November 2008 Movie Releases

November 7
- The Alphabet Killer (Rochester; NY, LA release: Nov. 14)
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (limited)
- Gardens of the Night (NY; LA release December 5)
- The Guitar (NY)
- House (limited)
- JCVD (NY)
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (conventional theaters and IMAX)
- Otto; or Up with Dead People (limited)
- Pray the Devil Back to Hell (NY)
- Repo! The Genetic Opera (limited)
- Role Models****
- Soul Men

November 12
- Slumdog Millionaire (limited)

November 14
- A Christmas Tale (NY)
- B.O.H.I.C.A. (LA)
- Dostana (Friendship) (limited)
- The Dukes (NY; expands: Nov. 21)
- Eden (limited)
- House of the Sleeping Beauties (NY)
- How About You (limited)
- Quantum of Solace****
- We Are Wizards (NY)

November 21
- Bolt (Disney Digital 3-D)
- Special (NY, LA)
- Twilight

November 26
- Australia
- Four Christmases**
- Milk (limited; expands: Dec. 5; expands: Dec. 12)
- Transporter 3****

NOVEMBER 7th

Soul Men
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: Though it's been some twenty years since they have spoken with one another, two estranged soul-singing legends (Jackson and Mac) agree to participate in a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader.
THE BUZZ: Oh, man, how to market a movie about a deceased singer right after the passings of co-star Bernie Mac and supporting player Isaac Hayes? The pressure here is on distributor Dimension Films, good-natured director Malcolm Lee (Roll Bounce, Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins), and co-star Sharon Leal, the Dreamgirls scene stealer who here plays Samuel L. Jackson's daughter and the new singer of the soul group.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Director: Eric Darnell Tom McGrath
Stars: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer (Full Cast)
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution
The Plot: In the sequel to Madagascar, Alex the lion (voiced by Stiller) and his friends board an NYC-bound plane (that's been "repaired" by their penguin pals), only to find themselves touching down in the African plains. It's an opportunity for the animals to encounter their own kind for the very first time, and to discover, while various plots play out, what "home" truly means to each of them.
THE BUZZ: Say what you will about the original's primitive animation and whatnot, but it tallied up over $400 million in worldwide receipts, so this crack-a-lackin' sequel comes as no surprise -- but did it really require three years to come together? Maybe those psychotic penguins held out for more money. Maybe this time around the creative talent behind the camera will have more going on in the wild (something sorely missing from the first movie). And while we expect a big return here, honestly, we're more primed for Dreamworks' 2009 offering, Monster vs. Aliens.

Repo! The Genetic Opera
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, Alexa Vega (Full Cast)
Studio: Lionsgate
The Plot: A worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. Too bad the repossession clause is a killer ...
THE BUZZ: First it was a short film, then it became a play, and now we have the movie version of Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich's horror musical, which was bankrolled by Twisted Pictures, the production company behind Saw (which also started life as a short film). Though the Saw legacy kickstarted Darren Lynn Bousman's career, you have to imagine the director was thrilled to be let out of his trap and able to stretch his legs a bit. Can we expect something, more engaging and stomach-turning than, say, Sweeney Todd, with flourishes of George Romero-like social commentary (alongside the obvious environmental/healthcare parallels, the health care the suddenly subversive Paris Hilton here plays the surgey-addicted Amber Sweet)? Most reviewers are still trying to figure that out, but one thing is for sure: "Buffy" fans and Saw addicts are likely to converge in theaters this weekend, and the number of screens Repo! is set to open on is increasing as the release date draws near.

Role Models
Director: David Wain
Stars: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures
The Plot: Unsavory behavior forces a pair of energy-drink reps (Rudd and Scott) to enroll in a Big Brother program, where the duo learn, however reluctantly, to bond with their assigned kids.
THE BUZZ: David Wain (The Ten) isn't nearly as famous as Judd Apatow, but he got his career started the same way (both guys turned oddball comedy shows into cult hits in the early/mid-90s) before taking tentative steps toward the big screen. And from the sound of this movie's premise, it appears that Wain is learning the lesson Apatow aced a few years ago: Get less cerebral with your comedy, rotate key players through your projects, and gun for the hard-R rating. I'm curious as to why these Models earned a winter release when they are clearly a summer-movie confection, though it is a savvy and rather funny counter-programming effort by Universal ...

House
Director: Robby Henson
Stars: Reynaldo Rosales, Heidi Dippold, Michael Madsen (Full Cast)
Studio: Roadside Attractions
The Plot: A freak accident strands a couple on a deserted back road in Alabama. Happening upon the Wayside Inn, they meet another couple -- victims of a similar accident -- and thus begins a game enacted by a killer known as the Tin Man. Can the couples survive the night, knowing the only "safe" way out of the inn is to kill one of the four of them?
THE BUZZ: This adaptation of the best-selling novel from Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti finally locked in a post-Halloween release after a year of come-and-go dates. Seeming to combine elements of the Saw legacy, Vacancy, and even Se7en, the material here focuses on the struggle between Good and Evil; that fact, combined with the faith of the writers, is causing a lot of people to brand House as a "Christian cult film." Be that as it may, the trailer reveals a potentially controversial phrase (the villain apparently "killed God" after he let Him into his house) -- a brazen statement that to me makes Jigsaw (who is so tired after Saw V) and his ilk feel somewhat tame in comparison. Director Robby Henson has worked from novels by Dekker (Thr3e) and Peretti (The Visitation) before, and something tells me this triad will find their greatest success working together. Fans of the hardworking Michael Madsen will not be disappointed here, either.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas [limited]
Director: Mark Herman
Stars: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend (Full Cast)
Studio: Miramax Films
The Plot: A WWII-set story as seen through the eyes of Bruno (Butterfield), whose Nazi-Officer father (Thewlis) has just been made the commandant of a concentration camp outside Berlin. Bruno's eventual friendship with Shmuel, a boy his age who is detained at the camp, will usher in a troublesome reality for Bruno, and lead to a fateful attempt to alter Shmuel's situation.
THE BUZZ: Typically cheery British director Mark Herman (Little Voice) looks back to the dark days of WWII in his adaptation of John Boyne's acclaimed, super-depressing novel. Prepare to be horrified by David Thewlis and Rupert Friend in what could be the saddest film released this year. Awards bait? Certainly. What are its chances? We'll have to see what sort of push Miramax gives it -- they've also got Mike Leigh's buzzing Happy-Go-Lucky on their plate this season ...

NOVEMBER 12th

Slumdog Millionaire [limited]
Director: Danny Boyle Loveleen Tandan
Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto (Full Cast)
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Plot: The story of how impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik (Patel) became a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" -- an endeavor made without prize money in mind, rather, an effort to prove his love for his friend Latika (Pinto), who is an ardent fan of the show.
THE BUZZ: Danny Boyle's latest has had quite the ride on the way its awards-friendly berth; originally purchased by Warner Independent Pictures, the film's future was in limbo when WIP closed its doors given the gloomy climate for indie/art-house films. For a minute there, Slumdog almost went direct to DVD (which may not come as a surprise to those who saw Sunshine). "Dickensian" and "Capraesque" are two descriptors being used by those who saw it at the Telluride Film Festival, though to me it sounds like Boyle is giving a nod to his contemporary, Michael Winterbottom, who often (successfully) mines for gold outside of his native UK.

NOVEMBER 14th

Quantum of Solace
Director: Marc Forster
Stars: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures
The Plot: Picking up where Casino Royale left off, James Bond (Craig) sets his sights on the organization behind Vesper Lynd's betrayal. The mission puts him on a collision course with Dominic Greene (Amalric), a ruthless businessman who, Bond soon learns, is brokering a deal to take total control of one of the world's most precious resources. Relying on allies new and old -- including Camille (Kurylenko), a beautiful woman with her own agenda -- Agent 007 looks to bring down Greene and his conspirators.
THE BUZZ: Is Bond losing his edge? With the Jason Bourne's and Jason Statham's of the world busting the roof off of Hollywood's typical car-chasing action genre, 007 can't really rest on his martini-sipping laurels anymore. Don't think we didn't notice you pulling up in a Honda rental car in Royale, Bond. The parkour stunts and blood stains on your tux were a nice touch, though. Keep it up. You know, we'll keep coming back for more, and who knows, you might see us in a Quantum cardigan; it is autumn, after all. P.S. The reviews from the world premiere have been decidedly mixed.

Christmas Tale [limited]
Director: Arnaud Desplechin
Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Mathieu Amalric (Full Cast)
Studio: IFC Films
The Plot: The Vuillard family's history of physical and mental illness, estrangement, self harm, and loss doesn't lead itself to the idea of a cheerful holiday season. But can a Christmastime reunion, a scheme concocted by three of the youngest family members, finally bring peace their clan?
THE BUZZ: Arnaud Desplechin's last film, Kings & Queen, was a smash in the director's native France, and it eked out a decent tally at the American box office. That film's Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Roussillon reunite as the respective matriarch and patriarch of the Vuillard clan, and I think their presence, combined with Gallic cinema's string of 2008 successes on this side of the Atlantic, could add up to some sort of art-house sensation this holiday season. For sure: That audience swooned over Mathieu Amalric's performance in Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and it should be compelling to watch him portray an alcoholic who has been banished by his sister. Why is that? Well, said sister is played by Anne Consigny, who handled with grace the role of blink-by-blink translator in the Diving Bell.

NOVEMBER 21st

Bolt
Director: Byron Howard Chris Williams
Stars: John Travolta, Susie Essman, Mark Walton (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Plot: Bolt (voice of Travolta) is a celebrity dog and the star of a hit TV show where his amazing feats and powers draw big ratings. But when a mail-room mix-up finds him roaming free on the streets of New York City, the wonder dog will have to learn to rely on his actual strengths -- as well as his new friends, an abandoned housecat and a starry-eyed hamster -- in order to find his way back home.
THE BUZZ: Disney's latest morality tale sort of sounds like their other upcoming movie, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, with touches of Cars here and there. Travolta was creepy to look at in Wild Hogs and Hairspray, so it's a good thing Bolt looks nothing like his master. Meanwhile, listen close while "Curb Your Enthusiasm" standout Sussie Essman steals as many scenes as she's in -- though she'll have to keep her language family friendly here.

Twilight
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke (Full Cast)
Studio: Summit Entertainment
The Plot: In her new town of Forks, Washington, misfit teenager Bella Swan (Stewart) falls for her alluring and mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen (Pattinson). As it turns out, Edward belongs to a lineage of vampires, although he doesn't fit the typical vampire mold. As their passion reaches dizzying heights, can Edward resist his natural urges, and will he be able to defend Bella from his family members who have come for her?
THE BUZZ: In terms of movies, 2008 will be remembered as the year superheroes went truly mainstream and, separately, the industry realized that female and gay male audiences are a neglected demographic. But what about the younger generation -- more specifically, teenage girls? Has any studio been able to figure out what they want, aside from Hannah Montana? Enter Catherine Hardwicke's adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's first novel, a project that first captured our interest very early this year when Kristen Stewart (Bella), Robert Pattinson (Edward), and a handful of their castmates took over our STARmeter chart, well in advance of any available footage from the production. The hype reached its first apex at Comic-Con, when the movie's panel earned Beatlemania comparisons from aging journalists who covered their ears as the teen girls and their "Twilight Moms" made the event more of a freak-out and less of a presentation. It's always tricky to predict if Internet buzz will turn into box-office gold (or, in this case, crimson) but I will say this: If the mother-daughter duos turn out for opening weekend (which was pushed up from mid-December to pre-Thanksgiving once Harry Potter decided to hide until 2009), Twilight could trump some higher-profile holiday movies, powered by repeat audiences, and send competing studios rushing off to optioned like-minded novels. Stephenie Meyer is keeping a blog on the movie's progress, so you might want to bookmark it as your destination for all things vamp as the release date draws near.

Special [limited]
Director: Hal Haberman Jeremy Passmore
Stars: Michael Rapaport (Full Cast)
Studio: Magnet Releasing
The Plot: Metermaid Les Franken (Rapaport) has an unexpected reaction to the anti-depressant he's taking as part of a clinical trial; suddenly convinced he's a superhero, he embraces his new powers, dons a homemade costume, and hits the streets to protect the citizens of his city. the corporation behind the pill, fearing bad publicity about their drug, set out to bring down our hero, who in turn hones his abilities to fight off his new arch-nemeses.
THE BUZZ: This one has been around since '06, but Magnet Films has saved it from DVD obscurity as part of their Six Shooter Film Series. You can bank on an ace performance from go-to character actor Michael Rappaport (who is sadly un-super-famous), but reviewers say prepare for a tonal shift that steers the story away from its comedic beginning and into murky, paranoid territory. Is that a good or bad thing? Either way: It sounds better than Hancock to me.

NOVEMBER 26th

Transporter 3
Director: Olivier Megaton
Stars: Jason Statham, Robert Knepper, Katia Tchenko (Full Cast)
Studio: Lionsgate
The Plot: Plot unknown. This is the third chapter of the action trilogy centered on Frank Martin (Statham), the former mercenary who reinvented himself as a specialist in moving goods of all kinds.
THE BUZZ: Looks like a much leaner (as in: 0% body fat) Jason Statham has punched in for a third-and-final? installment of the franchise that helped him break big in America. But do me a favor: Watch the teaser trailer and let me know if you think it's kind of embarrassing that the production -- which is still being steered by writer/producer Luc Besson, but is in the hands of graffiti-artist-turned-director Olivier Megaton -- lifted a story convention from Statham's Crank 2: High Voltage? In C2, Statham has a rejiggered heart that needs electrical jolts to keep ticking, here in T3, he's been outfitted with a silver bangle that will detonate if removed. Is this a metaphor for what might happen to Statham if he ever decides to transition out of action-anti-hero mode and into, say, a romantic leading man?

Four Christmases
Director: Seth Gordon
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Mary Steenburgen (Full Cast)
Studio: New Line Cinema
The Plot: A comedy about a married couple (Witherspoon and Vaughn) from two divorced families who are tasked with attending four Christmas Day celebrations.
THE BUZZ: Sounds more like Christmas with the Kranks to us, given the reports that Reese and Vince didn't exactly get along during filming. That's going to make promoting the movie interesting; picture them on daytime TV together: him rumpled and probably hungover, her glowering and taking questions about her other upcoming projects. Maybe this one should end with the main characters going about their separate ways. That sure seemed to work for The Break Up ...

Australia
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man (Jackman) in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.
THE BUZZ: Originally Russell Crowe was set to star opposite Kidman in this paean to the antipodean outback, but everyone's favorite bad boy balked at the salary, stating, "I don't do charity work for major studios." Charming or surly? In stepped Wolverine to help Mrs. Keith Urban herd cattle, and while we couldn't be happier that Jackman and Kidman will play dueling cheekbones, the combination of dust, sweat, and livestock seems a far cry from Luhrmann's usually spangled-and-sumptuous milieu. This better deliver more than cattle or you're looking at the Australian Atonement come Oscar time.

Milk [limited]
Director: Gus Van Sant
Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch (Full Cast)
Studio: Focus Features
The Plot: A chronicle of Harvey Milk's (Penn) ascent to become San Francisco's first openly gay city supervisor in 1977, and the political fallout that led to his assassination, as well as Mayor George Moscone's, the following year.
THE BUZZ: While Oliver Stone skewers the current president, Gus van Sant turns the clock back 30 years to a golden moment in San Francisco that soon turned to rust. I am fortunate enough to live in said city, and it was striking to see what the Milk crew did with their big budget (well, big for a GVS production) in order to return the Castro to its 70s-era splendor; Milk's camera store was recreated, the Castro Theater got a hot makeover, classic cars jammed the streets, there were parades, and Sean Penn could be seen traipsing around the Haight in a kimono. (At least I think that was him.) While the film received its fair share of attention toward the end of the summer -- James Franco, who plays Milk's lover, seemed to enjoy throwing a kink in Pineapple Express press junkets by describing what it was like to kiss Sean Penn -- we already know that distributor Focus Features (still smarting from Brokeback?) has an Oscar campaign waiting in the wings. Will Josh Brolin, who here plays city-supervisor-turned-assassin Dan White, receive a nomination for this role, or for W., or both?