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

By Guy Flatley

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SANDRA OH

RABBIT HOLE

Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Sandra Oh, Jon Tenney, Dianne Wiest, Giancarlo Esposito, Tammy Blanchard (Directed by John Cameron Mitchell; Written by David Lindsay-Abaire; Fox Searchlight Pictures)

The serenity of a suburban family is shattered when a four-year-old boy is killed by the driver of a speeding car. Will a visit from the teenager who was behind the wheel bring solace to the boy’s mother, or will it fill her with rage?

David Lindsay-Abaire's play won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and Cynthia Nixon was awarded a Tony for her performance as the grief-ravaged woman. Does that mean Nicole Kidman, who received an Oscar for "The Hours," will be nabbing another statuette? Now Playing

GARY OLDMAN

THE BOOK OF ELI

Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Michael Gambon, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Evan Jones (Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes; Written by Gary Whitta and Anthony Peckham; Warner Bros.)

Now that we’ve said good riddance to 2009 and are already sickened by what we’ve seen of 2010, don’t you have an urge to speed things up and explore some other era, some better, braver new world? Then you may be tempted to sample “The Book of Eli,” which is set in 2043. But consider this word of warning: the Warner Bros. flacks are describing forty-three as a “post-apocalyptic” year. Which, of course, does not necessarily mean the flick will be as excruciatingly pessimistic as the recent-but-futuristic “Road,” starring Viggo Mortenson as a doomed wannabe savior of what remains of mankind.

This time around we get Denzel Washington as an unswervingly moralistic, if lethal, rover in a savage wasteland. In other words, when the situation demands swift, deadly action, this guy’s a killer to behold. What's more, he knows how to protect the sacred Book of Eli--which he has somehow managed to unearth and which contains the secret for restoring human beings to a state of civility-- from the clutches of rapacious barbarians, most notably the low-life creep played by Gary Oldman. Denzel also knows how to protect his gal pal (Mila Kunis) and to make her his equal in the twin arts of obliteration and salvation. Truly, he is a man for all seasons.

While this is not one of those sci-fi epics that require you to don 3-D specs, the soundtrack for the trailer that’s been blasting away at my local multiplex makes it clear that ear-plugs are an absolute must. Now Playing


CLIVE OWEN

DUPLICITY

Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Tom Wilkinson, Tom McCarthy, Oleg Stefan, Rick Worthy, Denise O’Hare, Kathleen Chalfant, Khan Baykal, Wayne Duvall (Written and directed by Tony Gilroy; Universal)

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, who sizzled memorably as an oversexed couple in Mike Nichols’ “Closer,” will turn up the heat again, this time in Tony Gilroy’s “Duplicity.” Gilroy, the classy screenwriter who made a smashing directorial debut with “Michael Clayton,” gives Roberts and Owen a chance to spar in the boardroom and snuggle in the bedroom as a pair of corporate competitors who are having a hot top-secret affair. Just wait till Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson, the industrialists who’ve been paying them big bucks to make war, not love, find out. Now Playing