Friday, November 2ndWreck-It Ralph
An ingenious idea from the guys at Disney, this computer-animated film takes us inside the world of old-school arcade games and gives each character his own personality. Ralph, a villain from an '80s game, decides to go against his programming and become a hero in another game. The fun is all the cameos from real-life video game characters, like Pac-Man, Sonic, Bowser, etc. and in the fictional games' similarity to real-life ones. John C. Reilly voices the titular character, and is joined by Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch.
Friday, November 9th
Skyfall
The third film in the James Bond reboot franchise (and the 23rd film overall) is said to be one of the best in the series, which turns 50 this year. (This is by far the longest-running movie franchise in history.) Daniel Craig returns as Agent 007 to face off against a cyberterrorist played with extra menace-y menace by Javier Bardem, who has a past connection to Bond's boss M. An added treat? A new Q, played by a young chap Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas). Directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty).
All hail 007!
Friday, November 16th
Lincoln
This long-awaited historical drama is not actually a biopic of Abraham Lincoln's life; rather, it only follows his final four months, particularly the passing of the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery. Only Steven Spielberg could direct a movie this important, and direct it he does. And Daniel Day-Lewis (a British guy, ironically) as the American hero is said to be the most realistic portrayal ever seen on film. The trailer makes the film look tame, but it's getting very good reviews, so it shouldn't be a disappointment to any history buff. The cast also includes Sally Field (as his wife), Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
One eyebrow-raiser: Day-Lewis chooses to give Lincoln a high voice, while the collective American subconscious always imagines him with a very deep, gruff voice. According to research, Day-Lewis' choice is accurate.
Not to be confused with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Friday, November 23rd
Rise of the Guardians
Based on a series of children's books, this animated film follows legendary beings like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Jack Frost as they team together to stop a Boogeyman-like evil guy. In the tradition of Shrek, this combines clever humor with exciting action, all in beautiful animation. Should be a treat for young kids.
Friday, November 30th
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2
For the record, the only reason this movie appears here is because nothing good opens this week. And if I fail to mention it at all, I will appear stubborn and/or ignorant.
In the fifth and (hopefully) final film in the franchise, Bella is now a vampire, and raising a vampire child. The vampire lords or whatever hear about it and decide to kill her and the parents. This causes vampires from all over the world to come to Bella and Edward's aid to fight against the bad vampires. Yes, there's good vampires and bad vampires, try to keep up. Part 1 angered a lot of people, fans included, with its antifeminist message and stupid story. Let's hope Part 2 can do better.
I doubt it, though.
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner all return.
