Moviecrazed

KEVIN BACON

FROST/NIXON: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Patty McCormack, Toby Jones, Jenn Gotzon, Rebecca Hall (Directed by Ron Howard; Written by Peter Morgan; Universal) Richard Nixon may be the second worst president the American public ever had to endure. In 1977--three years after bidding a mortifying adieu to the White House, thereby avoiding impeachment because of the Watergate scandal--he agreed to appear in a series of televised conversations with British media giant David Frost. Nixon learned too late that he should have played harder to get; as it turned out, Frost stripped him bare, exposing his soul for anyone who owned a television set to see. Fortunately, Peter Morgan, author of the screenplay for “The Queen,” decided to explore the confrontation between these two strong-willed men in dramatic terms. The resulting play was a triumph in London and on Broadway. Best of all, director Ron Howard had the smarts to nail Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, the duo who brought Nixon and Frost to riveting life on stage (Langella won a Best Actor Tony for his take on Tricky Dicky). An unexpected bonus: Patty McCormack, the kid who received an Oscar nomination for her playing of the title role in the 1956 flick "The Bad Seed," plays the long-suffering Pat Nixon this time out. To read about other new movies based on plays, click here. Opening date to be announced

CHRISTIAN BALE

THE DARK KNIGHT: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Caine, William Fichtner, Eric Roberts (Written and directed by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.) Batman (Christian Bale) and good-guy lawman James Gordon (Gary Oldman) have got trouble, BIG trouble, right here in Gotham city. And the biggest part of the big trouble is The Joker, a lethal lunatic brought memorably to life by Jack Nicholson in the 1989 Batman extravaganza. This time, the sicko is played by Heath Ledger, the charismatic actor who recently died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. If you flipped for “Batman Begins” (2005), chances are that “The Dark Knight” will please you, since it too has been helmed by that film's director, Christopher Nolan, and many cast members are doing encores. Katie Holmes, however, does not return as delectable Rachel Dawes. That role, we’re pleased to say, has been inherited by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Opens 7/18/08

ERIC BANA

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Rue McClanahan (Directed by Justin Chadwick; Written by Peter Morgan; Sony) Quick! Who was Mary Boleyn? You know, of course. She was the younger sister of Anne Boleyn, the regal mate of England’s King Henry VIII who literally lost her head in 1536 as a result of trumped-up charges that she was guilty of adultery, incest and witchcraft. Mary, who was married to William Carey at the ripe old age of 12, was by no means a stranger to the lascivious king herself, having served as his infamous mistress--and possibly the mother of his son--before Anne popped onto the scene. Why should you care about all this ancient history? Because Anne and Mary are being played by Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, respectively, in this adaptation of Phillipa Gregory’s fact-based novel. Eric Bana will undoubtedly have a romp as horny Henry. Now Playing

ANTONIO BANDERAS

STOMPANATO: Antonio Banderas, Sharon Stone (Directed by Francois Girard; Written by David Webb Peoples and Janet Peoples; Stonelock Pictures) Lana Turner and Johnny Stompanato were sweethearts--until the day in 1958 when the screen queen's daughter, Cheryl Crane, stabbed the hot-tempered gangland figure before he could make an exit from her mom's Beverly Hills bedroom. (For those with short memories, the verdict was justifiable homicide). Stone seems a smart choice for Turner, but Bandera had better get to work on his American accent--starting yesterday. No word yet on who will tackle the challenging role of 14-year-old Cheryl, but if Dakota Fanning is on the list, let us hope she is toward the bottom. Opening date to be announced

JAVIER BARDEM

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA: Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall (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, his possessive girlfriend and two attractive American tourists. Happily, Woody had the good sense to team Scarlett with a pair of Pedro Almodovar’s finest players--Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. To read Guy Flatley’s 1978 Los Angeles Times interview with Woody Allen, click here.

NINE: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sophia Loren (Directed by Rob Marshall; Written by Michael Tolkin; Weinstein Company) Who could forget “8 1⁄2,” the stunning 1963 film in which Marcello Mastroianni, under the direction of Federico Fellini, played a Felliniesque director who made more women than movies? Certainly, composer Maury Yeston and dramatist Arthur Kopit could not erase this classic from their memories. That’s why, in 1982, they came up with a Broadway musicalization of it starring the late, great Raul Julia as the womanizing auteur on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The show, called “Nine,” was successfully revived in 2003, showcasing the song-and-dance skills of Antonio Banderas. And now, here comes the movie version of the hit musical, directed by Rob Marshall, who gave us “Chicago,” and starring Javier Bardem, one of the few actors now working who could be ranked alongside Marcello Mastroianni. Penelope Cruz plays his mistress, Marion Cotillard, who triumphed as Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose,” is his shortchanged wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones is an actress who greatly inspires him, and Sophia Loren will haunt us as the ghost of his Mama. To read about more new movie musicals, click here. Opening date to be announced

DREW BARRYMORE

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 about more new comedies, click here; for Diane Baroni's 1998 interview with Kris Kristofferson, click here. Opens 8/1/08

GREY GARDENS: Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange, Olivia Waldriff (Directed by Michael Sucsy; Written by Patricia Rozema and Michael Sucsy; HBO Films) Little Edith Bouvier Beale was Jacqueline Kennedy's cousin, and her mother, Big Edith Bouvier Beale, was the First Lady’s aunt. At one time, the two Edies lived sumptuously on Manhattan’s Park Avenue, but they ended up in a squalid, raccoon-infested estate on Long Island. Thanks to the intervention of Jackie, the East Hampton health department did not carry through with its plan to raid the dump. But that didn’t keep the messy eccentrics out of the headlines, and eventually they became the subjects of “Grey Gardens,” a memorable 1976 documentary made by David and Albert Maysles. Now an expanded version of their story that includes material on the young Jackie Bouvier (portrayed by 8-year-old Olivia Waldriff) and covers Little Edie’s late-blooming career as a nightclub chanteuse is headed your way. Let us hope that Jessica Lange has more luck playing Drew Barrymore’s mom than she did playing Christina Ricci’s in the wretched “Prozac Nation.” Opening date to be announced

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

KATE BECKINSALE

WHITEOUT: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Tom Skerritt, Alex O’Loughlin, Shawn Doyle, Patrick Sabongui, Nicolas Wright, Paula Jean Hixson, Nick Villarin (Directed by Dominic Sena; Written by Erich and Jon Hoeber; Warner Bros. ) Even though she is a bona fide U.S. Marshal in this adaptation of Greg Rucka’s graphic novels, Beckinsale is not what you would call a happy trooper. She’s had her share of sad times, so now she’s chosen to live a life of emotional isolation in Antarctica. But what’s this? A serial killer (a distinct novelty on this continent) is on the loose--and Kate must pull herself together and capture the rascal before the sun goes down (and stays down) for six months! Perhaps Antarctica was not the perfect choice for a meditative getaway after all. Click here to read about more murderpix. Opening date to be announced

ANNETTE BENING

A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE: Annette Bening, Lindsay Lohan, Sean Bean (Directed by Janusz Kaminski; Written by Howard Himelstein; Myriad Pictures) Suppose you were a proper young lady who had the misfortune of being seduced and abandoned by a wealthy, unscrupulous gentleman. What would you do if, years later, your grown-up son proudly introduced you to his powerful new mentor, a man who--unbeknownst to the poor bastard--is his own father, the very same creep who decided to cut and run decades ago? That’s the question Oscar Wilde wanted Victorian theater-goers to ponder when he turned out “A Woman of No Importance” in 1893, and that’s the question screenwriter Howard Himelstein hopes we’ll struggle with in his update of the play. The question I’m truly struggling with is, do I really want to sit through a revamping of Wilde by the man who gave us “A Good Woman,” the terminally tame version of the witty playwright’s “Lady Windermere’s Fan”? Quick, somebody stop this man before he goes completely Wilde! Opening date to be announced

GAEL GARCIA BERNAL

THE PAST (EL PASADO): Gael Garcia Bernal, Analia Couceyro, Moro Anghileri, Ana Celentano, Betty Farias (Directed by Hector Babenco; Written by Alan Pauls) Hector Babenco, who directed William Hurt in his Oscar-winning performance in 1985’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” is now guiding Gael Garcia Bernal through some tricky paces. Based on screenwriter Alan Pauls’ acclaimed novel, "The Past" depicts the emotional and physical torment experienced by a young man who decides to end a lengthy, complicated relationship. He’s ready to plunge into the intoxicating world of multi-partnered mating, but, as it turns out, his ex has different plans for his future. And she knows precisely how to make life hell for him--and for any woman who succumbs to his charm. Opening date to be announced

HALLE BERRY

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE: Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro, David Duchovny, Alexis Llewellyn, Alison Lohman (Directed by Susanne Bier; Written by Allan Loeb; Paramount) Halle Berry won an Oscar for “Monster’s Ball,” in which she played a widow who has a hot affair with a prison guard (Billy Bob Thornton) who, unbeknownst to her, had executed her husband (Sean Combs). In “Things We Lost in the Fire,” she again plays a beautiful young widow who is perhaps a bit on the clueless side about the troubled man (Benicio Del Toro) she takes into her home after the untimely death of her husband (David Duchovny). The guy didn’t kill her hubby, but he certainly knew him. It doesn’t really matter, so long as Halle ends up with another Oscar for her efforts. Now Playing

PAUL BETTANY

THERE FOR ME: Paul Bettany, Olivia Williams, Rita Tushingham, Dan Fredenburgh, Charlie Condu, Doraly Rosen (Axiom Films) Handsome Paul Bettany and beautiful Saffron Burrows do not meet cute in this British indie. They meet tragic, each still reeling from traumatic events. Whatever trouble he finds himself in, we just hope that Bettany, one of the most magnetic young actors around, is better behaved here than he was in “Firewall” and “The Da Vinci Code.” Opening date to be announced

INKHEART: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Rafi Gavron, Sienna Guillory (Directed by Iain Softley; Written by David Lindsay-Abaire; New Line Cinema) A man named Mo has a unique, sometimes dangerous talent. He can read books from his vast collection to his beloved daughter Meggie, and the results are so vivid that the characters literally jump off the pages and enter their quaint home. That’s how they strike up an acquaintance with a slimy villain named Capricorn, and that’s also how Mo manages to get himself kidnapped. Can Meggie and an assortment of helpmates come to his rescue? Based on the first book of a trilogy by children’s author Cornelia Funke, the movie features Andy Serkis, of “The Lord of the Rings” fame, as Capricorn and good “Queen” Helen Mirren as a quirky collector of rare books. Opening date to be announced

FOR GUY FLATLEY'S 2002 INTERVIEW WITH PAUL BETTANY, click here.

JACK BLACK

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 (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. Let's hope their slapstick war doesn't turn out to be a big bomb. Opens 7/11/08

FOR GUY FLATLEY'S 2002 INTERVIEW WITH JACK BLACK, click here.

CATE BLANCHETT

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent (Directed by Steven Spielberg; Written by David Koepp and Jeff Nathanson; Paramount) Starting with “Sugarland Express” in 1974 and surging through “Jaws” (1975) and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), Steven Spielberg established himself as the fastest-rising director of the late seventies. Then, in 1979, a loser of a war-comedy called “1941” ripped a hole in Spielberg’s rep as an auteur, threatening to dump him into oblivion. The rude shock of that dud did eventually fade and, two years later, mega-blockbuster “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” starring Harrison Ford as two-fisted, whip-snapping archeologist Henry “Indiana” Jones, turned Spielberg into the Comeback Kid. And he’s been back ever since--think “E.T.,” “Empire of the Sun,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “A.I.,” “Minority Report,” “Catch Me If You Can” and “Munich” (but do not think “The Color Purple,” “Always,” “Hook,” “Jurassic Park,” “Amistad” and “Terminal”). Now, demonstrating loyalty to the bigger-than-life character who put his career back on track, Spielberg spins a fourth chapter in the saga of Indiana Jones. And Harrison Ford will of course be the guy who wields a whip and cracks skulls--with the help of Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf and other choice friends. Opens 5/22/08

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Elle Fanning, Elias Koteas, Jason Flemyng, Julia Ormond (Directed by David Fincher; Written by Eric Roth; Paramount/Warner Bros.) Brad Pitt will soon turn 50. But don’t feel depressed; just a bit later, the golden boy will be 49, and on the next birthday, he’ll be 48. You get the idea: in the Eric Roth screenplay, based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the hero ages backward, and when he arrives at the ripe young age of 30, he meets the love of his life, a pip played by Cate Blanchett, who memorably played opposite Pitt in “Babel.” David Fincher, who had Brad working on all cylinders in “Fight Club,” will be at the helm. Opens 11/26/08

ADRIEN BRODY

MANOLETE: Adrien Brody, Penelope Cruz (Written and directed by Menno Meyjes; Lolafilms) Adrien Brody, faced with monstrous competition for the attention of Naomi Watts in “King Kong,” will presumably have an easier time of it when he woos Penelope Cruz in this true-life romance. Brody plays magnetic bullfighter Manuel Rodriguez Sanchez, better known as Manolete, and Cruz takes on the role of sultry actress Lupe Sino. To read about many more new biopics, click here. Opening date to be announced

JOSH BROLIN

MILK: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Diego Luna, Lucas Grabeel, Howard Rosenman, Stephen Spinella, Victor Garber (Directed by Gus Van Sant; Written by Dustin Lance Black; Focus Features) On November 27, 1978, Harvey Milk, a militant gay activist and enormously charismatic San Francisco supervisor, was shot dead, along with his boss, Mayor George Moscone, by Dan White, a vengeful ex-supervisor. The light sentence given to the assassin led to San Francisco’s historic White Night Riots. Under the masterful direction of openly gay Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk and Josh Brolin is Dan White. Opens in November 2008

SANDRA BULLOCK

GRACE: Sandra Bullock Patrick Jordan, David Morse, Joanna Lowe, Ben Blazer, Marty Giles (Directed by Andrew Paul; Written by Naomi Foner, Alie Kolb, Mathew Kopel and Ben Penhan;Written by Naomi Foner; Fortis Films) For some people, it was a shocking peep into the living rooms and, especially, the bedrooms of small-town fifties America; for others, it was plain old trash. Whatever it was or was not, “Peyton Place” was certainly the vehicle that propelled previously unsung novelist Grace Metalious to international notoriety. It also led to the break-up of her marriage and, eventually, to her death by suicide. Although screenwriter Naomi Foner is the mother of Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, she neglected to write roles for her talented kids on this occasion.Opening date to be announced

FOR A COMPLETE ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF STAR TURNS, CLICK HERE.