Dec. 12, 2005
 
RUTHERFORD ON FILM
Ho, Ho, Ho…A Reel Christmas of Cinematic Presents
 
By Tony Rutherford
Huntington News Network Writer
 
Huntington, WV (HNN) --- Summer and Christmas represent the two largest release windows for Hollywood. While summer caters mainly to an out of school audience, Christmas films run a gauntlet attempting to snag all demographics in a short time frame that rises and falls on the pre-sell of individual titles and a gangbuster movie going period that coincides with the time between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
 
I can remember a decade or so ago that after the Thanksgiving releases, the theatres relied on marginal product to fill the gap until Christmas Day when the big presents would be unreeled. Gradually, the studios experimented with releasing one or two big budget epics during the pre-Christmas doldrums.
 
"Star Trek" demonstrated that a picture with a built in audience would take a break from shopping and parties and pack the cinemas. Now, the studios generally string out the Christmas season movie gifts over the weeks prior to the time when schools shut down for their Holiday breaks.
 
The strategy generally works for the larger 'tentpole' releases, but may have branded some less recognized pictures as failures before they have a chance to find their audience.
 
One exception exists to the strategy, which usually bypasses smaller and medium sized markets such as Huntington, Charleston, and other West Virginialocations --- Releases whose sole purpose is to qualify the picture for Academy Award consideration by one week New York and Los Angeles runs.
 
Already the 'award season' has begun with "Brokeback Mountain," a film exploring the homosexual relationship between a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy during a 1963 cattle drive, was named 'best picture' by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Whether that win suggests a precursor to the Oscars nominations can be quickly examined with a short history lesson.
 
"Philadelphia" (1993) , a flick about an attorney dying of AIDS, earned Tom Hanks an Academy Award for Best Actor. Back in 1970, when the subject of homosexuality was so taboo that the mere subject matter resulted in an X-rating for "Midnight Cowboy," the flick defied odds and took home statuettes for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman), Best Supporting Actor (Jon Voight) and Best Supporting Actress (Sylvia Miles).
 
Other winners at this years L.A. Critic's bash: Phillip Hoffman (as Truman Capote in "Capote"), Vera Farmiga ("Down to the Bone," a Sundance fest entry), William Hurt ("A History of Violence") and Catherine Keener (supporting actress in "Capote," "40 Year Old Virgin," "The Interpreter" and "Ballad of Jack & Rose")
 
So, let's go on an early Christmas Eve unwrapping session and take a peek at what's inside some of Hollywood's brightly packaged and wrapped presents. (Note: Not all films will play every city; release dates are still subject to change, such as the spoof and updating of the Red Riding Hood ("Hoodwinked,") which was just moved from Christmas Day to mid-January!)
 
"CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2" - Mounting to take on the same audience that enlivened "Yours, Mine and Ours," Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt challenge Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo, for squeaky clean family comedy kudos. "Yours" has a blended family of 18 kids attempting to adapt to their new step parents, while "Cheaper" plunges Martin and Hunt's dozen tykes into a "Meatballs"-like summer camp water Olympics laugh-a-thon. (Those who prefer Martin in more seriously humorous fare may opt for "*Shopgirl*," in which he plays a fiftysomething lover of a starving artist (Claire Danes) working at an upscale department store, who finds herself also attracted to a struggling musician.)
 
"FAMILY STONE" – Dysfunctional families coping with the holidays have a solid track record, just think about last year's "Meet the Fockers," as one example. Already a few lucky preview viewers have commented that this pic starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, and Diane Keaton "makes you go home and embrace people you love and share your Christmas with them more tightly than ever." Produced by Michael ("Sideways") London, the story centers around Mulroney bringing home Parker for the family stamp of approval before he proposes. Of course, some of the other Stone family members would not like to see Parker as their daughter-in-law. Mulroney and Parker have both been embraced as possible nominees for best actor/actress in the Oscar and Golden Globe races, while Diane Keaton, Claire Danes and Craig Nelson may qualify for supporting award nominations.
 
"FUN WITH DICK AND JANE" – A re-make of a 1977 film starring George Segal and Jane Fonda as a suddenly unemployed upwardly mobile couple who turn to robbing banks to pay their bills. Jim Carrey and Tea ("Spanglish") Leoni inherit the leading roles with direction by Dean ("Galaxy Quest") Parisot, whose credits stem mostly from the tube. Although the mainstream critics have not had a slice at it yet, preview viewer's comments range from "funny as hell" (particularly singing in the elevator and a Mexican deportation scenes) to the aforementioned sections are the only "particularly amusing" sections. No matter, when I first saw the original, I nearly fell out of my seat from continuous laughter. (Dec. 21)
 
"MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA" - Set in the pre-World War II era, a young woman is taken from her poverty stricken Japanese family to work in a geisha house. She becomes the legendary Sayuri, who captivates many powerful men, but her true love remains out of reach. Both director Rob ("Chicago") Marshall and Chinese actress, Zhang Ziyi, are on the short list of Academy Award and Globe nomination possibilities. Among those who have attended advance screening, the word ranges from "a great love story with a breath of fresh air" to "gorgeous to look at --- but that's about it."
 
"MUNICH" - Depending upon whom your ears are listening, this Steven Spielberg film about Israel's revenge on the perpetrators of the 1972 killings of Israeli athletes at the Munich Games will be either Spielberg's best since "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List" or a dutiful, politically correct flick that does not set off tremor or firecrackers in your soul. Spielberg has kept the film under wraps preferring that viewers turn out and discover its emotionally chilling message of hope and peace. However, the insiders have "OSCAR" written all over the film cans, so no matter, it's a must see. In fact, the prestigious American Film Institute has named it one of 2005's ten best.
 
"PRODUCERS" – Attempting to make the worst Broadway show in history, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick return to their stage roles as a shady producer and nerdy accountant who suddenly find that their overly financed production is, well, a HIT! Adapted from a 1968 Mel Brooks comedy featuring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder (termed by some as a "filmmaking milestone"), the musical remake has been labeled a send up to "old time musicals" which featured Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Whether it's all "electricity, gasoline and bombastic one-liners" or too stagy for movie audiences will be determined when it hits screens between Dec. 16 and Dec. 25.
 
"RINGER" – From the sidelines, the Farrelley brothers encourage Barry (screenwriter of "Nutty Professor," "Police Academy 2," "The Honeymooners") Blaustein's debut as a feature director in this sports oriented romp. Johnny Knoxville stars as a man trying to fix the Special Olympics by entering as a contestant. One commentator initially thought the premise might be exploitive of those with disabilities, but discovered that the flick showed athletes the way they are: Fun loving young adults who get in trouble, get out of trouble, play with each other, and compete against each other. The reviewer labeled "Ringer" as "the feel good movie of the year." (Dec. 23)
 
"RUMOR HAS IT" - Can't call it a prequel or a sequel, so this pic wins the prize for most clever association with a prior popular classic. Its premise: Sarah (Jennifer Aniston) learns that her family was the source of inspiration for "The Graduate," a 1967 Mike Nichols film in which a recent college grad fell in love first with Mrs. Robinson then her daughter. I'm told to look for classy lines from Mark Ruffalo and Shirley MacLaine in this "chick film with class."
 
"WOLF CREEK" – Every holiday needs a snuggle up and grab his shoulder when the on-screen characters serve up visual horrors, well, this Australian flick has been called a combination of the sadistic "Funny Games" and the equally gory "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." At least it's set in the outback country of Australia, rather than some hollow in West Virginia ("Wrong Turn") or on a New Jersey dead end street ("Mother's Day").
 
THOSE THAT WON'T GO AWAY…YET - Aside from the string of award nomination contenders and mainstream mayhem mentioned above, you can anticipate that "King Kong" (heralded by some as an action weeper that has a chance at topping "Titanic" as the #1 all time box office champ; see review elsewhere this issue); "Walk the Line" (particularly Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as best actor and actress); "Syriana" ( the greedy oil men have a shot at best pic); "Good Night and Good Luck" ( Oscar and Globe worthy expose of Edward R. Murrow's spanking of Un-American Sen. Joseph McCarthy and selected for the AFI top ten of 2005); "Rent" (mentioned for best picture, best adapted screenplay, and Rosario Dawson for Best Supporting Actor); "Pride and Prejudice" (Keira Knightley named best actress by the New York Film Critics Online for playing feisty Lizzie Bennet); and "Chronicles of Narnia" (which Disney hopes will steal Peter Jackson's "Rings" and "Kong" thunder).
 
(Editor's Note: Awards mentions are based on announced winners and/or probable nominations as of Dec. 12. All release dates are tentative.)