As a winter-wonderland scene unfolds across a Christmas-infested culture a gamut of end-of-the-year films squeeze their way into theaters before the Dec. 31 Oscar deadline.
Big Hollywood names scatter the upcoming release list like the first few snowflakes falling on the sidewalk, yet movie-goers and critics alike are left wondering if the powers can deliver a punch. One would hope there’s enough creativity left in the world to shake up the timeless stories of humanity like a child’s snowglobe. But then again, we could be in a drought season.
However, considering the family-oriented flavor of the season, it’s best not to take away the two hours of silence during which grandma ceases rambling about Aunt Jo , cousin Billy Bob and other such family gossip. It’s almost worth not spending the money on advertisements because studios and producers have a secured audience that will attend their movies, even the ones not worth attending.
With all the Hollywood bashing aside, the trailers still manage to whet the appetite of the cheap entertainment-seeking individual. Just in case the insanity of cramming for finals, fighting off sleep deprivation and thoughts of home have stolen TV-watching time from your schedule making you miss the trailers here’s a list of the remaining movies to hit the theaters before the end of the year:
December 8
Dungeons and Dragons
This fantasy/adventure flick based on a popular game stars Justin Whalin and Marlon Wayans. The pair saves their kingdom by defeating dragons, fending off a power-hungry magician and ultimately saving the day in a Labyrinth-like manner-without the Muppets-but they do have a dwarf named Elwood.
Proof of Life
You’re Meg Ryan. Your husband has recently been kidnapped and being held for a three million dollar by a Latin American terrorist group that traffics cocaine. Your only hope is Hollywood’s resident stud, Russell Crowe. As a professional hostage negotiator, Terry Thorne, Crowe takes his Australian accent and Ransom to the Andes in a successful but by no means earth-shattering action film.
Vertical Limit
Above the tree line, things tend to get emotional and intense. It could be due to lack of oxygen or the threat of death at every ice cliff. Or then again, it could just be Chris O’Donnell bouncing back from The Bachelor in another action film about a climber on a rescue mission to save his sister from the second-highest peak in the world, K2.
December 12
Chocolat
Everyone knows that chocolate has medicinal effects, but it takes Juliette Binoche, an unusual chocolate shop, and a handsome outsider (Johnny Depp) to convince a small, traditional French town in 1959 to respond to newly acquired desires and passions. The power of chocolate should never be underestimated.
Dude, Where’s My Car?
What would we do without stupid, drunken entertainment? Perhaps we’d find quality ways to spend our spare time. Nah, it sounds like too much work. Instead, let’s watch two idiots make fools of themselves looking for their car after a night out on the town. Scary Movie was a hit; apparently there id a demand for stupid humor.
The Emperor’s New Groove
Disney returns with it’s patent formula for cartoon success in The Emperor’s New Groove. The newest addition to the Disney library stars as an arrogant prince that has been transformed into a llama who survives a series of predicaments and meets some new friends, all the while following the classic format of self-discovery through animation.
What Women Want
Finally, the great female wish has been answered; let men know the hell of pantyhose. Mel Gibson stars in this romantic comedy with Helen Hunt in which he is blessed (or perhaps cursed) with the uncanny ability to read women’s minds. We have the writing team of Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa of The King of Queens to thank for this refreshing script. This is as chick flick that should entertain both male and female audiences alike.
December 22
Cast Away
Tom Hanks returns true to his beloved movie persona capable of overcoming any obstacle. This time, he’s stranded on an island. Hanks, a FedEX troubleshooter, stars in a South Pacific soliloquy about the physical and emotional demands of island inhabitancy, while Helen Hunt makes her second appearance in an end-of-the-year film. Apparently, frequency is the new way to earn an Oscar nomination.
Wes Craven Presents:
Dracula 2000
Director Patrick Lussier takes off where the Bran Stoker legend ended in a story about Dracula’s new territory-21st century America. The timeless Gothic myth returns to the forefront of American pop culture.
The Family Man
What do you give the Wall Street tycoon who has everything? A chance to revisit what he gave up years ago. Nicolas Cage plays Jack Campbell, a successful businessman, in a movie about second chances. Years ago Campbell gave up his college girlfriend (Tea Leoni) to pursue his professional career. He now finds himself in a rare, mystical opportunity that gives him a chance to see what life would have been like if he had married her instead.
Miss Congeniality
After a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss United States pageant, it seems that agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is the only woman for the job. The problem is Bullock has to go through a crash course in finishing school to catch the bad guys. Can she do it with Vaseline on her teeth?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
George Clooney returns, this time without Mark Whalberg at his side, in a drama about three prisoners escaping in hopes of returning to their families. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, the three men set off on an adventure loosely based on Homer’s The Odyssey.
December 25
All The Pretty Horses
Director Billy Bob Thornton’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel finally reaches theaters after spending a long time in the production stage. Matt Damon stars as John Grady Cole in a coming-of-age story about a young cowboy who falls victim to a star-crossed romance in the vast Mexican range.
An Everlasting Piece
This comedy about a pair of toupee salesmen exhibits a series of creative sales techniques as the salesmen compete with rival company, Toupee or Not Toupee in Northern Ireland.
