Blog

by Sandra Olmsted

OPENING DEC. 18:

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

In director Walt Becker’s animated franchise sequel, Alvin, Simon and Theodore, through a series of misunderstandings, come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in New York City and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother. The impressive list of actors voicing characters includes Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg, Josh Green. Website: www.alvinmovie.com rated PG for some mild rude humor and language and runs 90 minutes.

Sisters

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite for Sisters, a new film from Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore about two disconnected sisters summoned home to clean out their childhood bedroom before their parents sell the family house. Looking to recapture their glory days, they throw one final high-school-style party for their classmates, which turns into the cathartic rager that a bunch of ground-down adults really need. Sisters also stars Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, James Brolin, John Cena, John Leguizamo and Dianne Wiest. Check out their Sisters: The Farce Awakens video at www.youtube.com/embed/G2Z3y3Qw3RU. Website: www.sistersfilm.com

Sisters, A universal Pictures release, is rated R. It runs 118 minutes.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Disney’s first time producing a Star Wars sequel since acquiring the franchise has been kept under tight wraps. Whether that’s to put off disappointment or increase hype for the film will soon be apparent to the millions who have already purchased tickets for the opening day. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the film is a continuation of the saga created by George Lucas and set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983).

Website: www.starwars.com/the-force-awakens. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and runs 135 minutes.

Youth

From director Paolo Sorrentino, the internationally renowned writer and director of Italy’s Oscar-winning foreign language film The Great Beauty, comes a film starring Michael Caine as Fred and Harvey Keitel as Mick. Youth explores the lifelong bond between two friends vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena, Mick is intent on finishing a screenplay in what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda. Set against a sprawling landscape of unforgettable sights and intoxicating music, Youth asks if our most important and transformative experiences can come at any time – even late — in life. It also stars Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda. Website: www.youththemovie.com  Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexuality, and language and runs 118 minutes.

OPENING WEDNESDAY DEC. 23

The Big Short

When four outsiders saw what the big banks, media and government refused to, the global collapse of the economy, they had an idea: The Big Short. Their bold investment leads them into the dark underbelly of modern banking where they must question everyone and everything.  Based on the true story and best-selling book by Michael Lewis (The Blind Side, Moneyball), and directed by Adam McKay (Anchorman, Step Brothers), The Big Short stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Melissa Leo, Marisa Tomei and Brad Pitt. Website: www.thebigshortmovie.com Rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity and runs 124 minutes.

OPENING FRIDAY, DEC. 25

Carol

Set in 1950s New York, two women from very different backgrounds find themselves in the throes of love. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) threatens her competence as a mother when Carol’s involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) comes to light. As Carol leaves the comfort of home to travel with Therese, an internal journey of self-discovery coincides with her new sense of space. Website: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/carol/ Rated R for a scene of sexuality/nudity and brief language and runs 118 minutes.

Concussion

Will Smith stars in a thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known.  Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful – and beloved – institutions in the world. Concussion also stars Alex Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Luke Wilson, Gugu Mbatha Raw, David Morse, Paul Reiser, Arliss Howard, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Hill Harper, and Richard T. Jones and is directed by Peter Landesman. Webstie: www.concussion-movie.com/ Rated PG-13 for thematic material and language.and runs 123 minutes.

Daddy’s Home

Director Sean Anders’ comedy, Daddy’s Home, follows a mild-mannered radio executive (Will Ferrell) who strives to become the best stepdad to his wife’s two children, but complications arise when the kids’ freewheeling and freeloading father (Mark Wahlberg) arrives, forcing him to compete for the affection of the kids. Linda Cardellini, Hannibal Buress and Thomas Haden Church also star. Website:www.daddyshomemovie.com/

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, crude and suggestive content, and for language and runs 96 minutes.

Joy

Writer/ director David O. Russell‘s latest film reunites Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper, and adds Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, and Virginia Madsen for a phenominal cast. Joy is the story of a family across four generations and the woman who rises to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty. The story is inspired by the life and times of inventor entrepreneur Joy Mangano, creator of Ingenious Designs with over $1 billion in sales, as well as inspired by elements from the lives of other historic business pioneers. Website: www.foxmovies.com/movies/joy Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and runs 124 minutes.

Point Break (WB)

In director Ericson Core’s thriller, a young FBI agent infiltrates an extraordinary team of extreme sports athletes he suspects of masterminding a string of unprecedented, sophisticated corporate heists. Point Break is inspired by the classic 1991 hit.

Website: http://pointbreakmovie.com/ Rrated PG-13 for violence, thematic material involving perilous activity, some sexuality, language and drug material and runs 113 minutes.

OPENING JAN. 8

The Hateful Eight

From writer/director Quentin Tarantino comes a western, The Hateful Eight, which is set about ten years after the Civil War. The two passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell), known as “The Hangman,” and his fugitive, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock, where Ruth will turn Domergue into law. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new sheriff. The stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape, until the bounty hunters must seek shelter during a blizzard. Betrayal and deception ensue. Channing Tatum, Tim Roth, Zoë Bell, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern also star.

The film is shot is 70-millimeter, a nod to the big westerns of yesteryear, and it is only the 10th feature to make full use of shooting in Ultra Panavision, an extra-wide screen format. It would be worth seeing it projected in 70-millimeter. Website: thehatefuleight.com/ Rated R for strong bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language and some graphic nudity and runs 3 Hour 2 Minutes.

The Revenant

Deep in the unchartered American wilderness, hunter Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is severely injured and left for dead by a traitorous member of his team, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). With sheer will as his only weapon, Glass must navigate a hostile environment, a brutal winter and warring tribes in a relentless quest to survive and exact vengeance on Fitzgerald. Will Poulter and Lukas Haas also star. Inspired by a true story, The Revenant is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker and Academy Award-winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).  Website: www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-revenant, The Revenant is rated R for strong frontier combat and violence including gory images, a sexual assault, language and brief nudity and runs 156 minutes.

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