Last weekend, November got off to a strong start with lots of folks heading out for Ridley Scott's American Gangster and Jerry Seinfeld's return in Bee Movie. This weekend will seek to build off of that success with a surefire holiday hit about Santa's big brother, a political/war themed drama featuring one of the biggest stars in the world, and finally a modest thriller set in a parking garage. Will any of them be able to separate you from your cinematic dollar?
Fred Claus. (2007, 116 minutes, PG, family comedy, trailer) The pairing of Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti seemed so perfect in the first teaser for this film, but increasingly less so in the new trailers and commercials. I have a bad feeling about this, but I still have hopes that it will turn out well. It seems to be targeting the same type of crowd as Elf (which was brilliant). This movie centers on Fred, who must travel north to visit his kid brother and help out the elves in the workshop. Of course, things do not go quite as planned. I liked it until I saw the Secret Service elves, that kind of put me off. David Dobkin directs for the first time since Wedding Crashers.
Lions for Lambs. (2007, 88 minutes, R, drama, trailer) It will be interesting to see how this film is received, as the other recent war-themed movies haven't turned out to be the hits they were expected to be (The Kingdom, Rendition). This movie has the star power of Tom Cruise and Robert Redford (who also directs), and it co-stars the director of The Kingdom, Peter Berg. It tells the intersecting tales of a soldier in Afghanistan, an idealistic professor in California, and a Senator in Washington DC. I have not seen much on this one, but I am interested in seeing it and its reception.
P2. (2007, 98 minutes, R, thriller, trailer) This one kind of snuck up on me. I remember seeing the title and not paying it any mind, and then I saw the trailer. Now, I make no presumption of greatness, but the trailer looks deliciously creepy. What sold me was the scene of Rachel Nichols opening her cell phone in a dark room only to have the light reveal Wes Bentley standing right behind her. Realistic? I don't think so, but very effective. It is directed by Franck Khalfoun, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Alexandre Aja, who was behind the good remake of The Hills Have Eyes and the excellent (until the end) Haute Tension.
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