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Volume CXXXIII, Number 11 |
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Quality cinema comes into season
MIKE NUGENT
STAFF WRITER
Is it that time of year already? The time when Hollywood finally decides to give audiences more than just incoherent 90-minute products and finally gets down and gives us pieces of art? I sure hope so.
Here are nine films soon to be released, some by Hollywood and some not, which will hopefully rise above the rest to be among the best of the year:
The Last Samurai (Dec. 5)
In this historical epic, similar in setup to Dances With Wolves, Tom Cruise plays Nathan Algren, an alcoholic Civil War veteran called to Japan to teach its army all about modern warfare. Ken Watanabe also stars in a much buzzed about role. The Last Samurai is directed by Edward Zwick (Glory), who already won the first Best Director prize of the year for this film from the National Board of Review.
Big Fish (Dec. 10)
Master visual storyteller Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas) goes for a more traditional heart-warming story in this comedy-drama. The film tells the story of a dying father (Albert Finney) whose estranged son (Billy Crudup) wants to know if all the tall tales Dad told over the years were true. The movie also stars two-time Oscar winner Jessica Lange, and Ewan McGregor as Finney in his younger years.
Something's Gotta Give (Dec. 12)
In this little ditty about Jack and Diane, Jack Nicholson plays a middle-aged man who is dating Diane Keaton's daughter. After a heart attack, he realizes it's the older women he really wants. Keaton already won Best Actress from the National Board of Review, and is sure to be the recipient of much nostalgic remembrance for her particular brand of la-di-da this Oscar season.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Dec. 17)
Need I say more? The epic conclusion to J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novels has come and, if advance word is correct, it's even better than the first two. Director Peter Jackson's combination of fight scenes and greater emotion on screen may or may not bring Best Picture to his doorstep. But it is certain that this trilogy will be one for the ages; The Godfather of the fantasy genre.
Calendar Girls (Dec. 19)
In the vein of The Full Monty, the based-on-a-true-story Calendar Girls stars Helen Mirren (Gosford Park) and the middle-aged ladies of the Rylstone Women's Institute in Yorkshire. In an effort to raise money for leukemia research, they decide to pose for the institute's annual calendar wearing pearls and their birthday suits.
Mona Lisa Smile (Dec. 19)
In this film reminiscent of Dead Poets Society, Julia Roberts stars as an open-minded art history professor at Wellesley College in the 1950s. She becomes upset when she discovers that her pupils have no interest in using their minds beyond getting a husband, so she shakes things up for them.
Monster (Dec. 24)
In a complete career shift, Charlize Theron stars as Aileen Wournos, a highway prostitute and drifter who killed at least six men in Florida and was the first female serial killer. Monster will offer the most challenging role of the year for an actress, and with the Academy's fondness for glamour girls gone to seed for a role, could land her the Oscar. Christina Ricci co-stars as her young lover.
Cold Mountain (Dec. 25)
Miramax's major Oscar film this year stars Jude Law as a badly wounded Confederate soldier who deserts the army and begins the long walk home to North Carolina to the woman he loves (Nicole Kidman). The movie also stars Renee Zellweger as a drifter who helps Kidman while Law is away. Director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley) has had luck with Oscar in the past, and there is a good chance he will continue to do so with this film.
House of Sand and Fog (Dec. 26)
In this film, Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) plays an Iranian immigrant who used to be a member of the Shah's inner circle but is now reduced to menial labor. He jumps at a chance to buy a house and attain the American dream, but it turns out that the house was seized in error, and the owner (Jennifer Connelly) has troubles of her own. Advance word suggests Kingsley knows no peer for Best Actor.
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