Spirited promotion The makers of "The Spirit" are having a hard time finding positive reviews to quote in their commercials, and so rely -- repeatedly -- on an obscure one from a Scott Hoffman of MoviePictureFilm.com. He thinks it's "Brilliant," "Jaw dropping," "One of the best films of the year" and declares "It'll blow you away." For good measure, the ads throw in a few "Heart poundings" and "Eye poppings" that seem to be attributed to no one.

The final reel Tim Robbins is rumored for the role of Howard Stark, father of Tony Stark, in "Iron Man 2." Robbins is nicely gray, but still only seven years older than Robert Downey Jr. ... Christopher McQuarrie, the screenwriter behind "The Usual Suspects" and "Valkyrie," is writing three more films for Tom Cruise. ... Rumors of a rift between Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe over the filming of "Nottingham," with Crowe reportedly wanting Scott replaced, have been dismissed by both parties. Hey, if Crowe ever had a beef with Scott, wouldn't it have been over the stinker "A Good Year"? ... Baz Luhrmann ("Australia") has his sights set on a remake of "The Great Gatsby." Even a fabulist like you, Baz, can't turn this ephemeral story into a decent movie. ... Clive Owen will take on drug cartels in "Cartagena." ... David Fincher's followup to "Benjamin Button" is the cooking comedy "Chef" with Keanu Reeves.

CYNTHIA DICKISON