Ho! Ho!…Ho? How is it that the holidays are here already? It’s a time to give thanks, a time to reflect, a time to spend lots of QT with those nearest and dearest. … which inevitably sends most of us screaming to the multiplex for a few hours of escape. But, good news! It’s also the time when studios unleash their brightest baubles of films, those features poised to bring in the bucks and the little gold men. This year we’ve got a little bit of everything: big, weepy love stories; quirky, heartwarming comedies (is there any other kind these days?); musical mayhem with bloodshed; the return of Daniel Day-Lewis; and Will Smith attempting to save the good planet Earth … again. We’ve made a list and checked it twice. Here are the nine must-see movies of this season.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
“I look at people and I see nothing worth liking.” So intones Daniel Plainview, the misanthropic figure at the center of the highly anticipated There Will Be Blood. This is Paul Thomas Anderson’s first film since the (much maligned) 2002 Punch-Drunk Love, and the writer-director chose to loosely base his script on the 1920’s Upton Sinclair book Oil! Mr. Anderson tends to make movies that people like to argue about (whether or not you think Magnolia is overrated or a modern masterpiece can be a relationship deal breaker), but so far the initial chatter on this one has been across-the-board positive. Daniel Day-Lewis stars. … And, well, when hasn’t he been amazing? The film is set in turn-of-the-century California during the oil boom, so expect plenty of media analysis about the politics of oil; but more importantly, it tackles the scary lust for and corruption of power. Paul Dano co-stars (hooray for the boys from The Girl Next Door!) as a young preacher who may or may not stand in Mr. Plainview’s way (look out!), and we’re guessing Mr. Anderson means it when he says there will be blood, okay? Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood did the score (sorry Aimee Mann), and our only concern is that there doesn’t seem to be a female of any note anywhere in this flick. (Paramount Vantage, Dec. 26)
JUNO
Phew! A lighthearted film to liven up the mix comes in the form of Juno, the second film from Jason (son of Ivan) Reitman, following up on his success with Thank You for Smoking. Juno is the name of the title character (played by Ellen Page), a young teenage girl faced with an unplanned pregnancy who decides to give her baby away to a worthy couple. The father of the baby? Superbad’s Michael Cera, looking younger, more nervous and skinnier than ever. Enter Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner (who, by the way, would make an excellent real-life couple—sorry, Ben!) as the young couple who hope to adopt. (It’s nice to see Mr. Bateman cracking wise on the big screen again, and reunited with his Arrested Development son, Mr. Cera.) Supporting members of the cast are equally as impressive, and include (very tall) Allison Janney, Rainn Wilson and J.K. Simmons. Expect Juno to be this year’s Little Miss Sunshine. (Fox Searchlight, limited, Dec. 15)
CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
What can we say about a movie that boasts this much talent? It was written by Aaron Sorkin, directed by Mike Nichols, and stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Emily Blunt and Ned Beatty. Amazing or spectacular mess? We can’t wait to find out. (Universal, Dec. 25)
GRACE IS GONE
When Grace Is Gone premiered at Sundance, it inspired the kind of crazy bidding war one could only imagine happening on Entourage (it ended at around 5 a.m. after seven hours). The movie stars John Cusack as a man whose wife is killed in service in Iraq, and who is left the uneasy task of telling his young daughters the news. Mr. Cusack, whom we’re always happy to see no matter how many bombs he may be in (cough, Martian Child) is being buzzed over as an Oscar contender, and since it was Harvey Weinstein who came out of the film’s bidding war victorious, expect a huge end-of-the-year publicity campaign. (Weinstein, Dec. 7)
THE SAVAGES
The Savages is one of those movies that it’s hard to imagine going over gangbusters at a pitch meeting: Two siblings reunite to take care of their mostly absentee father who is suffering from dementia. Doesn’t exactly scream holiday box office gold, does it? And yet, due to the tremendous performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman—it’s been said before but needs to be said again, this guy is just so darn good—and Laura Linney (who has truly perfected the art of high-strung) this movie is a small but excellent one. Writer-director Tamara Jenkins, whose last feature-length film was 1998’s Slums of Beverly Hills, carries the same cool aesthetic look and quirky feel as executive producer Alexander Payne’s films. (Ms. Jenkins is married to Mr. Payne’s writing partner, Jim Taylor.) While the situation the actors find themselves in is grim, Mr. Hoffman and Ms. Linney manage to eek out some truly hilarious moments that resemble, for better or for worse, real life. (Fox Searchlight, Nov. 28)
