Trailer Watch: Barney's Version

I'm the kind of movie nut that gets more excited about good casts, as opposed to interesting plot lines or maestro filmmakers. It goes hand in hand with my theory that the most important part of film production is casting (the famous Robert Altman quote: "By the time a film is cast, about 85% of my creative work is finished"). So in that regard, Barney's Version is already one of the finest films of 2010. Not that there are any big movie stars in this one, but because of the quality of the actors. There's Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman, who are truly the epitome of consistency and professionalism in screen acting--and judging by this teaser trailer, they work very well off each other. But I'm probably even more excited with the re-emergence of Minnie Driver, whose career has been a rash of disappointing inconsistency since her Oscar nomination for Good Will Hunting. She seems to be doing some serious scene-chewing here, and I can't wait for it. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the film looks hysterical and personal, which is a winning combination if your effort is to get me to enjoy your film. After all, that's all contemporary filmmakers are concerned about these days, right?