Movie Muse Picks - Holiday Movie Preview 2012

Greetings, movie fans! It's that time again; the 2012 holiday movies start tomorrow!! There are several interesting offerings coming up. I'm not covering everything (though I would like to) in an effort to get this out quickly. These are the films on my radar right now. Note: each group is listed in order of release date, not preference.

The must sees:

• Wreck-It Ralph (Nov 2) -I'm *sure* y'all know by now that we are huge Disney fans. Pretty much, if it is an animated Disney film, we'll see it. And this one, to its credit, looks really cute. They did a great job of honoring the "old school" video games, I'm sure in an attempt to appeal to parents as much as kids. I have high hopes for this one; hope it's not a disappointment.
• Rise of the Guardians (Nov 21 - mainly for Luke) - Pre-Luke, we definitely would have seen this one. If he was too young to get to the theater, I'm not sure we'd "spend" one of our rare theater opportunities on it, but since I know he will want to see it, we'll definitely do our best to check it out. I think the premise is quite interesting, and it has a fascinating vocal cast. Dreamworks has been hit and miss for us lately; hopefully this one will be good.
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Dec 14) - I just want to hear the dwarf song in surround sound again. A choir full of bass voices is like a dream come true for me! ::happy sigh:: More Tolkien from Peter Jackson. How can that be a bad thing? Sure wish we could take Luke, but I'm betting it will be too intense for him.
• Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away (Dec 21) -Well, since I can't stomach the prices for us to go see Totem (currently showing here in Atlanta), perhaps this is my consolation prize? I adore Cirque du Soleil, and I think this will be a great (more affordable) option.

Really want to see (but new job might prevent taking time off to do so):

• Skyfall (Nov 8) -I'm already hearing good things about the latest Bond film, though I could do without some of the extensive advertising campaigns that have come along with it. (I'm sorry, but 007 does not drink beer! Well, maybe a proper British bitter or Guinness, but not Heineken.) We missed the last one in the theater. I forget what all was going on, but we just never could make it happen. Given the terrible reviews it also received, we didn't think we were missing much (though we do hope to see it in the next few weeks so that we are caught up). But with the advance reviews looking so good for this one, we'll definitely try to catch it if at all possible.
• Lincoln (Nov 9) -Steven Spielberg + Daniel Day Lewis. That makes it both an automatic "need to see" and an automatic Oscar contender. I know a lot of people are frustrated with the voice, but according to historians, it's probably closer to accurate than many films (he was described by contemporaries as having a high, sometimes shrill voice). The rest of the cast also looks stellar: Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones (LOVE him!), Bruce McGill (a personal favorite character actor, currently on Rizzoli & Isles), and I've caught glimpses of David Costabile in the commercials, who we're becoming quite a fan of (Daniel Hardman from Suits, but we've seen him in 2-3 other things recently). It opens in limited release on Nov 9, and in wider release later in November.
• Life of Pi (Nov 21) -This is one of those books I've been meaning to read for years now, but never got to. Now that the movie is out, I know I need to see it first, before I read the books. (That is my general preference for the order to do these things.) I've always thought the story sounded fascinating, and the visuals look absolutely stunning!
• Les Miserables (Dec 25) - As cliche as it sounds, Les Mis is probably my second favorite musical (next to Phantom, and I don't care what you have to say about it, I like it!). I got to see it on Broadway in 1994, and it was amazing. I'm not so sure about this supposedly more visually "real" version (I'm afraid it will seem all the weirder with people breaking out into song in a more real environment; movies just don't hold the same magic that the stage does in that respect, especially with some of the more ridiculous/humorous songs), but I think most of the casting was done quite well. Guess we'll find out! I'd really love to see this one, but it might have to wait for DVD.

If we had the (non-child) time, we'd probably try to catch Anna Karenina, but I just don't see that happening. I think The Man with the Iron Fists looks fascinating (note: I did not say it looks good, just fascinating), but I know we don't have the time to spend on that. It will probably be on the movie channels faster than most, so we can wait. I also think Hitchcock looks interesting, but with that type of drama, it can also wait. Lincoln would fall under that "dramas can be seen at home" rule, if it weren't for the nearly assured Oscar noms. I'd really like to try and see that one before February.

So that's what I've got! What are you looking forward to seeing this holiday season?

Currently feeling: ready to hit the theater!