Bill Groom

Nora Ephron had wanted to work with production designer Bill Groom since she saw his work on "A League of Their Own." She was so impressed that she ran out of the theater to check the poster and find out his name. "You could see right away that he had a fanaticism about detail," the director recalls. "It's something I find very interesting because I'm exactly the same way."

Nora Ephron had wanted to work with production designer Bill Groom since she saw his work on "A League of Their Own." She was so impressed that she ran out of the theater to check the poster and find out his name. "You could see right away that he had a fanaticism about detail," the director recalls. "It's something I find very interesting because I'm exactly the same way."

Charlie Lang (Nicolas Cage) is a New York cop with an overdose of decency. He's sweet and affable and he believes in keeping his word--he's like Forrest Gump with an elevated IQ. When Charlie finds himself in a diner short of a tip, he makes a pie-in-the-sky promise to his waitress (Bridget Fonda) to give her half of any possible winnings on his just-purchased lottery ticket.

In the amiably glossy if naggingly old-fashioned Hollywood romantic comedy "Life or Something Like It," Angelina Jolie's Lanie Kerrigan, a Seattle newscaster, declares that her life is perfect. She loves her job, has a fiance (Christian Kane) who is a famous baseball player--and now she has a chance at a network slot that will make her a nationwide celebrity. That is, if she lives long enough to land it.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Milk," "The Dark Knight" and "Slumdog Millionaire" are among the feature film nominees for the 13th annual Art Directors Guild Awards, which honor excellence in production design. The ADG announced nominations Friday morning in nine categories for films, TV and commercials. Period film nominees are James J.

It is not Sean Penn's way to be self-effacing. On the screen, on the set, even out on the street while married to Madonna, he took everything personally, putting his combative stamp on every unmarked surface and unclaimed frame of film. Control has always been critical to him, so it's not surprising that, after 13 films in front of the camera, including telling performances in everything from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" to "Casualties of War," he has turned with a vengeance to the other side.

The Art Directors Guild has announced nominations in nine categories for the 17th annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. Theatrical film nominations are divided between period, fantasy and contemporary categories. Nominees in the period film category are production designers Sarah Greenwood for "Anna Karenina"; Sharon Seymour for "Argo"; J. Michael Riva for "Django Unchained"; Eve Stewart for "Les Miserables"; and Rick Carter for "Lincoln. " Vying in the fantasy film category are production designers Uli Hanisch and Hugh Bateup for "Cloud Atlas"; David Gropman for "Life of Pi"; Arthur Max for "Prometheus"; Nathan Crowley and Kevin Kavanaugh for "The Dark Knight Rises"; and Dan Hannah for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

"Money Train" is a by-the-numbers action-buddy picture, and few directors run through those numbers as smoothly as Joseph Ruben. With buddies du jour Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as the leads, this turns out to be an acceptable if undemanding venture that has to overcome several bumps along the way.

The plot of "Return to Paradise" sounds like the subject of a late-night college dormitory conversation, the kind where implausible situations are given serious consideration. If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be? If you could ensure world peace by giving up sex, would you do it? That kind of thing.

The three bonded buddies in "Calendar Girl" (citywide)--zooming off to Hollywood in a sky-blue Galaxy 500 convertible in search of a date with their dreamgirl, Marilyn Monroe--are like most movie bachelor trios. They're star-struck youngsters from the provinces, here small-town Nevada, loose in the big city: here, L.A., with its palms, Grauman's (now Mann's) Chinese Theater and Beverly Hills hideaways. And the movie they're in--a generally likable, shallow comedy written by Paul W.

In "The Pledge," his third film as a director, Sean Penn once again demonstrates that he is a gifted filmmaker whose abilities don't count for as much as they should because of how fanatically he clings to a narrow, reductive view of the human condition. Starring Jack Nicholson as a dour policeman who gets increasingly obsessed with a brutal murder he has sworn to solve, "The Pledge" showcases Penn's ability to both attract and work extremely well with top-drawer fellow actors.