Merry Christmas everybody! And a special Christmas it is for anyone who’s living near one of the 200 cinemas in the US showing The Interview, or those who have the internet in that country. The suits at Sony have decided to let people see it in select cinemas and online platforms today after all. The State Department must have made assurances.
But as of this writing, I understand the film remains unavailable in Canada. Watch this space for more developments.
Big Eyes
Tim Burton’s best film, IMHO, is Ed Wood, which was the last time he directed material based on actual events. It gives me hope this picture—about painter Margaret Keane and her struggle with her husband to retain the rights to her work—is worth seeing. It stars Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz.
The Imitation Game
Benedict Cumberbatch brings his A game to this biopic of World War II codebreaker Alan Turing. You can read my review here.
Into The Woods
There was plenty of bad buzz this summer when it was suggested Disney had worked its usual “magic” on Stephen Sondheim’s adult fairy tale musical Into The Woods, removing much of its bite in order to appeal to families on its Christmas Day opening. The reviews this week haven’t been too bad. Hard to go wrong with La Streep.
The Gambler
Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, John Goodman, Brie Larson and Michael K. Williams? A remake of a Jimmy Caan thriller from the 1970s? Yup, I’ll be seeing this.
Unbroken
Angelina Jolie’s second feature as a director is also a drama set in WWII, also based on a true story. An American Olympian and soldier survives his bomber crash in the Pacific, only to be taken prisoner and tortured by the Japanese. How do I know this? It’s all in the too-revealing trailer.
Wild
I have no great love for Reese Witherspoon. She’s been good in some stuff, but to me she’ll always be Tracy Flick. That’s hardly her fault, the fact I always associate her with such an amazing role. Or maybe it is. This tale of a woman’s wander into the wilderness does appeal thanks to its talented French Canadian director, Jean Marc Vallée. His C.R.A.Z.Y. and Academy Award Winning Dallas Buyers Club were solid, while Cafe de Flore is a masterpiece.
