Holiday Preview 2007

BY Dan Hudak | With Oscar season gearing up for its annual holiday push, it’s easy to lose track of the movies that remember to entertain before beating us over the head with moral platitudes and melodrama. That’s why you won’t find movies like Paul Thomas Anderson’s (“Boogie Nights”) sprawling epic “There Will Be Blood” (Dec. 26) anywhere below, and you can forget about indie comedies like “Juno” (Dec. 14) making the list.

      Instead, here’s a look at some of the other films you’ll be hearing about in December.

“The Golden Compass” — Dec. 7

      Based on the first part of Philip Pullman’s “Dark Materials” trilogy, the story follows a young girl who’s thrust into a battle between good and evil in a parallel universe. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and his “Casino Royale” co-star Eva Green star, but the real draw is the visual effects, which look spectacular. Think of it as this year’s “Chronicles of Narnia,” only (supposedly) anti-religious. Ah yes, there’s nothing quite like scandal emanating from a children’s book.

“The Perfect Holiday” — Dec. 12

      Sparks fly after a young girl asks a department store Santa (Morris Chestnut) to bring her mother (Gabrielle Union) a husband for Christmas. We’ve seen far too many Christmas comedies that are as funny as a lump of coal (remember “Surviving Christmas”? “Deck the Halls”?). Here’s hoping that one of the first from an African-American perspective can break the mold.

“I Am Legend” — Dec. 14

      Will Smith plays the last man on earth after a deadly plague, but that doesn’t mean he’s alone. Indeed, the only place Smith is ever alone is at the top of the box office; you’d have to go back to “The Legend of Bagger Vance” in 2000 to find his last failure. Not even the Toms (Hanks and Cruise) can match that. Smith’s charm, talent and versatility make him worth every penny.

“Alvin and the Chipmunks” — Dec. 14

      Jason Lee (“My Name is Earl”) sets his career back a few years with this live-action movie that follows computer-generated chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore as they become pop music sensations. Now really, did this have to be made? Even seven year-olds are annoyed by how bad the trailer is.

“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” — Dec. 21

      Nicolas Cage globe trots with the same principle cast from the first film as he tries to find the truth behind the Lincoln assassination by tracking down the missing pages in the diary of John Wilkes Booth. The sheer fun of the original is enough to inspire interest here.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” — Dec. 21

      Tim Burton (“Batman”) brings Stephen Sondheim’s musical to the big screen with Johnny Depp in the title role as a barber who kills those who’ve wronged him in the past. Nobody does gloom and doom better than Burton, but we’re still not sold on Depp singing, or Helena Bonham Carter in anything.

“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” — Dec. 21

      From the guys who brought us “Knocked Up” and “Superbad” comes this faux-biopic about a musician’s (John C. Reilly) ups and downs throughout a turbulent career. Reilly (“Talladega Nights”) is an underappreciated comedian who can sing, and there’s not much else out there in terms of comedy.

“Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem” — Dec. 25

      No plot description needed, just exclamation points!! And what a cool title: “Requiem.” What we wouldn’t give for Sigourney and Arnold cameos!