December's Most Anticipated Films
by Brian Eggert
Every studio’s last-ditch-effort to release their prestige pictures before the end of the year, leaving titles fresh in the viewers’ minds, December will undoubtedly contain a number of 2009’s best films. With releases from respected directors like Terry Gilliam, Clint Eastwood, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, and Guy Ritchie, each week’s slate remains interesting and diverse. And while a number of the film’s listed below will only hit a handful of theaters in their initial limited release this month, expect them to trickle into theaters throughout December and on into January.
For a complete list of upcoming releases, visit the Calendar.
December 11:
Invictus
Though Clint Eastwood has officially retired from acting, he’s still directing on a steady pace of one release per year, his works maturing as the filmmaker ages. Titles like Letters from Iwo Jima and Mystic River show a calm, serene approach to directing, so that while his films are always wonderfully made, they are also modest in their artistry. Invictus appears to be Eastwood’s most straightforward film since 2006’s Flags of Our Fathers. It tells the story of South African president Nelson Mandella, played by Morgan Freeman, in his attempts to unite the country through a rugby tournament. Matt Damon costars as the South African Springboks’ captain Francois Pienaar. Should the film live up to Eastwood’s previous output, no doubt we’ll be hearing a lot about this film come Oscar season. Click here for the trailer.
The Lovely Bones (Limited Release)
Peter Jackson’s first film since 2004’s wonderful King Kong remake is an adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel The Lovely Bones, and it looks like his most dramatically mature picture since Heavenly Creatures. The story follows a young girl, played by Saoirse Ronan, looks down on her family and the killer from Heaven after being raped and murdered. Jackson spent several months in post-production mastering the film’s staggering visions of the afterlife, and the result, despite many frustrating adjustments in the release date, appears worth the wait. Along with Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and Stanley Tucci, the cast is involved in a film that’s part murder mystery, part drama, part existential exploration. Expect this to be one of the best films of the year. Click here for the trailer.
December 18:
Avatar
James Cameron’s Avatar makes the “most anticipated” list out of sheer curiosity, and not because I believe the film will be original or quite the revolutionary experience Cameron promises it will be. The writer-director has talked for years about the technologies he’s invented for this production, including a new form of 3-D viewing. But the trailer looks underwhelming, and the 3-D gimmick is getting very, very old. Cameron’s story is rather typical sci-fi fare, centering on Earthlings taking over an alien race, and then after one of us gets to know them, he realizes the aliens need defending. You can see virtually the same story in this year’s Battle for Terra, not to mention a dozen other examples. The film features no surefire bankable stars and certainly no name-brand recognition, unless you count “from the director of Titanic and Terminator 2: Judgment Day”. Having reportedly spent some $500 million on production and marketing, it’s doubtful that Fox will consider Avatar a success, at least not from the domestic box office. Perhaps figuring in international receipts and home video sales, the film may earn back its expenses. But I remain skeptical, if interested. Click here for the trailer.
December 25:
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
As with Avatar, the optimist in me has hope for Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, but the pessimist in me sees those not-so-special effects in the trailer and cringes. Gilliam will always be one of my favorite filmmakers thanks to pictures like Brazil and Time Bandits, but his last couple films (The Brothers Grimm, Tideland) have demonstrated a lacking balance between the director’s expansive imagination and his budget. Parnassus boasts an incredible cast, including Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, and the final performance by Heath Ledger (as well as Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to complete Ledger’s performance). Its story looks intriguing, being about a man’s adventure in his own unconscious mind. But where my passion for the trailer ends is the videogame quality computer effects, bad enough to take any viewer out of the trailer and possibly ruin the entire film. I sincerely hope not, but there’s no denying their sub-par look and the potential for them to spoil the finished product. Click here for the review.
It's Complicated
A blithe romantic comedy starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin? The prospect sounds delightful, especially when considering it’s from Nancy Meyers, director of The Holiday. After mind-numbingly formulaic rom-coms like The Proposal and The Ugly Truth this year, what we need is someone to remind us why we love this genre. The cast alone promises this won’t be some juvenile work filled with potty humor and a botched wedding in the third act. The story follows divorcee Streep trying to forget her philandering ex-husband Baldwin with nice-guy Martin, but once Baldwin discovers his jailbait girlfriend is a pill, he wakes up and realizes what a catch his wife was. Streep and Baldwin begin having an affair and learn that that’s just what their failed marriage needed, a little sneaking around with each other. Well, as the title says, it’s complicated. And it’ll probably be a real charmer too. Click here for the trailer.
Nine
What an audacious task to turn Federico Fellini's 1963 masterpiece 8 ½ into a musical. Director Rob Marshall (Chicago) cast Daniel Day-Lewis as the lead filmmaker-protagonist who struggles to reconcile his latest film with his masculine impulses. Across from the star are an ensemble of actresses, including Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, and even Sophia Loren. If that isn’t enough to convince you, watch the increasingly hypnotic trailer. What could be more appealing that watching an unhinged Day-Lewis, giving what will probably amount to another Oscar nominated performance, while surrounded by a cast and bravado set-pieces and A-list actresses such as this? This production looks fantastic, and you should be rushing to see it when it opens. Click here for the trailer.
Sherlock Holmes
Guy Ritchie’s take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Londoner detective is being advertised as the blockbuster of the holiday season (notice the cornball tagline “Holmes for the holidays”). It’s hard to argue, seeing Robert Downey Jr. at his cocky best as Holmes himself and Jude Law as the muscle Watson. More accurate than the stuffy, straight-laced depictions of Holmes that you might be used to, Ritchie follows Conan Doyle’s original description, depicting the detective as a boxer and occasionally an amusing scamp. Though no Moriarty appears in Sherlock Holmes as the villain—up-and-comer Mark Strong plays the wicked Lord Blackwood—there’s already talk of a sequel, and Brad Pitt is rumored for the role. Filled with action, comedy, and Ritchie’s energetic direction, the film looks fun. Click here for the trailer.
One Film You Shouldn't See
December 6:
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
There’s no movie coming this month that I’d rather not see more than Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Having endured and barely survived the first, watching the continuation of a feature-length commercial sounds like a nightmare of monumental proportions. But part of me wants to write a review for it, if only for the sake of completism. Can I take another 90-minutes of shrill-voiced rodents singing hip songs and making pop-culture references? I simply don’t know. There’s certainly no reason that you, the self-respecting moviegoer, should subject yourself to such torture. But as a critic, I have a responsibility. Sometimes, as with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs or This is It, I’m content with ignoring that responsibility because the product is critic proof. And yet, I’m teeter-tottering between ignoring this movie altogether and suffering through it. Perhaps some inner dialogue about this over the next month will bring me some resolution… Click here for the trailer.