HERE'S HOPING THESE MOVIES MAKE YOU LAUGH

BRIDGE AND TUNNEL: Jennifer Lopez (Directed by Greg Berlanti; Written by Greg Berlanti and Michael Green; New Line) You’ve got to hand it to J. Lo--she’ll try anything. In this movie--optimistically categorized as a romantic comedy--she plays an enterprising Manhattan stock trader who hires a suburban teenager to make her look smart by researching promising trades for her on his own little home PC. Well, why shouldn’t she? Opening date to be announced

THE BUCKET LIST: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Serena Reeder, Jonathan Mangum, Beverly Todd, Sean Hayes (Directed by Rob Reiner; Written by Justin Zackham) Yes, that’s “bucket,” as in kick the bucket. In what is evidently intended as a three-hanky comedy, Nicholson and Freeman play a pair of terminally ill patients who are not too ill to make a swift escape from their hospital ward. Once they’re on the road, they draw up a list of things they are determined to do before death comes calling. Topping the list are such musts as booze, caviar, poker and maybe an occasional broad. To read Guy Flatley's 1974 New York Times interview with Jack Nicholson, click here. Now Playing

BURN AFTER READING: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich (Directed by Joel Coen; Written by Ethan and Joel Coen; Focus Features) You’re not really a top male star in today’s Hollywood until you’ve played a hit man, something Brad Pitt did with aplomb in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” wherein he was assigned the challenging task of bumping off his wife, a spitfire who was hired to terminate her husband (and we all know who played the feisty hit woman). At any rate, it’s high time for George Clooney, Brad’s prime competitor in the superstar sweepstakes, to play an ace assassin, which is what he is doing on this playfully morbid Coen brothers occasion. Who are his targets? Not sure, but one of them might well be Ozzie Cox (John Malkovich), the former CIA agent who manages to misplace the manuscript of his tell-all book about his days as a spy. Another potential victim: Ozzie’s rabidly unfaithful wife (Frances McDormand). And possibly there is a bullet waiting for Brad Pitt, as a man of mystery who may be linked to Ozzie’s mate, or even to Ozzie himself. Opens 9/12/08

CHOKE: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brad William Henke, Clark Gregg, Joel Grey, Bijou Phillips, Willi Burke (Written and directed by Clark Gregg; Fox Searchlight) A boy’s best friend is not always his mother, and that’s very much the case in this adaptation of "Choke," the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, cult author of "Fight Club." Yet, even though sicko lawbreaker Ida Mancini (Anjelica Huston) has always been cruel in her treatment of her son Victor (Sam Rockwell), the loyal lad foots the bill for her stay in a bizarre institution for women suffering from dementia. But how does he come up with the money, considering the fact that he is paid a mere pittance for his labors in a Colonial American theme park? Easy--he dines in elegant restaurants, pretends to be choking to death on his gourmet meal and then fleeces the sap who steps in to perform the Heimlich Maneuver. And, in his spare time, the orgasm-obsessed Victor attends 12-step meetings for sex addicts with Denny (Brad William Henke), his masturbation-crazed best friend. Meanwhile, mom's nurse (Kelly Macdonald) is hatching a scheme whereby an unsuspecting Victor will sire her child. Click here to read about more new movies based on books. Opens 9/26/08

THE DARJEELING LIMITED: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Anjelica Huston, Amara Karan, Waris Ahluwalia, Irfan Khan, Barbet Schroeder, Camilla Rutherford, Bill Murray, Natalie Portman (Directed by Wes Anderson; Written by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman; Fox Searchlight) A trio of emotionally addled, highly competitive American siblings (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman) still grieve--each in his own way--for their charismatic father one year after his death. In an attempt to heal spiritual wounds and repair severed brotherly bonds, they decide to choo-choo across India together. Their oddball stop-offs in remote villages and on parched stretches of desert are fueled by an abundant supply of pain killers and exotic cough syrup. If you’ve seen this auteur's inimitably topsy-turvy “Bottle Rocket,” “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” you surely know what to expect from the latest Andersonian odyssey. To read A. O. Scott's New York Times review of "The Darjeeling Limited," click here. Now Playing

DIRTY TRICKS: Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow, Annette Bening, Jill Clayburgh, Sharon Stone, Jim Broadbent, Brad Pitt (Written and directed by Ryan Murphy; Paramount) They called her Martha the Mouth, Mouth of the South or simply Moutha. Her real name was Martha Mitchell, and she was the full-throttle wife of John Mitchell, Attorney General to President Richard M. Nixon. Never one to hold back, Martha, who died in 1976, had this to say about her hubby’s boss: “Nixon bleeds people. He draws every drop of blood and then drops them from a cliff. He’ll blame any person he can put his foot on.” Nor did Martha go all that easy on Mitchell himself, referring to him at one point as “that gutless, despicable crook.” Is it any wonder that in an effort to shut her up, her enemies eventually drugged her and held her captive in a California hotel room? Ryan Murphy, director of “Running With Scissors,” is bringing this adaptation of playwright John Jeter’s black comedy about the woman who spilled the beans that bumped Tricky Dick from the White House to the screen. And, best news of all, Murphy cast Meryl Streep as the biggest Moutha ever. Also on prominent display: Jill Clayburgh as Pat Nixon, Gwyneth Paltrow as Maureen Dean and Annette Bening as Helen Thomas, the White House correspondent who received many a late-night ring-a-ling from the phone-addicted, whistle-blowing Martha. Opening date to be announced

DRILLBIT TAYLOR: Owen Wilson, Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, David Dorfman, Leslie Mann (Directed by Steven Brill; Written by Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown; Paramount) There seems to be at least one sadistic brute running riot in every American school yard, and the bully in this rowdy romp is so overbearing that two of his prime victims pool their allowances and hire a struggling bodyguard for protection. Happily, their tilted hero-for-hire is played by Owen Wilson, currently winning raves for his performance in "The Darjeeling Limited." The film, co-written by Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown, is being produced by Judd Apatow, the same wiz who directed supporting actor Rogen in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and turned him into a star in “Knocked Up.” Special bonus: Owen Wilson’s love interest is played by Leslie Mann (above, left), the sly scene-stealer from those two comedies--and the woman who, in real life, answers to the name of Mrs. Judd Apatow. Now Playing

ENCHANTED: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Lima, Jeff Bennett (Directed by Kevin Lima; Written by Bill Kelly; Walt Disney Pictures) Part Snow White, part Cinderella, a perky animated princess named Giselle trips down a well and pops up in Manhattan, where she hooks up with a handsome single father (Patrick Dempsey). No longer a drawn figure, Giselle is now played by Amy Adams, who was nominated as Best Supporting Actress of 2005 for her performance in “Junebug” and is a strong bet for a Best Actress nomination for her work here. In her New York Times review, Manohla Dargis wrote, “Ms. Adams proves to be an irresistibly watchable screen presence and a felicitous physical comedian, with a gestural performance and an emotional register that alternately bring to mind the madcap genius of Carole Lombard and Lucille Ball.” And, oh yes, did I mention that "Enchanted" is a musical, with several songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz? Here's what Variety's Todd McCarthy had to say about one of the team's more ambitious numbers: "Most striking, however, is a prolonged production number, 'That's How You Know,' that moves through many sections of Central Park and employs dozens or more musicians, dancers and backgrounders. It's hard to think of a traditional musical number done on such a scale since the '60s, so it's startling to behold. Like the rest of the film, the sequence reaches far back into the past for its inspiration and manages to make it feel like something new again." Now Playing

EVERYBODY’S FINE: Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell (Written and directed by Kirk Jones; Miramax) A lonely, no-longer-young widower just doesn’t know what to do with himself. Then, one day, it strikes him that what he really needs to make his life meaningful is to hook up with each of his geographically scattered kids again. He could be dead wrong about that. De Niro is the wandering dad in this remake of "Stanno Tuti Bene," Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1990 Italian comedy-tearjerker starring Marcello Mastroianni. Barrymore, Beckinsale and Rockwell play his grown-up brats. Click here for Vincent Canby's 1991 review of the original "Everybody's Fine" in The New York Times; to read Guy Flatley's 1973 New York Times interview with Robert De Niro, click here. Opening date to be announced

ESCAPE FROM TEHRAN: George Clooney (Directed by George Clooney; Written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov; Warner Bros.) In the wake of the WMD blunder that started the Iraqi War ball rolling, the CIA is in desperate need of an image makeover. Perhaps it will get the p.r. boost it needs with this real-life comedy set not in Iraq, but in Iran. Co-producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov are basing their screenplay on Joshua Bearman’s investigative report in Wired magazine about the astonishing 1980 rescue of six Americans in Tehran by CIA operative Tony Mendez. Wacky as it seems, Mendez convinced Iranian officials that he and his U.S. colleagues were actually Canadian filmmakers with plans to shoot a major epic in Tehran. Not only did they manage to fool the Iranians, but they also put one over on Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, both of which did dead-earnest reports on the making of the movie. As was the case with “Good Night, and Good Luck,” the previous Clooney-Heslov collaboration, Clooney is expected to direct and act in “Escape From Tehran.” He sounds like the perfect Mendez to us. Opening date to be announced

THE EX: Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, Jason Bateman, Mia Farrow, Charles Grodin, Will Drummy (Directed by Jesse Peretz; Written by David Guion, Michael Handelman; The Weinstein Company) The formerly career-crazed Manhattanite played by Amanda Peet decides that staying home and minding the baby beats taking meetings with suits. Which means that slacker-hubby Zach Braff--the sensation of “Garden State”--is forced to stop daydreaming and start punching the time clock for his father-in-law. To read Guy Flatley's 2000 interview with Amanda Peet, click here. Now Playing

FIRST MAN: Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep (Written and directed by Diane English; Disney) If a guy’s got tons of self esteem and doesn’t give a hoot if people ridicule him for giving up his dream of becoming the next Ted Turner in order to give his wife a career boost, that’s a thing of beauty. Especially if his wife has her heart set on the White House. Coming from Diane English, who created “Murphy Brown,” this could turn out to be a cutting-edge romantic comedy. On the other hand, didn’t Fred MacMurray and Polly Bergen already cover this ground in 1964’s “Kisses for My President”? To read Guy Flatley's 1973 New York Times interview with Robert De Niro, click here. Opening date to be announced

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer, Maria Thayer, Seth Rogen, William Baldwin, Jason Bateman, Billy Bush (Directed by Nicholas Stoller; Written by Jason Segel; Universal) BOY MEETS GIRL. He’s a geek who churns out incidental, very minor music for a tacky TV crime show; she’s the show’s career-crazed leading lady. BOY GETS GIRL. The sex is hot, at least for him, and he assumes it's a permanent thing. BOY LOSES GIRL. She dumps him for a narcissistic British pop satyr and breaks the news to the clueless nerd when he is dressed in nothing but his own pale, flabby skin. WILL BOY GET GIRL BACK? Stick around and find out--and try to guess who shows up in all his full-frontal glory just before the final fadeout. This raunchy-but-sweet comedy comes from the mini-factory of Judd Apatow, the writer-director-producer responsible, to varying degrees, for “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up,” “Superbad,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” Now Playing

GEORGIA RULE: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Cary Elwes, Garrett Hedlund (Directed by Garry Marshall; Writen by Mark Andrus; Universal) What would you do if you had a mom like Felicity Huffman and a granny like Jane Fonda? You might find out if you catch “Georgia Rule,” in which Lindsay Lohan plays a rebel who can’t take any more of Felicity, who’s even more dysfunctional than she was in “Transamerica,” and therefore throws herself on the mercy of Jane, who we assume is less manipulative than she was in “Monster-in-Law.” Cary Elwes co-stars as a Humbert Humbert-like stepfather who thinks of Lindsay as his very own Lolita. Now Playing

GET SMART: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Bill Murray, James Caan (Directed by Peter Segal; Written by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember; Warner Bros.) It all began in the fertile, funny minds of scripters Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. The date was September 18, 1965, and the premiering show--a weekly spoof about the misadventures of secret agents--was called “Get Smart.” It starred Don Adams as fumbling agent Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as his truly smart partner, and it aired 138 episodes, ending on September 11, 1970. “The Nude Bomb,” a 1980 film returning Adams to the role of Smart, turned out dumb, a bomb in the showbiz sense of the word. But perhaps a new generation of moviegoers will get the 2008 Smart, played by Steve Carell, a cinematic champ in “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” Anne Hathaway is Agent 99, the character first played to perfection by Barbara Feldon but booted by the misguided packagers of “The Nude Bomb.” Now Playing

GIGANTIC: Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Jane Alexander (Directed by Matt Aselton; Written by Matt Aselton and Adam Nagata; Killer Films and Epoch Films) Lots of warm-hearted, noble-intentioned folks yearn to adopt a child from China. But very few exhibit less parental potential than Brian, a New York mattress salesman who also harbors unrealistic dreams of a sleep-in relationship with Harriett, a red-hot Manhattanite. Will Brian get the girl and the baby, too? Possibly, if he can first manage to out-maneuver the maniacal homeless man who’s bent on terminating him. Brian is being played by Paul Dano, who demonstrated his astonishing range as the semi-catatonic lad in “Little Miss Sunshine” and the shrieking religious fanatic in “There Will Be Blood.” Another bonus: the invariably wonderful Zooey Deschanel has been cast as Harriett. Opening date to be announced

HAIRSPRAY: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron (Directed by Adam Shankman; Written by Leslie Dixon; New Line) There is nothing like a dame, especially when she’s played by John Travolta. The dude who once made women quiver when he went into his dance in “Saturday Night Fever” is sure to swivel and even sing as he takes on the role of Edna Turnblad in this adaptation of the hit musical comedy based on John Waters’ 1988 cult film. Edna, played by the fabulously cross-dressing Divine in the original movie and by Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway show, is an ambitious 1960s mom trying to ease Tracy, her plump, perky daughter, through her troubled teens. The kid is played by newcomer Nikki Blonsky; Queen Latifah will strut her stuff as Motormouth Maybelle; and, believe it or not, Michelle Pfeiffer, who proved she could really sing in “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” will belt out a hot number or two as Velma Von Tussle, the menacing producer of a TV dance show on which Tracy is dying to perform. The producers of "Hairspray" will not object if you go out of the theater humming, but what they hope to hear during the movie is the sound of laughter. To read Guy Flatley's 1976 interview with John Travolta, click here. Now Playing

THE HARDY MEN: Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller (Directed by Shawn Levy; Fox) Boys will be boys. And then, if they pull themselves together and stop the kid stuff, they will be men. That is precisely what happens to cut-ups Tim and Ben in this comic updating of the “Hardy Boys” mystery series. What’s the hook? It seems the lads had a silly falling out on their journey to maturity and, in a huff, went their separate ways, never to co-sleuth again. But then something shocking happened, so they’re back together, pooling brains and brawn on a truly big, life-or-death criminal case. And is that “The Hardy Men 2” we see on the horizon? Opening date to be announced

HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Kris Kristofferson, Justin Long (Directed by Ken Kwapis; Written by Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn; New Line Cinema) Smart, attractive and variously driven young men and women meet, mix, meld and sometimes split in exotic, erotic Baltimore. The star-studded story is based on the self-help book by “Sex and the City” writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo and is being directed by Ken Kwapis, who deserves credit for his contributions to television’s “The Office,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “The Bernie Mac Show” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” Mention should be made, too, of Kwapis’ big-screen, big-flop “License to Wed,” starring a spectacularly unfunny Robin Williams as a man of the cloth who's determined to put Mandy Moore and John Krasinski through holy hell before deigning to marry them. To read Diane Baroni's 1998 interview with Kris Kristofferson, click here. Opens 2/6/09

HOW ABOUT YOU?: Vanessa Redgrave, Hayley Atwell, Imelda Staunton, Brenda Fricker, Joss Ackland, Orla Brady, Joan O’Hara (Directed by Anthony Byrne; Written by Jean Pasley; Ferndale Films) Who does Vanessa Redgrave think she is, anyway--some kind of movie star? Well, that’s just who she is--or, rather, who she plays--in this comedy-drama. As for the kind of movie star she is, she’s the kind who was far from a superstar during her lackluster career in Irish films. And now she’s taken on the off-screen role of superbitch, the leader of a cantankerous quartet of seniors who’ve been left behind in a County Wicklow retirement home while their fellow residents are spending the Christmas holiday with their families. Redgrave and her cronies--Imelda Staunton and Brenda Fricker as erstwhile high-society sisters and Joss Ackland as former judge--are not about to budge an inch when the determined young manager of the residence (Hayley Atwell, acclaimed star of the Irish TV series, “The Line of Beauty”) makes a stab at turning them into good, cooperative scouts. May the best generation win. If “How About You” sounds familiar to you, you’ve probably had the pleasure of reading “Hardcore,” the Maeve Binchy short story upon which it is based. Opening date to be announced

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK & LARRY: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Steve Buscemi, Dan Aykroyd, Nick Turturro, Richard Chamberlain (Directed by Dennis Dugan; Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor; Universal) There was a time when the biggest fear of guys who were gay was that their secret might be detected and they would be dragged out of the closet. Apparently, times have changed, at least in Philadelphia, where, in order to collect domestic partner benefits, a couple of hetero firefighters who work side by side during the day pretend that at night they sleep side by side. This could be a winner, since it was written--or, at least, rewritten--by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, who were responsible for the wonderful “Sideways.” And, if we’re really lucky, Adam Sandler will ascend to the level of his inspired seriocomic performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love.” To read Guy Flatley's 1968 New York Times interview with Richard Chamberlain, click here. Now Playing

JUNO: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, J. K. Simmons, Allison Janney (Directed by Jason Reitman; Written by Diablo Cody; Fox Searchlight) Juno MacGruff (Ellen Page), a cool, been-there-done-that teenager figures it’s time to give sex a twirl. Unfortunately, neither she nor the nerd of her choice (Michael Cera) gives a thought to the conceivable consequences of their by-the-numbers experiment. So, faster than you can say condoms are for ninnies, they find themselves parents-to-be. Naturally, Juno does what any sensible 16-year-old would do. She systematically searches for a childless couple to adopt her baby. When she meets the Lorings (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), it looks as if she’s found the perfect candidates. But has she? Directed by Jason Reitman, who wrote and directed last year’s sleeper “Thank You For Smoking,” this offbeat comedy-drama pleased audiences at the Toronto and St. Louis film festivals. Now Playing

LABOR PAINS: Lindsay Lohan, Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines, Luke Kirby, Connie Britton (Directed by Lara Shapiro; Written by Lara Shapiro and Stacey Kramer; Nu Image) Nobody ever suggested that toilers in the fiercely competitive field of publishing climb to the top by being sweet and supportive to their colleagues. And the cut-throat race to survive gets deadlier with each new cost-cutting, outsourcing day. That may or may not explain why the bright but shakily employed assistant played by Lindsay Lohan finds it necessary to feign pregnancy to prevent her heartless boss from giving her the sack. If the cad continues to harass her, she might have to slap him with a paternity suit. Opening date to be announced

LEATHERHEADS: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce, Stephen Root, Ezra Buzzington, John Vance, Nick Bourdages (Directed by George Clooney; Written by George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh, Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly, Stephen Schiff; Universal) In the 1920s, professional football was pretty much a losing game, basically a jumble of brawling boozers colliding, skidding and collapsing for the amusement of the stiffs in the stands. But proud, aging athlete Dodge Connolly (George Clooney) yearned to pull his failing team together and inspire it to perform more forcefully on the field than in the bar room. How better to accomplish this miracle than to woo Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), a straight-arrow college football hero and idolized World War I veteran, away from his stuffy campus and into the unsavory world of the pro leagues? Dodge Connolly’s plan worked, and his band of brawlers suddenly became a winning team--until his girl, a spirited sports writer (Renee Zellweger), began to root a pinch too passionately for the new guy on the gridiron. Could it be that the time had come for some investigative reporting on the goody-goody boy's real war record? Now Playing

LITTLE FOCKERS: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner (Directed by Jay Roach; Written by Larry Stuckey; Universal) They’re baaaack! We’re talking about the unstoppable Fockers--horny, long-in-the-tooth hippies Bernie and Roz (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand) and their terminally nerdy son (Ben Stiller). We’re also talking about the Byrnes clan, former CIA operative Bernie and his uptight wife (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) and their flaky daughter (Teri Polo), who has more or less glued the family to the Fockers. Who knows what the future holds for members of this lucrative franchise, but the title does give one the sinking feeling that we’ll be present at the birth of a whole flock of Fockerettes. To read Guy Flatley's 1973 interview with Robert De Niro, click here; for Guy's 1979 interview with Dustin Hoffman, click here; for his 1973 interview with Barbra Streisand, click here; and for Diane Baroni's 2000 interview with Teri Polo, click here. Opening date to be announced

MAMA’S BOY: Diane Keaton, Jon Heder, Jeff Daniels, Anna Faris, Dorian Missick, Sarah Chalke, Eli Wallach (Directed by Tim Hamilton; Written by Hank Nelken; Warner Independent Pictures) Even in Texas, pompous prigs who like to posture and speak down to their superiors have been known to thrive. One such jerk is Jeffrey Mannus (“Napoleon Dynamite’s” Jon Heder), and the person he thinks he can count on abusing for as long as she lives is his dear, devoted mother (Diane Keaton). But Mom proves she knows how to get the best of her pushing-30 brat when a sexy self-help guru (Jeff Daniels) pops up and pops her the question. Will this couple marry and give the kid the gate? Well, someone’s gotta give. To read Guy Flatley's 1974 interview with Diane Keaton, click here. Now Playing

MARGOT AT THE WEDDING: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, John Turturro, Ciaran Hinds, Barbara Turner (Written and directed by Noah Baumbach; Paramount Classics) “The Squid and the Whale” was one of the sharpest, funniest and most moving films of 2005, and it should have won at least one Oscar--maybe for Best Original Screenplay, for which Noah Baumbach was nominated. Unlike the dysfunctional Brooklyn family examined in “The Squid and the Whale,” the two sisters (Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh) and one husband (Jack Black) in writer-director Baumbach’s follow-up film dwell in upstate New York. But surely they will be at least a little bit dysfunctional. Incidentally, filmmaker Baumbach and actress Leigh are husband and wife in real life, and Barbara Turner is Jennifer's mom. So I guess that makes them a functional family. To read Guy Flatley's 2002 interview with Jack Black, click here. Now Playing

THE NANNY DIARIES: Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Chris Evans, Donna Murphy, Alicia Keys, Brande Roderick (Written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini; The Weinstein Company) Scarlett Johansson, who seems to be signing up for enough projects to carry her into her twilight years, will play the impetuous, wildly inexperienced kid-keeper in a falling-apart Manhattan marriage, as recorded by young authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus in their big-time bestseller. Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the inspired scripters of the great “American Splendor,” are responsible for the adaptation, and they also served as co-directors. To read about other new movies based on books, click here. Now Playing

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: ESCAPE FROM THE SMITHSONIAN: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Dick Van Dyke, Hank Azaria, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais (Directed by Shawn Levy; Written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon; Fox) Amy Adams, who ascended to major stardom in “Enchanted,” continues her climb in this sequel to the enormously commercial 2006 comic adventure. She plays famed aviator Amelia Earhart, who crash lands in the wee small hours of the evening at Washington’s Smithsonian Museum. And security guard Ben Stiller, transfered from New York’s Museum of Natural History, where he won his stripes in the original, will be around for the anticipated chills and spills. To read Diane Baroni's 2002 interview with Amy Adams, click here. Opens 5/22/09

NO RESERVATIONS: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson, Jenny Wade, Lily Rabe (Directed by Scott Hicks; Written by Carol Fuchs and Sandra Nettelbeck; Warner Bros.) What’s cooking with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart? Plenty--from culinary rivalry to competition for the affection of an eccentric kid to the budding of something like love in this remake of the successful German romantic comedy, “Mostly Martha.” Zeta-Jones plays an obsessive, temperamental chef who draws drooling crowds to a posh restaurant. Her career is hobbled, however, when her sister is killed in a car crash and she is suddenly forced to sub as mom to her niece (the wonderful Abigail Breslin, from “Little Miss Sunshine.”) Adding to the frustrated chef’s misery, her boss (Patricia Clarkson) hires an ambitious, charming sous-chef (Eckhart) to pitch in at the restaurant when she’s home minding Little Miss Orphan. Co-scripter Sandra Nettelbeck was the writer-director of “Mostly Martha,” but the director of the remake is Scott Hicks, who really hasn’t been all that visible since winning an Oscar nomination for 1996’s “Shine.” Now Playing

ONE BIG HAPPY: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton (Paramount) What we have here is a comedy about a family that is far from happy and has been that way for a long while. But you can bet that Ma and Pa, played by Keaton and Martin, will patch everything up in time for a big happy ending--just as they did in “Father of the Bride” and "Father of the Bride Part II." Opening date to be announced

THE PLEASURE OF YOUR COMPANY: Jason Biggs, Isla Fisher, Joe Pantoliano, Joanna Gleason, Edward Herrmann, Margo Martindale, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Mark Consuelos, Chris Diamantopoulos, Heather Goldenhersh, Michael Weston (Written and directed by Michael Ian Black; MGM) How’s this for rotten luck? An earnest young man works up the courage to ask his sweetheart to become his bride and somehow, in the process of proposing, manages to kill the poor girl. Think of it as dying cute. Unsurprisingly, the wannabe husband falls into a funcok until the night a buddy badgers him into proposing to a sexy waitress he knows zilch about. Will she say yes, and can this story possibly have a happy ending? You can count on it. Opening date to be announced

SEX AND THE CITY: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Chris Noth, Jason Lewis, Candice Bergen, Jennifer Hudson, Evan Handler, Willie Garson, David Eigenberg, Mario Cantone, Lynn Cohen, Julie Halston, Michael Bloomberg (Written and directed by Michael Patrick King; New Line Cinema) Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte--played, naturally, by Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis--will soon be sashaying onto the big screen and you can be sure they’ll still be residing in Manhattan and still fixating on the opposite sex. Among the borough’s hottest dudes: David Eigenberg, Evan Handler and Jason Lewis--all fixtures from the TV series--and, of course, Chris Noth as the macho Mr. Big. New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg plays his macho self in the film. Now Playing

SMART PEOPLE: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes (Directed by Noam Murro; Written by Mark Poirier; Miramax Films) Professor Lawrence Wetherhold, the narcissistic, thickly bearded widower played by Dennis Quaid, yearns for a life without emotional entanglements. Serenity proves elusive, however, thanks to disturbing intrusions by Vanessa (Ellen Page), his brainy, relentlessly Republican daughter, and to James (Ashton Holmes), his troubled, poetic son, as well as Chuck (Thomas Haden Church), the staggeringly unpredictable adopted brother who, totally uninvited, has come home to cuddle with the family. Nor do things calm down when the accident-prone professor lands in the hospital, only to be treated by a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker) who’s turned out to be the doctor he'd most like to have sex in the city with. Now Playing

SMOTHER: Diane Keaton, Dax Shepard, Liv Tyler, Mike White, Ken Howard (Directed by Vince Di Meglio; Written by Tim Rasmussen and Vince Di Meglio; Inferno Distribution) The flaky, ever-so-lovable Diane Keaton of yesteryear is turning out to be one mean mother. Having recently played a meddlesome mom in “Because I Said So” and “Mama’s Boy,” she climbs aboard this indie in which she plays an intensely bossy, dominating woman who decides to move in with her chronically unlucky son (Dax Shepard). Not only has he just gotten the boot from his employer, but he is also being bullied by his wife (Liv Tyler), who demands that he make her a mother. Now Playing

SPORTS WIDOW: Reese Witherspoon (Directed by David Mirkin; Written by Elizabeth Kruger and Craig Shapiro; Universal) Everyone’s favorite legally blonde cutie might as well be legally dead in this comedy about a woman whose husband remains totally glued to the tube during the seemingly endless football season. How to get the big lug’s attention? Easy! Simply knock his socks off by boning up on all those tricky gridiron stats. That’s what Lucy would have done if Desi had been a wannabe jock. Opening date to be announced

THEN SHE FOUND ME: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick (Written and directed by Helen Hunt; Killer Films) Bet you didn’t know that Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt is also a writer and director. At least, she’s written this adaptation of Elinor Lipman’s comic novel, and she plays the central role of a schoolteacher whose husband (Matthew Broderick) decides to drop out of their marriage. But the really sad thing that happens is that her mom dies. And perhaps saddest of all is the decision of her birth mother, who abandoned her 36 years ago, to move in with--and perform a makeover on--Helen. Unlike the prim lady who raised Helen, this TV talk-show hostess, played by Bette Midler, is a total flake, a woman who doesn’t hesitate to put the moves on a charmer (Colin Firth) to whom her daughter has recently been introduced by a thoughtful student. Opens 4/25/08

TROPIC THUNDER: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Brandon Jackson, Steve Coogan, Justin Theroux, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Jay Baruchel, Matt Levin, Andrea De Oliveira, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Mickey Rooney (Directed by Ben Stiller; Written by Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen; DreamWorks) What would you do if you were lucky enough to be cast in a gritty war movie, went on the shoot, and then got shot at because a real-life (and death) war was taking root? Director/star Ben Stiller and his zany crew will help you ponder this question. Tom Cruise, in a cameo, turns comic as a foul-mouthed, scumbag movie mogul reportedly based on Sumner Redstone, the Paramount biggie who famously gave Cruise the sack because of his alleged misbhavior. Let's hope this slapstick war doesn't turn out to be a big bomb. To read Guy Flatley's 2000 interview with Jack Black, click here; for Guy's 1979 interview with Nick Nolte, click here, and for his 1977 interview with Mickey Rooney, click here. Opens 8/15

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Patricia Clarkson, Rebecca Hall, Kevin Dunn, Chris Messina (Written and directed by Woody Allen) There was a time when Diane Keaton was gloriously front and center in nearly every Woody Allen comedy or drama. A bit later, the same was true of Mia Farrow. Now the working-with-Woody thing is getting to be a habit with Scarlett Johansson, whose star turns in his British-lensed “Match Point” and “Scoop” will be followed by this maybe comedy/maybe drama. It was shot in Barcelona and Asturias and deals with the amorous adventures of a local lothario and two alluring American tourists. Happily, Woody had the good sense to team Scarlett with a pair of Pedro Almodovar's finest players--Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz as a lusty painter and his hot-tempered ex-wife. To read Guy Flatley’s 1978 Los Angeles Times interview with Woody Allen, click here. Opens 8/29/08