The holiday movie season really kicks off this week, with several big Oscar bait movies, plus a handful of promising flicks in limited release:- Atonement appears to have all the ingredients the Academy loves: sprawling romance, period costumes, war scenes, Vanessa Redgrave. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy play lovers torn apart by lies and war in this adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel, brought to the screen by Pride & Prejudice helmer Joe Wright. Brenda Blethyn, Romola Garai and next big child star Saoirse (pronounced "Sertia") Ronan also star.
- At first New Line seemed to be trying to hard to turn The Golden Compass into the next Lord of the Rings, but early reports from last weekend's sneak previews say it is a winner in its own right, especially for Nicole Kidman's wicked turn as the villainous guardian to young Dakota Blue Richards, the fantasy tale's heroine. Chris Weitz directed as well as adapted the controversial novel to the screen, the first in a planned trilogy. Casino Royale stars Daniel Craig and Eva Green co-star, as well as Sam Elliott, Tom Courtenay, Christopher Lee, Kristin Scott Thomas, Derek Jacobi and such actors as Ian McKellen, Kathy Bates, Ian McShane and Freddie Highmore voicing various critters.
- A little film shaping up to be a major contender in the various awards races this year is Juno (which actually opened, in limited release, yesterday). The quirky comedy, from director Jason Reitman and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody, centers on the title character (Ellen Page, in a breakthrough performance) finding out she's pregnant and taking matters into her own hands. Another great cast, this one includes Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons as Juno's parents and Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as the prospective adoptive parents, plus Michael Cera as the unexpected dad-to-be.
- Rounding out the week's new moves are some more limited releases: John Cusack plays a father racked with grief about his wife's death in the Iraq war in Grace is Gone; Jason Statham takes on Ray Liotta in Guy Ritchie's latest, Revolver; Jeff Bridges, Ted Danson and Joe Pantoliano are unlikely adult film auteurs in The Amateurs; Woody Harrelson goes gay in The Walker, Paul Schrader's return to American Gigolo territory (Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin and Kristin Scott Thomas are among Woody's luck clients; watch the trailer here); and finally, Dirty Laundry, an OutFest fave about a gay man who discovers a surprising family secret (watch the trailer here); the divine duo of Loretta Devine and Jennifer Lewis star.
Visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets.
Links via Imdb.com, LATimes.com, MTV.com, Cinematical.com, CreativeLoafing.com, AwardsDaily.com, AVClub.com, InsideSoCal.com and YouTube.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment