GetOut Magazine

Holiday Movie preview
By CRAIG OUTHIER
Get Out
Nov. 18, 2002

Weve been good little moviegoers this year. Exceptionally good. We rejected bad movies (Bad Company, Queen of the Damned), embraced deserving ones (Spider-Man, Road to Perdition), supported independent cinema (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and managed not to vomit at Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Admittedly, we did sneak a few guilty pleasures at Jackass: The Movie, but overall, we were angels.
As such, Hollywood Santa owes us big time. Not like last year, when he stuck an Everest-size chunk of syrup-covered coal called The Majestic in our Christmas stocking.

In all fairness, the 2001 holiday movie season was generally pretty decent, and this one bears a striking resemblance, thanks to two hotly anticipated sequels: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The Harry Potter movies, in particular, appear to be a semi-permanent fixture under the Hollywood Christmas tree the cinematic equivalent of the necktie dad always receives from old Aunt Mable.

Leonardo DiCaprio fans they must be getting their braces off about now will have their choice of goodies: Catch Me If You Can, a 1960s-themed caper movie from director Steven Spielberg, and Gangs of New York, Martin Scorseses ultra-violent portrait of mob warfare in 1860s New York. As for Trekkies sorry, Trekkers well, they must have done an especially nice job fixing our computers and selling us comic books this year, because a slick new installment of the Star Trek franchise is in the offing, and an even-numbered one at that.

Christmas purists seem to be the only group among us getting the shaft. With The Santa Clause 2 already flying high at theaters, there isnt much left in the way of traditional yuletide cinema. In fact, the warmest, most seasonal, most altogether Christmassy movie yet to be opened is one that stars gangster-rap icon Ice Cube (Friday After Next). Ho, ho, ho, indeed.

Opened Friday
Half Past Dead: Evil mastermind Morris Chestnut (Boyz N the Hood) infiltrates newly reopened Alcatraz prison to shake down an inmate for the whereabouts of $200 million in stashed gold. Woodenly nonexpressive undercover agent Steven Seagal lies in wait. Director: John Michael Paul (Silk Stalkings)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: One year older and grappling with the rapid onset of puberty, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) ignores warnings not to return to Hogwarts, only to find the school plagued by an evil entity that petrifies its victims. With Kenneth Branagh and the late Richard Harris, in his second-to-last screen role. Director: Chris Columbus (Gremlins)

Nov. 22
Die Another Day: In Pierce Brosnans fourth outing as the dangerously suave super-spy, James Bond goes rogue to unmask a dangerous traitor, leading him to such far-flung locales as North Korea and Cuba. Oscar winner Halle Berry plays the primary Bond girl and reportedly has a love scene with Brosnan that would make Blofeld himself blush with embarrassment. Director: Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors)

The Emperors Club: In what, to the naked eye, is evidently a bald-faced rip-off of Dead Poets Society, Kevin Kline plays a passionate and principled classics professor who develops a special relationship with a troubled student (Emile Hirsch). Inspirational adages What path will you choose? ensue. Director: Michael Hoffman (Soapdish)

Friday After Next: When burglars boost their Christmas gifts and rent money, aging slackers Craig (Ice Cube) and Day Day (Mike Epps) take jobs as mall security guards in this third outing of the Friday franchise. Director: Marcus Raboy (debut)

Personal Velocity: Comprised of three vignettes, this female-oriented liberation drama knocked em dead at Sundance. With Parker Posey (theres a no-brainer), Kyra Sedgwick and Fairuza Balk. Director: Rebecca Miller (Angela). (select markets)

The Quiet American: Stonewalled by Hollywood following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, this adaptation of Graham Greenes murder romance set in 1950s Vietnam stars Brendan Fraser as an American military operative with the blood of innocents on his hands. Michael Caine also stars. Director: Phillip Noyce (The Saint). (select markets)

Talk to Her: Two men, each in love with comatose women, become fast friends in this quirky tale of romance and companionship. Director: Pedro Almodóvar (All About My Mother). (select markets)

Nov. 27
Adam Sandlers 8 Crazy Nights: The Punch-Drunk Love star lends his voice to three characters in this adult-themed animated movie about a 33-year-old party animal who gets out of legal trouble by spending the holidays refereeing a youth basketball league. Director: Seth Kearsley (debut)

Extreme Ops: Borrowing a lick from XXX, a group of extreme skiers and snowboarders go toe-to-toe with a war criminal after stumbling upon his secret mountain hideout. Director: Christian Duguay (The Art of War)

Solaris: Formerly a four-hour Soviet science fiction opus, this eerie futuristic psycho-drama stars George Clooney as a widower who investigates strange happenings aboard a remote space station orbiting a sentient planet. From the novel by Polish author Stanislaw Lem. Director: Steven Soderbergh (Traffic)

Treasure Planet: A rocket-riding futuristic teen joins a clutch of rowdy space pirates in search of galactic riches and wonders in this modernization of Treasure Island. Director: Ron Clements (Hercules)

Wes Craven Presents: They: From the land of terrifyingly nonsensical pronouns comes this horror flick about a graduate student (Laura Regan) whose childhood boogey monsters assume material form. Director: Robert Harmon (The Hitcher)

Nov. 29
Ararat: Filmmaker Atom Egoyans most personal work to date his 8 is a movie-within-a-movie about the making of a fictional big-budget historical epic that chronicles the Armenian holocaust. Director: Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter)

Dec. 6
Analyze That: In this sequel to Analyze This, neurotic mob boss Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) gets out of prison and seeks out his long-suffering shrink (Billy Crystal), only to discover that the good doctor is the one who needs therapy. Director: Harold Ramis (Caddyshack)

Empire: A Bronx drug lord (John Leguizamo) tries to make an exit from the business, but it keeps dragging him back in. Also starring the thespian dream team of Denise Richards and Isabella Rossellini. Director: Franc Reyes (debut)

Equilibrium: In a fascist future where all displays of emotion are illegal and citizens are force-fed Valiumlike mood inhibitors, a renegade lawman (Christian Bale) rises to overthrow the system. This throwback to the dystopian sci-fi movies of the 70s also stars Emily Watson and Taye Diggs. Director: Kurt Wimmer (One Tough Bastard)

Dec. 13
About Schmidt: Jack Nicholson plays a retired insurance actuary who undergoes an existential crisis after his wife dies, forcing him to come to terms with his daughters marriage to a low-class loser and the failure his life has become. With Hope Davis and Dermot Mulroney. Director: Alexander Payne (Election)

The Guys: An NYPD fire captain (Anthony LaPaglia) and a newspaper editor (Sigourney Weaver) prepare eulogies for men killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center terrorist attacks. Adapted from the two-person play by Anne Nelson. Director: Jim Simpson (TV's Tales From the Crypt). (select markets)

The Hot Chick: On the eve of the prom, an attractive but mean-spirited high school princess (Rachel McAdams) is transplanted into the body of a 30-year-old man (Rob Schneider from The Animal). Director: Tom Brady (debut)

Maid in Manhattan: After learning the nuances of Israeli hand-to-hand fighting techniques in Enough, Jennifer Lopez is back to her demure self as a single-mom hotel maid who falls in love with a well-connected political heir (Ralph Fiennes) but keeps her humble background a secret. Director: Wayne Wang (Smoke)

Star Trek: Nemesis: Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and crew are diverted to the home planet of the Federations arch enemy, Romulus, to broker a peace settlement. But hold on to your plastic Vulcan ears, star-dorks a surprising danger awaits the good ship Enterprise. Director: Stuart Baird (U.S. Marshals)

Dec. 18
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: With the fellowship scattered, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey into the fetid heart of Mordor to dispose of the ring. Meanwhile, Strider (Viggo Mortensen) and his elfish pals attempt to rally an army to kick Sarumans white wizardly behind. Director: Peter Jackson (The Frighteners)

Dec. 20
Adaptation: The brain trust behind Being John Malkovich returns with this off-the-wall yarn about screenwriter Charlie Kaufmans misbegotten attempts to adapt Susan Orleans The Orchid Thief. Nicolas Cage plays Kaufman (as well as his fictional twin brother) while Meryl Streep plays Orlean. Director: Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich)

Antwone Fisher: Denzel Washington directs and co-stars in the story of a U.S. Navy sailor (Derek Luke) with intense anger-management issues who finds succor with a naval therapist. Director: Washington (debut). (select markets)

Gangs of New York: Leonardo DiCaprio plays a vengeful hooligan in this highly stylized, frequently delayed drama about Irish gang warfare in 1860s New York City. Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz also star. Director: Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas)

NARC: Ten years after playing an undercover narcotics officer on the edge in Rush, Jason Patric is at it again, teaming up with a rogue detective (Ray Liotta) to hunt down cop-killers in Detroit. Director: Joe Carnahan (Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane). (select markets)

Spider: With his grip on reality slipping, a schizophrenic man (Ralph Fiennes) living in a halfway house in London is tormented by buried images pertaining to the death of his mother. Director: David Cronenberg (Scanners). (select markets)

The 25th Hour: Faced with a lengthy prison sentence, a convicted drug dealer (Edward Norton) searches for redemption on his last day of freedom. With Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rosario Dawson. Director: Spike Lee (Clockers)

Two Weeks Notice: After five years of slaving away for a demanding, self-absorbed commercial real estate developer, a brilliant corporate attorney (Sandra Bullock) decides to call it quits. But can the boss live without her? Hugh Grant co-stars. Director: Marc Lawrence (debut)

The Wild Thornberrys Movie: Nickelodeons animated clan takes on elephant poachers in Africa. Directors: Cathy Malkasian, Jeff McGrath (debut)

Dec. 25
Catch Me If You Can: Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the ticklish true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a gifted crook and forger who once posed as a Pan Am airline pilot and led the FBI on a groovy cat-and-mouse chase across Europe and the United States in the 1960s. Tom Hanks plays his tireless pursuer. Director: Steven Spielberg (E.T.)

The Lion King: Disneys box office-busting animated favorite returns to the big screen the very big screen at IMAX and other large-format theaters. Directors: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little)

Pinocchio: Oscar winner Roberto Benigni directs and stars in this live-action version of the classic fairy tale about a wooden puppet who yearns to be a real boy. As if being the worlds only talking puppet wasnt an amazing accomplishment in its own right. Director: Benigni (Life Is Beautiful)

Dec. 27
Chicago: Broadways much-admired musical leaps nay, explodes! off the stage and into movie houses. Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere season this spicy stew of murder, scandal and tabloid infamy. Director: Rob Marshall (debut)

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: This George Clooney-directed oddity is based on the apocryphal memoirs of former Gong Show impresario Chuck Barris, who imagined he was recruited by the CIA during an overseas TV junket. Sam Rockwell (The Green Mile) stars as Barris. Director: Clooney (debut)

The Hours: Based on the novel by Michael Cunningham, this century-spanning drama delicately weaves together the stories of three women: novelist Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), a pregnant California housewife (Julianne Moore) and a book editor (Meryl Streep). Check out the prosthetic schnoz on Kidman. Director: Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot)

Love Liza: Broken by his wifes unexplained suicide, a Web site designer (Philip Seymour Hoffman) turns to bizarre pastimes such as huffing gasoline fumes and playing with remote control toys while ducking an inevitable confrontation with his mother-in-law (Kathy Bates). Director: Todd Louiso (The Fifteen Minute Hamlet). (select markets)

Max: An art dealer (John Cusack) in post-World War I Munich attempts to cultivate the middling but passionate talents of a young painter named Adolf Hitler, who also eyes a career in politics. Director: Menno Meyjes (debut). (select markets)

Nicholas Nickleby: Charles Dickens plucky boy hero (Charlie Hunnam) sets out to reunite his destitute family after his father dies and leaves the brood penniless. Director: Douglas McGrath (Company Man). (select markets)

The Pianist: Director Roman Polanski won the Palm dOr at Cannes for this Holocaust drama about a Jewish man (Adrien Brody) whose musical gifts help him survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto and the concentration camps of World War II. Director: Polanski (Frantic). (select markets)