Winter Preview: December
Usually when people think of December, they think of snow, Christmas, winter, the end of the year, you know, stuff like that. For moviegoers and film critics, December is the month Oscar season starts to heat up. But don’t let those types of films fool you, because we all know Christmas Day is now a big holiday to release films on, making for plenty of diversity to go see. Ah, but what to see? Welcome to Winter Preview: December here on Killer Film, and to help decide what to see in between Christmas shopping and being with family this month, let Donny and Jon tell you what to spend your money on with a simple See It or Skip It.
(December 4th)
Armored
Jon: With this film, people will really be watching the director Nimrod Antal, since he has been tapped for next summer’s Predators. For this film, it looks okay, pretty standard issue. The whole rookie cop being taught by the veteran, who is doing something dirty has been played out to death. This is no Training Day, and even with a solid cast, I say Skip It
Donny: I’m gonna do something that I don’t normally do, I’m going to agree with Jon. I really have no interest in seeing this flick, so I’m going to flex the old editor muscles and assign it to someone other than myself. Skip It
Everybody’s Fine
Jon: Here’s a Christmas themed film, but one that isn’t a goofball or slapstick comedy. Robert De Niro is getting good buzz for a change, and with Sam Rockwell as his estranged son, we might have a solid drama this month. On an impromptu trip to visit his son and daughter, who he seems to think are living splendid lives, he discovers that’s further from the truth. See It
Donny: I think the world just might be coming to an end earlier than 2012, because I once again, I agree with Jon. This looks like it could be a solid drama and a return to form for De Niro. See It
Brothers
Jon: This could be really interesting, even if it has that smell of being Oscar bait (I hate that term by the way). Tobey Maguire comes home after being a P.O.W. in Afghanistan, to find his wife (Natalie Portman) thinks she’s a window, and his ex-con of a brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) has become the man of the house to her. With 8 Mile’s director on board, we might have a really damn fine drama here. See It
Donny: I am extremely excited to see this flick. Maguire looks really creepy in the trailer, Gyllenhaal looks perfect for his part, and Portman is always hot. I’ll be there on opening day. See It
Translymania
Jon: Looks worse than a direct-to-TV movie, totally stupid. Skip It if you enjoy a healthy 20/20 vision in your eyes.
Donny: Finally! Jon doesn’t know what he’s talking about! This flick looks like something that I haven’t seen in the theatre for a very long time. Â Good, cheesy fun! I can’t wait to see this flick and even if it sucks hard I’m gonna be in the theatre on opening night just to send a message to the studios, saying that I want my goofy cheese with a side of popcorn!
(December 11th)
The Princess and the Frog
Jon: Disney’s return to traditional cell animation has me all sorts of happy. It looks superb, but why have people disregard the fact that this is Disney’s first black princess? I don’t find anything wrong; timing does seem obvious, but the characters look like reinterpreted Disney favs, the Southern flavor feels right, and the animation looks amazing. If people are smart, this will be a decent size hit for the Mouse House. See It
Donny: Disney + Traditional Animation = See It
Invictus
Jon: How does Clint Eastwood do it at his age? Here’s another marvelous film starring Matt Damon as a rugby player that has been tapped by the President of South Africa (Morgan Freeman) to win the country a World Cup to unite the country. Should be typical Clint, which means See It.
Donny: Once again I agree with Jon. I love Eastwood’s flicks and I am eagerly waiting to see this one. See It
The Lovely Bones
Jon: Let me get this out of the way: I’m not a fan of Peter Jackson. Yes, The Lord of the Rings were great, but his zombie flicks weren’t anything special, and for my money, the only real film I loved by him was The Frighteners. If this picture is near 3 hours, I cannot go; I’ve dedicated too many hours of my life to Jackson, and King Kong was the deal breaker for me. No more 3 hour films, Peter! It looks decent, but it isn’t moving me like it has others in my field. In a rare switcharoo, I’m telling Donny to see it, so I can Skip It.
Donny: I’m starting to worry. I not only agree with Jon about the 3 hour flicks, but I really don’t care for Jackson’s movies. Actually, I can’t stand them. I’d rather watch paint dry than suffer through The Lord of the Rings again, so I’m going to pull an even more complex switcharoo than the one Jon just pulled and tell Jason to see it so that I can Skip It.
(December 18th)
Avatar
Jon: I should be excited for James Cameron’s return to sci-fi after a decade long absence. Terminator, Aliens, True Lies, The Abyss, and of course, Terminator 2: Judgment Day rock. This look like we’ve seen it before, but the CG looks marvelous, I’m sure the 3-D should rule, so why am I ho-hum? Maybe because it looks like Episode I? I doubt if this will be some breakthrough for cinema, like many have claimed, and I would skip it, yet I’m too interested in his return. See It.
Donny: I can’t stand 3D in theatrical flicks unless it’s just background work or adding to traditional VFX. I really hate 3D characters! I really, really, really hate 3D characters. Put an actor in a suit and call it a day. Sorry James. Skip It.
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
Jon: My uncle said it best: “Why would anyone want to see that? They show you the entire movie in the trailer!” Skip It.
Donny: I can live without this flick. Skip It
Nine
Jon: A musical about 8 1/2? Huh….but apparently, it was a hit on Broadway, and this film has an outstanding cast. If there’s anything Oscar bait worthy this month (Lord, I hate that term!) it is this.It expands wider on Christmas, but who doesn’t want to see Daniel Day-Lewis sing and dance? I drink your….MILKSHAKE! See It.
Donny: I’m not really into musicals so once again I’m going to say Skip It.
(December 25th)
Sherlock Holmes
Jon: While Guy Ritchie might seem like an odd choice for a studio big budgeted potential franchise, he’ll bring the very British element to Holmes that many would not. This could be the big summer blockbuster we didn’t get this year, as Robert Downey Jr. looks to be a perfect fit for a younger Holmes, and while I had doubts about Jude Law as Watson, after the recent trailers, I do not anymore. Should be a rough, gritty, fun ride. See It.
Donny: This is the flick I’m most excited about this winter. I can’t wait to see Guy Ritchie rock Holmes like we’ve never seen him rocked before. See It
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Jon: The film that will be known to all as Oscar-winner Heath Ledger’s last starring role he did before his untimely death. While Terry Gilliam had to use some inventive tricks to fill in the film’s fantasy elements where Ledger would go into a different dimension (namely adding Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law), those hoping for a masterpiece might be best to at least accept a return to form for Gilliam. One of my most anticipated. See It.
Donny: Stellar cast and Gilliam behind the camera! See It
It’s Complicated
Jon: If you are like my mother, 50 years of age, then maybe. But I have no desire to see Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have sex-numerous times-with Meryl Streep. Skip It.
Donny: I really don’t want to see this so I’m going to Skip It.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Jon: First, your ears start to bleed. Then your head feels some incredible pressure. You put your hands to hold the throbbing headache, only to have your head explode Scanners-style. Skip It
Donny: I really want to Skip It, but because my kids loved the first one I’m gonna have to See It.
That’s it for our winter Preview: December, we’ll see you here next month!
You guys need to quit drinking the Haterade because Peter Jackson is a genius. I will admit he tends to stretch his movies a bit long, but the guy is the best director we have right now…period.
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You forgot about Scorsese? Fincher? Paul Thomas Anderson? Mendes? Van Sant? Bahrani? Jackson isn’t even the Top 25 of American directors right now.
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I didn’t forget about them…nope. I’ll agree with you about Scorsese and Fincher, the rest are overrated.
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I don’t think so at all. To each their own on what they like in their entertainment, but PJ “Lord of the Rings” trilogy are superb, but like Donny, I really don’t need to revisit them. “Frighteners” is the only I truly enjoyed. His zombie flicks are some of the most overrated cult films around.
“The Lovely Bones” could be great, I’ll admit, he’s a solid director, but it looks very typical. We shall see though!
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Parnassus looks good! LOL
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i don’t care for sherlock holmes at all. looks incredibly generic. though of the directors mentioned fincher is by far the most overrated of the bunch. jackson is definitely in the top 25. i do not believe him to be the best (that goes to aronofsky and anderson) at the moment but definitely top 25.
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Sherlock Holmes looks like style over substance. Pass.
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How’s Fincher over-rated? “Fight Club”, “Zodiac”, and “Seven” are masterpieces and “Curious Case”, “Panic Room”, and “Alien 3 (Director’s Cut)” are solid films.
Jackson: “Lord of the Rings” trilogy-superb, “Frighteners” decent fun, his zombie films-eh, “King Kong”-wretched. ‘Nuff said.
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Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy was great, and “King Kong” was good(too long, but still good). But, his other films were forgetful.
As for Fincher, well, I never liked his films other than “Alien 3″.
As for the article, I’m looking forward to “Avatar” the most. “Translymania” looks like just another god awful spoof film.
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Jon Reply:
November 29th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
“Avatar” looks good but on TV in HD it almost looks like a video game. Hate that expression but it does.
And Matt, burn the ‘76 and PJ versions of “king Kong”. If you ever get a chance to see the 1933 original on a theatrical screen, do it. I saw it once a decade ago with Forry Ackerman in attendance and it was amazing. Plus, the film is the God of all creature FX features!
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Matt Keith Reply:
December 1st, 2009 at 12:04 am
I don’t see what how people campare it to a video game, because I’ve never seen a video game that looked that great.
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Jon Reply:
December 1st, 2009 at 8:09 am
Well, most games on the PS3 look great. Next time you see the TV spot, take a few feet back from your LCD, you’ll see why people say that.
Fincher is an amazing director with a track record of solid flicks, and Jackson is also a solid director, albeit one that makes extremely boring flicks that seem like they are never going to end.
I’m really excited about the arguing over this subject so next month everyone can look forward to our Top 25 directors of all time and also our Top 25 most over rated directors of all time. We’ll be ready for all the piss and vinegar the comment section can hold.
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Jon Reply:
November 29th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
“Lord of the Bo-rings” LOL
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I’m excited for Avatar, but it should have been done as a 100% CG film – no live actors.
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I’m with Jon as far as my anticipation of Avatar..
Lovely Bones was a great book, and it is one of my anticipated.
Lets look at Princess ans just another Disney Princess and avoid the whole race thing..people wonder why racism is still around.
All in all, i see only a handful of decent december flicks.
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I can’t watch LOTR anymore. I love the series, it might be one of, if not the greatest trilogy ever, but I can’t watch it. My friends and I watched all 3 extended cut in a row, over 12 hours of watching movies with small breaks in between. That killed it for me. AVATAR, to me, looks horrible. I’m not a CGI fan, so a movie made up of almost all CG, does nothing for me. It looks like a $200 million cartoon. Cameron will be the first director to make a $1 billion film, mark my words. And it will be horrible.
For my money, Fincher is my favorite director right now. Then again FIGHT CLUB is in my top 3 all time favorite films. Then SE7EN, THE GAME (underrated), and ZODIAC. the man does very liitle wrong with me.
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Jon Reply:
November 30th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Someone’s on my side!!
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