Weekly Roundup - Opening 12/25

There is always a nice mix of opening movies on Christmas day, and this year is no difference. There are the sure fire Oscar noms with Revolutionary Road, Frost/Nixon, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the below average family romps with Marley & Me and Bedtime Stories, the not-so-token war movie with Valkyrie, and the will-most-likely-bomb The Spirit.

Weekend Suggestion:

While there are more than enough movies to pick from this week, the real debate comes down to Revolutionary Road, Frost/Nixon, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. While I highly recommend seeing all three films, I'm going to have to pick Benjamin Button for this weekend. What says "Christmas" more than watching Brad Pitt age backwards? If you know the answer to that question, you're a better person than I.

The Spirit

Movie Info

Directed by: Frank Miller (Sin City)
Written by: Frank Miller & Will Eisner (comic books)
Starring: Gabriel Macht (American Outlaws, Because I Said So), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Jurassic Park), Scarlett Johansson (In Good Company, Lost in Translation)
Genre: Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity
Runtime: 103 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 16% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 31/100
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
My Response: While this film looks like Sin City and many people will go watch it because of all the similarities, The Spirit falls far short of the breakthrough that Sin City achieved. Frank Miller made this movie without the help he's had in the past (with Sin City and 300), and the lack of help definitely hurts this movie. Skip it.

Trailer



Official Website

Marley & Me

Movie Info

Directed by: David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada)
Written by: John Grogan (book), Scott Frank (Get Shorty) & Don Ross (Happy Endings)
Starring: Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, Bottle Rocket), Jennifer Aniston (Friends, The Break-Up)
Genre: Comedy/Family
MPAA Rating: PG - for thematic material, some suggestive content and language
Runtime: 120 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 51% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 53/100
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
My Response: This is the kind of movie that a certain group (dog lovers) will love no matter what, and most other people will think it's sub par. See it if you are the former, skip it if you're a cat person.

Trailer



Official Website

Valkyrie

Movie Info

Directed by: Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-men 1 & 2)

Written by: Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) & Nathan Alexander (film writing debut)
Starring: Tom Cruise (Top Gun, All The Right Moves), Bill Nighy (The Constant Gardner, Underworld)
Genre: Suspense
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and brief strong language
Runtime: 120 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 61% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 58/100
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10

My Response: Valkyrie looks to have overcome many of the production problems (including delays, reshoots, and a six month release date change) that it went through to still end up being a good movie. While it will have a hard time going up against the huge movies that are opening this Christmas, it still might be a nice little surprise to see.

Trailer

Frost/Nixon

Movie Info

Directed by: Ron Howard (Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind)
Written by: Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen)
Starring: Frank Langella (Good Night, And Good Luck, Superman Returns), Michael Sheen (The Queen, Timeline), Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke)
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R - for some language
Runtime: 122 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 89% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 80/100
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
My Response: This movie was released in New York and Los Angeles a few weeks ago, but it is being released wide on 12/25. This film is for those who love watching a mental chess match between two great and opposing forces. It is based on a true story, and is gaining all kinds of hype for the performances and eloquence of the story telling. See it.

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Official Website

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Movie Info

Directed by: David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en)
Written by: Eric Roth (Forest Gump, The Insider) & Robin Swicord (Memoirs of a Geisha, Little Women)
Starring: Brad Pitt (Fight Club, True Romance), Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, The Aviator), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton, Burn After Reading)
Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking
Runtime: 193 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 73% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 69/100
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
My Response: This film has been highly anticipated since the project first began filming, and it doesn't seem to disappoint. Director David Fincher and star Brad Pitt have made two previous films together (Fight Club & Se7en), both of which were tremendous. Benjamin Button looks to stay on par with those two previous triumphs, and it has generated quite a bit of Oscar buzz for Pitt. See it.

Trailer



Official Website

Revolutionary Road

Movie Info

Directed by: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition)
Written by: Richard Yates (novel), Justin Haythe (screenplay)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed, Romeo + Juliet), Kate Winslet (Finding Neverland, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R - for language and some sexual content/nudity
Runtime: 119 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 69% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 70/100
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
My Response: While I will not discuss the movie that made DiCaprio and Winslet famous, I will talk about about how great this film looks. There really are no weaknesses to be found here. Director Sam Mendes has already won an Oscar (for American Beauty), Leo and Kate have been nominated several times each, and all are looking for more awards this season. The buzz around this film has been nothing but positive. DiCaprio and Winslet are both in roles that really let them expand their acting skills, and I can't wait to see them on screen.

Trailer



Official Website