Hitman
Hanging with the family during the holidays can take a lot out of you. Sometimes you just want to veg out in front of the tube. But that's hard to do when all of your relatives are around the tube. So go out and enjoy an action-packed film with explosions and shooting so loud you can drown out your annoying cousin's voice. This film is about an assassin, Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant from Live Free or Die Hard), who was raised by a brotherhood known as the Agency. They trained him so that he could rid the world of evil. When he's suddenly thrust into a political conspiracy, he's forced to dodge Interpol and the Russian military, while maintaining a suave and debonair attitude with his two guns a la The Killer. It brings new meaning (or actually the same meaning) to no-brainer.
Enchanted
Amy Adams is the sole reason why you should go watch this cutesy romantic comedy with a fairytale animated twist. Her portrayal of a hyper, young mother obsessed with the unenthusiastic father of her child in Junebug was hilarious. She carried the whole droopy indie on her shoulders, and will probably be the brightest star in this film as well. The movie's style is very similar to Stardust, which didn't do very well in U.S. theaters. However, this film not only has a princess, Patrick Dempsey as a modern prince, Susan Sarandon as a campy wicked witch, an animated squirrel, and singing, but an interesting plot too. Basically, Queen Narissa (Sarandon) plunges Giselle (Adams) into modern day NYC, and while she tries to find her way back she learns the truth about love and whether or not the storybook version can survive in the real world. And while Dempsey tries to wrap his head around the idea of fantastical love, Prince Charming/Edward (James Marsden from Hairspray) is running all over NYC in tights trying to find his princess. They have a deadline to return to their fantasy world before something...really bad happens. I saw a dragon, so I'm thinking it's pretty bad. It's literally fun for the whole family--well at least the girls of the family.
The Mist
Two words: Stephen King. It's never pleasant when one of King's novels is adapted to film. It's actually rather terrifying. A mist engulfs a town and within it are creatures that have entered through an inter-dimensional rift. Let the heart-thumping begin. Thomas Jane (The Punisher) is in the lead if that entices you further.
This Christmas
What better way to defuse the awkwardness during Thanksgiving family gatherings than to watch a movie about an African American family that hasn't reunited in years and has too many underlying problems to ignore over some spiked eggnog. Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard) is not only AWOL from the army, but hiding his marriage to a white woman from his family. Regina King (Miss Congeniality) is dealing with what seems to be a bossy husband and Chris Brown is trying to tell his mom that he wants to be a singer. Since it's Brown's official film debut it should guarantee it at least 2 mil--as long as parents let their whiny daughters out of the house.
August Rush
An Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers from "The Tudors") and an American cellist (Keri Russell from "Felicity") have one amazing night together above Washington Square Park. Unfortunately, when she gets pregnant, her father makes her give up her child. August Rush (Freddie Highmore from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) grows up with the desire to find his parents, so he runs away from his orphanage and befriends a street performer (Robin Williams). Meanwhile, Meyers searches for her and Russell searches for August with the help of a social worker (Terrence Howard) who's happened to have crossed his path. August is so musically talented that he sort of senses his parents through their music and hopes to lure them to him with his. It's a magical story that illustrates the power that music has over those who appreciate it.
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