Hotmail
Escape the cold weather in the multiplex
“Apocalypto”
Starring: Dalia Hernandez, Mayra Serbulo, Gerardo Taracena, Raoul Trujillo, Rudy Youngblood
Director: Mel Gibson
Story: Set in the 15th century as the Mayan empire declined, this film tells the story of how high priests decide that the only way to save their failing kingdom is through more temples and more human sacrifice. When one man (Youngblood) is chosen for sacrifice, he decides to flee the kingdom.
Buzz: Even before Gibson’s anti-Semitic rant, this film definitely had some marketing hurdles. As with “The Passion of the Christ,” this film is ultraviolent and subtitled (language de jour: Yucatec Maya). Unlike “The Passion,” this film doesn’t even have a star as big as Jim Caviezel to draw an audience. But Gibson has proved to be a master at previewing his film for specific audiences and letting the groundswell build. If, even after all his bad press, he’s able to accomplish that with this film, the man will have proved himself to be the Teflon king.
Web site: http://apocalypto.movies.go.com/
“Blood Diamond”
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, James Purefoy, Arnold Vosloo, Stephen Collins, Michael Sheen
Director: Edward Zwick
Story: Set in 1990s Sierre Leone, DiCaprio stars as Danny, a South African mercenary who goes to prison for smuggling diamonds. While there, he learns that Solomon (Hounsou), a Mende fisherman who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond mines, has found and hidden an extremely valuable stone. The two men embark on a trek to retrieve the hidden diamond in order to save Solomon’s family and give Danny a second chance. Connelly co-stars as an American journalist who helps the two men on their journey.
Buzz: There’s already Oscar buzz around this film, centering on DiCaprio’s performance. However, Zwick (“The Last Samurai,” “Glory”) loves his history lessons a lot more than he cares about entertaining an audience — and sometimes the end product can be a bit cold. Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeffrey Wells wrote this about Zwick, “He can be tasteful and restrained at times, but also ham-fisted — for my money his emotional points have too often been underlined with a black felt-tip marker.”
Web site: http://blooddiamondmovie.warnerbros.com/
“Breaking and Entering”
Starring: Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright-Penn, Ray Winstone, Martin Freeman, Vera Farmiga
Director: Anthony Minghella
Story: When Will’s (Law) architecture firm is robbed numerous times, he follows the young thief (Rafi Gavron) home and is drawn into an affair with his Bosnian mother (Binoche). Wright-Penn plays Will’s depressive live-in girlfriend, who has a 13-year-old daughter (Poppy Rogers) obsessed with gymnastics. Farmiga plays an Eastern European hooker who wants Will to be one of her clients.
Buzz: Minghella (“Cold Mountain,” “The English Patient”) pens his own screenplay for the first time since the extremely good film “Truly, Madly, Deeply” (well worth renting). When "Breaking" debuted at Toronto, it received a muted response, with Variety’s Todd McCarthy writing that the film is likely to “inspire polite admiration rather than excitement,” while The Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycut called the story “often rewarding though occasionally pretentious.” Look for Binoche come awards time — word is she gives the film’s strongest performance.
Web site: http://www.breakingandentering-movie.com/
“The Holiday"
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell
Director: Nancy Meyers
Story: Amanda (Diaz) and Iris (Winslet) both have the same problem: Their boyfriends cheated on them and they need to get away. They discover a Web site that will allow them to swap houses for the holidays. In England, Amanda meets the charming Graham (Law), while in California, Iris meets the lovable Miles (Black).
Buzz: First off, this is a chick flick through and through. But luckily, Meyers (“Something’s Gotta Give,” “What Women Want”) has proved to be a master of the genre. The one casting problem here is Diaz — who women just don’t seem to like. Will she keep women away from the film (this could have been what happened with “In Her Shoes”)? Without obvious scenery to chew, will Black be able to show off some acting chops? Winslet continues to show her range.
Web site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/theholiday/
“Off the Black”
Starring: Nick Nolte, Trevor Morgan, Timothy Hutton, Sally Kirkland
Director: James Ponsoldt
Story: Nolte stars as a grizzled high-school umpire whose house is vandalized one night by a disgruntled student (Morgan). The student, who’s trying to cope with his own distant father, (Hutton) begins to come by the house every day to pay off his debt. Nolte decides to make the kid a deal. If Morgan pretends to be his son at his 40th high school reunion, he’ll consider the debt paid.
Buzz: This is writer-director Ponsoldt’s first feature. Variety’s Justin Chang praised the drama as a “solid single” and wrote that “few who see [the film] will leave wholly unaffected." Film Threat’s Eric Campos wrote, “Nolte fanatics won't want to miss this performance. It's a real kick in the shorts.” Morgan is best known for his roles in “Mean Creek” and in HBO’s “Empire Falls.”
Web site: NA
“Unaccompanied Minors”
Starring: Lewis Black, Wilmer Valderrama, Tyler James Williams, Dyllan Christopher, Gina Mantegna, Quinn Shephard, Brett Kelly, Rob Corddry, Jessica Walter
Director: Paul Feig
Story: On Christmas Eve, five unaccompanied minors find themselves snowed in at the airport: awkward Spencer (Christopher), rich girl Grace (Mantenga), tomboy Donna (Shephard), geeky Charlie (Williams) and shy Beef (Kelly). Together they try to outwit a grumpy airport official (Black) with a little help from a reluctant flight attendant (Valderrama).
Buzz: Nothing about this looks anything but screechingly awful — this year’s “Cheaper by the Dozen” screaming-kids equivalent. Yet, there are some interesting players here. Williams is the talented title star from “Everybody Hates Chris.” Kelly gave a memorable performance as the Kid in “Bad Santa.” Corddry and Black have both done their time on “The Daily Show.” Director Feig is the man who created “Freaks and Geeks” and is known for directing “Arrested Development” and “The Office.” Still, even with all that talent, if this film is anything but awful, it will be a holiday surprise indeed.
Web site: http://unaccompaniedminors.warnerbros.com/
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM MOVIE OPINIONS |
 Does ‘Precious’ stereotype big black women? |
| Add Movie opinions headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links
Resource guide