Star Turns--What You Should Know About The Current And Upcoming Projects Of Your Favorite Players

By Guy Flatley

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ELLE FANNING

SOMEWHERE

Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Benicio Del Toro, Michelle Monaghan, Robert Schwartzman (Written And Directed By Sofia Coppola; Focus Features)

Johnny Marco, a hot, perpetually stoned movie star, is a more or less permanent resident of the Chateau Marmont, the trendy Hollywood hotel that proved to be the last stop for a drug-fogged John Belushi. Marco (played by Stephen Dorff, the mercurial performer best remembered as a very special nut case in John Waters’ “Cecil B. Demented” and as transvestite Candy Darling in Mary Harron’s “I Shot Andy Warhol”) whiles away his off-camera time popping pills and lazing about in his suite with a bevy of Playboy-style babes.

Then, suddenly and totally unannounced, his 11-year-old daughter Cleo—the product of a marriage gone haywire—pops up on Marco’s Marmont doorstep. And since the kid is played by Elle Fanning, the tyke who nearly swiped “The Door in the Floor” from Jeff Bridges in 2004, you can bet that sparks will fly between Fanning and Dorff in this exceptionally promising dad & daughter comedy-drama.

One reason to expect the unexpected in terms of narrative substance and cinematic style is the fact that “Somewhere” has been written and directed by the playfully subversive Sofia Coppola, an artist who managed to surprise and delight us with “The Virgin Suicides,” “Marie Antoinette” and, especially, “Lost in Translation.” Now Playing

VERA FARMIGA

UP IN THE AIR

George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Melanie Lynskey, Amy Morton, Sam Elliott, J.K. Simmons (Directed by Jason Reitman; Written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner; Paramount Pictures)

In these downbeat, downsized times, what we really need is an upbeat flick about a guy who lands a perfect job and keeps it--even though nearly everyone he encounters on his perfect job gets the sack. That’s precisely the kind of guy George Clooney plays in this comedy-drama helmed by Jason Reitman, director of “Thank You for Smoking” and “Juno.” The guy is named Ryan Bingham, and his special skill is that he is able to swiftly, neatly fire the employees that his own corporate bosses are too cowardly to fire themselves. And, ever the dedicated professional and obsessive frequent flyer, Ryan jets from city to city, from company to company, peforming his chores with pizzazz, giving the sad sacked a pat on the shoulder while painting a picture of glorious rebirth now that they’ve dropped out of the rat race. It's like he's doing them a huge favor.

Fittingly enough, it suddenly looks as if Ryan himself may be dropping out of the rat race, thanks to hot-shot techie Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who’s on the brink of persuading his boss (Jason Bateman) that people can best be fired by her newfangled, sublimely impersonal form of video conferencing. So who needs Ryan?

Maybe Natalie will succeed in her scheme, and maybe she won’t. If she does, Ryan will have a shoulder to cry on. It's the sexy shoulder of Alex, a kindred spirit he picked up in a bar and has managed to reconnect with in various hotel suites around the country. Lucky for us, Alex is played by the delightful Vera Farmiga, and her chemistry with Clooney is said to be breathtaking. Now Playing

COLIN FARRELL

ONDINE

Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Alison Barry, Stephen Rea, Tony Curran, Emil Hostina, Dervla Kirwan (Written and directed by Neil Jordan; Magnolia Films)

When last seen, Colin Farrell was warbling his soul out as the country-western star mentored by drunken good-old-boy Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart.” But oddly enough, some moviegoers may not have known they were actually watching Farrell in the movie. How come? Because, for whatever weird reason, the unpredictable Irish actor decided not to take an on-screen credit for his brief but top-notch performance.

That is definitely not the case in “Ondine,” an alternately lyrical and violent tale filmed on the rugged southwest coast of Ireland. Farrell is front and center this time out, playing Syracuse, a mercurial fisherman trying to shape up and shed his reputation as the town’s biggest, silliest lush. Clearly, he gets little moral support from his wife, a pill who beds down nightly with another man in what was once the house Syracuse called home.

On the other hand, Annie, his shy, crippled 10-year-old daughter, does spend a good deal of time with Syacuse in his modest cottage near the bay where he struggles to make a living. It is in this bay one day that the fisherman makes an awesome catch. Pulling his net from the water, he is stunned by the sight of a body—the beautiful body of a woman who, mysteriously, is very much alive.

Convinced that his luck has gone from bad to good, an exuberant Syracuse is soon providing shelter for the seemingly mystical creature he calls Ondine, and he is now catching more fish than ever before. As for Annie, she has, at long last, a friend with whom she can communicate soul to soul.

What’s missing in this picture? A burly, vicious, possibly homicidal traveler from afar, a man who has known Ondine in a way that would be foreign to Syracuse and little invalid Annie. And, by the way, why did the sun-caressed sky suddenly turn dark? Now Playing

MICHAEL FASSBENDER

A DANGEROUS METHOD

Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel, Sarah Gadon, Andre Hennicke, Arndt Schwerinng-Sohnrey (Directed by David Cronenberg; Written by Christopher Hampton)

Keira Knightley, a visual knockout blessed with genuine talent, has yet to be hailed as a cinematic heavyweight. Maybe her failure to get the respect she deserves can be blamed on her frivolous participation in the slapstick drivel whipped up by the “Pirates of the Caribbean” mercenaries.

But advance reports suggest Keira may finally make the leap to celluloid aristocracy in director David Cronenberg and screenwriter Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of John Kerr’s “A Most Dangerous Method,” the solemn but provocative 1993 non-fiction book about Sabina Spielrein, a mentally disturbed 18-year-old Russian beauty who journeyed to Vienna in search of healing from Carl Jung, a popular disciple of trailblazing shrink Sigmund Freud. Chief among Sabina’s problems in need of tending by Jung was her seemingly unbreakable habit of mentally coupling her food—be it breakfast, lunch, dinner or merely a snack—with repulsive images of her own feces and her own shamelessly hankering, hands-on father. Jung, played by swiftly rising star Michael Fassbender (“Inglourious Basterds,” "Fish Tank,” "Jane Eyre"), works some manly psychological miracles on Sabina and before long her sexual hang-ups have (mostly) flown away, as evidenced by the fact that she responds favorably to the notion of a full-throttle relationship with the romantic rogue—an arrangement that doesn’t sit too well with Carl’s wife and three kids.

Perhaps the biggest roadblock to a full carnal breakthrough for Sabina is erected by Dr. Freud (played by Viggo Mortensen, who triumphed as a walking, talking, slashing, shooting lethal weapon in helmer Cronenberg’s “A History of Violence” and “Eastern Promises”). Spoilsport Sigmund, having soured on his former protégé for a variety of reasons, engaged in an obsessive campaign to destroy his reputation as an honorable man of science. And, yes, Freud even enlisted the support of poor jilted Sabina—a woman he himself fancied—in his crazed scheming.

So, was Sig a prig or was Sig a pig? See “A Dangerous Method” and decide for yourself. Opening date to be announced

WILL FERRELL

STRANGER THAN FICTION

Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson (Directed by Marc Forster; Written by Zach Helm; Mandate Films)

An auditor for the IRS may not fit your image of the perfect movie hero. And perhaps the fib-and-cheat detector played by Will Ferrell in this oddball comedy is not altogether perfect. But you’ve got to feel for the guy. Here’s his problem: an inner voice that is not really his voice speaks up at unexpected moments, telling him more than he really wants to know about the way his life--and imminent death--are progressing. Dustin Hoffman, re-teaming with “Finding Neverland” director Marc Forster, plays a professor who tries to help Ferrell silence the meddlesome voice. Now Playing


RALPH FIENNES

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS--PART 1

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleason, Richard Griffiths, John Hurt, Rhys Ifans, Jason Isaacs, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney, Peter Mullan, Julie Walters (Directed by David Yates; Written by Steve Kloves; Warner Brothers)

The peerless, mostly fearless kids played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson in the fantastical, hugely profitable “Harry Potter” flicks are back. And in this, the seventh and next to final chapter of the hoary hit, the kids are not only all right; they are all grown up, if a wee bit gloomy. Still, even though the smashing box office receipts make it clear that moviegoers will always be wild about Harry and his chums, it does seem time for this trio to break up and move on. Now Playing

COLIN FIRTH

A SINGLE MAN

Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult, Ginnifer Goodwin, Paulette Lamori (Written and directed by Tom Ford; Weinstein Company)

Arguably the most emotionally powerful novel written by Christopher Isherwood, “A Single Man,” published in 1964, focuses on one day in the life of George Falconer, a British professor living in California who is mourning the death of his long-time partner, Jim.

Now, along comes Tom Ford, a handsome, mischievous and awesomely ambitious native of Austin, Texas. Ford, as you may have heard, migrated to Manhattan at an early age, came to the conclusion one steamy night at Studio 54 that he was gay, went on to become a major force in the world of fashion during his reign at the house of Gucci, and, surprisingly, toyed with the dream of fleshing out Isherwood’s story on film.

That dream, representing the 48-year-old Ford’s directorial debut and reflecting fragments of Isherwood’s own bittersweet life, was recently acclaimed at the 66th Venice Film Festival. On screen, Colin Firth plays the prof in stiff-upper-lip mourninng; Julianne Moore is an alcoholic friend who once slept with him and is more than willing to rekindle their romance even though she is well aware that he is gay; Matthew Goode (shown above, having a brew with Firth) is the gone but not forgotten Jim; and Nicholas Hoult—the lad who made Hugh Grant behave like a grown-up in 2002’s “About a Boy”—plays Kenny, a college student who may have a crush on teacher George. Now Playing

JANE FONDA

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


HARRISON FORD

MORNING GLORY

Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, 50 Cent (Directed by Roger Michell; Written by Aline Brosh McKenna; Paramount)

Imagine this: Still half asleep, you click your remote to “Daybreak” one morning, expecting the predictably bland patter of the news show’s co-anchors to usher you calmly into the stress and turbulence of another day in urban America. Instead you are subjected to the shattering sight and sound of the normally polite Mike Pomeroy and Colleen Peck (Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton) as the veteran tube stars engage in a shockingly venomous, intensely personal war of words.

Riveting as the total loss of cool might be for thrill-starved viewers, it is not a scene destined to warm the hearts of the “Daybreak” people who gambled on the possibility that macho, hard-news Mike and girly-soft former beauty queen Colleen could combine forces and help raise the show’s sagging ratings. Who knew that they’d turn out to hate one another? Certainly not Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams), the panic-prone wannabe producer who pitched the idea of this dream team in the first place. Oh, well, if Becky is fired, it won't be the first time. Maybe she's lucky in love? Nope. Her dashing beau, played by Patrick Wilson, seems ready to dash off in a whole new direction. Now Playing

JODIE FOSTER

THE BEAVER

Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Riley Thomas Stewart (Directed by Jodie Foster; Written by Kyle Killen; Summit Entertainment)

When last coupled on screen, Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster were a pair of poker-playing con artists scheming to fleece as many unsuspecting citizens of the Old West as possible. That was in 1994’s “The Maverick,” directed by Richard Donner.

No doubt they still make a striking combo but, in their latest film at least one of them is definitely looking weird. And we do mean Mel, who plays Walter Black, a severely agitated man who never goes anywhere or does anything unless he’s sporting his ludicrous-looking beaver hand puppet. That’s the only way this loser is able to calm down, but thanks to that damn beaver, his faithful wife Meredith Black, played by Jodie, is becoming more and more frantic. Which is why their son Porter Black (Anton Yelchin) insists that mom dump dad.

So who’s directing this black comedy? None other than two-time Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster, whose previous behind-the-camera achievements include “Little Man Tate” (1991) and the underrated “Home for the Holidays” (1995). The rumor that Jodie was Mel’s first choice to direct “The Passion of the Christ” seemingly has no basis in fact. But won't it be fun if Mel turns out to be the director of "The Beaver, Part 2"? Assuming he can fit it into his hectic schedule. Opens 3/23/11

JAMIE FOXX

THE KINGDOM

Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Jeremy Piven, Andrew Esposito, Brooke Langton, Minka Kelly, Frances Fisher, Richard Jenkins, Brian Mahoney, Amy Hunter, Trevor St. John, Tom Bresnahan, Tj Burnett, Raad Rawi (Directed by Peter Berg; Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan; Universal)

This is a fictional film set in Saudi Arabia, but the depiction of a terrorist massacre of innocent people--including many American civilians--is strikingly similar to the one that occurred in Riyadh in 2003. And, while the intention of director Peter Berg and screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan is not to make light of the swiftly barbaric nature of contemporary warfare, it’s said that they do tell their story of attack and rescue with cinematic vitality and even a touch of black humor. The film focuses on the heroically gung-ho resourcefulness of a hotshot team of FBI agents that includes Jamie Foxx, Jason Bateman, Chris Cooper and an artfully T-shirted Jennifer Garner. Now Playing

JAMES FRANCO

127 HOURS

James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clemence Posey, Treat Williams, Kate Burton, Lizzy Caplan (Directed by Danny Boyle; Written by Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy; Fox Searchlight)

Maybe you sat glued to the TV screen as Aron Ralston related his real-life nightmare back in 2003, or perhaps you nervously turned the pages of his grisly yet inspiring memoir, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” published the following year. Whatever the case, if you are a serious moviegoer, you don’t dare skip “127 Hours,” the adaptation of Ralston’s shocker by director Danny Boyle, who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Beaufoy, his “Slumdog Millionaire” collaborator.
On the other hand, you may not be the only member of the audience tempted to close your eyes, if only for a 127 seconds or so, during the scene in which the lone traveler does what he must do if he is to survive the ordeal of being trapped, miles from another human being, in a narrow patch of Utah’s Blue John Canyon, his right arm pinned against a rock wall by a monstrous boulder. Even in a drained, hallucinatory state, this youthful, extraordinarily can-do engineer, played by the remarkable James Franco, summons the courage to improvise amputation.

Can this grim, claustrophobic situation be made truly cinematic, even exhilarating?  According to preview audiences, the answer is a resounding yes, thanks to the forceful artistry of Danny Boyle, who worked similar miracles with downbeat material in “Trainspotting,” “28 Days Later” and, of course, the Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire.” Now Playing

BRENDAN FRASER

INKHEART

Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Rafi Gavron, Sienna Guillory, Jennifer Connelly (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. Now Playing

MORGAN FREEMAN

INVICTUS

Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Scott Eastwood, Langley Kirkwood, Robert Hobbs, Tony Kgoroge, Grant Roberts, Bonnie Henna (Directed by Clint Eastwood; Written by Anthony Peckham; Warner Bros.)

Unjustly charged with the crime of sabotage, Nelson Mandela, the world’s most forceful opponent of apartheid, endured 27 years of captivity in a South African prison. Following his release—and the liberating defeat of white supremacy—Mandela became the first black president of South Africa.

Yet many of the country’s citizens remained in need of spiritual healing. And that’s when President Mandela, seizing on a bold plan to unite the races in a common goal, shifted his focus to the participation of South Africa’s rugby team in the 1995 World Cup championships.

Under the direction of Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman stars as Nelson Mandela  and Matt Damon plays Francois Pienaar,  the captain of the rugby team. Freeman won an Oscar for  Best Supporting Actor of 2004 in Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby.” Could it be that 2009 will finally be his year to clutch onto the all-important Best Actor award?

P.S. Though superstar Clint Eastwood chose not to go before the camera in “Invictus,” he did cast his son, Scott Eastwood, in a supporting role. If the kid does well, he’s going to make his dad’s day. Now Playing