PRINTIt’s the most wonderful time of the year
Snuggle into a sweater, and watch these movies during the holiday season
November 27, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
November and December mean a few things: snow, shopping, holidays and, don’t forget, movie season. With the kids on break in December and Oscar nominations announced in January, studio bosses try to align the stars so their pride-and-joy films take home the green all winter and the gold come February. “We increase our showings to a certain degree,” says Joe McKie, general manager of Stadium 14 theater. He explains that the increase in business is due, in part, to the greater number of family-oriented films. Ramsay Wise, a graduate instructor of film at MU, takes a different approach and refers to much of the winter harvest as “Oscar bait.” Talking about the upcoming film Doubt, Wise jokes: “It’s got sex, religion and Meryl Streep. It’s Oscar gold.” Regardless of where you stand, the flood of films can be easy to drown in, but fear not, Vox will bring even the most casual film fan up to speed on the latest holiday season features.
Star attractions
$285,761,243: Box-office receipts for Home Alone. Released in 1990, it is the highest grossing holiday movie of all time.
10: Feature films released in November or December that Tim Allen has starred in,
including his role as St. Nick in The Santa Clause trilogy.
25: Years since holiday classic A Christmas Story saved us all from shooting our eyes out.
56: Days until nominations are announced for the 81st annual Academy Awards.
$3,180,000: Budget for It’s a Wonderful Life, released in January 1946.
--Aaron Channon
Throw another Oscar on the barbie: Australia, Nov. 26
This film will be one of the biggest spectacles of the holiday season, in part because it might be the first Hollywood picture starring Australians playing Australians that is completely devoid of crocodiles. The continent- and-genre-crossing epic stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman as an aristocrat and cowboy trying to drive Kidman’s cattle through Australia during World War II.
A final hurrah: Gran Torino, Dec. 17 (limited release),
Jan. 16 (wide release)
If Unforgiven was Clint Eastwood’s magnum opus for The Man With No Name, then Gran Torino is his postscript for Dirty Harry. His character is a Korean War veteran who protects his neighbors from gang threats and violence. Given his Hollywood tenure, don’t be surprised to see Eastwood saddle up alongside Sean Penn and others in the best actor race.
Weird doesn’t begin to describe: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dec. 25
Reunited, and it feels so good. Director David Fincher and star Brad Pitt have collaborated before with Se7en and Fight Club, each of which were defining roles in their respective filmographies. Although Benjamin Button is not quite as dark or violent as the previous two, it compensates with a Tim Burton-like level of oddity as the title character becomes younger and younger by the day.
Retro movie romance rehashed: Revolutionary Road, Dec. 26
Leonardo DiCaprio is back, and he’s brought his Titanic love with him. The romance reunites Kate Winslet and DiCaprio as socially repressed individuals stuck in the suburbs of Connecticut. The meditation on the American dream is directed by Sam Mendes, whose similarly themed film American Beauty resulted in a Best Director Oscar.
Fun for the whole family
A Christmas movie without Tim Allen?: Nothing Like the Holidays, Dec. 12
Unlike recent holiday movies, Nothing Like the Holidays won’t make you hate Christmas. As the Rodriguez family converges at their parents’ home in Chicago, family dynamics might cause the clan to part ways for good and make this Christmas their last as the parents face divorce. Despite the clichés, performances from John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Luis Guzmán and others ought to provide just the right amount of heart warmth without the gush dripping over the edges.
For the little ones, from the little ones: The Tale of Despereaux, Dec. 19
Riding the rattails of last year’s best animated feature Ratatouille, this movie also features French rodents doing the extraordinary. Despereaux, voiced by Matthew Broderick, is an odd mouse. You know the kind: loves cats, doesn’t scurry, has big ears. The story follows his adventures in the outside world after being banished from the mouse world for being too human. The film features an all-star cast of voices, including Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline and Emma Watson. And like all great animated films, it comes with a message: Looks can be deceiving.
Awwwww, puppy!: Marley & Me, Dec. 25
Dogs are adorable. It’s a scientific fact. If that isn’t reason enough to see this movie, perhaps a cast of Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston and the increasingly omnipresent Alan Arkin might be more convincing. This film is adapted from journalist John Grogan’s autobiography of the same name, but the charm follows the same tried-and-true format of other films in the canine canon. As per usual, the family must deal with the Labrador’s natural mischievousness and neuroses, and he must deal with their wacky adult human ways. In doing so, their lives change immeasurably.
Get your popcorn ready
Most intergalactic, dude: The Day the Earth Stood Still, Dec. 12
Special effects are the only reason to remake this otherwise perfect film, and given that it will be presented in IMAX, the effects should be mind-blowing. Keanu Reeves’ penchant for science fiction and lack of earthly mental presence will serve him well as Klaatu, the alien visitor who sends puny Earthlings into a tizzy.
Not just scene stealers: The Brothers Bloom, Dec. 19 (limited), Jan. 16 (wide)
Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody form the best con team since Ocean’s Eleven. The brothers scheme to take an heiress for all she’s worth. Alongside them is Bang Bang, played by Rinko Kikuchi of Babel though this role should prove to be less explosive. With heiress in tow, the conniving trio spans the globe in this stylish crime romp.
The man who couldn’t lie: Yes Man, Dec. 19
History repeats itself. For Jim Carrey, it repeats about every 10 years. If Bruce Almighty were The Mask with a little less green and a little more Morgan Freeman, then Yes Man is Liar Liar with a few more wrinkles and Zooey Deschanel. Much like in Liar Liar, Carrey’s character is compelled to give a certain type of response. Instead of the truth, Carrey must always say, “Yes.” Always.
Black and white and red all over: The Spirit, Dec. 25
In a year packed with comic book adaptations, writer and director Frank Miller provides one more to top it off. In his Sin City style, The Spirit will be presented in semi-animation and black and white with splashes of vibrant color. Gabriel Macht is The Spirit, a shadowy figure trying to save Central City from his arch rival, The Octopus, played by Samuel L. Jackson. The film also stars Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes among other beautiful women who threaten to throw The Spirit off course.
Silver screen controversy
Your annual heavy-hitting biopic: Milk, Nov. 26 (limited release) Dec. 5 (wide release)
Sean Penn has brought his fishing pole, and he’s looking to catch a golden statue or two. The biopic, directed by Gus Van Sant, centers on the rise and demise of America’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk. In addition to Penn, the movie features an all-hunk cast of Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco and Diego Luna.
Politics, politics, politics: Frost/Nixon, Dec. 5 (limited release), Dec. 25 (wide release)
In a climate still glowing from the buzz of the 2008 presidential election, Ron Howard’s adaptation of the Broadway play will capture moviegoers. The film covers the interviews between Richard Nixon and reporter David Frost after the Watergate scandal. Watch Frank Langella reprise his Tony Award-winning role as Nixon.
More gold than Fort Knox: Doubt, Dec. 12 (limited)
Seventeen: the number of Oscar nominations among the three lead actors in Doubt. Most of those belong to Meryl Streep, but she’s had quite a head start on co-stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. Always one for controversy, Hoffman portrays Father Flynn, whom Streep’s Sister Beauvier believes is having illicit interactions with one of the boys from their Catholic school. Adams’ Sister James is the pivot between the two powerhouses, testing her innocence and faith.
Meet the Oscar king: Seven Pounds, Dec. 19
The Fresh Prince has grown up. Will Smith looks to garner a third Oscar nod as Ben Thomas, a man who becomes suicidal because of his part in a car accident that killed seven people. Motivated by guilt, love or both, Smith attempts to redeem himself by changing the lives of seven others. The film is directed and produced by the same people behind The Pursuit of Happyness.
