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

By Guy Flatley

Z

RENEE ZELLWEGER

CASE 39







Renee Zellweger, Ian McShane, Bradley Cooper (Directed by Christian Alvart; Written by Ray Wright; Paramount)

Renee’s heart is in the right place, but her head might be somewhere else in this thriller. She plays a social worker who succeeds in rescuing an abused 10-year-old girl from her parents, only to find that the couple, spooky as they may be, are not the abusers. There's almost certainly a spookier abuser out there in the dark, dangerous night--and he may soon be calling on Renee. Now Playing

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES

DEATH DEFYING ACTS

Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Saoirse Ronan, Timothy Spall (Directed by Gillian Armstrong; Written by Tony Grisoni and Brian Ward; The Weinstein Co.)

According to this mischievous thriller, there was nothing magical about Harry Houdini’s guilt complex. It was very real and very huge, and it stemmed from the fact that the extraordinary escapologist, played by Guy Pearce, was off performing tricks instead of being at his mother’s bedside when she passed on in 1913. If only poor Harry could have had the opportunity to at least apologize to his neglected mom’s ghost. Actually, that’s precisely the chance he thought he was being given 13 years later by a conniving Scottish psychic and her deceitful daughter (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Saoirse Ronan). And this little miracle would only cost the gullible magician $10,000. Could it be that somebody was about to follow Mother Houdini into the great hereafter? Now Playing