2008 Holiday Preview
Hollywood Unleashes the Oscar Bait to Finish Off the Year

I was asked once a couple years back why I never write Winter Preview pieces. Summer, but of course. Fall, most definitely. Spring, sure, if the mood strikes me and the releases on the calendar are worthwhile. But Winter? Never. Not even on a dare.

Why? It's just not worth it. Just look at the January and February calendars and you'll see what I mean. Seriously, what can I say about pointless horror remakes My Bloody Valentine 3D, Hellraiser or Friday the 13th that would make talking about them seem even slightly worthwhile? What can I possibly write about items like Bride Wars or Hotel for Dogs that would be even moderately enlightening? And why, for the grace of all that is good and holy, should I be forced to comment on pictures like Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li or The Pink Panther 2 with anything even close to a straight face?

The truth of the matter is I shouldn't, and as much as I'd like to point out The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach director Henry Selick has a new stop-motion fantasy, Coraline, coming out the first Friday in February, so much being released during the first two months of the New Year is so uninspiring I just can't do it. Winter at the multiplex sucks, and for all those who think I have the cushiest job on the planet, I dare you to endure it week in and week out and see if you still feel the same way after.

A scene from Focus Features' Coraline releasing February, 2009

It's not all bad, of course. December can be pretty great most years, sometimes even awesome. Not only do the studios release some of their most challenging and original works hoping for Academy Award recognition, the popcorn fare can be pretty darn sensational, too. After all, considering the black lumps of coal January and February are filled with, a few gifts under the multiplex tree during the holidays are definitely most welcome.

With that in mind, here are some of the highlights scheduled to hit theaters between Thanksgiving and the end of 2008. Remember, release dates are subject to change, some of these titles not hitting screens here until sometime in 2009.

November 26

Australia - Visionary Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom writer/director Baz Luhrmann returns with his WWII saga of an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) heading Down Under to take over a failing ranch only to be forced to team up with an attractive cowboy (Hugh Jackman) in order to drive 2,000 head of cattle across the Outback, a surprise Japanese attack on Darwin putting a major crick in both their plans. Rumors (most of them bad) over the climax abound, but I'm betting on Luhrmann to pull this old-school romantic epic off. One of the holiday season's must-see entries. [Read the Review]

Four Christmases - After unexpected cancellations at the airport land them both on television, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn are suddenly forced to spend the holidays with their relatives, heading to four different parties with four different families (both their parents have divorced and subsequently remarried) all in one day. The narrative debut for The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters director Seth Gordon, I can't help but hope this one is more Planes, Trains and Automobiles then it is Christmas with the Kranks. Granted, based on the trailers, I'm not holding my breath. [Read the Review]

Milk - Sean Penn is magnificent as Harvey Milk, the first openly Gay man ever elected to political office in the United States, while Josh Brolin is equally sensational as his mysteriously conflicted killer Dan White. As for Gus Van Sant's movie? Well, it's a bit clinical and dry, but thanks to the wonderful performances and a few emotionally killer scenes, the plusses outweigh the minuses by a large enough margin to make the film worthwhile. [Read the Review]

Transporter 3 - The world's most kick-ass courier, Frank Martin (Jason Statham), is back. Buckle your seatbelts. Something tells me it's going to be a bumpy (and explosive!) ride. [Read the Review]

December 5

Cadillac Records - Beyoncé Knowles is convinced she's going to get an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Etta James in this biography of Chess Records founder Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody). Considering how little buzz there is at the moment, and knowing just how underwhelming the singer's performances have been (can you say Dreamgirls' weakest link? I knew you could), something tells me the recently proclaimed Sasha Fierce should prepare herself for disappointment.

Frost/Nixon - Director Ron Howard adapts the Tony Award-winning play and brings original stage production actors Frank Langella and Michael Sheen with him. On paper, a movie concerning the interviews between journalist David Frost and disgraced ex-President Richard Nixon sounds kind of like a bore, but don't bet on that. Something tells me this is going to be one of the most intelligent, thought-provoking and, yes, exciting films of the holiday season.

Frank Langella and Michael Sheen in Universal Pictures' Frost/Nixon

Nobel Son - Just in case you weren't put to sleep by Bottle Shock, writer/director Randall Miller has reassembled the majority of that film's cast to craft a noirish mystery of a chemistry student (Shawn Hatosy) trying to out his Nobel Prize-winning scientist father (Alan Rickman) as a - gasp! - pompous egotistical windbag. In other news, successful best-selling authors are arrogant, movie stars are full of themselves, and supermodels think they're pretty.

Punisher: War Zone - For the second time this year (The Incredible Hulk being the other), Marvel Comics reboots another character, former FBI Agent Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson, taking over for Thomas Jane) violently killing more bad guys as he battles his arch-nemesis Jigsaw (Dominic West). Can someone please wake me when it's over?

Timecrimes – Trippy Spanish sci-fi drama about a happy family man who has his life spiral out of control when he thinks he sees murder, Rear Window style, in his expansive backyard. A film festival favorite, the movie is ultimately too cute for its own “Twilight Zone” wannabe good.

December 12

Che - Steven Soderbergh's (Traffic, Ocean's 11) controversial two-part, four-plus-hour epic on the life of Cuba's most notorious revolutionary starring Benicio Del Toro in a supposedly career-defining role finally gets a pre-Oscar release in New York and Los Angeles.

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Or, as I like to call it, the year's most insanely incomprehensible and pointlessly idiotic remake. Seriously, Robert Wise's 1951 classic hasn't lost an ounce of its frightening power, the movie every bit as effective today as it was during the height of the Cold War. Sure the special effects in the trailer are impressive, and yes I'd watch Jennifer Connelly do just about anything, and of course Keanu Reeves is perfectly cast as the monosyllabic alien come to warn us of humanity's destruction, but so what? Klaatu barada nikto, indeed.

Doubt - Welcome to Award Bait 101. Esteemed, two-time Academy Award-winning multi-nominated legendary actress (Meryl Streep)? Check. Versatile, hugely respected character actor also with an Oscar under his belt (Philip Seymour Hoffman)? Double check. Young, up-and-coming actress already owner of one nomination and likely to see a few more during her career (Amy Adams)? Triple check. Tony Award-winning play adapted and directed by the playwright who just so happens to already own an Academy Award of his own (John Patrick Shanley)? Checkmate, please say hello to what might just be this year's designated Oscar frontrunner.

Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood (Changeling), in what is his reportedly last starring role, directs this tale of an elderly Korean War veteran who must put his prejudices aside when an Asian family with a troubled son moves in next door.

Nothing Like the Holidays - More Christmas shenanigans, this time featuring John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Freddy Rodriguez, Alfred Molina, Jay Hernandez, Luis Guzmán and Elizabeth Peña. Considering director Alfredo De Villa also made the searing 2002 indie Washington Heights, I actually have decent expectations this one could end up being pretty darn good.

The Reader - Stephen Daldry's follow up to his Academy Award-winning The Hours has been rushed into release in hopes of a nomination for its star Kate Winslet and the hopeful glory of its financier Harvey Weinstein causing heavyweight producer Scott Rudin to leave the project in indignant fury. Will the film live up to its potential? Or will Rudin be proven right and Daldry indeed did require more time to finely tune his epic into tip-top shape? The answer, my friends, will be blowing in the theatrical wind come the third Friday in December.

Wendy and Lucy - Michelle Williams' life becomes unhinged on the way to a job interview after her car breaks down her dog gets mistakenly transported to the pound.

December 17

The Wrestler - Along with Slumdog Millionaire, writer and director Darren Aronofsky's (The Fountain) latest was the sensation of the Toronto Film Festival. The word is that he has single-handedly revived the career of Mickey Rourke (everyone conveniently forgetting just how good he was in both Sin City and the otherwise despicable Domino) and that both the actor and the film have Oscar written all over them. Sure, I'll bite, because if this one's even half as good as the hype, that will still mean it's one of the best pictures of the entire year. Talk about high expectations.

Evan Rachel Wood and Mickey Rourke in Fox Searchlight's The Wrestler

December 19

Seven Pounds - Will Smith reunites with his In Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino for this melodrama about a businessman searching for a reason to keep on living after an auto accident leads to the death of seven strangers. Talk about something light and fluffy just in time for Christmas!

The Tale of Despereaux - Animated family epic about a young mouse (Matthew Broderick) who refuses the timid teachings of his parents to befriend a human princess (Emma Watson). Based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, I want to say something pithy but the unabashedly sweeping romantic cutesiness of the trailer has won me over and I just can't do it. In fact, as embarrassing as it might sound, I'm really looking forward to this, so much so just thinking about is enough to make me smile in giddy anticipation.

Yes Man - Jim Carrey stars in this sequel to Liar, Liar about a & no, wait, that's not right. Let me try that again. Jim Carry stars in this sequel to Bruce Almighty about a & no, no, that's still wrong. One more time. Jim Carrey stars in this new movie that sounds one heck of a lot like a couple of his past movies about a man who suddenly can't say no. Something tells me I might not end up having the same problem in regards to recommending it to potential audiences.

December 25

Bedtime Stories - Disney fantasy staring Adam Sandler as a hotel handyman whose stories of whimsy and wonder start coming true much to the amazement of his precocious niece and nephew. For all those naysayers out there let me just say that, on paper at least, Enchanted sounded like a bad idea, too, and look how well that one turned out?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Fincher strays from the dark, twisted and gloomy to tackle a very Tim Burton-sounding fantasy about a man (Brad Pitt) who ages backwards, making friendships and romance virtually impossible. From the look of the trailers, this has all the potential of being the most visually sumptuous production of 2008. I just hope Eric Roth's screenplay is more The Insider then it is Forest Gump, but considering his track record (The Postman, The Horse Whisperer or Lucky You, anyone?) I can't say I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Last Chance Harvey - Dustin Hoffman, in London for his daughter's wedding, and Emma Thompson as a pair of strangers who meet by chance and end up transforming one another's lives for the better. Part of me thinks this sounds just atrocious, but the buzz is that both actors knock the film out of the park and that writer/director Joel Hopkins has crafted a Baby Boomer Before Sunrise-like romance worth checking out.

Marley & Me - Have you seen the posters for this one? Do you see any mention of Jennifer Aniston or Owen Wilson? Any at all? No? None? All you see is a cute little puppy with a red bow around his neck? Wow. Isn't that interesting? And here I thought these two were still Hollywood heavyweights, not formerly famous also-rans willing to play second fiddle to a dog because, you know, that worked out so well for the likes of Tom Hanks (Turner and Hooch) , Charles Grodin (Beethoven) and James Belushi (K-9).

Revolutionary Road - Titanic stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite under the direction of American Beauty auteur - and Winslet's husband - Sam Mendes in this adaptation of Richard Yates's highly acclaimed novel.

The Spirit - Graphic novelist Frank Miller tries his hand in the director's chair solo (he worked with Robert Rodriguez on Sin City) bringing Will Eisner's cult comic to the screen in all its weirdly retro-chic glory. Personally, I think this looks positively terrible, but I'm still willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. At the very least, it's certainly going to have some amazing production design and some killer clothes. That's something, right?

Valkyrie - Director Bryan Singer (Superman Returns, The Usual Suspects) and star Tom Cruise join forces in this fact-based tale of a German Colonel and his band of insiders who tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler during the height of WWII. This has jumped all over the release schedule, MGM finally settling Christmas weekend to unleash their hopeful Oscar bait on the general populace. The film's success or failure could decide the fate of both the movie's star and its studio. Talk about pressure - and Singer thought trying to get Cruise to speak in a German accent was difficult!

Tom Cruise in MGM/UA's Valkyrie

Waltz with Bashir - Ari Folman's animated epic, part documentary, part melodrama, about his search to discover why he cannot remember his time fighting for the Israeli Army in Lebanon during the 1980s.

December 31

Defiance - Based on a true story, director Edward Zwick follows up Blood Diamond with an action-packed epic of three Polish brothers taking on the Germans in the Belarusian Forest, saving a ton of Russians in the process. James Bond actor Daniel Craig stars.

- portions of this article reprinted courtesy of the SGN in Seattle