Joaquin Phoenix ponders his next rap lyric. (Photo: Associated Press)

Yesterday's least-surprising film news — other than JetBlue non-hero Steven Slater possibly getting a reality show — dominated the headlines nonetheless: the Blockbuster Video in Adams Morgan is closing up shop. That leaves just one in the District, in Eastern Market. While that news was breaking, I was at an advance screening of Animal Kingdom, the best debut feature I've seen in a long time. I'll review it next week, but check out this BlackBook piece about Australian director David Michôd's ten-year effort to make the film (trailer below). And it turns out the Salahis' limo was escorted not by District police but rather U.S. Park Police, who have — you guessed it — launched their own investigation. UPDATE: I failed to mention the City Paper's report that a Bollywood feature film, possibly the first, is casting in D.C., and that the writer/director is a Silver Springer. Roundup fail!

(After the jump: Casey Affleck made a documentary about Joaquin Phoenix. For real.)

Rooney Mara had 12:1 odds of landing the Lisbeth Salander role in the English-language adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so someone made a pretty penny. George Clooney will play Frank Sinatra and Angelina Jolie will play Marilyn Monroe in an adaptation of the upcoming, excessively titled novel The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend, Marilyn Monroe. It looks like someone else beat me to the punch in identifying the unsubtle emotional-baggage metaphor in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World; I swear I came to it independently! Mike Tyson thinks he can help the Burmese. There's an "underwater lesbian love scene" in Piranha 3D. Ricky Gervais blogged that The Office is coming to China, and the AP ate it up. Apparently Julia Roberts didn't enjoy stuffing her face with pasta as much as I enjoyed watching it. Bedbugs are moviegoers, too. And James Cameron's wish that everything be shot in 3-D is coming true; get ready for three-dimensional money shots.

Now for some talkies! I challenge you to find a single moment of tension in this trailer for Edward Burns' Nice Guy Johnny. Parodies of The Social Network's trailer continue, this time with eBay as the subject. Tom Green is still around ... and being funny? And can you honestly tell me you're not curious to see I'm Still Here, a doc about Joaquin Phoenix's detour from sanity?

Finally, that Animal Kingdom trailer I promised: