Mark Vader Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 With the month of November comes more and more holidays, and with that comes bigger movies. However this year's holiday season is a bit more subdued. There is nowhere near the big titles of last season, like Harry Potter, Narnia, & King Kong. With the exception of December's "Eragon" & "Children of Men", big tent-pole movies are replaced with more family fare & Oscar hopefuls this season. Daniel Craig steps into the suave shoes & tuxedo of agent 007, James Bond in "Casino Royale". What is being billed as a prequel of, whereas it is 007's first mission, this Bond adventure is apparently ditching the absurd high tech gadgetry of previous Bond films and is going for a more old-style type of action. Daniel Craig looks the part and the trailer looks very promising. Eva Green & Judi Dench co-star. Denzel Washington teams with director Tony Scott in "Deja Vu". In this movie, Washington plays an ATF agent who travels back in time to save a woman from being murdered, falling in love with her during the process. Given it's fantastical edge, it is difficult to tell if this movie is a thriller or a drama, maybe both. James Caviezel & Val Kilmer co-star. For those looking for laughs, look no further than "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen brings his TV character to the big screen. The plot is not what is important as people just want some big laughs. According to the critics those big laughs are aplenty. Hugh Jackman & Rachel Weisz live for 1000 years in "The Fountain". This movie, that was reportedly booed at the Venice Film Festival, centers around Jackman as a 16th century conquistador who discovers the Tree of Life. Over the next 1000 years he searches for a way to save his love, Izzi (Weisz), as he begins to develop an understanding of the mysteries that have plagued him for centuries. The movie looks visually stunning. The challenge here is will those boos in Italy turn into cheers in America? Will Ferrell gives drama a shot in "Stranger than Fiction". Ferrell plays Harold Crick and IRS auditor, who suddenly finds his every thought and action narrated by a voice in his head. He comes to realize the voice belongs to a famous author, played by Emma Thompson, who decides to deal with her writer's block by setting into motion events which will cause the death of her character ... who's also named Harold Crick. Dustin Hoffman co-stars. Russell Crowe re-teams with Ridley Scott in "A Good Year".Here he plays Max Skinner who inherits Le Griffon, a crumbling Provençal vineyard owned by his Uncle Henry. Albert Finney & Abbie Cornish co-star. Jack Black & Kyle Glass show everyone how it all began for them, in "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny". The famous rock group attempts to become the greatest of all time, by stealing a magical guitar pick. As I mentioned before there will be plenty of family films this season: Tim Allen dons the red suit for the 3rd time in "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause". In this sequel Santa aka Scott Calvin, is faced with double-duty: how to keep his new family happy, and how to stop Jack Frost Martin Short from taking over Christmas. Aardman Animations steps away from their claymation features and releases their first ever CGI animated movie, "Flushed Away". In this tale tony rat is flushed down the toilet of his penthouse apartment and winds up in the sewers of London, where he has to learn a whole new way of life. Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellan, & Jean Reno lend their voice talents. Probably the strangest film this season comes in the form of "Happy Feet". A CGI animated story about Emperor Penguins who in real life seek their soul mates in song. One penguin who does'nt have this ability makes up for it in tap-dancing. If you can make out more of this plot, please let me know. Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Hugo Weaving, & Robin Williams lend their voice talents. Matthew Broderick & Danny DeVito form a rivalry on who can create the best Christmas decorated house, in "Deck The Halls". Other offerings this month include: Sarah Michelle Gellar in "The Return". Gellar plays a businesswoman whose complicated personal life is further troubled by her vivid nightmares about a murder of a woman she's never met. Christian Bale plays a Gulf War vet who goes on a dark joyride, after being turned down for a job with the LAPD, in "Harsh Times". A career criminal (Dax Shepard) and a rich snob (Will Arnett) are brought together in a maximum-security cell in, "Let's Go To Prison". Emilio Estevez directs a large ensemble cast in "Bobby". Part fact and part fiction, the story of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassination is told via the intertwining lives of people who were present at Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel in the hours leading up to the event. Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Helen Hunt, Lindsey Lohan, Ashton Kutcher, & William H.Macy round out the cast. Calendar with trailers: 11/3 The Santa Clause 3: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808497290/trailer Borat: http://www.boratmovie.com/ Flushed Away: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808640617/trailer 11/10 A Good Year: http://www.agoodyear.com/flash.html Stranger Than Fiction: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/strange...tion/index.html The Return: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808744550/trailer Harsh Times: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808716045/trailer 11/17 Casino Royale: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808476050/trailer Happy Feet: http://www2.warnerbros.com/happyfeet/ Let's Go To Prison: http://www.letsgotoprison.com/ 11/22 Deja Vu: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809275011/trailer The Fountain: http://thefountainmovie.warnerbros.com/ Deck The Halls: http://www.deckthehallsmovie.com/ Tenacious D: In the Pick of Destiny: http://www.tenaciousdmovie.com/ Bobby: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809427269/trailer That's all for now, I'll post the Independant Films for this month later. See ya soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted November 3, 2006 Author Share Posted November 3, 2006 Sorry I meant to post this on "Off the Wall". If the moderators wish to move this topic, please do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 VaderTime! I'm looking forward to quite a few of these films....surprisingly, I find myself being very interested in the new Bond flick. I love the idea of a prequel, and I think it's cool that we have a Bond who can finally kick some ass. The whole slick, sophisticated, LUCKY bond was really getting long in the tooth, IMO. I think D. Craig may really give this franchise a fresh identity. Borat and Stranger than Fiction are the other two I just can't wait to see. I may even see Borat tomorrow/today And Will Ferrell has really become one of my favorite actors. There is a film called 'Winter Passing' where he plays a bit of a different role and I thought he did great. I actually thought the film was very well done overall, though others I know felt it was slow and uninvolving. Anyway, great review as always, Mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Going to see Borat tonight! Great success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Might want to note that on the second night of screening at Venice, the audience gave "The Fountain" a standing O. Aronofsky's films (PI, Requiem for a Dream) can be pretty disturbing but the guy does really bring something new to the table in terms of filmmaking technique. I am really interested to see how he does a visually stunning sci-fi without CGI, something that hasn't been tried in a good long while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Going to see Borat tonight! Great success! 823763[/snapback] High five! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted November 4, 2006 Author Share Posted November 4, 2006 VaderTime! I'm looking forward to quite a few of these films....surprisingly, I find myself being very interested in the new Bond flick. I love the idea of a prequel, and I think it's cool that we have a Bond who can finally kick some ass. The whole slick, sophisticated, LUCKY bond was really getting long in the tooth, IMO. I think D. Craig may really give this franchise a fresh identity. Borat and Stranger than Fiction are the other two I just can't wait to see. I may even see Borat tomorrow/today And Will Ferrell has really become one of my favorite actors. There is a film called 'Winter Passing' where he plays a bit of a different role and I thought he did great. I actually thought the film was very well done overall, though others I know felt it was slow and uninvolving. Anyway, great review as always, Mark! 823626[/snapback] Thanks aj. While I am not a big James Bond fan, I do think that this movie looks to be pretty good. I would like to check out Stranger Than Fiction too. Harsh Times looks good. I'm glad that Christian Bale is getting more movie roles. Happy Feet looks absolutely strange to me. If that was just a short subject it might work, but a whole movie about Penguins singing and dancing , I do'nt know. Deck The Halls looks absolutely atrocious. I think we may have a Golden Raspberry nominee. A couple of good things to look forward to; Casino Royale will debut the latest trailer for "Spider-Man 3", and Happy Feet will bebut the first trailer for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". Next Summer is going to be awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Harsh Times looks good. I'm glad that Christian Bale is getting more movie roles. I am too....the guy has really become one of the better actors in Hollywood. Did you happen to see 'The Machinist'? I watched some of the special features on the DVD and I was shocked at all he went through to prepare for that role. I've enjoyed most of his films. I agree with you about next summer....I saw a trailer the other day for the Transformers, but I didn't realize that's what it was when I was watching it. Something about a Mars probe and how the gov't covered up the last transmission.....needless to say, when I saw it was for the Transformers movie, it really sparked my interest. I was lukewarm to the idea at first, but it's looking like it may be very, very cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SACKMARINO Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 everyone should see THE DEPARTED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbaboo Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Tenacious D! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodBye Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Hey shouldn't this thread be on The Wall? I almost missed seeing it. Thanks for the update as always, Mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted November 5, 2006 Author Share Posted November 5, 2006 Hey shouldn't this thread be on The Wall? I almost missed seeing it. Thanks for the update as always, Mark! 824384[/snapback] You're welcome Lana. I accidentally put this topic on the Wall, instead of Off the Wall. Sorry about that. I'll have that corrected for December. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNRed Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 I am too....the guy has really become one of the better actors in Hollywood. Did you happen to see 'The Machinist'? I watched some of the special features on the DVD and I was shocked at all he went through to prepare for that role. I've enjoyed most of his films. 824250[/snapback] Christian Bale is one of the best actors around right now. Did anyone else see The Prestige? I loved it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 Christian Bale is one of the best actors around right now. Did anyone else see The Prestige? I loved it... 824916[/snapback] I've really been wanting to see that, actually.....it'll probably end up being a rental, but if I get a chance while it's still at the theater I'll definitley go. BTW, here's a good article about Daniel Craig and the new Bond film. I wasn't a big Pierce Brosnan fan, so I'm excited to see the franchise get a cooler guy to play the lead. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml.../04/nbond04.xml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Went and saw "Deck The Halls" this weekend. Ruth loved it, I felt DD and MB mailed in their acting. Writing didn't seem that great either, felt like someone took alot of basic Christmas/Bad Neighbor stuff and threw a movie together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Went and saw "Deck The Halls" this weekend. Ruth loved it, I felt DD and MB mailed in their acting. Writing didn't seem that great either, felt like someone took alot of basic Christmas/Bad Neighbor stuff and threw a movie together. 848984[/snapback] I don't mean to generalize (okay, I sorta do), but I think women have a much greater tendency to enjoy a holiday/Christmas flick than we men do. I could probably count on one hand the number of Christmas flicks I've really enjoyed, even though there've been tons of them. Of course, my favorite would have to be "Christmas Vacation" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 I don't mean to generalize (okay, I sorta do), but I think women have a much greater tendency to enjoy a holiday/Christmas flick than we men do. I could probably count on one hand the number of Christmas flicks I've really enjoyed, even though there've been tons of them. Of course, my favorite would have to be "Christmas Vacation" 849045[/snapback] Santa's Slay was a good Christmas movie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Santa's Slay was a good Christmas movie 849079[/snapback] LOL!! Bill Goldberg as Santa??? WTF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Wife 'n me saw "Flushed Away" this weekend. Another great job by Ardman. It had a very good story line, and a bunch of hilarious moments. While kids will certainly enjoy it, a lot of the funny moments relate better to adults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 With the month of November comes more and more holidays, and with that comes bigger movies. However this year's holiday season is a bit more subdued. There is nowhere near the big titles of last season, like Harry Potter, Narnia, & King Kong. With the exception of December's "Eragon" & "Children of Men", big tent-pole movies are replaced with more family fare & Oscar hopefuls this season. 823624[/snapback] Who's better than Vader? Great job, as always, Mark. Just one thing...you characterize a season that has more "Oscar hopefuls" and fewer "Big tent-pole" moves as "lackluster". How about "refreshing"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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