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At the movies

By Lou Gaul for The 3 min read
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Holiday films will start heating up theaters on this first weekend of winter.

The titles opening soon at a theater near you (and subject to change) include:

Annie,” with Jamie Foxx, Rose Byrne, Cameron Diaz and Quvenzhane Wallis in an awaited PG-rated reboot of the musical favorite about an orphaned girl looking for a home. Will Gluck (“Friends With Benefits”) directed.

The Captive,” with Ryan Reynolds and Rosario Dawson in an R-rated thriller about a woman who appears to be the person who disappeared almost a decade ago. Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan (“The Sweet Hereafter”) directed.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” with Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Evangeline Lily, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom in a Middle-earth epic that begins with a dragon attack and doesn’t slow down. The PG-13 picture is the final installment in the “Hobbit” franchise. The massively mounted picture will be available in Imax 3-D, 3-D and 2-D. (Opened Wednesday)

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” with Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Rebel Wilson, Ben Kingsley, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Dick Van Dyke, Steve Coogan and Mickey Rooney in the third title (after 2006’s “Night at the Museum” and 2009’s “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”). The PG-rated family fantasy franchise with computer-generated images was directed by Shawn Levy, who also helmed the first two installments.

Strahan hosts special

The ever-busy Michael Strahan has found time in his schedule to host “The 20th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards,” being bestowed at 9 p.m. Jan. 15 on the A&E Network.

The honors, which will be given out live from the Hollywood Palladium the day the Academy Award nominations are announced, are voted upon by the members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. (Full disclosure: This year, I served as an auxiliary member of the BFCA.)

Strahan’s football career included winning Super Bowl XLII as a player on the New York Giants. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of fame.

The 43-year-old favorite serves as co-host with Kelly Ripa on the morning talk show “Live with Kelly and Michael.” He also works as an analyst for “Fox NFL Sunday” and serves as a special co-host for ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“I’m excited to host a night honoring some of the most talented people in the industry,” Strahan says in a news release. ” ‘The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards’ show paves the way for the upcoming awards season, and the best part is that the winners are selected by the very people who make a living watching and reviewing films. It’s doesn’t get much more competitive than that.”

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