Ang Lee hasn't had much mainstream success since he won an Oscar for directing "Brokeback Mountain" a few years back. His follow-up was the hard-to-distribute NC-17-rated Chinese period romance "Lust, Caution." Then, this past summer he released the much broader "Taking Woodstock," a comic look at a singular true story behind the scenes of the legendary music festival, and it failed to find an audience (I recommend seeing it when it hits DVD on December 15, specifically for Imelda Staunton, who deserves an Oscar already).

Fortunately, Lee's next film will be based on a best-selling novel and could therefore bring him back to the spotlight for the moviegoing masses. He confirmed to Digital Spy that he thinks he's going to do "Life of Pi," which he's adapting from Yann Martel's Booker Prize-winner. Of course, if you're familiar with the source material, you may wonder how on earth it's going to work as a film. Read more...

Ang Lee's ensemble flick, "Taking Woodstock," boasts an impressive assortment of actors -- from Liev Schrieber and Paul Dano to Emile Hirsch. But at its center is one big question mark, Demitri Martin. Honestly I never cared all that much for Martin's schtick on "The Daily Show." A little too precious for my taste. BUT I am a fan of his new show, "Important Things" over on Comedy Central. So I'm more than a little curious to see if he can carry a film from as revered a director (and notorious taskmaster) as Lee.

The big question is of course, will this decision to bank on Martin look like genius (ie. Lee's casting of undiscovered talents like Katie Holmes and Tobey Maguire in "The Ice Storm") or insanity (ahem, anyone remember Jewel in "Ride with the Devil"?). Here's the trailer. Tell us what you think.

Kubrick. Spielberg. Wilder. Ang Lee?

In my opinion, the greatest directors are the ones that always keep their fans guessing as they move effortlessly from genre to genre. It already boggles the mind to think that the same director oversaw “Sense and Sensibility,” “Hulk,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Brokeback Mountain,” so it’s even more impressive when you think about the fact that Ang Lee’s next flick is about Woodstock. And I have only one thing to say: Jake Gyllenhaal would make the perfect Wavy Gravy.

“Demetri Martin is the main character,” Lee’s longtime writing/producing partner James Schamus clarified, explaining the real breakout actor in the movie. “This is his ‘Hello world, this is Demetri Martin [moment].'”

In addition to the quirky, boy-faced comedian, the film also co-stars such heavy hitters as Paul Dano, Liev Schreiber, Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton and MTV Movies team fave Dan Fogler. “It’s not the story of Woodstock,” Schamus said of the flick, which is currently being called “Taking Woodstock” as it’s being filmed. “It’s the story of a guy who happened to almost, by accident, help make it happen. Demetri plays this schnooky interior designer, a gay guy, who lives in Greenwich Village.” Read more...