Slumdog Millionaire -Danny Boyle's energetic (or exhausting depending on your P.O.V.) time hopping story of an orphan on Who Wants to be a Millionaire is winning over audiences and will probably win over Oscar ballot holders, too. The finale provides the magical key: Even if you're not totally sold you'll feel an exuberant emotional release when it wraps. I can't say I'm a big fan but the appeal isn't hard to understand. Expect to see it nominated for Adapted Screenplay and Editing at least, possibly more including Best Picture & Director if Fox Searchlight strategizes well [Oscar predictions.] My review will be up later today. I'm running late.Bolt -Disney unleashes (hardy har har) a sneak preview of this Truman Show type animated feature about a dog who thinks he's super-powered. He's just on TV is all. John Travolta does voice duty... because, you know, he needs more money. From the looks of the promotional material, Disney thinks that aggressive balled hamster "Rhino" (voiced by Mark Walton) steals the show
Quantum of Solace -Daniel Craig returns as 007. That's probably all anybody needs to know before buying a ticket. And that, class, is how you can get away with naming a movie Quantum of Solace!
This Week's Must See
A Christmas Tale (France)
I don't presume that all of you take my film advice but if you're feeling adventurous (and you live in NY, West Hollywood or Pasadena) the tippity-top of the new openers is easily Arnaud Desplechin's multi-tasking tale of a fractious French family with a haunted past, reunited during the holidays.
Three of France's very best thespians star: Mathieu Almaric (Diving Bell & Butterfly), Emmanuelle Devos (Read My Lips) and the legendary Catherine Deneuve, all reliably riveting. That's just scratching the surface of the big and engaging cast who intriguingly sketch dozens of cross family relationship dynamics. Just try and keep up with Desplechin's rapidly shifting storytelling, hard to categorize tone and tangential (?) cinematic flourishes. Highly recommended for moviegoers who like to really engage with a movie rather than passively wait to be entertained... not that there's anything wrong with that. But the smartest moviegoing diet has balance. It's not quite Kings and Queen (Desplechin's previous picture -on my 2005 top ten list) but it's still really something.
Slight Expansions ?
Jean Claude Van Damme's meta-vehicle JCVD, Swedish teen vampires in the acclaimed Let the Right One In and Sally Hawkins' indefatigable cheer in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky might be a little easier to spot this week, depending on where you live
