A couple of months ago in this space, I previewed the fall movie season. Compliant, autumn is traditionally one of my favorite times of year to spend hours at the Cineplex, this fall did not look that promising.
Oh, there looked to be Surefire hits. It quickly became clear that "Michael Jackson: This Is It" was going to Entice the late King of Pop's legion of fans to the theater. And, by the time you read this, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" will have opened and made millions, mostly thanks to vampire-crazy girls who have been waiting (for, like, ever!) To see the continuing adventure of Bella and Company on the big screen.
1. "Avatar" (Dec. 18).
James Cameron's epic 3-D science fiction adventure, Which blends animation and live action, will prove either revolutionary or be a huge flop. (Or, I suppose, it could be just OK.) Cameron's first film since his Oscar-winning 1997 effort "Titanic," "Avatar" has been rattling around his brain for nearly 15 years.
2. "The Lovely Bones" (limited release in December; Northeast Ohio release TBD)
Director Peter Jackson knows a few things about visual effects - he is, after all, the visionary director who brought "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy to Big-screen glory - but he is returning with an adaptation of Alice Sebold's acclaimed 2002 novel. Saoirse Ronan ( "Atonement") stars as Susie Salmon, who, in 1973, is raped and murdered by a neighbor (Stanley Tucci). She then finds herself in a Heaven-like realm and is Able to watch her Grieving family and her killer, who's preparing to Murder again. She feels torn between her desire for her parents (Mark Walberg and Rachel Weisz) to find peace and a need to stop another murder.
3. "Up in the Air" (Dec. 25)
What would Christmas be without a little George Clooney. Am I right, ladies? Well, "Up in the Air" should interest more than those Merely Interested in Staring At The Handsome One for two hours.
Writer-director Jason Reitman ( "Juno"), started adapting the 2002 novel by Walter Kim about a corporate downsizer before the recession. However, they soon realized the scenes In which Clooney's Ryan Bingham goes into companies and gives people the ax would not work as the satire that they had in mind. Vera Farmiga ( "The Departed") and Anna Kendrick ( "Twilight") co-star, respectively, as a love interest and protege for Bingham, a relationship-free Boozer who's always on the road and is obsessed with acquiring as many frequent - flier miles as possible.
4. "Sherlock Holmes" (Dec. 25)
I would not say I'm the world's biggest fan of director Guy Ritchie ( "RocknRolla"), but, speaking of trailers, the one for this latest big-screen take on the world's most famous detective is great. Whether the movie is great Equally will depend not just be Ritchie, but also is a star, Robert Downey Jr. Yet, based on his Heroic terrific turn in "Iron Man," I'd say he's up for the task.
5. "It's Complicated" (Dec. 25)
What's so complicated? This romantic comedy boasts the great Meryl Streep, the great Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Kidding, kidding - the great Steve Martin.
Streep plays a mother of three grown woman who, a decade after her divorce, has an OK relationship with the ex (Baldwin). Away together for their son's graduation, sparks fly between the two. What's so complicated? Streep's Jane is also having feeling's for Martin's Adam, the architect remodeling her kitchen.
6. "Nine" (Dec. 25)
Every holiday / awards season needs a musical these days, and this season's - "Nine" - boasts a mind-blowing list of names. First, it's directed by Rob Marshall, who set the standards for new musicals with "Chicago" in 2002. The incredible cast includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Stacy Ferguson and Sophia Loren. Day-Lewis ( "Gangs of New York," "There Will Be Blood") is very selective in picking projects and is always worth the price of admission, and it will be interesting to see what Cotillard - an Oscar winner for 2007's "La Vie en Rose "- brings to the show.
7. "The Princess and the Frog" (Dec. 11)
You know how every animated film these days is made with fancy-schmancy digital animation? Well, Disney's kicking it old-school for a movie.
"The Princess and the Frog" boasts a classic look and Disney will be the studio's first 2-D Animated Movie to hit theaters since 2004. A musical, the movie tells the story of a prince (voiced by Bruno Campos), who has been turned into a frog and asks a princess to kiss him to break the spell. But the prince mistakes a girl (Anika Noni Rose) for a princess, and that's when the real fun begins.
8. "Brothers"
"Spider-Man" star Tobey Maguire and the man who almost replaced him in "Spider-Man 2," Jake Gyllenhaal, are polar-opposite siblings in this drama from director Jim Sheridan ( "In the Name of the Father," "My Left Foot ").
When older brother Sam (Maguire), a Marine captain, goes missing overseas, the less-accomplished Tommy (Gyllenhaal) grows closer to Sam's wife, Grace (Natalie Portman). Sam survives a traumatic experience in the Mideast only to come home to a strange new dynamic in his family.
9. "Invictus" (Dec. 4)
Remember how good Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman were in the Eastwood-directed Western "Unforgiven"? This time, Eastwood directs Freeman as he portrays Nelson Mandela.
Adapted from John Carlin's book "The Human Factor: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed the World," "Invictus" is the story of how the anti-Apartheid activist-turned-president and a rugby player (the aforementioned Matt Damon), tried to improve race relations in South Africa during the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
