Part Four: December 2010

This is it… the last push towards end-of-year accolades, with Darren Aronofsky, David O. Russell, Julian Schnabel and the Coen Brothers all looking for that elusive critic’s choice seal of approval.

By all accounts, 2010 has been a pretty mediocre year for movies… so far. In the eight months that have transpired, we’ve seen the lingering effects of Avatar‘s billion dollar success (translation: more 3D titles than ever before), a surprise vote of confidence for intellectually challenging, cinematically spectacular popcorn fare (read: Inception), and more than a few miscues (Kick-Ass) and misfires (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World). In between, the same filmic flotsam and jetsam ebbed and flowed. The RomCom and CG family genre both underperformed, while action spectacles aimed at the easy to please PG-13 demo keeled over and died. In fact, if the last two-thirds of the calendar have taught us anything, it’s that Hollywood no longer cares about pleasing the masses. While it would be nice, a few micro-managed, focus grouped hits will do just as well. [READ FULL INTRODUCTION]

 

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Film: Black Swan

Cast: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder

MPAA rating: R

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1 December
Black Swan

At this point, every film that Darren Aronofsky agrees to helm is an event. Starting with his starling indie intro, Pi, and continuing through Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and The Wrestler, he’s made a name for himself as a unique and wholly original cinematic voice. Things look to continue with this ballet “thriller” centering on the classical piece Swan Lake. Featuring the competing comeliness of Ms. Portman and Ms. Kunis as two sides of the same psychological coin, the trailer provides an intriguing insight into the shocking shape of things to come. With Aronofsky, one expects the unexpected, and that’s clearly the case here.

 

Director: Julian Schnabel

Film: Miral

Cast: Hiam Abbass, Freida Pinto, Yasmine Al Massri, Ruba Blal, Alexander Siddig, Omar Metwally, Stella Schnabel, Willem Dafoe, Vanessa Redgrave

MPAA rating: R

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3 December
Miral

It’s been a stunning transition. Renowned artist Julian Schnabel has carved out a creative niche as a filmmaker, highlighted by his work with Jeffrey Wright in Basquiat, Javier Bardem in Before Night Falls, Mathieu Amalric in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and Lou Reed for his Berlin concert film. Now he’s taking on the establishment of the state of Israel in this look at Hind Husseini’s effort to establish an orphanage in Jerusalem in 1948. Freida Pinto plays a young girl who grows up to discover the truth about her people’s struggles. Based on the novel by Rula Jebreal, it looks like another slam dunk for the divisive auteur.

 

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Film: The Tourist

Cast: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Haley Webb

MPAA rating: R

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3 December
The Tourist

It’s actually a rather intriguing question — who is the more attractive asset in this remake of Jérôme Salle’s Anthony Zimmer — Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie? Guess the answer depends on your orientation… cinematically speaking. On the plus side, The Lives of Others‘ Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is directing this dark thriller, so expect some palpable suspense and a true European feel. Still, we can’t help but wonder about a movie that has Ms. Bragelina conning Captain Jack Sparrow into luring our a criminal she once had an affair with. Sounds like everyone involved are above such calculated cat and mouse.

I Love You Phillip Morris and more

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Film: I Love You Phillip Morris

Cast: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro

MPAA rating: R

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3 December
I Love You Phillip Morris

Left to sit in entertainment exile because of its racy subject matter (stars Carrey and McGregor as prison lovers!) and supposedly commercial pariah status, Roadhouse Pictures is finally taking the risk of releasing this long delayed look at the real life events of con artist, impostor, and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell. It’s interesting that the subject of homosexual love and amiable anti-family values would be seen as so scandalous in today’s presumably more permissive social atmosphere, but apparently, people would prefer to see voices come out of Carrey’s butt, not the other way around. Guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows.

 

Director: David Fincher

Film: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter, Liam Neeson, Simon Pegg

MPAA rating: PG-13

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10 December
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The first film adaptation of the multi-volume CS Lewis epic was a huge hit. The second installment — not so much. As a matter of fact, there was a real question as to whether or not the next five chapters would even be made. Clearly, someone still has faith in this Christian allegory, and thus we have the third part, without the previous House of Mouse approval (Fox has taken over for a bailing Disney as distributor). The story now shuttles forward to a ship commissioned by King Caspian, it’s goal to reunite the seven lords originally banished by His Highness’s evil uncle. Of course, our trio of young heroes is along for the ride.

 

Director: David O. Russell

Film: The Fighter

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee, Dendrie Taylor, Caitlin Dwyer

MPAA rating: R

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10 December
The Fighter

Here’s how surreal and yet somehow sensible Hollywood is — David O. Russell, whose been kind of a critical lightning rod for his onset screeds and YouTube virals is back helming a project that Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky was once attached to make. Now both are competing for Best of 2010 accolades. Unlike the previously discussed ballet “thriller”, this story of real life pugilist “Irish” Mickey Ward and his tumultuous relationship with his brother. With Wahlberg and Bale in the leads respectively, this could be the effort that saves Mr. I Heart Huckabees from continued industry exile.

 

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Film: Tron: Legacy

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Bruce Boxleitner, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, James Frain

MPAA rating: PG

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17 December
Tron: Legacy

Geeks have been going gonzo ever since Disney announced plans to revisit this supposed pioneer of early CG storytelling. Of course, a lot has changed in the computer graphics game since video arcades were popular. Still, the visuals presented in the trailer do promise something stunning, though one can’t shake the feeling that, in the end, we will have a somewhat Shakespearean feeling that this was all much ado about nothing. After all, outside of a certain nerd ‘Net demographic, is there an audience really screaming for the return of Kevin Flynn? Didn’t think so.

Yogi Bear and more

Director: Eric Brevig

Film: Yogi Bear

Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Christine Taylor, Tom Cavanagh, Anna Faris

MPAA rating: PG

Image: http://images.popmatters.com/blog_art/y/yogibearposter.jpg

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17 December
Yogi Bear

It’s September as this blurb is being written and, as of this moment one thing is certain — Yogi Bear is shaping up to be one of the worst movies of 2010. Don’t believe it? Take a moment and click on the teaser trailer below. If the bad voice acting of Dan Aykroyd and Justine Timberlake (as Yogi and Boo Boo respectively) doesn’t make your skin crawl, the over the top histrionics of live action co-stars Tom Cavanaugh and Anna Faris will. Together, they promise to create a perfect storm of swill, taking anything anyone ever loved about the smarter than the average bruin and permanently destroying it.

 

Director: James L. Brooks

Film: How Do You Know?

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson

MPAA rating: R

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17 December
How Do You Know?

James L. Brooks has not had a significant motion picture hit since 1997’s As Good As It Gets. 2004’s Spanglish was an awards season dud (featuring Adam Sandler in one of his few serious turns didn’t help matters much) and, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like things are improving much. What we have here is a RomCom featuring Ms. Witherspoon as a professional softball player torn between to potential lovers — a corporate executive (Rudd) and a baseball ace (Wilson). With jolly Jack Nicholson along as an interfering father, one hopes a return to Terms of Endearment/Broadcast News form. Otherwise, it’s just another death knell for an already struggling genre.

 

Director: Paul Weitz

Film: Little Fockers

Cast: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman

MPAA rating: PG-13

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22 December
Little Fockers

Originally, we met ‘the Parents’. Then we had to reciprocate and meet ‘the Fockers’. Now it’s time for a bumbling Ben Stiller and his onscreen wife to introduce their toddler twins to their eccentric grandparents. Oh brother. Originally, Daddy Focker (Dustin Hoffman) refused to reprise his role, issues of money and screen time making up most of the demands. Now he’s back on board for some studio-mandated reshoots, meaning that everyone’s favorite farcical family remains intact. This doesn’t mean they’re happy, though, as Big Ben goes through a midlife crisis which causes friction in his marriage. On the plus side, Jay Roach is only producing this time around. it’s up to Paul Weitz to save this sinking ship.

True Grit and more

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Film: True Grit

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld, Barry Pepper

MPAA rating: R

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24 December
True Grit

Leave it to the Coen Brothers to once again confound expectations with their follow-up film choices. After the multiple Oscar wins for No Country for Old Men, they’ve made a goofball farce (Burn After Reading) and a serio-comic reflection on ’60s Judaism and faith (A Serious Man). Now they’ve made another left turn into remake territory with this re-imagining of the famed John Wayne epic. Promising to be more faithful to the novel than the Duke’s determined star vehicle, their last foray into redux was the scattered Ladykillers. Still, anything with the Coen name guarantees as certain level of interest — and the boys typically succeed royally.

 

Director: Sofia Coppola

Film: Somewhere

Cast: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Benicio del Toro, Michelle Monaghan, Chris Pontius

MPAA rating: R

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24 December
Somewhere

Sophia Coppola returns to the small pictures that made her career (and earned her Academy Award respect) after the nonstarter spectacle of Marie Antoinette. Dorff is a Tinseltown bad boy who is suddenly reunited with his estranged 11-year-old daughter. From the images we see in the trailer, lots of introspection and fame-oriented issues ensue. Perhaps the most amazing thing her is Ms. Fanning. Far outshining her older sister in the looks department, she seems poised for some manner of big time breakthrough. Working with Coppola, this could be the movie that makes her a well known name all to herself.

 

Director: Rob Letterman

Film: Gulliver’s Travels

Cast: Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Billy Connolly, Catherine Tate

MPAA rating: PG-13

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24 December
Gulliver’s Travels

Jack Black is about ready to wear out his comedic welcome. While he’s been in some big hits, he has yet to move out of the same old slacker shtick routine — usually revolving around some fast-talking barbs and a few awkward adlibs. It looks like nothing has changed with this much delayed update of the Jonathan Swift satire. Black is still bouncing around like a hippo having a seizure and his co-stars seem eager to deliver their lines and cash their paychecks. There’s a possibility that our initial impressions of this unfunny looking effort are wrong. With Black, however, all safe bets remain off.

Blue Valentine and more

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Film: Blue Valentine

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman, Faith Wladyka

MPAA rating: R

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31 December
Blue Valentine

Apparently, we are supposed to gauge our interest in this unknown indie effort based on the fact that it won the Chrysler Film Project award for its supposedly sensational screenplay. The casting is also promising, with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in the lead. But some reviews have pointed out that director Derek Cianfrance’s dark take on the material, plus the already overdone subgenre of marriage on the rocks movies dooms any broader appeal. Also troubling is the chronologically inexact narrative logic which sees us jumping around back and forth between the sweet introductions and the proposed bitter endings. Intriguing, but not necessarily high on the “Must See” list for 2010.

 

Director: John Madden

Film: The Debt

Cast: Helen Mirren, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington

MPAA rating: R

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31 December
The Debt

British director John Madden tries to recuperate after the less than successful triumvirate of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Proof, and Killshot to reclaim his Shakespeare in Love reputation with this international thriller. Dame Mirren is an ex-Mossad agent who must come out of retirement to investigate the claims of a Nazi War criminal she supposedly tracked in the ’60s. With its intriguing premise and acting presence, this could be a thoroughly engaging experience. Madden, on the other hand, doesn’t exactly fill a film fan with that much aesthetic confidence. Even his Oscar winner has come under major scrutiny in the 12 years since it stole Saving Private Ryan‘s fire.