Six films to consider during a full holiday season
The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Voyage of the Dawn Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley and William Poulter take on the next chapter of the popular C.S. Lewis series, but will this creative lion roar as loudly as its previous incarnations? Truth be told, it’s hard to keep up with all the sequels and 3D mania of late—aren’t we all a bit hungry for a real story? That said, here’s what you can expect here: Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their cousin Eustace and their royal friend King Caspian, find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to the Dawn Treader. (Hate when that happens.) Ah, but watch for lessons to unfold—and stellar special effects. (Opens Dec. 10) | GA
I LOVE YOU, PHILLIP MORRIS There’s some good buzz about this outing starring funny guy Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. While previews indicate things may go over the top here, we’re hoping that the skills of its lead actors bring things back to center so we can embrace this film rather than walk away scratching our heads. The lowdown: Carrey plays a Texas policeman who winds up in the state pen. There, he meets “the love of his life”—Phillip Morris (McGregor). The aftermath finds Carrey attempting to escape and generating one con after another—all in the name of love. (Opens Dec. 3) | GA
MADE IN DAGENHAM If you like Mad Men, chances are you’ll want to catch this 1968-era British comedy for the dresses and hairstyles alone! But there’s a serious side to this tru
e story of a handful of working-class Englishwomen working at a Ford plant in industrial Dagenham who mounted a protest against sexism and for equal pay on the job—and won. The delightful Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) dons the bouffant ‘do an A-line dress as their ringleader; Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson co-star. (Opens Dec. 22) | LJ
TANGLED It looks promising if not colorful. Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi offer the voices in Disney’s bold animated take on Rapunzel. Adventure ensues. So do those blond locks. (Opens in December) | GA
THE TEMPEST Here’s the set-up: Shakespeare’s most enchanting, lyrical and wistful play (written at the end of his career), about a deposed duke exiled to a magical island, re-imagined as a vehicle for the fabulous Helen Mirren. She plays “Prospera,” a ruler exiled on a trumped-up charge of witchcraft who commands the forces of magic and nature to exact a sly and just revenge on the enemies who usurped her. What makes the project extra-special is director Julie Taymor, the stage director whose gift for gorgeous spectacle made “The Lion King” the hottest ticket on Broadway, and has since gone on to such rapturously visionary films as Frida, and Across The Universe. The cherry on top? Wild man Russell Brand (Get Him to the Greek) in the principal comedy role. (Opens Dec. 10.) | LJ
THE TOURIST Oh, please: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Venice and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (director of the superlative German drama, The Lives of Others). Depp plays an American on vacation in glorious Venice to get over a failed love affair after his girlfriend dumps him. (C’mon, it’s fiction!) Jolie is the mystery woman who draws him into a thriller plot amongst the bridges and canals. If you’ve ever seen Don’t Look Now, you know just how creepy Venice can be. I am so there! (Opens Dec. 10) | LJ
