Moviecrazed

IS TOM CRUISE STALKING DENZEL WASHINGTON, OR IS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND?

THE MATARESE CIRCLE

Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise (Directed by David Cronenberg; Written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas; MGM) A global conspiracy threatens to derail our wobbly world. Who’s to prevent the miscreants from succeeding in their scarily possible mission? Super spy Tom Cruise, for one, and super spy Denzel Washington, Tom’s former foe, for another. At least that’s the way the drama unfolded in Robert Ludlum’s Cold War novel, which has been updated by screenwriters Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. Can’t wait to see how this odd couple manages to preserve civilization as we know it. What comes next? A sequel, of course--for which MGM has already purchased the rights. And you thought “Valkyrie” would be Tom’s swan song! Opens 8/21/09

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 had a silly falling out on their journey to maturity and, in a huff, went their separate ways, never to co-sleuth again. But then something shocking happened, so they’re back together, pooling brains and brawn on a truly big, life-or-death criminal case. And is that “The Hardy Men 2” we see on the horizon?

NICOLAS CAGE

NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Ed Harris, Helen Mirren, Harvey Keitel, Justin Bartha, Alicia Coppola, Bruce Greenwood (Directed by Jon Turteltaub; Written by Cormac Wibberly and Marianne Wibberley; Buena Vista Pictures) If you saw 2004’s “National Treasure,” you’re aware that in all of this world so far there has never been a keener follower of clues and finder of lost, precious documents than Benjamin Franklin Gates. Well, super-snooper Ben, once again played by Nicolas Cage, is back on the job. This time, he’s fixated on tracking down some missing pages from the diary of John Wilkes Booth, the guy who gunned down Abe Lincoln. How come? Because Ben has a sickening hunch that his very own great-grandfather may have been in cahoots with the murderous Mr. Booth! Now Playing

MICHAEL CAINE

THE DARK KNIGHT Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Caine, William Fichtner, Eric Roberts (Written and directed by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.) Batman (Christian Bale) and good-guy lawman James Gordon (Gary Oldman) have got trouble, BIG trouble, right here in Gotham city. And the biggest part of the big trouble is The Joker, a lethal lunatic brought memorably to life by Jack Nicholson in the 1989 Batman extravaganza. This time, the sicko is played by Heath Ledger, the charismatic actor who recently died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. If you flipped for “Batman Begins” (2005), chances are that “The Dark Knight” will please you, since it too has been helmed by that film's director, Christopher Nolan, and many cast members are doing encores. Katie Holmes, however, does not return as delectable Rachel Dawes. That role, we’re pleased to say, has been inherited by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Now Playing

STEVE CARELL

GET SMART Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Bill Murray, James Caan (Directed by Peter Segal; Written by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember; Warner Bros.) It all began in the fertile, funny minds of scripters Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. The date was September 18, 1965, and the premiering show--a weekly spoof about the misadventures of secret agents--was called “Get Smart.” It starred Don Adams as fumbling agent Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as his truly smart partner, and it aired 138 episodes, ending on September 11, 1970. “The Nude Bomb,” a 1980 film returning Adams to the role of Smart, turned out dumb, a bomb in the showbiz sense of the word. But perhaps a new generation of moviegoers will get the 2008 Smart, played by Steve Carell, a cinematic champ in “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” Anne Hathaway is Agent 99, the character first played to perfection by Barbara Feldon but booted by the misguided packagers of “The Nude Bomb.” Click here to read about more new movie comedies. Now Playing

DON CHEADLE

OCEAN’S THIRTEEN George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Bernie Mac, Ellen Barkin, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Carl Reiner, Scott Caan, Shaobo Qin, Eddie Jemison (Directed by Steven Soderbergh; Written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien; Warner Bros.) Danny Ocean, the coolest, most mischievously macho crook we know, will be back with his law-defying pals, and of course he will be played by the peerless George Clooney. We won’t have the pleasure of Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ company this time around the Vegas block, but we will have Al Pacino as a slick--but perhaps vulnerable--manager of a trendy casino. To read Guy Flatley's 1973 interview with Al Pacino, click here; for Guy's 1973 interview with Elliott Gould, click here. Now Playing

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 drawn raves on the festival circuit 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 his 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

GEORGE CLOONEY

WHITE JAZZ George Clooney (Directed by Joe Carnahan; Written by Joe Carnahan and Matthew Michael Carnahan; Warner Independent Pictures) Not all cops are the same. Some are good, and some are bad. Dave Klein (George Clooney) is a good--well, mostly good--cop making a buck the scary way on the LAPD vice squad in the 1958, and he’s being set up for a calamitous fall by the city’s police commissioner, a bad-to-the-core cop if ever there was one. Will Klein outwit his boss? You can count on it. Nor would you be wrong to count on a full tank of blood, guts, bullets and octane in this adaptation of the James Ellroy novel, since writer-director Joe Carnahan is the man who gave us “Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane,” the 1998 cult thriller, as well as 2003’s police saga “Narc.” Opening date to be announced

ESCAPE FROM TEHRAN George Clooney (Directed by George Clooney; Written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov; Warner Bros.) In the wake of the WMD blunder that started the Iraqi War ball rolling, the CIA is in desperate need of an image makeover. Perhaps it will get the p.r. boost it needs with this real-life comedy-drama set not in Iraq, but in Iran. Co-producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov are basing their screenplay on Joshua Bearman’s investigative report in Wired magazine about the astonishing 1980 rescue of six Americans in Tehran by CIA operative Tony Mendez. Wacky as it seems, Mendez convinced Iranian officials that he and his U.S. colleagues were actually Canadian filmmakers with plans to shoot a major epic in Tehran. Not only did they manage to fool the Iranians, but they also put one over on Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, both of which did dead-earnest reports on the making of the movie. As was the case with “Good Night, and Good Luck,” the previous Clooney-Heslov collaboration, Clooney is expected to direct and act in “Escape From Tehran.” He sounds like the perfect Mendez to us. Opening date to be announced

SACHA BARON COHEN

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen, Timothy Spall, Christopher Lee, Jamie Bower, Jayne Wisener, Laura Michelle Kelly, Ed Sanders, Michael N. Harbour, Peter Bowles, Anthony Head, Ian Burford (Directed by Tim Burton; Written by John Logan; DreamWorks and Paramount) From “Edward Scissorhands” to “Ed Wood,” Johnny Depp and his favorite director, Tim Burton, have never been afraid to come across as creepy. Even so, it’s a jolt to learn that their sixth collaboration will be “Sweeney Todd,” the film version of Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 musical about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, an ex-con who slashes the throats of his customers in order to supply ingredients for the succulent pies to be baked and sold by his equally demonic mate (Helena Bonham Carter, whose casting surely had nothing to do with the fact that she is the mom of Billy-Ray Burton, son of the film's director). Sacha Baron Cohen, following the triumph of "Borat," is cast as Sweeney Todd's conniving rival barber. Sing out Sacha! To read about more new movie musicals, click here. Now Playing

JENNIFER CONNELLY

HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOUBen Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Kris Kristofferson, Justin Long (Directed by Ken Kwapis; Written by Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn; New Line Cinema) Smart, attractive and variously driven young men and women meet, mix, meld and sometimes split in exotic, erotic Baltimore. The star-studded story is based on the self-help book by “Sex and the City” writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo and is being directed by Ken Kwapis, who deserves credit for his contributions to television’s “The Office,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “The Bernie Mac Show” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” Mention should be made, too, of Kwapis’ big-screen, big-flop “License to Wed,” starring a spectacularly unfunny Robin Williams as a man of the cloth who's determined to put Mandy Moore and John Krasinski through holy hell before deigning to marry them. To read about more new comedies, click here; for Diane Baroni's 1998 interview with Kris Kristofferson, click here. Now Playing

MARION COTILLARD

PUBLIC ENEMIES Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Channing Tatum, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Leelee Sobieski, Stephen Dorff, Lili Taylor, Emilie de Ravin, Giovanni Ribisi, Rory Cochran, Shawn Hatosy, Stephen Lang, Stephen Graham, Matt Craven (Directed by Michael Mann; Written by Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman and Michael Mann; Universal) John Dillinger was not as scary as Sweeney Todd, but don't be surprised if Johnny Depp makes the gun-toting terror of thirties Chicago almost as chilling as he made the demon barber of Fleet Street in Tim Burton's maniacal musical. “Public Enemies” is based on the book by Bryan Burrough about FBI biggie J. Edgar Hoover's crusade to bring Dillinger and other dirty rotten scoundrels, such as Pretty Boy Floyd, to justice. You might think that pretty boy Billy Crudup would be the ideal choice to play gangster Floyd, but no, that role has been undertaken by up-and-coming Tatum Channing. So who does Crudup play? The emphatically un-pretty J. Edgar Hoover! Giving his Batman drag a rest, Christian Bale becomes Melvin Purvis, the agent Hoover puts in charge of the Dillinger manhunt. Marion Cotillard and Leelee Sobieski play a couple of dollies with whom Dillinger dallies. Opens 7/1/09

NINE Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Stacy Ferguson, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, Judi Dench (Directed by Rob Marshall; Written by Anthony Minghella and 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, Kate Hudson is a fashion reporter who intrigues him and Sophia Loren will presumably haunt him and us as the ghost of his Mama. Opens 11/25/09

DANIEL CRAIG

DEFIANCE Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, George MacKay, Alexa Davalos, Jodhi May, Mark Feuerstein (Directed by Edward Zwick; Written by Edward Zwick and Clayton Frohman; Paramount Vantage) During Germany’s ruthless World War II occupation of Poland, four brave brothers escaped their captors and took refuge in a forest. Eventually, they joined a band of Russian resisters in an effort to combat Nazis and free imprisoned Jews. They succeeded to an astonishing degree, as this adaptation of Nechama Tec’s non-fiction book will no doubt make clear. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell and George MacKay play the brothers under the direction of Edward Zwick, who demonstrated that war is never less than hell in “Glory,” “Courage Under Fire” and “Blood Diamond.” To read about more new war movies, click here. Now Playing

RUSSELL CROWE

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) 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

TENDERNESS Russel Crowe, Jon Foster, Sophie Traub, Laura Dern, Michael Kelly (Directed by John Polson; Written by Emil Stern; Lionsgate) A tough-but-sensitive New York cop (Russell Crowe) tries to achieve the proper balance in his handling of a moody teen-ager who may have murdered members of his own family while in an especially bad mood and is now too close to comfort to a 16-year-old runaway (Sophie Traub). The creepy lad is played by Jon Foster, the under-rated actor who was excellent as the boy who surrendered his virginity to Kim Basinger in “The Door in the Floor.” To read about more new murderpix, click here. Opening date to be announced

BILLY CRUDUP

WATCHMEN Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Maliln Akerman, Carla Gugino, Stephen McHattie, Matt Frewer (Directed by Zach Snyder; Written by David Hayter and Alex Tse; Warner Bros)

1985 doesn’t seem all that long ago, yet nothing in this dark, heavily plotted thriller seems remotely familiar. With bizarrely-costumed superheroes and supervillains competing for our attention as they flit through the Cold War landscape of the U.S. and the Soviet Union, we fail to realize that the Doomsday Clock is ticking toward midnight and that by dawn’s early light we’ll have been blown to smithereens. Did I mention that the superhero with the mostest on the ball is named Rorschack? This adaptation of Alan Moore’s popular comic-book series made a spectacular opening weekend bow at the box office, followed the next weekend by a spectacular b.o. plummet. Opened 3/10/09

FOR GUY FLATLEY'S 2002 INTERVIEW WITH BILLY CRUDUP, click here.

PENELOPE CRUZ

NINE Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, Judi Dench (Directed by Rob Marshall; Written by Anthony Minghella and 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, Kate Hudson is a fashion reporter who intrigues him, and Sophia Loren will presumably haunt him and us as the ghost of his Mama. Opens 11/25/09

LOS ABRAZOS ROTOS Penelope Cruz, Blanca Portillo, Lluis Homar (Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar; El Deseo) The innovative, emotional, challenging, never cautious or dull Pedro Almodovar will shoot this Hollywood-style film noir in Madrid and other Spanish locations. Almodovar told Variety’s John Hopewell that the movie will be set in the 90s and today and will be reminiscent of Nicolas Ray’s “In a Lonely Place” and Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful.” It will deal with “fate, the mystery of creation, guilt, unscrupulous power, the eternal search of fathers for sons, and sons for fathers.” Opening date to be announced

MANOLETE Adrien Brody, Penelope Cruz (Written and directed by Menno Meyjes; Lolafilms) Adrien Brody, faced with monstrous competition for the attention of Naomi Watts in “King Kong,” will presumably have an easier time of it when he woos Penelope Cruz in this true-life romance. Brody plays magnetic bullfighter Manuel Rodriguez Sanchez, better known as Manolete, and Cruz takes on the role of sultry actress Lupe Sino. To read about more new biopics, click here. Opening date to be announced

JOHN CUSACK

WAR, INC. John Cusack, Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Ben Cross, Montel Williams (Directed by Joshua Seftel; Written by John Cusack, Mark Leyner and Jeremy Pikser; First Look International) Something’s rotten in Turaqistan, and that something is Brand Hauser (John Cusack), the hit man dispatched to the war-ravaged Middle East nation by the former U.S. vice president. What is Brand’s mission? To bump off the CEO of a company that’s competing with the VP’s company for a spectacular outsourcing military contract. Cusack, in a twist on his memorable portrait of a professional terminator in “Grosse Pointe Blank” (1997), is joined by sibling Joan Cusack, also doing a “Pointe Blank” encore, this time playing the assassin’s nutty assistant. Marisa Tomei is a relentlessly snoopy journalist and Hilary Duff’s a shallow celeb who plans to wed it wealthily in Turaqistan. Now Playing

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