Holiday films to light up silver screen
Whom can movie buffs look forward to seeing on the silver screen during the holiday season? Leonardo Di Caprio fans will get a double dose of their favorite star in two major titles (“Gangs of New York” and “Catch Me If You Can”) opening just five days apart, and 007 fanatics will get to see Pierce Brosnan and Oscar-winner Halle Berry save the world in “Die Another Day.”
Denzel Washington will make his directing debut (“Antwone Fisher”), J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth characters will return (“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”), Jennifer Lopez will put a romantic spell on Ralph Fiennes (“Maid in Manhattan”), Capt. Picard and his crew will face a new outer-space enemy (“Star Trek X: Nemesis”) and some classic characters will receive an animated update (Walt Disney’s “Treasure Planet”).
The holiday season kicked off Nov. 1 with the release of “The Santa Clause 2” and then shifts into high gear with this weekend’s debut of “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.” There are plenty more cinematic presents being released by Hollywood studios in the next five weeks.
Here’s an alphabetical list of the major shiny new films coming soon to a theater near you for the holiday season (with all opening dates subject to change):
– “About Schmidt”: A widowed insurance salesman (Jack Nicholson of “As Good As It Gets”) decides to retire from his mind-numbing job and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. That involves driving a 35-foot motor home to explore his Nebraska roots and attending the wedding of his only daughter (Hope Davis of “Arlington Road”). During the dark comedy, he soon grows to hate his future son-in-law (Dermot Mulroney of “My Best Friend’s Wedding”) and the groom’s parents (Kathy Bates of “Misery” and Howard Hesseman of TV’s “WKRP in Cincinnati”) and devotes himself to stopping the ceremony. Alexander Payne (“Election”) directed. (Opens Dec. 20)
– “Analyze That”: In the sequel to “Analyze This,” Billy Crystal’s psychiatrist is forced to take control of the mob when his Tony Soprano-like patient (Robert De Niro) suffers new psychological problems brought on by the stresses and strains of being a top Mafioso. Harold Ramis, who helmed the original, directed. (Opens Dec. 6)
– “Antwone Fisher”: After winning an Oscar as best actor for “Training Day,” Denzel Washington was ready for a new challenge. That led to his decision to make his directing debut with this intense drama. The story concerns a troubled young sailor (newcomer Derek Luke) who was abused as a child and saved from a life of depression and failure by a loving girlfriend and a caring psychiatrist. Washington also has a starring role. (Opens Dec. 20)
– “Catch Me If You Can”: In this fact-based crime drama, Leonardo Di Caprio (“Titanic”) plays Frank Abagnale Jr., a con artist, forger and master of deception who passes himself off as a doctor, lawyer and co-pilot before becoming the most successful bank robber in U.S. history. Tom Hanks (“Cast Away”) co-stars as Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent who vows to apprehend Abagnale. Steven Spielberg (“Saving Private Ryan”) directed. (Opens Dec. 25)
– “Chicago”: The Broadway hit finally arrives on the big screen. Certainly, the offbeat cast – with Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Traffic”), Renee Zellweger (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”) and Richard Gere (“Unfaithful”) as doomed star Velma Kelly, wide-eyed Roxie Hart and headline-seeking lawyer Billy Flynn, respectively – should fuel interest. Rob Marshall (TV’s 1999 production of “Annie”) choreographed and directed. (Opens Dec. 27)
– “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”: This tantalizing tale is based on the tongue-in-cheek autobiography of game-show host Chuck Barris, who created “The Gong Show” and claimed to have been recruited by the CIA for some “wet work” (assassinations) and eliminated more than 30 people. Numerous actors – including Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, John Cusack, Sean Penn and Johnny Depp – expressed interest in playing Barris. George Clooney, who made his directing debut with this film, decided to go with Sam Rockwell, a talented but little-known actor most famous for his role as an outrageous villain in “Charlie’s Angels.” Gifted writer Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich”) adapted Barris’ book and should capture every eccentric detail. (Opens Dec. 27)
– “Die Another Day”: Pierce Brosnan is back as James Bond, and Oscar winner Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”) is fighting next to him. In this $100 million spy epic, 007 travels from Hong Kong to Cuba to apprehend a power-crazed tycoon (Toby Stephens of TV’s “The Great Gatsby”) who launches a satellite with the power to act as a secondary sun and the ability to end all life on Earth. Lee Tamahori (“Along Came A Spider”) directed. (Opens Nov. 22)
– “Gangs of New York”: Set in the 1840s, this epic with Leonardo Di Caprio (“Titanic”), Daniel Day-Lewis (“My Left Foot”), Cameron Diaz (“There’s Something About Mary”) and Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List”) deals with bloody battles between immigrant groups. Martin Scorsese (“GoodFellas”) directed the $100 million production, which he has struggled to bring to the screen since 1977. (Opens Dec. 20)
– “The Hours”: Based on the 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Michael Cunningham, this multi-layered drama is expected to be the art-house hit of the holiday season and a major Oscar contender. The casting of three gifted actresses guarantees great interest in this complex tale. The story concerns a trio of women – writer Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) on the last day of her life, a depressed housewife (Julianne Moore) considering suicide in the 1950s, and a contemporary poet (Meryl Streep) involved with a dying lover – enduring hardships in different time periods. Stephen Daldry (“Billy Elliot”) directed. (Opens Dec. 27)
– “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”: The adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth trilogy continues with this second installment, which features Elijah Wood, Liv Tyler, Ian McKellen and Cate Blanchett returning from the original. Peter Jackson again directed. (Opens Dec. 18)
( “Maid in Manhattan”: Romantics should warm up to this modern-day fairy tale about a hotel worker (Jennifer Lopez of “The Wedding Planner”) whose ordinary world becomes extraordinary when she embarks on a love affair with a handsome politician (Ralph Fiennes of “Red Dragon”). Wayne Wang (“The Joy Luck Club”) directed. (Opens Dec. 13)
( “Solaris”: An alien force with the power to control the thoughts of humans invades a space station and then must be stopped before it can reach Earth. George Clooney (“Ocean’s Eleven”) plays an astronaut/psychologist who must play mind games to defeat the out-of-this-world enemy. The film, based on the 1961 cult novel by Stanislaw Lem, was previously made into a 1972 epic by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky. Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic”) directed. (Opens Dec. 13)
( “Star Trek X: Nemesis”: The crew from “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” including Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Data (Brent Spiner), embark on a new mission to save the galaxy. The project was filmed under a veil of secrecy to keep the plot from being revealed. Stuart Baird (“Executive Decision”) directed. (Opens Dec. 13)
( “Treasure Planet”: Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” this animated sci-fi epic from Walt Disney Pictures follows the adventures of a cabin boy on a space galleon that transports him to another dimension, where he meets a charismatic cyborg named Long John Silver. Emma Thompson (“Wit”), David Hyde Pierce (TV’s “Frasier”) and Martin Short (“Father of the Bride”) provide the voices. John Musker and Ron Clements (“The Little Mermaid”) co-directed. (Opens Nov. 27)