Moviecrazed

SHIRLEY MACLAINE

CLOSING THE RING

Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, Mischa Barton, Gregory Smith, Brenda Blethyn, Pete Postlethwaite, Neve Campbell (Directed by Richard Attenborough; Written by Peter Woodward; Odyssey Entertainment)

A military plane crashes on the outskirts of Belfast toward the end of World War II, and just before the rear gunner dies, he asks a local lad to see that his ring is returned to his girlfriend. Fifty years later, the girlfriend has still not received that ring, but she has managed to marry the gunner’s best buddy. Still, it’s never too late, for a young native of Belfast who knows the history of the ring is on his way to North Carolina to deliver it in person. This sounds like a natural for Richard Attenborough, the director/warrior who gave us “Oh! What a Lovely War,” “A Bridge Too Far” and “In Love and War.” Now Playing

FOR GUY FLATLEY'S 1977 INTERVIEW WITH SHIRLEY MacLAINE, click here.

TOBEY MAGUIRE

BROTHERS

Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Bailee Madison, Mare Winningham, Sam Shepard, Clifton Collins Jr. (Directed by Jim Sheridan; Written by David Benioff; Lionsgate)

There was a time when some moviegoers had difficulty telling the difference between Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire. Finally, we got the picture: Tobey was a climber of skyscrapers; Jake was a herder of sheep. More than ever, it will be important to tell the stars of “Spider-Man” and “Brokeback Mountain” apart in “Brothers,” a drama in which a dutiful young man goes off to combat in Afghanistan, leaving his wife and child in the care of a younger brother not known for his dependability. The four-square sibling is played by Maguire, and Gyllenhaal plays the rebel without a conspicuous cause. The role of the woman responsible for expanding their fraternal relationship into a love triangle has gone to Natalie Portman. “Brothers” is a remake, so if you’re eager for more details, check out Susanne Bier’s 2004 Danish-language film starring Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Connie Nielsen. Opens 12/4/09

JOHN MALKOVICH

CHANGELING

Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan, Geoff Pierson, Denis O'Hare, Frank Wood, Peter Gerety, Reed Birney, Gattlin Griffiith, Devon Conti, Eddie Alderson (Directed by Clint Eastwood; Written by J. Michael Straczynski; Universal)

In real life, Angelina Jolie is Supermom--strong, fearless, protective, possessive, an unsinkable force of nature. But in this gritty drama, set in 1920s Los Angeles, Angelina is more victim than victor. At least, that’s what she is when we first meet her, around the time the single parent's little boy goes missing. But, thanks to the loosely law-abiding LAPD, she is soon reunited with her son. Or is she? Angelina’s initial joy quickly turns to doubt and then rage. No way is this kid the lad to whom she gave birth. Don’t be surprised if Angelina triumphs in the end, however, in this complex, blood-drenched tale based on Riverside County, California's grisly "Wineville Chicken Murders." Now Playing

STEVE MARTIN

IT'S COMPLICATED

Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, John Kasinski, Hunter Parrish, Rita Wilson, Zoe Kazan, Mary Kay Place, Lake Bell (Written and directed by Nancy Meyers; Universal)

What could a trio of cool smoothies like Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and John Kasinski possibly find to fight about? A woman, of course. But not just any woman. The femme fatale in this case is Meryl Streep, and anyone who’s seen “The Devil Wears Prada” or “Doubt” knows how hard-to-get La Streep can be. With luck, writer-director Nancy Meyers will work as well with her as she did with Diane Keaton in “Something’s Gotta Give,” which could easily pave the way to another Oscar nom for our Meryl--unless she gets tapped for "Julie & Julia" instead. Opens 12/25/09

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

JAMES McAVOY

THE LAST STATION: Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, Paul Giamatti, James McAvoy, Anne-Marie Duff (Directed by Michael Hoffman; Written by Jay Parini; Notro Films) Anthony Hopkins was set to play Count Leo Tolstoy, the author of "War and Peace" who was strugglig to live out his final days with dignity and grace. But somewhere along the line Hopkins dropped out and Christopher Plummer dropped in. Getting back to Leo--who on earth was making it difficult for him to travel a peaceful path into the hereafter? It was none other than Sofya Andreyevna, his luxury-loving, more warring than peaceful, wife. And--like Anthony Hopkins--Meryl Streep, cast as Sofya, made an exit, leaving her role to Helen Mirren. Paul Giamatti plays a loyal friend of Tolstoy's who does his best to rein in Sofya, James McAvoy plays Tolstoy's secretary, and Anne-Marie Duff--McAvoy's real-life wife--plays the tormented literary lion's daughter. Jay Parini's screenplay for "The Last Station" is based on his 1990 novel, which in turn was based on the actual diaries of the contentious Tolstoys and their piles of relatives and friends. The director here is Michael Hoffman, whose eclectic oeuvre includes “Soapdish” (Robert Downey Jr. & Sally Field), “Restoration” (Hugh Grant & Meg Ryan), and “One Fine Day" (George Clooney & Michelle Pfeiffer). To read about more new movies based on books, click here. Opening date to be announced

FRANCES McDORMAND

BURN AFTER READING: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton (Written and directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen; Focus Features) How do you top a fiendishly scary heart-stopper like "No Country for Old Men"? That was the challenge facing Joel and Ethan Coen, who may or may not have found a sensible solution to their problem in this screwball comedy-thriller about a bunch of Washington weirdoes. Acting very, very strange are John Malkovich as a zealous CIA agent who gets the boot for being too efficient and then drives his wife crazy by devoting all of his waking hours to penning an intimate, spooky tell-all book; Tilda Swinton as his enraged spouse who seeks solace in the arms of a married--but not too married--federal marshal played by George Clooney; Frances McDormand as an out-of-shape fitness center employee who schemes again her bosses when they refuse to finance the abundant plastic surgery she feels she deserves; and Brad Pitt as an exceptionally excitable gymnast and bed-hopper champ who comes to the needy lady's aid. Sort of. Now Playing

EWAN McGREGOR

AMELIA: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Virginia Madsen, Christopher Eccleston, Cherry Jones, Joe Anderson, Aaron Abrams, Mia Wasikowska (Directed by Mira Nair; Written by Ronald Bass; Fox Searchlight) Did you know that Amelia Earhart, who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and eventually went missing over the Pacific in 1937, had a torrid affair with Gene Vidal, the father of writer Gore Vidal? And that was while the ace aviatrix was said to be blissfully married to publisher George Putnam! But as director Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”) will undoubtedly make clear to us, this pioneer feminist was never one to let stuffy rules get in her way. In a bit of inspired casting, Hilary Swank is Amelia; Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor are her husband and her lover, respectively; and Virginia Madsen is her husband’s first wife. To read about more new biopics, click here. Opens 10/23/09

BETTE MIDLER

THE WOMEN: Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Bette Midler, Candice Bergen, Carrie Fisher, Cloris Leachman, Debi Mazar (Written and directed by Diane English; Picturehouse) Women--when they bond with one another and struggle to make the world a better place in which to live and love and wage peace--are adorable creatures. But at least one of the women in Clare Boothe Luce’s 1936 Broadway hit shrugged her shoulder at sisterhood and coolly sized up every available--and unavailable--male who crossed her path. Her name was Crystal, she was a gold-digging shopgirl, and she was played with predatory precision by Joan Crawford in George Cukor’s 1939 film adaptation. Sixty-nine years later, in an update by writer-director Diane Enlish, the blissfully cruel Crystal is being played by Eva Mendes, a Cuban-American seductress who may finally have landed her breakout role. Meg Ryan, an actress in urgent need of a comeback role, plays the achingly noble Mary Haines, a lady whose wealthy husband is the besotted victim of Crystal’s wiles. If Diane English is true to Clare Boothe Luce, Mary’s hubby--and all of the other men who figure prominently in the lives of these Manhattan “Women”--will be present in spirit only. Now Playing

HELEN MIRREN

STATE OF PLAY: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman (Directed by Kevin Macdonald; Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Tony Gilroy; Universal) Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, who had a jolly, violent time for themselves in “Fight Club,” were primed for a promising re-match in this adaptation of Paul Abbott’s hot six-hour British miniseries. Pitt, however, thought Tony Gilroy's extensive rewrite of Matthew Michael Carnahan's screenplay was the pits. So he took a walk. But who needs Brad Pitt when they have Russell Crowe ready to roll? Here's the story they rolled with: Investigating the death of politician Stephen Collins’ mistress, reporter Cal McCaffrey (Crowe) discovers evidence that could prove the slick pol (Ben Affleck, replacing Edward Norton) is guilty of murder. He also discovers the surprisingly potent allure of Collins’ dumped wife (Robin Wright Penn). Sounds like Kevin Macdonald, the director of “The Last King of Scotland,” once again has plenty of explosive stuff to work with in this drama now officially credited to Tony Gilroy and Matthew Michael Carnahan. Opens 4/17/09

LOVE RANCH: Helen Mirren, Joe Pesci, Gina Gershon, Rio Hackford (Directed by Taylor Hackford; Written by Mark Jacobson; Capitol Films) Not so long ago we were calling Helen Mirren queen; soon we’ll be calling her madam. That’s because the Oscar winner is playing an earthy, enterprising woman based on the character of Sally Conforte, who--along with hubby Joe--made her wildest dream come true by opening the Mustang Ranch, Nevada’s first legal brothel. Life became one big love-in for Sally and Joe--until that memorable moment in 1976 when Oscar Bonavena, an Argentinian prizefighter rumored to have gotten raunchy with the Mustang boss-lady, was shot dead by a ranch bodyguard. Director Taylor Hackford, Mirren’s real-life husband, will be putting his wife through her “Love Ranch” paces. And her real-life stepson, actor Rio Hackford, will also be on hand in a supporting role. Opens 4/17/09

DEMI MOORE

FLAWLESS: Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Joss Ackland, Lambert Wilson (Directed by Michael Radford; Written by Edward Anderson; Magnolia Films) In “Blame It on Rio,” Stanley Donen’s dismal 1984 comedy, starlet Demi Moore played a teen who’s irked to discover her father is having a hot affair with her bosom buddy (Michelle Johnson). So who played Demi’s dirty rotten scoundrel of a dad? The always professional but not always sufficiently cautious Michael Caine. We wish them better luck this time around. A thriller, set in the swinging London of the 60s and based on real-life events, Caine plays a loyal janitor whose employers at a London diamond company reject an insurance claim for his seriously ailing wife, and Moore plays an American executive whose male-chauvinist-pig bosses at the same firm fail to pay her the proper respect, not to mention the proper salary. So, naturally, the abused underlings come up with a masterful plan to relieve the good old diamond boys of a few of their shiniest baubles. Before you step up to the ticket window, perhaps you should bear in mind that director Michael Radford is the chap responsible for 1994’s “Il Postino” and the 2004 film of “The Merchant of Venice,” with Al Pacino as Shylock. Now Playing

JULIANNE MOORE

I'M NOT THERE: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Julianne Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michelle Williams (Directed by Todd Haynes; Written by Todd Haynes and Oren Overman; The Weinstein Company) Did you ever have the feeling that there’s something baffling, if not downright bizarre, about legendary music man Bob Dylan? Well, the mystery may soon be cleared up in this brazen biopic. Who's been handed the task of acting (and singing) like Dylan in all of his shifting complexity? As it turns out, it took at least five men and one woman to rise to the challenge: Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin and, yes, a notably curly-locked Cate Blanchett. The women in Dylan’s life are played by Julianne Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Michelle Williams (Heath Ledger’s wife in “Brokeback Mountain” and in real life). Director Todd Haynes, who worked wonders with Julianne Moore in “Safe” and “Far From Heaven,” will undoubtedly keep all of these heavyweight performers blowin’ eloquently in the wind. To read about more new biopics, click here. Now Playing

VIGGO MORTENSEN

EASTERN PROMISES: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sinead Cusack, Donald Sumpter, Jerzy Skolimowski, Michael Sarne (Directed by David Cronenberg; Written by Steven Knight; Focus Features) London is the workplace of some of the world’s meanest members of organized crime, perhaps none meaner than a certain Russian-born thug named Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). This exceedingly illegal immigrant specializes in the business of sex and shows little mercy on his victims, though there is a chance he will treat Ana--a British midwife who knows more than it is healthy to know about a young woman who died giving birth--with a smidgeon of tenderness. Enraptured fans of 2005’s “A History of Violence” will be pleased to see Viggo Mortensen working once again under the shrewd, mischievous direction of David Cronenberg. Now Playing

SAMANTHA MORTON

ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Samantha Morton, Hugh Dancy, Tom Hollander, Abbie Cornish (Directed by Shekhar Kapur; Written by Michael Hirst) Could it be that Elizabeth I, England’s icy Virgin Queen, had something hot going with occasional adversary Sir Walter Raleigh? Advance word suggests that director Shekhar Kapur, helmer of 1998’s fiery “Elizabeth,” will bring the intriguing subject out into the open in this sequel. Best news of all: Cate Blanchett returns, making a royal effort to nab the Best Actress Oscar she almost got in 1998 (she lost to Gwyneth Paltrow for “Shakespeare in Love”). More good news: Raleigh will be played by the unfailingly masterful Clive Owen. Now Playing

FOR GUY FLATLEY'S 1999 INTERVIEW WITH SAMANTHA MORTON, click here.

CILLIAN MURPHY

PEACOCK: Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon, Josh Lucas, Bill Pullman, Jaimi Paige, Virginia Newcomb, Paul Cram (Directed by Michael Lander; Written by Michael Lander and Ryan Roy; Mandate Pictures) Nothing much ever happened in the tiny town of Peacock, Nebraska--unless you count the day a train ran into the back yard of a humble bank clerk mamed John Skillpa (Cillian Murphy). That was the same day folks became aware that John had a housemate, a woman they took to be his wife. Peacockians being Peacockians, no one made much of the fact that John and his spouse never appeared in the same place at the same time. Finally, somebody took notice--a perky single mom (played by "Juno's" Ellen Page) began to suspect that something strange, maybe even sick, was going on in John's house. How could this well-intentioned snoop bring John's story to a happy ending? Persuade John to put his wife up for adoption? Or, discovering that the guy had been getting off on slipping into something silky and masquerading as his own wife, she might try convincing him that she herself would make the best of all possible Mrs. Skillpas. Or maybe she should get the hell out of Peacock. Opening date to be announced

EDDIE MURPHY

DREAMGIRLS: Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Keith Robinson, Hinton Battle, Sharon Leal, Anika Noni Rose, Danny Glover, Loretta Devine, John Lithgow (Written and directed by Bill Condon; DreamWorks/Paramount) A trio of R&B singers from Chicago enter a competition at Harlem’s Apollo Theater and eventually achieve fame as mainstream pop artists--but at a high emotional price. Though he does not play a member of the trio, Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx is top-billed as the girls’ fast-talking, not-totally-trustworthy manager. Written and directed by Bill Condon, who last gave us “Kinsey,” this adaptation of the 1981 Broadway blockbuster will also treat us to the sight and sound of Eddie Murphy as James “Thunder” Jones, a red-hot king of pop. Now Playing

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