Tonight is Gambler night at the Dolby. Can’t wait, has to be better than “good,” etc. I’ll be shocked if it isn’t at least an 8 or an 8.5. Particularly Mark Wahlberg‘s performance as James Caan in a manner of speaking, John Goodman‘s as Paul Sorvino (ditto) and Jessica Lange‘s as Jacqueline Brooks, etc. This afternoon I spoke with James Toback, exec producer and author of the original screenplay of The Gambler (’74), which is a blend of the Dostoevsky original plus his own experiences with games of chance. He’s seen the newbie a couple of times and is particularly enthused about Wahlberg. He’s in the middle of penning a Vanity Fair Hollywood issue piece about being adapted twice — this plus Fingers (’78) being adapted into Jacques Audiard‘s The Beat That My Heart Skipped. He told me a great story that I’ll pass along tonight — have to get down there now.