Escape the cold weather in the multiplex

“Night at the Museum”

20th Century Fox

Starring: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Ricky Gervais, Kim Raver, Robin Williams
Director: Shawn Levy
Story: Stiller stars as Larry Daley, a good-hearted dreamer who takes a menial job as a security guard in a museum on the graveyard shift. But little does he realize that at night, all the creatures in the museum, from the dinosaur bones to the wax figure of Teddy Roosevelt (Williams), come to life.
Buzz: Levy (“Pink Panther,” “Cheaper by the Dozen”) is one of the kings of lackluster PG-13 comedies. Audiences seem to love the wacky Stiller, who hasn’t played the lead in a film since 2004’s “Meet the Fockers.” It's hard to see what the appeal of this film would be for adults, but kids should find the idea of museum creatures coming to life endlessly entertaining. Expect this one to do big box office.
Web site: http://www.nightatthemuseum.com/

“The Painted Veil”

Warner Independent Pictures

Starring: Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Sally Hawkins, Toby Jones
Director: John Curran
Story: Based on the book by W. Somerset Maugham (and the 1934 movie that starred Greta Garbo) about a society woman (Watts) who hastily marries an English doctor (Norton). When they two move to Shanghai, she becomes dissatisfied with her marriage, and takes a lover (Schreiber). The couple then reunite to venture deeper into China in an effort to fight the growing cholera epidemic.
Buzz: Maugham’s book is an incredible read — Norton was reportedly so taken with it that it was his idea to make the movie. Curran is the man behind the very good domestic drama, “We Don’t Live Here Anymore.” This is screenwriter Ron Nyswaner’s first script since 1993’s “Philadelphia.” The dream cast of Schreiber, Watts and Norton could definitely produce some Oscar nominations. Jones is best known for his role as Truman Capote in “Infamous.”
Web site: http://wip.warnerbros.com/paintedveil

“The Good Shepherd”

Universal Pictures

Starring: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, William Hurt, John Turturro, Robert De Niro, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon
Director: Robert De Niro
Story: Damon plays Edward Wilson, a character modeled on the long-serving CIA counter-intelligence chief James Jesus Angleton (known as “Kingfisher” in the agency), who became extremely paranoid toward the end of his career. The film follows the early part of Wilson’s life, his rise in the agency and his dedication to serving his country at the expense of his home life. Jolie plays Wilson’s wife.
Buzz: This film is a bit of a question mark. Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeffrey Wells points out that if the film doesn’t cover Angleton’s descent into paranoia, it could be ignoring the most interesting aspect of his life. Jolie just seems too glamorous to play this role — and honestly, she looks like she could take Damon in a fight; they are an oddly matched couple. This is De Niro’s (“Bronx Tale”) second directorial effort. If it all the disparate pieces come together, this could be a great winter surprise — but word is De Niro had a lot of footage to edit, so we’ll see if he pulls it together.
Web site: NA

“Rocky Balboa”

MGM

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Milo Ventimiglia, Tony Burton, James Francis Kelly, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Story: Retired Rocky Balboa (Stallone) decides that maybe there’s something left in his old gas tank and plans to start fighting regionally again. Then a virtual boxing match declares that the young Rocky could have beaten the current champion, Mason "The Line" Dixon (Tarver), and promoters begin coming after him to fight Dixon. But is this older Rocky up to the fight?
Buzz: What can you say about a movie where Rocky’s trainer mentions the calcium deposits on the former champ’s joints? Yikes. Stallone turned 60 years old this past July. When George Foreman beat Michael Moorer, he was 45 years old. Let’s face it; you can only suspend disbelief so much. The real mystery here: Who exactly wants to see this film? Talk about an underdog story. Stallone also directs his own screenplay.
Web site: http://www.rockythemovie.com/

“We Are Marshall”

Warner Bros.

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, David Strathairn, Ian McShane, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, January Jones, Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Director: McG
Story: Based on true events, this film tells the story of the Marshall College football team who lost 75 players and coaches to a plane crash in 1973. Fox plays one of the surviving assistant coaches, Red Dawson and McConaughey plays Jack Lengyel, the new coach who wants to honor the deceased players and heal the community by bringing the team back to greatness.
Buzz: Director McG (“Charlie’s Angels”) told Entertainment Weekly he took the film to do something completely different. Both Fox and McConaughey have limitations as actors. Fox leans a bit too hard on being intense and brooding, while McConaughey lets his own brand of charm carry him. Still this movie looks like a feel-good weeper for sports fans.
Web site: http://wearemarshall-themovie.warnerbros.com/

“Curse of the Golden Flower”

Sony Picture Classics

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, Liu Ye, Chen Jin, Jay Chou
Director: Zhang Yimou
Story: Yun-Fat is a king who is pitted against the queen (Li) and their three sons (Jin, Cho and Qin Junjie) in a story of betrayal and power that involves two illicit affairs.
Buzz: This is China’s candidate for best foreign-language film; Yimou (“House of Flying Daggers,” “Hero”) has never been nominated for an Oscar and at this point, he’s starting to look overdue. The one thing you can always expect from Yimou is sumptuous visuals, and once again he’s brought back cinematographer Xiaoding Zhao, who worked on “Daggers.” Siu-Tung Ching is the action director — he handled those duties on “Hero,” “Daggers” and “Shaolin Soccer” — so expect some thrilling fight scenes.
Web site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/curseofthegoldenflower/

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