Mark Vader Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 My apologies for not getting this out sooner. Here goes. With a bunch of singing and dancing penguins, a blonde 007, and a man from Kazhakhstahn(sp) bringing in the box office bucks this season, many other films have been left out in the cold. Now the month of December tries to reignite the box office with it's offerings. Also, studios scramble to get their last minute films with Oscar potential in before the deadline. Since November & December 2001, when Harry Potter & The Sorceror's Stone, & The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, were released into theatres, the fantasy genre was reborn. Thus a new tradition began with the Holiday Season releasing a new fantasy film each year. This time 20th Century Fox gets into the action with the first chapter of The Inheritance Trilogy, "Eragon". In this tale, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realizes he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king. Edward Speelers plays the titular character, and he is joined by the likes of Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, & Robert Carlyle. Fox is playing it the same way Disney did with last year's first story of Narnia. Hoping that they will strike box office gold before giving the green light to make the remaining books into movies. Promotion for this movie has been subtle, but the book is well liked and Saphira the dragon looks great. We'll see if that is enough to get people into theatre seats. Dreamworks releases their long awaited musical "Dreamgirls". Based on the broadway play, the story follows a trio of female singers grow from a promising R&B act to one of the most successful pop groups of their time. Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, & Anika Noni Rose play the titular triumvirate, and Jamie Foxx & Eddie Murphy co-star. This film has Oscar written all over it, Murphy looks great, and the songs are said to be strong. Mel Gibson takes the director's chair once again, with his Mayan epic "Apocalypto". The story takes place as the Mayan kingdom is in decline, the rulers insist the key to prosperity is to build more temples and offer human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw, a young man chosen for sacrifice, flees the kingdom to avoid his fate. The cinematography looks breathtaking, but are moviegoers that excited about a Mayan historical epic? Universal releases it's furturistic, sci-fi film "Children of Men". In the near-future, in a world where humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of mankind. Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, & Michael Caine star. Robert DeNiro stars and directs "The Good Shepherd", a story about the birth of the CIA, and one of it's founders Edward Wilson. The ensemble cast includes: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Joe Pesci, William Hurt, Alec Baldwin, John Turturro, & Billy Crudup. Director Steven Soderbergh & George Clooney team up once again in "The Good German. Clooney plays an American journalist in post-war Berlin to find his former mistress and is lured into a mystery involving her missing husband and a soldier's washed-up body. Cate Blanchett & Tobey Maguire co-star. "We Are Marshall" tells the true story of the University of Marshall's attempt to keep it's football program alive, after a tragic plane crash killed many of it's player's and fans. Matthew McConaughey, David Starthairn, & Matthew Fox star. Sylvester Stallone direct and stars as "Rocky Balboa". This time the famous underdog is given a shot at the heavyweight title against current champ Mason"The Line"Dixon. What a great name. Will Smith shoots for Oscar gold in "The Pursuit of Happyness", that's not a typo. Smith plays a struggling salesman who takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor. "The Nativity Story" Gives us the story of Joseph & Mary leading up to that fateful night in Bethlehem. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Shohreh Aghdashloo, & Oscar Issac star. Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, & Jennifer Connely search for a rare gem in Africa, in "Blood Diamond". Beware of DiCaprio's South African accent, it is truly frightening. For those in search of romance look no further than "The Holiday". In this romantic comedy an American woman with man problems jaunts over to England and crosses paths with a British villager who has similar troubles. The pairing of Cameron Diaz and Jude Law looks good, but the pairing of Kate Winslet & Jack Black is a head scratcher. There are family films aplenty this month too. Paramount Pictures brings E.B.White's classic children's book "Charlotte's Web", to the big screen. Wilbur the pig is befriended by a kindly spider, who saves him from ending up as another piece of bacon. Dakota Fanning stars along with the voices of Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Robert Redford, Reba McEntire, Thomas Haden Church, & Andre Benjamin. Ben Stiller plays a night time security guard in the Museum of Natural History, in "Night at the Museum". When the lights go out, everything in the museum comes to life. Carla Gugino co-stars, and there are cameos of Robin Williams, Mickey Rooney & Dick Van Dyke. A group of kids create their own makeshift holiday while snowed in at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, in "Unaccompanied Minors". Morgan Freeman stars in "10 Items or Less". Here Freeman plays a semi-famous actor doing research on a potential role at a grocery store. While there he meets a fastidious grocery store clerk(Paz Vega) and their initial bond strengthens as she gives him a lift back to Brentwood. From the "Did we really need a sequel?" department comes "Van Wilder 2:The Rise of Taj". Kal Penn stars as Taj Mahal Badalandabad, who leaves Coolidge College behind for the halls of Camford University, where he looks to continue his education, and teach an uptight student how to make the most out of his academic career. And for those who need a little horror this Holiday season, there's "Black Christmas". A re-make from 1974, this thriller is about a group of sorority sisters who become terrorized by a stranger's constant phone calls. "Turistas" tells of a group of people who's trip to Brazil takes a deadly turn. Calendar with trailers. 12/1 The Nativity Story: http://www.thenativitystory.com/ 10 Items or Less: http://www.cstar.com/ Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj: http://www.mgm.com/vanwilder2/# Turistas: http://www.foxatomic.com/#PAGE_124:TitleId=4 12/8 Apocalypto: http://apocalypto.movies.go.com/ The Holiday: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/theholiday/index.html Blood Diamond: http://blooddiamondmovie.warnerbros.com/ Unaccompanied Minors: http://unaccompaniedminors.warnerbros.com/ 12/15 Charlotte's Web: http://www.charlotteswebmovie.com/site/index.php Eragon: http://www.eragonmovie.com/ The Pursuit of Happyness: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thepurs...ness/index.html 12/20 Rocky Balboa: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809278368/trailer 12/22 The Good Shepherd: http://www.thegoodshepherdmovie.com/ Night at the Museum: http://www.nightatthemuseum.com/ We Are Marshall: http://wearemarshall-themovie.warnerbros.com/ 12/25 Children of Men: http://www.childrenofmen.net/ Dreamgirls: http://www.dreamgirlsmovie.com/ The Good German: http://thegoodgerman.warnerbros.com/ Black Christmas: http://www.blackchristmas.com/ Independant Film Watch. There are plenty of independant movies out there that will looking for Best Picture & Best Acting nods. Clint Eastwood follows up his WWII epic Flags of our Fathers with "Letters from Iwo Jima". This time we are given the Japanese perspective of the historical battle. Could Eastwood get nominated for Best Director twice this year? In "Venus", Peter O'Toole plays an aging actor who makes a connection with the grand-niece of his best friend. Which alters not only his comfortable daily routine, but also his thoughts on life now that his is nearing its end. In Hong Kong, a shallow, uneducated society girl enters into an affair with a career politician, only to be awakened by a trip to a cholera-infested region of the country with her husband. Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, & Liev Schreiber star in "The Painted Veil" Cate Blanchett & Judi Dench play a pair of high school teachers in "Notes on a Scandal". As teacher Sheba Hart (Blanchett) generates headlines after her affair with an underage student is disclosed, the role her colleague, Barbara Covett (Dench), plays in the event is slowly unearthed. Sienna Miller is young Edie Sedgwick in "Factory Girl". In 1965, Edie drops out of Harvard and heads to New York City, where she becomes the muse of artist Andy Warhol. Guy Pearce & Hayden Christensen co-star. In "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born with no odor, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent. Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, & Rachel Hurd-Wood star. Guillermo del Toro directs "Pan's Labyrinth". Relocated in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, young Ofelia discovers a stone labyrinth near her new home. Inside the structure, she encounters a mythical creature who tells her she's the princess who belongs to this underground world, but in order to return home, she must complete three dangerous tasks. Calendar with trailers. Note: These dates are for limited release. 12/21 Venus: http://www.venus-themovie.com/ 12/22 Letters from Iwo Jima: http://iwojimathemovie.warnerbros.com/lett.../framework.html 12/25 Factory Girl: http://www.factorygirlmovie.net/ The Painted Veil: http://wip.warnerbros.com/paintedveil/ Pan's Labyrinth: http://www.panslabyrinth.com/ 12/27 Notes on a Scandal: http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/notesonascandal/ Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808762716/trailer That's all for now everyone. Enjoy the remainder of this holiday season. See you when 2007 rolls around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Thanks, Mark! This actually looks like a much better month than I realized! I've been dying to see Rocky Balboa since I first came to understand that it wasn't a joke, lol. But there are some of my favorite actors who will have films out this month...pretty awesome! And I'll follow-up with what you said about Dreamgirls and go out on the limb a bit....Don't be surprised if we see the very first Oscar Nomination for an American Idol alum....supposedly Jennifer Hudson is just amazing in the role and I wouldn't be surprised to see some consideration for best supporting actress. Though I have never seen her act, her voice is pretty damn good....so if the former is half as good as the latter, I'm guessing she steals the show. And what kind of a title is "The Good German"???? I take issue with that.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Morgan Freeman stars in "10 Items or Less". Here Freeman plays a semi-famous actor doing research on a potential role at a grocery store. While there he meets a fastidious grocery store clerk(Paz Vega) and their initial bond strengthens as she gives him a lift back to Brentwood. 857600[/snapback] Does anyone else get visions of a "Shawshank" style narration when they read this? [Morgan Freeman voice] "There's just two things I believe you need to remember when bagging groceries. Cans on the bottom, eggs/bread on top." [/Morgan Freeman voice] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Does anyone else get visions of a "Shawshank" style narration when they read this? [Morgan Freeman voice] "There's just two things I believe you need to remember when bagging groceries. Cans on the bottom, eggs/bread on top." [/Morgan Freeman voice] 857610[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Don't be surprised if we see the very first Oscar Nomination for an American Idol alum....supposedly Jennifer Hudson is just amazing in the role and I wouldn't be surprised to see some consideration for best supporting actress. Though I have never seen her act, her voice is pretty damn good....so if the former is half as good as the latter, I'm guessing she steals the show. 857606[/snapback] You know Mantasia wanted that part... he/she is none too pleased, and neither is Jamie Foxx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Mel Gibson takes the director's chair once again, with his Mayan epic "Apocalypto". The story takes place as the Mayan kingdom is in decline, the rulers insist the key to prosperity is to build more temples and offer human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw, a young man chosen for sacrifice, flees the kingdom to avoid his fate. The cinematography looks breathtaking, but are moviegoers that excited about a Mayan historical epic? Are people going to stay away from this in droves because of Gibson's recent tantrum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USMCBillsFan Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I will definitely see Rocky Balboa. Also my son really wants to see Eragon so I'll take him to that also. It looks pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nixon Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 He said " titular " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNRed Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Does anyone else get visions of a "Shawshank" style narration when they read this? [Morgan Freeman voice] "There's just two things I believe you need to remember when bagging groceries. Cans on the bottom, eggs/bread on top." [/Morgan Freeman voice] 857610[/snapback] That's probably funnier than the movie. Someone really needs to do a movie that cashes in on how funny it would be for Morgan Freeman to narrate really mundane things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeyemike Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Thanks, Mark! This actually looks like a much better month than I realized! I've been dying to see Rocky Balboa since I first came to understand that it wasn't a joke, lol. But there are some of my favorite actors who will have films out this month...pretty awesome! And I'll follow-up with what you said about Dreamgirls and go out on the limb a bit....Don't be surprised if we see the very first Oscar Nomination for an American Idol alum....supposedly Jennifer Hudson is just amazing in the role and I wouldn't be surprised to see some consideration for best supporting actress. Though I have never seen her act, her voice is pretty damn good....so if the former is half as good as the latter, I'm guessing she steals the show. 857606[/snapback] Eddie Murphy may become the third SNL alum with an Oscar nod (the other two are Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray). He is supposed to be excellent in "Dreamgirls". And I'll forgive Mark for saying "University of Marshall" instead of "Marshall University". It was 2:30 in the morning, after all. With "Rocky Balboa" and "We Are Marshall" out on the same day, it looks like I'll be seeing at least two movies on my Christmas break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodBye Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Thanks again, Mark! Wow, there are quite a few movies coming out this month that I'd like to see. I'm kinda excited to see "Nativity Story" just because the screenwriter is from Portland, OR. He has also done a couple other movies "Finding Forester" and "Radio" so I'm looking forward to see how he did with this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Awesome reviews ! December looks great for the movie goer ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIZ Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I took my kids to see Narnia (5 and 7) and they loved it plus it wasn't too violent and didn't have inappropriate language. Would Eragon be the same? Anyone see it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewPort71 Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 We Are....Marshall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 You know Mantasia wanted that part... he/she is none too pleased, and neither is Jamie Foxx. 857656[/snapback] I can't tell if you're serious or kidding, lol, but I'll say that when J.Hudson is on her game, Mantasia can't hold her jock. Hudson tended to be kinda up and down on the show, which is why she got booted off, IMO....but if she has multiple takes to get it right, she'll knock it out of the park. She's got some legit chops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 Eddie Murphy may become the third SNL alum with an Oscar nod (the other two are Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray). He is supposed to be excellent in "Dreamgirls". And I'll forgive Mark for saying "University of Marshall" instead of "Marshall University". It was 2:30 in the morning, after all. With "Rocky Balboa" and "We Are Marshall" out on the same day, it looks like I'll be seeing at least two movies on my Christmas break. 857772[/snapback] That reminds me....I saw a preview for one of the Law and Order shows (I think that's what it was) where Chevy Chase was a guest star. They referred to him as some award winner....I'm assuming they said "Emmy", but not sure. What the hell did he ever win?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 I can't tell if you're serious or kidding, lol, but I'll say that when J.Hudson is on her game, Mantasia can't hold her jock. Hudson tended to be kinda up and down on the show, which is why she got booted off, IMO....but if she has multiple takes to get it right, she'll knock it out of the park. She's got some legit chops! 858084[/snapback] They both look pretty funny when they sing: Manny being ugly as sin & doing the bobo, Boomy with her eyes bugged out & cheeks puffed out like a blo-fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted December 5, 2006 Share Posted December 5, 2006 They both look pretty funny when they sing: Manny being ugly as sin & doing the bobo, Boomy with her eyes bugged out & cheeks puffed out like a blo-fish. 858103[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeyemike Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 That reminds me....I saw a preview for one of the Law and Order shows (I think that's what it was) where Chevy Chase was a guest star. They referred to him as some award winner....I'm assuming they said "Emmy", but not sure. What the hell did he ever win?? 858086[/snapback] Two Emmys for writing back in the 70s, according to imdb.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Two Emmys for writing back in the 70s, according to imdb.com. 858230[/snapback] Interesting....I figured it probably wasnt' for his acting I just don't ever remember them referring to him as "Emmy award winner" Chevy Chase He's made some films that are some of my all time favorites (I still laugh my asss off when I see 'Christmas Vacation'), but he's no DeNiro! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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