Moviecrazed

ADAM SANDLER

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND 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

SUSAN SARANDON

THE LOVELY BONES: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, Saoirse Ronan (Directed by Peter Jackson; Written by Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh; DreamWorks) In a welcome change of pace, Peter Jackson is taking a vacation from the tricky, sometimes tedious special-effects world of the “Rings” trilogy and “King Kong.” His new film will be an audacious attempt to mix reality and fantasy. As readers of Alice Sebold's imaginative, deeply disturbing 2002 novel know, the heroine of “The Lovely Bones” (played here by newcomer Saoirse Ronan) is raped, murdered and dismembered by a neighbor at the age of 14. But that is not the end of the story; in her afterlife, the girl focuses intently on the torment of her grieving family, including her parents, played by Mark Wahlberg (who replaced Ryan Gosling the day before shooting began) and Rachel Weisz, and her grandmother, played by Susan Sarandon. And, on occasion, the murdered girl pays very close attention to the fiendish scheming of her unrepentant killer (Stanley Tucci). Jackson, whose finest achievement is “Heavenly Creatures”--the haunting 1994 film in which two emotionally entwined adolescents (Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey) commit an especially horrific murder--seems the perfect person to bring “The Lovely Bones” to flesh-and-blood life. Opening date to be announced

FOR GUY FLATLEY'S 1978 INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN SARANDON, click here.

WILL SMITH

I AM LEGEND: Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Dash Mihok, Paradox Pollack, Alice Braga, Sterling Wolfe, Charlie Tahan (Directed by Francis Lawrence; Written by Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman; Warner Bros) A lethal virus has attacked our planet, and the only visible survivor is a mystified super-scientist who roams the streets of what may be the last city on earth, tapping out daily radio messages to what he hopes are fellow survivors. The city, of course, is New York, and the strangely immune scientist is Will Smith. Can Will find peace on earth (not to mention a few good, honest-to-god men and women, as opposed to the mutant, possibly blood-sucking, weirdos who keep popping up in his path and quickly retreating into the shadows)? For clues, browse through the 1954 novel that is this film’s chief source--Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend,” in which an apocalypse is triggered by what appears to be the reckless behavior of a gang of vampires. Or you might check out these previous cinematic versions of the Matheson story: 1964’s “The Last Man on Earth,” an Italian flick starring Vincent Price, and 1971’s “The Omega Man,” in which Charlton Heston was the man who seemed to be facing the world all by himself. Our hunch is that where there's a Will there's a Way. Now Playing

BEN STILLER

TROPIC THUNDER: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Owen Wilson, 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 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 does not turn out to be a big bomb. To read about more new comedies, click here; for Guy Flatley's 2000 interview with Jack Black, click here. Opens 7/11/08

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; and for Diane Baroni's 2000 interview with Teri Polo, click here. Opening date to be announced

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: ESCAPE FROM THE SMITHSONIAN: Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, 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. Opening date to be announced

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 have a spat and vow never to co-sleuth again. But then something shocking happens and they are forced to pool their brains and brawn on a truly big, life-or-death criminal case. Could that be “The Hardy Men 2” we see on the horizon? Opening date to be announced

SHARON STONE

DIRTY TRICKS: Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Annette Bening, Jill Clayburgh, Sharon Stone, Jim Broadbent (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 helming this adaptation of John Jeter’s play about the woman who spilled the beans that hastened Tricky Dick's departure from the White House. And, best news of all, Murphy had the good sense to 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 phone call from the whistle-blowing Martha. To read about more new biopics, click here. Opening date to be announced

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

MERYL STREEP

MAMA MIA: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan (Directed by Phyllida Lloyd; Written by Catherine Johnson; Universal) We’re all aware that Meryl Streep can do anything--in any medium and with whatever accent is required. So we shouldn’t be the least bit surprised to hear that she will sing out, loud and clear, in the movie version of the smash ABBA-loaded musical “Mama Mia.” If you’ve seen the show, you know the mama she’ll be playing is the proud mother of a bride-to-be. You also know that she’s never revealed the identity of the man to whom she owes her motherhood and that her daughter, determined to come face to face with dad, has invited the three most likely sires to her wedding. (Could daddy be the cool architect played by Pierce Brosnan?) The big question is, can Meryl put over a song? If you had the pleasure of hearing her warble in “Postcards From the Edge” or “A Prairie Home Companion,” you know the answer is an emphatic yes. And once she gets “Mama Mia” out of the way, let’s hope she moves on to “Gypsy,” “Wonderful Town,” “Mame,” "Applause" and “Pal Joey.” To read about more new musicals, click here. Opens 7/18/08

DOUBT: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams (Written and directed by John Patrick Stanley; Miramax Films) We’ve come a long way since Father Bing Crosby and Sister Ingrid Bergman radiated respect and sexless affection for one another in “The Bells of St. Mary’s.” In “Doubt,” Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius, a probing, dictatorial nun who strikes a shattering blow to affable Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), her popular colleague at a parochial grade school in the Bronx, circa 1964. If you’ve seen John Patrick Stanley’s 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, you know that the oppressively vigilant Sister Aloysius, troubled by what she considers Father Flynn’s dangerously close relationship with a black male student, accuses him of sexual molestation. Before long, life becomes holy hell for Father and Sister alike. To read about more new movies based on plays, click here. Opening date to be announced

JULIE & JULIA: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams (Written and directed by Nora Ephron; Columbia) A world-famous chef, who was also the star of her own popular live-TV show, once blithely flipped a potato pancake into the air, only to see it land not in the intended pan but on a decidedly un-photogenic work table. Not a bit flustered, she simply scooped up the smashed potato and molded it back into shape. Then, looking firmly into the eye of the camera, she told her audience, “Remember, you are alone in the kitchen, and no one can see you.” This unflappable flipper, of course, was Julia Child, the lovably eccentric American who somehow managed to become an idolized French chef. And playing Child in this movie is Meryl Streep, who, as you know, can glide from American to French or any other nationality on a minute’s notice. The question is, what sort of scenario has writer-director Nora Ephron concocted that will give Streep a chance to don her apron and flip her potato pancake, as well as engage in some out-of-the-kitchen antics? After all, this film is supposedly an adaptation of “Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen,” Julia Powell’s 2005 book dishing out the comedy-drama of her decision to cook, over the course of one year, every single recipe in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and to serve the presumably tasty results to her husband and other guinea pigs. Her experiment took a toll in both the digestive and domestic realms. Amy Adams ("Catch Me If You Can," "Junebug," "Charlie Wilson's War") plays the central role of Julie. But you can bet that Ephron will cook up something tres delicious for Streep, who played the author to perfection in "Heartburn," based on Ephron's account of her disastrous marriage to philandering journalist Carl Bernstein. To read about more new biopics, click here; for more new movies based on books, click here. Opening date to be announced

WANTED: Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep, Kevin Wethington (Written by Sheldon Turner; Plan B Productions Inc.) Jen’s in deep, deep trouble here. Playing a fearless Texas narcotics cop, she is framed on a trafficking charge and sent to the meanest slammer this side of Guantanamo. What she needs is a partner smart and tough enough to help her break out. And that’s just what she gets in the person of the ever-game Meryl Streep, cast as her cellmate--a violent activist turned pacifist. Screenwriter Sheldon Turner based his screenplay on the novel by Kim Wozencraft. Who? Surely you remember Kim Wozencraft. She’s the former undercover narcotics agent who wrote “Rush,” the source for the relentlessly dreary 1991 movie about Texas cops & druggers that totally failed to make bankable stars of Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Opening date to be announced

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 interview with Robert De Niro, click here. Opening date to be announced

CHAOS: Meryl Streep, Aishwarya Rai, Michael David White (Directed by Coline Serreau) Brutally assaulted by a trio of street punks, a blood-splattered prostitute pleads with a middle-aged couple to take her into their car. The driver shuts his window and drives on to a dinner party. The next day, the driver’s guilt-ridden wife tracks down the victim and before long they are close--and exceptionally scheming--friends. French film director Coline Serreau is directing this English-language remake of her story of vengeance, violence and bizarre bonding. Streep plays the older woman, and Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai plays the hooker who changes her life, not entirely for the better. To read about more new movies starring actresses over 50, click here. Opening date to be announced.

BARBRA STREISAND

FOR GUY FLATLEY'S 1973 INTERVIEW WITH BARBRA STREISAND, click here.

DONALD SUTHERLAND

FIERCE PEOPLE: Diane Lane, Anton Yelchin, Donald Sutherland, Chris Evans, Kristen Stewart, Elizabeth Perkins, Christopher Shyer(Directed by Griffin Dunne; Written by Dirk Wittenborn; Lions Gate) Nobody has it tougher than teenagers these days. Take Finn (Anton Yelchin), a basically decent New York City kid, for example. His father is off in the jungle doing his anthropological thing, and his mother (Diane Lane), a nifty masseuse, is a druggie. When Finn is caught trying to score some coke for mom, the two scurry to a sumptuous country estate where the strung-out masseuse becomes a full-time, hands-on employee of horny but obscenely wealthy Mr. Osbourne (Donald Sutherland). So far, so good. But then Finn discovers that the fine country-club set is not so fine after all. Perhaps mom will turn into a twelve-stepper and shape everyone up. Now Playing

HILARY SWANK

THE BLACK DAHLIA: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Mia Kirshner, William Finley, Fiona Shaw, Pepe Serna (Directed by Brian De Palma; written by Josh Friedman; Universal) In 1947, the mutilated body of Elizabeth Short was discovered in one of Hollywood’s seedier neighborhoods. The vicious murder of this woman who became known as The Black Dahlia prompted a huge manhunt and was a front- page story for many months. To this day, the killer has not been tracked down. Nor has the bloody murder of James Ellroy’s mother ever been solved, one of the reasons the noir author became obsessed with the case of Elizabeth Short and eventually wrote “The Black Dahlia,” the 1987 cult novel that probed the mystery of Short’s life and death. Hartnett and Eckhart play detectives driven to frustration bordering on madness, Johansson and Swank are women who further complicate their lives, and Kirshner plays Short. The chances of this movie being a genuine shocker are strong, given the fact that Brian De Palma, its director, is the man responsible for “Carrie,” “Dressed to Kill” and “Scarface.” To read the Variety review of "The Black Dahlia," click here. Now Playing

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