NEW YORK, Dec.

Production has begun in Los Angeles on an untitled film starring Ben Stiller, and written and directed by Noah Baumbach, Focus Features said Thursday. Baumbach was nominated for an Oscar for his original screenplay for The Squid and the Whale, which he also directed.

By Story by Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY Holiday movie preview Pages 2-3D A t the multiplex, the last two months of the year are traditionally of two minds: prestige and pure fun. It's the awards season, when serious cinema vies for Oscar gold.

By Guy Adams IN SPORTING terms, it's the Hollywood equivalent of a bloodied prize-fighter suddenly deciding to chuck in the towel and flee the ring in the dying seconds of a long and gruelling heavyweight bout that was almost certainly headed for a draw.

U.S. screenwriter and playwright Aaron Sorkin reportedly is penning a film about the creation of the wildly popular Facebook social networking Web site.