recognize both of the Coen Brothers. Everyone knows that Ethan and Joel co-direct their films, but due to Director's Guild and Academy rules, only Joel is allowed credit for them. Therefore their win of the Golden Globe for Best Director will be the better honor. And boy do they deserve it! With No Country, they've delivered a stunning film that exemplifies the two major dimensions of the craft: visual storytelling and management of the acting performances.

Now it's your turn to vote ...

You've got to be familiar with Rachael Harris. Or, at least recognize her. If not, I demand that you go out and introduce yourself to one of the best comic filmmakers we have in this world -- Christopher Guest. She's popped up in a number of his films, starting off as "Winky's Party Guest" in Best of Show, and most recently playing Mary Pat Hooligan in For Your Consideration. On the more mainstream and less-awesome side of things, you might have seen her in License to Wed or Evan Almighty. All of the above is comedy, but The Hollywood Reporter posts that the actress is about to get musically serious for the upcoming drama The Soloist.

The film will focus on the story of Nathaniel Ayers -- a schizophrenic homeless man in LA who once went to Juilliard. An LA Times columnist, Steve Lopez, befriended the man and brought his story to the public. Word on the production first came out in August, noting that Jamie Foxx was starring, and Atonement helmer Joe Wright had the directorial chair, from a script by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich). Later that month, Robert Downey Jr. grabbed the role of Lopez. Catherine Keener was next to board, jumping into the role of Lopez's wife, and now Harris has signed on to play another Los Angeles Times employee. Production will kick into gear next month, and after that, the waves of awards buzz.

The American Film Institute has announced its picks for the ten best films of 2007, and once again it favors Judd Apatow over Joe Wright. Back in 2005, the organization named The 40-Year-Old Virgin as one of the best films of that year, while ignoring Wright's Pride & Prejudice. This time, the AFI has included Knocked Up and left out Atonement, despite the latter's huge presence in the Golden Globe nominations and very probable huge presence in the Oscar race. So, what's going on? Does the AFI really have something against Wright and his very Anglocentric filmmaking? Well, kind of, but only because the organization concentrates on American films (it is, after all, the American Film Institute). To be eligible for the year-end honors, a movie has to have "significant creative and/or production elements from the United States." The movie can even be in a foreign language (non-English, that is) if it is "incontrovertibly American."

Tom O'Neil at the Gold Derby blog still sees some controversy, though. He points out that The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which the AFI included this year, was primarily an American production (from Kennedy/Marshall Co. and American director Julian Schnabel) yet had seven foreign partners, while Atonment (directed by a Brit) was also produced by an American company (Relativity Media) and had two foreign partners. I'd add that The Diving Bell is no more "incontrovertibly American" in its subject matter than Atonement -- or even Ratatouille for that matter. While I'm not arguing that Atonement deserved to make the list, I'd assume American Gangster would deserve it more than The Diving Bell, regardless of how much better the latter film may be. At least comedy fans should be happy with the inclusion of Knocked Up, which has so far been left out of most awards season honors.

The complete list is as follows: Knocked Up; Juno; Before the Devil Knows You're Dead; No Country for Old Men; There Will Be Blood; Into the Wild; Ratatouille; The Savages; Michael Clayton; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

While my favorite part of For Your Consideration is Marilyn Hack's plastic surgery, I also love that dreaded morning when the Oscar nominations get announced. Some actors wait anxiously to hear their name announced, while others, thinking they're totally off the Academy's radar, get nods while they're snoozing. Then, to add insult to injury, the losers get tracked down for embarrassing meltdowns and awkwardness on television. It's not quite that bad in real life, but as I read the reactions of those who received Golden Globe nominations, that movie keeps popping up in my head. So, check out these reactions, courtesy of Variety:

Dudes Chewing on Their Nails Hoping to Get Nominations: Jeremy Piven & Focus Features
"I got a call around 5:30, but I was up, believe it or not." -- Piven

"I was sitting here at Focus with about 35 very happy colleagues." -- FF head James Schamus on leading the studio nominations.

Those Who Prepared Speeches: Joe Wright, Atonement & Brad Bird, Ratatouille

"I think we were, as a team, very passionate about the film and story. I don't think we looked up from the little world we created around ourselves." "You need to make all actors feel loved, respected, and supported. That applies to the 12-year-old Saoirse Ronan or a slightly-older Vanessa Redgrave. Acting is an exposing and vulnerable job. You need to make them feel safe." -- Wright -- Extra props given for use of "slightly older."

"One of the messages of the film that most critics understood was that it wasn't anti-critic, but was saying if you're a critic or artist, don't get far away from what you love, and if, as a director, if you're focused on box office or awards and not the film itself, you'll take your eye off the ball." "And most importantly, this nomination shouldn't be taken as an endorsement for rats cooking our meals for us." -- Bird

Lads and Ladies with a Little Bit of Cockiness: Craig Zadan, Hairspray & Julie Taymor, Across the Universe

"It's so interesting that a couple of years ago we were accused of bringing the musical back with Chicago, and now you have this year with Sweeney Todd, Hairspray, and Across the Universe. There was no musical for so many years, and we're so proud of what Chicago has done for the musical." -- Zadan

"It's tremendous as we weren't on the pundits lists and didn't have big ads. I feel, in a way, that we were the engine that could. People vote from their heart, and I feel very gratified." -- Taymor

More About that Damned Strike: Piven, again! & Russ Smith, Juno

"I don't know about whether or not I'll be attending because to be honest with you, I don't know a lot about the rules and limitations of what is happening. I need to look into it. Writers are kind of these unsung heroes... I hope they get what they deserve, and I'll do anything I can to help that." -- Piven

"Our hope is that there's gonna be some sort of dispensation. Every day we're hoping they work something out, but we'll have to see." -- Smith -- In other words: please end the strike, I want my big moment!!

At the press junket for Atonement in Manhattan on Tuesday, one brave soul piped up during the roundtables to ask Keira Knightley if she was or was not interested in returning for a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film. You may remember that the third one ended on that rather ambiguous note, but then sort of doubled-back with a pretty definitive, boxed-into-a-corner end-credit teaser. Knightley seemed to be ready for this question and had a very definitive answer. She quickly responded, with a tone of sadness and seriousness in her voice, "I can't imagine doing another one. That was an amazing experience, really was, totally extraordinary, but I think three for me is probably enough." This was probably to be expected. The Pirates series is subject to the same industry realities as the X-Men series -- the more money those movies make, the bigger the paychecks the cast members are going to demand for future installments. I think you can almost certainly say goodbye to Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner.

Regarding her other projects, Knightley reported that she has completed her work on The Duchess, as well as The Edge of Love, opposite Sienna Miller and Cillian Murphy. As far as future work, she had nothing to report on that front. Another interesting note: although Knightley showed up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for today's junket along with her co-star James McAvoy, director Joe Wright was a no-show despite being in Manhattan as recently as last night. Joe, are you sick of us press people already?

Ian McEwan's novel Atonement thrilled and devastated me when I read it several years ago. The story of would-be lovers Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy), whose happiness is ruined by the false accusation of Cecilia's sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai), stayed with me for days; I passionately recommended the book to everyone I know. Still do, as a matter of fact. Now, if only the person who borrowed my copy would give it back to me.

When I first heard there was going to be a film adaptation of McEwan's novel, my friends and I were all trepidatious. But one piece of good news followed another: two of Hollywood's hottest young actors, Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, would star; Joe Wright (who directed Knightley in Pride & Prejudice, a movie with which I'm shamelessly obsessed) was at the helm. And then the early reviews came in from the Toronto Film Festival, and they were as glowing as Knightley herself. (We're told McAvoy glows, too. But only in the dark.)

So with Atonement currently leading the Oscars pack, we've scored something of a coup: In just a week's time, Keira Knightley and James McAvoy will interview each other for Moviefone's Unscripted series using your questions. That's where you come in. Whether you're a fan of the novel, Knightley, McAvoy or all three, hit us with whatever you're dying to know, and then check out their Unscripted interview on December 24 to see if your question made the broadcast. Just think! Your words, in James McAvoy's Scottish lilt; Keira Knightley, thanking you -- yes, you, Joe Schmoe from Podunk -- for your insight. I sense some awesome ringtone and wallpaper possibilities here. I'm just sayin'.

To submit a question, you can leave it here in the comments, or you can text one to AskCelebs@aol.com (brought to you by Verizon Wireless). Please provide your first name and your city and state, and if you're looking for inspiration -- stunned into silence by all the beauty and talent facing you at once -- then take a look at some of our past Unscripted interviews here. Good luck!