MOVIES

A calendar of contenders: Looking at the holiday lineup and beyond

By Charles Ealy
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A CALENDAR OF CONTENDERS

THIS WEEK

"Australia" — Two of the biggest Aussie screen stars, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, team up for this story of Down Under during World War II. Fellow Aussie Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge") directs the drama. Nicole plays a transplanted English aristocrat who changes her uptight ways after meeting the hunky, manly Hugh. (Opened Wednesday)

"Four Christmases" — Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn team up as a couple who must visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day. While the cast is promising, director Seth Gordon is a relative unknown. His biggest movie so far was last year's "The King of Kong." (Opened Wednesday)

"Transporter 3" — Jason Statham is hired by a criminal mastermind to transport a package. And if he doesn't deliver it, an electronic gadget will blow him to pieces. Oh dear. (Opened Wednesday)

DEC. 5

"Punisher: War Zone" — Ray Stevenson, best known as the big guy Titus Pullo in HBO's "Rome," replaces Thomas Jane as the vigilante hero who takes on organized crime. This time the opponent is Jigsaw, played by Dominic West, the star of yet another HBO series, "The Wire."

"Fear(s) of the Dark" — Artsy horror meets black-and-white animation in this compilation of scary tales.

"Milk" — Sean Penn, the chameleon, continues to take on challenging roles by playing the first openly gay city supervisor in San Francisco history, Harvey Milk. Underrated up-and-comer Josh Brolin plays Milk's nemesis, Dan White. Gus Van Sant, who has had a hit-and-miss record in recent years, directs.

"Cadillac Records" — Beyoncé Knowles plays heroin addict Etta James. Adrien Brody co-stars. The soundtrack looks like a hit. The movie opens in major markets Dec. 5, but a firm Austin date hasn't been set.

"Lake City" — This Southern drama stars Sissy Spacek, who reunites with a son who fled years ago amid tragedy.

DEC. 12

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" — Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly star in this environmentally conscious remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic starring Michael Rennie and the late, great Patricia Neal. It'll be hard to top the original. And updated special effects won't necessarily help. Director Scott Derrickson doesn't inspire hope. His previous efforts include "Hellraiser: Inferno" in 2000 and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" in 2005.

"A Christmas Tale" — Nobody does family dysfunction like the French. Catherine Deneuve shines as the matriarch of a family that is shunning a wayward son, who comes home unexpectedly for the holidays.

"Nothing Like the Holidays" — A Puerto Rican family comes together for a reunion in a Chicago suburb, and all is not well. An all-star lineup of Hispanic actors makes this one interesting. The cast includes John Leguizamo, Luis Guzman, Freddy Rodriguez, Jay Hernandez and Alfred Molina.

"Dark Streets" — Bijou Phillips continues to make an unusual mark in the movies, this time starring as a nightclub singer in New Orleans. It's a noirish tale, with plenty of twists and turns. Gabriel Mann co-stars. The soundtrack, which features Etta James and Natalie Cole, should be a keeper.

"Delgo" — Kingdoms of the land and the sky head for a potential clash in this animated flick, with the voices of Val Kilmer, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt. There's not much buzz about it.

"Slumdog Millionaire" — If ever there were a movie about triumphing against all odds, this is it. A young boy who survives the slums of India goes on a TV game show, hoping to find his lost love, and ends up on the verge of becoming a millionaire. Heartwarming, uplifting, you name it. One of the year's best. Directed by Danny Boyle.

DEC. 17

"The Tale of Despereaux" — Matthew Broderick lends his voice to this animated tale about a misfit mouse who lives in the house of a princess. The talent behind the tale is impressive, with voices by Kevin Kline, Dustin Hoffman, Sigourney Weaver and William H. Macy. Could be a hit for the kids during the holidays.

DEC. 19

"Yes Man" — Jim Carrey has a problem: He can't say "no" to anyone after attending a motivational seminar and taking it a bit too far. Will Carrey chew the scenery, or will he return to his wacky, charming form? Stay tuned.

"Seven Pounds" — This feel-good tearjerker with a surprise ending stars Will Smith as an IRS agent who tries to make amends for a past mistake by helping seven people. Rosario Dawson co-stars as his love interest.

"Nothing But the Truth" — A journalist blows a CIA agent's cover and refuses to reveal her sources. Sound familiar? Loosely based on The New York Times' Judith Miller, the movie stars Kate Beckinsale and Alan Alda. The opening date for Austin is still unclear, but Dec. 19 is the national release.

DEC. 25

"Frost/Nixon" — Ron Howard takes us back to the '70s, when David Frost had revelatory TV interviews with the deeply troubled Richard Nixon. Michael Sheen ("The Queen") plays Frost, while Frank Langella takes on the tough role of Nixon. If Langella pulls it off, he could make the Oscar short list.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" — Brad Pitt reunites with director David Fincher ("Fight Club" and "Seven") to play a guy who ages in reverse. The supporting cast is top-notch: Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. Oscar bait.

"Bedtime Stories" — Adam Sandler, a hapless hotel handyman, entertains his niece and nephew by telling outrageous stories. Then they start to come true. Interesting comic premise, with a supporting cast that includes Keri Russell, Guy Pearce and Courteney Cox.

"Doubt" — This one is classy all the way. Adapted from John Patrick Shanley's Tony-winning stage play, "Doubt" deals with accusations of sexual abuse by a priest. The cast is a knockout: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Bring on the Oscar nominations. Shanley directs and is expected to redeem himself after 1990's disastrous movie foray, "Joe Versus the Volcano."

"The Spirit" — Robert Rodriguez collaborator Frank Miller adapts a classic noir comic about a crime fighter who takes on the villainish Octopus. With Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson.

"The Class" — The little movie that could. It was one of the last competition films to screen at this year's Cannes Film Festival and walked away with the top prize, the Palme d'Or. A teacher in a French public school tries to reach his students, who represent all the troubles and divisions that plague the nation.

"The Reader" — Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes star as former lovers who reunite in an unusual situation in post-World War II Germany. She's a defendant in Nazi war crimes trials, and he's studying the law.

DEC. 26

"I've Loved You So Long" — Kristin Scott Thomas has been getting big awards buzz for her performance as a woman recently released from prison in this French-language arthouse tale directed by Philippe Claudel. Thomas lost a lot of weight for the role, and that tends to impress Academy types.

"Marley & Me" — The popular best-seller about the world's worst dog comes to the big screen, with Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as the beleaguered owners.

"Valkyrie" — Tom Cruise has been on a losing streak, and it's not at all clear that this World War II drama will end it. He stars as Col. Claus von Stauffenerg, who plotted to assassinate Hitler. Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson and Eddie Izzard co-star. Bryan Singer directs.

"Revolutionary Road" — Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet try to resurrect the "Titanic" magic as a bored suburban couple who move to France in an effort to shake up their lives. Sounds like a good idea if you can afford it. Directed by Sam Mendes, Winslet's husband. Opens in major markets, but Austin date may be later.

JANUARY AND LATER

"Che" — This Steven Soderbergh biography of the legendary, controversial Che Guevara will probably be split into two parts because of its length and open early in New York and L.A. to qualify for the Oscars. Benicio Del Toro stars as Che. It screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May and got mixed reviews, but nearly everyone was awed by its ambitions. Del Toro is excellent.

"Grand Torino" — Clint Eastwood's teenage neighbor tries to steal his Grand Torino, and that's not really such a good idea. Eastwood is getting Oscar buzz for his performance.

"Waltz With Bashir" — This animated tale about the massacre of Palestinians in Lebanese refugee camps struck a chord when it screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

"Last Chance Harvey" — Dustin Hoffman stars as an aging man who has another chance at love. Emma Thompson is the love interest.

"Defiance" — Three brothers start a resistance movement to the Nazis during World War II. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star.

"The Soloist" — In a surprise, the opening date for this tale starring Jamie Foxx was pushed back to 2009. Foxx plays a schizophrenic musical prodigy who gets help from a friend (Robert Downey Jr.)

"The Wrestler" — Darren Aronofsky's character study of a beleaguered professional wrestler (Mickey Rourke in a smashing comeback role) won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and garnered massive buzz. Early 2009.

"Me and Orson Welles" — Zac Efron and Claire Danes star in Richard Linklater's London-shot tale about a young man's encounter with Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater.

"Shorts" — A gaggle of precocious young people (including Kat Dennings of "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist") and some wily adults (Leslie Mann, William H. Macy, James Spader) star in Robert Rodriguez's family film about a "wish-granting rock," shot this year in Austin. Expect a late summer release.

"Friday the 13th" — The quasi-remake of the 1980 horror classic was filmed this year in Austin and Bastrop by the same geniuses who made the Austin-shot "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake in 2003. Slated for a February release.