Movies This Week: Little True Gulliver King
It's that time of year again, the silly season is in full source and Christmas is just around the corner, meaning the studios are unleashing the films they hope will earn them some creds as For Your Consideration season is fully underway. The Austin Film Critics Association has just announced its 2010 awards, so look below to see which films opening this week are especially worth your money when you take a break from the holiday rush. Other AFCA award winners that are still in theaters include Black Swan, The Fighter and The Social Network.
Movies We've Seen:
The King's Speech -- Opens on Saturday. Colin Firth (who won AFCA's Best Actor Award for this role) plays a second son to an ailing monarch in a world on the verge of world war. Geoffrey Rush co-stars as his self-made speech therapis. More affected than I like my Oscar-worthy films, but the leads are outstanding as usual and Helena Bonham Carter channels the future Queen Mum as a much younger woman with understated verve. Look for Elizabeth's review on Friday. (wide)
Little Fockers -- Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in yet another Focker film. It looks to me like it's more of the same, this time with little kids, so if you need a dose of anti-gravitas normally found in the Oscar contenders and are a fan of Stiller's brand of comedy, this is probably your best bet. See Mike's review for more. (wide)
True Grit -- The Coen brothers reinterpret the Charles Portis novel, with Jeff Bridges taking on the iconic Rooster Cogburn role. Hailee Steinfeld just won a Best Supporting Actress nod in the AFCA 2010 awards, and the film is on the AFCA's Top 10. True Grit was also locally filmed (in part), so make sure to check out this Western revenge tale sure to get some Oscar attention. See Mike's review for more. (wide)
Other New Movies:
Gulliver's Travels -- Opens Saturday. Jack Black as Gulliver. Hrrrm. On the plus side: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet and Billy Connolly round out the cast in this comedy adventure. (wide)
Manmadhan Ambu -- It's Bollywood, but not listed on IMDB. (Tinseltown)
Ragada -- Bollywood actioner. (Tinseltown)
Tees Maar Khan -- Bollywood action comedy centering on a conman. (Tinseltown)
Our Picks This Week:
Elizabeth: In these hectic days before Christmas, I am going to attempt to watch more of my favorite holiday DVDs. I watched White Christmas last night, am going to watch Elf tonight (and quote along) with friends, but still need to watch A Muppet Christmas Carol and The Man Who Came to Dinner. If you have TCM, they'll be showing more of my favorites: Holiday Affair (with a dreamy Robert Mitchum) at 9:30 am tomorrow; In the Good Old Summertime (watch for a baby Liza Minnelli at the end!) at 3 pm on Dec. 24; and Meet Me in St. Louis at 1 am on Dec. 25.
Jette: Alamo Drafthouse's annual "High for the Holidays" series is back at Ritz, for those who aren't into traditional Christmas fare. I'm hoping to catch Terry Gilliam's fabulous adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which will screen on Sunday and Tuesday nights. And although this is not part of the series, I also recommend seeing The Monkees' surreal curiosity Head on the big screen if you haven't already; it's screening at Ritz on Monday night. And if I do get into a more classic, old-school Christmas movie mood, I just bought the DVD of the 1940 film Remember the Night -- sentimental story, but snappy dialogue from Preston Sturges.