Movie studios bearing cinematic gifts during holiday film season
“Avatar”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
New movies bring old stars, newcomers to screen
The turkey may be leftovers by now, but film fans should be giving thanks.
The movie studios have packed their shiny cinematic sleighs with many promising gifts this holiday season, from James Cameron’s long-awaited sci-fi adventure “Avatar” to Disney’s return to hand-drawn fairytales “The Princess and the Frog.”
Also, Robert Downey Jr. becomes “Sherlock Holmes,” filmmaker and former Python Terry Gilliam captures the late Heath Ledger’s final performance in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and director Wes Anderson transforms George Clooney into one “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”
Here is a list for cinemaphiles to check twice of movies opening in Oklahoma City this season. But remember, those naughty studios sometimes change their release dates, so check movie listings before heading to the theater.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Opened Wednesday
Writer-director Wes Anderson (“The Darjeeling Limited”) adapts Roald Dahl’s book “Fantastic Mr. Fox” into a stop-motion animated film with the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson.
The film version of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Road” features Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as a father and son traveling through a post-apocalyptic America.
Asian stars Rain and Rick Yune face off as skilled killers who were once allies in the undoubtedly action-packed “Ninja Assassin.”
Two bachelor pals (John Travolta and Robin Williams) are forced to care for 7-year-old twins in the comedy “Old Dogs,” from director Walt Becker (“Wild Hogs”).
The MacManus brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) return to their vigilante ways when their beloved priest is killed in the sequel “Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.”
“Everybody’s Fine”
Dec. 4
In “Everybody’s Fine,” Robert De Niro plays a widower who takes an impromptu Christmastime trek to reconnect with his adult children (Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore).
A supposedly full-proof armored car robbery goes awry in “Armored,” starring Columbus Short, Laurence Fishburne, Matt Dillon and Jean Reno.
After surviving a prison-of-war camp in Afghanistan, a solider (Tobey Maguire) returns home to find his wife (Natalie Portman), who assumed she was a widow, has taken comfort in a relationship with his ex-con brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) in “Brothers.” Helmed by Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan, it is a remake of writer-director Susanne Biers’ highly regarded 2004 Danish film.
