2013 Holiday Film Preview

I am terribly late getting this out this year. In fact, most of the films I actually expect to get to see have already been released or will be in the next week or so. Still, I hope to spotlight a few you might not be aware of. Enjoy!


Ender's Game - November 1 - Children are recuited for military training in hopes of one day leading the fight against the alien race that invaded Earth. Based on the Orson scott Card novel, which is one of my FIL's favorite books. I really want to try to catch this one in the theater if I can.


Free Birds - November 1 - Animated. Two turkeys go back in time to stop the Pilgrims from serving turkey at the first Thanksgiving so that turkey-eating will not become a Thanksgiving tradition. Interesting premise, but I've heard the execution is not so hot.


Last Vegas - November 1 - Four "old timers" spend a weekend in Vegas for a bachelor party. (I'm old enough to remember when most of these men were young and mostly ran Hollywood. Ouch.) The trailer certainly made me laugh, but I wonder if that means we've already seen all the god stuff?


12 Years a Slave - November 1 - Solomon Northup is a free black man from New York who is abducted and transported to the southern United States, where he is sold into slavery. Based on a true story. I will not likely see this film in the theater, and I may never see it (I hear it is pretty brutal), but the cast here is stellar: Chiwetel Ejiofor (who I have loved in everything I've ever seen him in), Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Benjamin Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, and Alfre Woodard.


Thor: The Dark World - November 8 - Don't think much needs to be said about this one. Thor sequel, more of the same, though different director this time. I hear Loki/Tom Hiddleston is exceptional in this one.


About Time - November 8 (USA Release) - A man discovers he can time travel and change what happens in his own life, so he uses his powers to find true love. This movie comes from the creatorof Love Actually, which is one of my favorite movies. British films have such a great touch with this type of material. I hope this one lives up.


The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - November 22 - Another film that not much needs to be said about. You've probably already decided if you'll see it or not. I'm waiting until closer to the third movie. That way, I can watch all three back to back and then jump right into the books. (But waiting is hard, I assure you!)


Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor - November 23 - 50th anniversary special of the epic franchise that will be shown in some theaters (2D and 3D) and on BBC America. It should also be released on DVD and Blu-ray before the end of the year.


Frozen - November 27 - New animated offering from Disney (not Pixar), based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. A girl must battle her sister to free her kingdom endless winter. This involves several of the people from Wreck-It Ralph, which was a surprisingly good movie. We'll give it a shot.


The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - December 13 - I'm sensing a theme here. Nothing really needs to be said about this one, I don't think, except *dragon*! (Finally.)


Saving Mr. Banks - December 20 - Walt Disney attempts to convince author P.L. Travers to agree to use of her novel in a Disney adaptation of Mary Poppins. Y'all know I'm a Disney nut, and Mary Poppins is still one of my favorite films. I would see it for that alone. But toss in Tom hanks and Emma Thompson, and I will do all I can to catch it in the theater.


Walking With Dinosaurs - December 25 - Talking dinosaurs have been overlayed onto the BBC mini series for this underdog story. The visuals are nice, not sure about the rest, or the scare level for kids. What concerns me most is that this film sat on the shelf for at least two years. That's rarelly a good sign.


The Wolf of Wall Street - December 25 - Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle, helmed by Martin Scorsese, based on the true story of stockbroker Jordan Belfort. This has Oscar nomination written all over it, from what I hear.


47 Ronin - December 25 - From IMDb: "A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun." I can actually see Keanu Reeves as a samurai, to a certain extent, so I'm okay there. This is another project that sat on the shelf for at least a year, but it is getting a pretty high profile immediately-before-Christmas release date, so it's hard to get a feel for this one.


The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - December 25 - Ben Stiller stars in this remake about a day-dreamer who decides to venture into the real world of adventure. Not your typical Ben Stiller feel to this one. I'm genuinely curious about it, but I'll wait to see and hear more before deciding.


August: Osage County - December 25 - A family of strong women returns home during a family crisis; based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award Winningn Play. Another of those films that seems worth mentioning just for the cast: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale (I've always loved her!), Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch (he's been busy), Dermot Mulroney, Sam Shepard.

And an honorable mention for this film coming up in January:


Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - Why yes, they are trying to restart the Tom Clancy hero franchise, this time with Captain Kirk. They've pulled in Kevin Costner and Keira Knightly, though, as well as Kenneth Branagh as director (who runs hot and cold for me), so there is some potential. I find the January release date both interesting and worrysome.

Currently feeling: bring on the popcorn!