WHO SAYS THERE ARE NO ROLES FOR WOMEN OVER 50?

Just try telling that to any of these in-demand actresses who've passed the half-century mark. Below, a few of their current and upcoming films.

LAUREN BACALL

THE WALKER: Woody Harrelson, Lauren Bacall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu, Willem Dafoe, William Hope, Geff Francis, Steven Hartley, Mary Beth Hurt (Written and directed by Paul Schrader; Kintop Pictures) Woody is walking his baby back home. That’s right--Woody Harrelson plays Lauren Bacall's gay escort in Paul Schrader’s new thriller, "The Walker," and he also frequently “walks” two other prominent Washington socialites, played by Lily Tomlin and Kristin Scott Thomas. When he’s not squiring these wives of wealthy politicians to social events, this son of a legendary senator is apt to be lunching and dishing with them, or perhaps joining them in a wicked game of canasta. Or he may have slipped off for a tryst with his main man, an intense German-Turkish paparazzo, (Moritz Bleibtreu, best known for “Run, Lola, Run”). But suddenly there is trouble in the walker’s paradise, and it involves the murder of a man having a hot affair with one of the wives (Scott Thomas). In an attempt to shield the adultress from scandal, he makes the serious mistake of telling the police that it was he--not his gal pal-- who discovered the dead man’s body. Writer-director Paul Schrader, who gave us “American Gigolo” in 1980, has said that the central character in “The Walker” might be viewed as a speculation on how the sexual adventurer played by Richard Gere in that film might have aged. To read the Variety review of “The Walker,” click here.

ELLEN BARKIN

TEXAS LULLABY: Josh Hartnett, Ellen Barkin, John Malkovich, Alison Lohman, Tom Waits (Directed by Malcolm Venville; Written by Steve Allison; Alturus Films) Something is rotten in the state of Texas. A young man (Josh Hartnett) is distraught because his father died mysteriously and his widowed mother (Ellen Barkin) has wed her late husband’s brother (John Malkovich), who happens to be the local sheriff. The son is so upset that he is now considering suicide. To be or not to be--that is the question to which we’re pretty sure we know the answer. Opening date to be announced

ELLEN BURSTYN

W.: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ioan Gruffudd, Thandie Newton, Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Glenn, Jeffrey Wright, Ellen Burstyn, James Cromwell, Rob Corddry, Toby Jones, Michael Gaston (Directed by Oliver Stone; Written by Stanley Weiser; Lionsgate) In case you’re having trouble sorting through the merits and flaws of the Junior Bush administration, Oliver Stone will lend you a hand with “W.,” which is scheduled to open just before the 2008 presidential election. This inevitably absurdist extravaganza stars Josh Brolin, shown above, as George II--from hell-raising, booze-guzzling rogue to chatting-with-Jesus commander in chief. Richard Dreyfuss plays gun-toting, bunker-hugging VP Dick Cheney and Thandie Newton has been cast as the scholarly, vigorously inattentive Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Scott Glenn is the you-fight-with-the-army-you’ve-got Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Elizabeth Banks is stand-by-your-cowboy Laura; and the senior Bushes are played by James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn. Can we count on Stone, the man who zeroed in on “JFK,” “Nixon” and “Natural Born Killers,” to capture these history-making characters, warts and all? For a clue, click here and read Slate’s preview of “W.,” based on Juliet Lapidos’ perusal of the screenplay. Opens 10/17/08

JULIE CHRISTIE

AWAY FROM HER: Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Kristen Thomson, Wendy Crewson, Alberta Watson (Written and directed by Sarah Polley; Lionsgate) At first glance, Fiona and Grant Anderson, husband and wife for 44 years, appear to be leading a blissful life, cross-country skiing during the day and cozying up at night in their lovely country cottage. But they both know that Fiona, disoriented by the onset of Alzheimer’s, may soon lose her husband, her memory, and her very own identity. Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent have won raves for their performances as the elderly Canadian couple, as has Sarah Polley, the gifted star of Atom Egoyan’s “The Sweet Hereafter,” who makes her screenwriting and directorial debut--at the ripe old age of 28--with this adaptation of Alice Munro’s short story “The Bear Who Came Over the Mountain.” To read Guy Flatley's review of "Away From Her," click here. Now Playing

JUDI DENCH

NINE: Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Judi Dench (Directed by Rob Marshall; Written by Michael Tolkin; Weinstein Company) Who could forget “8 1⁄2,” the stunning 1963 film in which Marcello Mastroianni, under the direction of Federico Fellini, played a Felliniesque director who made more women than movies? Certainly, composer Maury Yeston and dramatist Arthur Kopit could not erase this classic from their memories. That’s why, in 1982, they came up with a Broadway musicalization of it starring the late, great Raul Julia as the womanizing auteur on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The show, called “Nine,” was successfully revived in 2003, showcasing the song-and-dance skills of Antonio Banderas. And now, here comes the movie version of the hit musical, directed by Rob Marshall, who gave us “Chicago,” and starring Daniel Day Lewis, one of the few actors now working who could be ranked alongside Marcello Mastroianni. Penelope Cruz plays his mistress, Marion Cotillard, who triumphed as Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose,” is his shortchanged wife, Nicole Kidman is an actress who greatly inspires him, and Sophia Loren will haunt us as the ghost of his Mama. Opening date to be announced

CATHERINE DENEUVE

CHANGING TIMES: Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, Gilbert Melki, Lubna Azabal, Malik Zidi, Tanya Lopert, Jabir Elomri, Nabila Baraka, Nadem Rachati (Directed by Andre Techine; Written by Andre Techine, Laurent Guyot, Pascal Bonitzer; Koch Lorber Films) Those who agree that Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu were riveting as incendiary lovers in Francois Truffaut’s 1980 masterpiece, “The Last Metro,” will be happy to hear that the two are reunited in this drama about, of all things, incendiary lovers who make hot contact 30 years after the supposed end of their affair. Gilbert Melki co-stars as Deneuve’s straying husband. To read Guy Flatley's review of "Changing Times," click here; for Diane Baroni's 1991 interview with Gerard Depardieu, click here; for Guy Flatley's 2000 interview with Catherine Deneuve, click here. Now Playing

JANE FONDA

GEORGIA RULE: Lindsay Lohan, Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman, Cary Elwes (Written and directed by Garry Marshall; Morgan Creek) 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

ANJELICA HUSTON

CHOKE: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brad William Henke, Clark Gregg, Joel Grey, Bijou Phillips, Willi Burke (Written and directed by Clark Gregg; Fox Searchlight) A boy’s best friend is not always his mother, and that’s very much the case in this adaptation of "Choke," the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, cult author of "Fight Club." Yet, even though sicko lawbreaker Ida Mancini (Anjelica Huston) has always been cruel in her treatment of her son Victor (Sam Rockwell), the loyal lad foots the bill for her stay in a bizarre institution for women suffering from dementia. But how does he come up with the money, considering the fact that he is paid a mere pittance for his labors in a Colonial American theme park? Easy--he dines in elegant restaurants, pretends to be choking to death on his gourmet meal and then fleeces the sap who steps in to perform the Heimlich Maneuver. And, in his spare time, the orgasm-obsessed Victor attends 12-step meetings for sex addicts with Denny (Brad William Henke), his masturbation-crazed best friend. Meanwhile, mom's nurse (Kelly Macdonald) is hatching a scheme whereby an unsuspecting Victor will sire her child. Opens 9/26/08

DIANE KEATON

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." To read Guy Flatley's 1974 Los Angeles Times interview with Diane Keaton, click here. Opening date to be announced

JESSICA LANGE

GREY GARDENS: Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange (Written and directed by Michael Sucsy; Cinetic Media) Little Edie Beale was Jacqueline Kennedy's cousin, and her mother, Big Edie Bouvier Beale, was the First Lady’s aunt. At one time, the two Edies lived sumptuously on Manhattan’s Park Avenue, but they ended up in a squalid, raccoon-infested estate on Long Island. Thanks to the intervention of Jackie, the East Hampton health department did not carry through with its plan to raid the dump. But that didn’t keep the messy eccentrics out of the headlines, and eventually they became the subjects of “Grey Gardens,” a memorable 1976 documentary made by David and Albert Maysles. Now an expanded version of their story that covers 40 years and includes Little Edie’s late-budding career as a nightclub chanteuse is in the works. Let us hope that Jessica Lange has more luck playing Drew Barrymore’s mom than she did playing Christina Ricci’s in the wretched “Prozac Nation.” To read about many more new biopics, click here. Opening date to be announced

SHIRLEY MACLAINE

CLOSING THE RING: Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Plummer, Mena Suvari, Colin Hanks, Brenda Blethyn, Ryan Phillipe (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.” To read Guy Flatley's 1977 interview with Shirley MacLaine, click here; for Guy's 1970 interview with Dennis Hopper, click here. Opening date to be announced

BETTE MIDLER

THEN SHE FOUND ME: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick (Written and directed by Helen Hunt; Killer Films) Bet you didn’t know that Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt is also a writer and director. At least, she’s written this adaptation of Elinor Lipman’s comic novel, and she plays the central role of a schoolteacher whose husband (Matthew Broderick) decides to drop out of their marriage. But the really sad thing that happens is that her mom dies. And perhaps saddest of all is the decision of her birth mother, who abandoned her 36 years ago, to move in with--and perform a makeover on--Helen. Unlike the prim lady who raised Helen, this TV talk-show hostess, played by Bette Midler, is a total flake, a woman who doesn’t hesitate to put the moves on a charmer (Colin Firth) to whom her daughter has recently been introduced by a thoughtful student. Now Playing

HELEN MIRREN

INKHEART: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Rafi Gavron, Sienna Guillory (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.

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. Opening date to be announced

VANESSA REDGRAVE

HOW ABOUT YOU?: Vanessa Redgrave, Hayley Atwell, Imelda Staunton, Brenda Fricker, Joss Ackland, Orla Brady, Joan O’Hara (Directed by Anthony Byrne; Written by Jean Pasley; Ferndale Films) Who does Vanessa Redgrave think she is, anyway--some kind of movie star? Well, that’s just who she is--or, rather, who she plays--in this comedy-drama. As for the kind of movie star she is, she’s the kind who was far from a superstar during her lackluster career in Irish films. And now she’s taken on the off-screen role of superbitch, the leader of a cantankerous quartet of seniors who’ve been left behind in a County Wicklow retirement home while their fellow residents are spending the Christmas holiday with their families. Redgrave and her cronies--Imelda Staunton and Brenda Fricker as erstwhile high-society sisters and Joss Ackland as former judge--are not about to budge an inch when the determined young manager of the residence (Hayley Atwell, acclaimed star of the Irish TV series, “The Line of Beauty”) makes a stab at turning them into good, cooperative scouts. May the best generation win. If “How About You” sounds familiar to you, you’ve probably had the pleasure of reading “Hardcore,” the Maeve Binchy short story upon which it is based. Opening date to be announced

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 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 and Rachel Weisz, and her grandmother, played by Susan Sarandon)--and on the fiendish schemes 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.To read Guy Flatley's 1978 Cosmopolitan magazine interview with Susan Sarandon, click here. Opening date to be announced

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

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. Opening date to be announced

DOUBT: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Lloyd Clay Brown, Joseph Foster (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. For the record, Crosby and Bergman were both Oscar-nominated for their performances in "The Bells of St. Mary's." Will the same be true for Hoffman and Streep? To read about more new films based on plays, click here. Opens 10/10/08

DIRTY TRICKS: Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jim Broadbent, Annette Bening, Jill Clayburgh, Sharon Stone (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 smarts to cast Meryl Streep as the biggest Moutha ever. Also on prominent display: Jim Broadbent and Jill Clayburgh as Dick and Pat Nixon; former off-screen sweethearts Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow as John and Maureen Dean; Sharon Stone as Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham; and Annette Bening as Helen Thomas, the White House correspondent who received many a late-night phone call from the whistle-blowing Martha. The film is a production of Plan B Entertainment, the company in which co-producer Pitt was once ambitiously partnered with former wife Jennifer Aniston. 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. 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 unsparingly dreary 1991 movie about Texas cops & druggers that 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, he deserves credit. 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”? 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. Opening date to be announced



BARBRA STREISAND

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 Barbra Streisand, click here; for Guy's 1973 interview with Robert De Niro, click here; for his 1979 interview with Dustin Hoffman, click here; and for Diane Baroni's 2000 interview with Teri Polo, click here. Opening date to be announced

SIGOURNEY WEAVER

VANTAGE POINT: Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, William Hurt (Directed by Pete Travis; Written by Barry Levy; Columbia Pictures) Why would anyone want to murder our commander in chief? British writer-director Gabriel Range answered that question in his controversial docudrama about the assassination of President Bush. Now Irish director Pete Travis is taking another shot, so to speak, at the chilling subject. Working from a screenplay by Barry Levy, Travis will depict the attempted killing of a future non-Bush U. S. president, to be played by William Hurt. The horrific event, photographed by a tourist, is replayed from the conflicting perspectives of five witnesses. Each recollection will occupy 15 minutes of screen time. Now Playing

DEBRA WINGER

DANCING WITH SHIVA: Anne Hathaway, Debra Winger, Bill Irwin, Rosemarie DeWitt, Anna Deavere Smith, Dorian Missick, Tamyra Gray, Daphne Rubin-Vega (Directed by Jonathan Demme; Written by Jenny Lumet; Sony Pictures Classics) In 1983, director James Brooks skillfully explored the complicated relationship between an impetuous, disorderly rebel and her sweet, impeccably behaved daughter. Both Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger received Academy Award nominations for Best Actress of 1983, and mama MacLaine took home the Oscar. Now, 25 years later, esteemed director Jonathan Demme is focusing on another intriguing mother-daughter combo in “Dancing With Shiva.” This time, it’s Debra Winger who plays mom, a divorcee who is not at all happy when her estranged daughter, a neurotic ex-model recently released from rehab, decides to come home for her sister’s wedding. Perhaps Winger, whose career could stand a little rehabilitation, will nab an Oscar as Best Actress of 2008--though it’s possible that the winner could be Anne Hathaway, who no doubt welcomes the chance to soil her squeaky clean image in the role of Winger’s wayward sprout. And speaking of daughters, “Shiva’s” screenwriter is Jenny Lumet, whose father is 83-year-old director Sidney Lumet. Maybe Demme will make this a truly family affair by giving Lumet, a former child actor, a cameo in his grown-up little girl's flick. Opening date to be announced