His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass

Rated: Not Yet Rated
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Release Date: 2007-12-07

Starring: Nicole Kidman (Marisa Coulter), Daniel Craig (Lord Asriel), Dakota Blue Richards (Lyra Belacqua), Eva Green (Serafina Pekkala), Adam Godley (voice of Pantalaimon), Nonso Anozie (voice of Iorek Byrnison), Iofur Raknison (Ian McShane), Clare Higgins (Ma Costa)
Directed by Chris Weitz
Produced by Bill Carraro, Deborah Forte
Written by Chris Weitz, Philip Pullman (original novel)

Based on author Philip Pullman's bestselling and award-winning novel, The Golden Compass tells the first story in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. The Golden Compass is an exciting fantasy adventure, set in an alternative world where people's souls manifest themselves as animals, talking bears fight wars, and Gyptians and witches co-exist. At the center of the story is Lyra (played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), a 12-year-old girl who starts out trying to rescue a friend who's been kidnapped by a mysterious organization known as the Gobblers - and winds up on an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well.

Grace is Gone

Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Release Date: 2007-12-07

Starring: Nathan Adloff, Gracie Bednarczyk, Heather O. Craig, John Cusack, Doug Dearth, Michael Thomas Dunn

Directed by John C. Strouse
Produced by John Cusack, Grace Loh, Galt Niderhoffer, Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Written by James C. Strause

There was a time when Stanley Phillips (John Cusack) could see his entire life clearly. He dreamed of patriotic service and was destined for a military career. He came close to that dream until it was cut short simply because of his poor eyesight. Now he’s serving customers at a home supply store while his Sergeant wife is fighting in Iraq.
Equally as awkward at home as he is at work, he’s raising Heidi, their twelve-year-old daughter and her 8-year-old sister Dawn. Although a loving father, Stanley is unable to conform to a more affectionate role and the girls miss their mother deeply.
While tolerating his job and stumbling through parenting he is abruptly awakened when tragedy strikes. Ill prepared to deal with it himself, he is at a complete loss contemplating how to tell his children. Desperate to delay telling the children they embark on a spontaneous road trip. Grasping to give them their last moments of innocence, Stanley reveals a softer side as they travel to Dawn’s chosen destination – Enchanted Gardens Theme Park.

Atonement

Rated: R
Distributor: Focus Features
Release Date: 2007-12-07

Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Romola Garai, Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Blethyn

Directed by Joe Wright
Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster
Written by Christopher Hampton; Based on the book by Ian McEwan

Shot on location in the U.K., the film’s story spans several decades. In 1935, 13-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) and her family live a life of wealth and privilege in their enormous mansion.

On the warmest day of the year, the country estate takes on an unsettling hothouse atmosphere, stoking Briony’s vivid imagination. Robbie Turner (Mr. McAvoy), the educated son of the family’s housekeeper, carries a torch for Briony’s headstrong older sister Cecilia (Ms. Knightley). Cecilia, he hopes, has comparable feelings; all it will take is one spark for this relationship to combust. When it does, Briony – who has a crush on Robbie – is compelled to interfere, going so far as accusing Robbie of a crime he did not commit.

Cecilia and Robbie declare their love for each other, but he is arrested – and with Briony bearing false witness, the course of three lives is changed forever. Briony continues to seek forgiveness for her childhood misdeed. Through a terrible and courageous act of imagination, she finds the path to her uncertain atonement, and to an understanding of the power of enduring love.

The Walker

Rated: Not Yet Rated
Distributor: ThinkFilm
Release Date: 2007-12-07

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Lauren Bacall, Willem Dafoe, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu, and Mary Beth Hurt

Directed by Paul Schrader
Produced by Deepak Nayar
Written by Paul Schrader

A contemporary drama set in Washington, D.C., THE WALKER centers around Carter Page (Harrelson), a well-heeled and popular socialite who serves as confidant, companion, and card partner to some of the capitol’s leading ladies. These pampered women are married to the most powerful men in America, and when their husbands are too busy running the country to attend to their wives, they turn to their “gay best friend,” Carter, for warmth, wit, and wisdom.

Carter’s loyalty is tested when his dearest friend (Scott Thomas) finds herself on the brink of a scandal that could destroy her reputation and her husband’s career. Offering to cover for her, Carter suppresses incriminating evidence, only to find himself the chief suspect in a criminal investigation. Suddenly, this well-connected man-about-town is a pariah, hounded by the police and forced to find the true culprit and clear his name. More importantly, he must re-examine whether it is important to be accepted by a society based on betrayal, hypocrisy, and corruption.

Revolver

Rated: Not Yet Rated
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release Date: 2007-12-07

Starring: Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Vincent Pastore, André Benjamin

Directed by Guy Ritchie
Produced by Virginie Silla
Written by Luc Besson, Guy Ritchie

Director Guy Ritchie (SNATCH, LOCK STOCK & TWO SMOKING BARRELS) brings you this dark, psychological thriller featuring an all-star cast of gangster movie icons including Jason Statham (SNATCH, THE TRANSPORTER), Ray Liotta (GOODFELLAS), Vincent Pastore (THE SOPRANOS) and Outkast's André Benjamin (FOUR BROTHERS).

A sleek and edgy film about mastering the rules of the game, REVOLVER is populated with the same breed of fast-talking, sharp-suited criminals as in LOCK STOCK AND SNATCH, but with a psychological twist that your mind may not be able to handle. Just out of prison, Jake Green (Statham) is a hotshot gambler, but he's rarely allowed to play in any casino because he always wins.

When Jake is invited to a private game with Macha (Liotta), a crime boss and local casino owner, he is expected to lose. But Jake isn't afraid of Macha, and not only beats him in a quick game of chance, but takes every possible opportunity to insult the man. Jake leaves the game, and Macha puts out the order for a hit on Jake, who ends up working for and being protected by a pair of loan sharks, Avi and Zack, who are out to take Macha down.

The Perfect Holiday

Rated: PG
Distributor: Yari Film Group
Release Date: 2007-12-12

Starring: Terrence Howard, Gabrielle Union, Queen Latifah, Morris Chestnut, Rachel True, Katt Williams, Jill Marie Jones

Directed by Lance Rivera
Produced by Paddy Cullen, Mekhi Phifer, Ronnie Warner
Written by Marc Calizte, Lance Rivera

An African American take on the classic and beloved Christmas family film, The Perfect Holiday tells the story of Nancy (Union), a divorced mother of three who is so busy raising her children that she’s forgotten to take care of herself as well.

With Christmas fast approaching, she decides to take her kids to the mall to meet Santa Claus, not knowing that her youngest daughter Emily (Khail Bryant) has sensed her mother’s sadness and is determined to use her time with Santa to make her mom happy again. Just a few days prior, Emily heard her mom say that all she wanted for Christmas was a compliment from a man, so that’s exactly what she tells Santa. Ironically, Santa, as it turns out, is office supply salesman and struggling songwriter Benjamin (Chestnut), who ends up giving Nancy just what she wants for Christmas, and much, much more.

Nanking

Rated: Not Yet Rated
Distributor: ThinkFilm
Release Date: 2007-12-12

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Jurgen Prochnow, and Stephen Dorff

Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman
Produced by Ted Leonsis, Bill Guttentag and Michael Jacobs
Written by Elisabeth Bentley, Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman

Directed by the Academy-Award-winning team of Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman (“Twin Towers”) and marking the producing debut of AOL Vice Chairman Ted Leonsis, NANKING is a powerful reminder of the heartbreaking toll that war takes on the innocent, and a testament to the courage and conviction of a few individuals determined to act in the face of evil.

The film tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China in the early days of World War II and focuses on the efforts of a small group of unarmed Westerners who established a Safety Zone where over 200,000 Chinese found refuge. The events of the film are told through deeply moving interviews with Chinese survivors, archival footage, and chilling testimonies of Japanese soldiers, interwoven with staged readings of the Westerners’ letters and diaries as performed by Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Jurgen Prochnow, and Stephen Dorff, among others.

I Am Legend

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: 2007-12-14

Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Willow Smith, Charlie Tahan

Directed by Francis Lawrence
Produced by Akiva Goldsman, David Heyman, Neal H. Moritz, Erwin Stoff
Written by Mark Protosevich, Akiva Goldsman

Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable and manmade. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. But he is not alone. He is surrounded by the Infected's victims of the plague who have mutated into carnivorous beings who can only exist in the dark and who will devour or infect anyone or anything in their path.

For three years, Neville has spent his days scavenging for food and supplies and faithfully sending out radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. All the while, the Infected lurk in the shadows, watching Neville's every move, waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But his blood is also what The Infected hunt, and Neville knows he is outnumbered and quickly running out of time.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 2007-12-14

Starring: Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, and Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney

Directed by Tim Hill
Produced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman, Steve Waterman
Written by Jon Vitti and Will McRobb & Chris Viscardi

Alvin and the Chipmunks, a global phenomenon to generations of fans, becomes a live action/CGI motion picture event with a contemporary comic sensibility. Songwriter Dave Seville transforms singing chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore into pop senstations -- while the out-of-control trio lays waste to Dave's home, wreaks havoc with his career, and turns Dave's once-orderly life upside-down.

Even the trailer contains a poop joke, so don't expect high-class humor. Still, the original voices are back for the Chipmunk characters and Jason Lee wasn't that bad in Underdog... although with this you have to start wondering if there's anything the former Kevin Smith star wouldn't do.

Juno

Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Release Date: 2007-12-14

Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Allison Janney, JK Simmons, Olivia Thirlby, Rainn Wilson with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner

Directed by Jason Reitman
Produced by John Malkovich, Russell Smith, Lianne Halfon and Mason Novak
Written by Diablo Cody

JUNO stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Cera). With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (Simmons and Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.

National Treasure: The Book of Secrets (National Treasure 2)

Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: 2007-12-21

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Bruce Greenwood and Helen Mirren

Directed by Jon Turteltaub
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Jon Turteltaub
Written by Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley

In this follow up to the box-office hit “National Treasure,” treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) once again sets out on an exhilarating, action-packed new global quest to unearth hidden history and treasures.

When a missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth surfaces, Ben’s great-great grandfather is suddenly implicated as a key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln’s death. Determined to prove his ancestor’s innocence, Ben follows an international chain of clues that takes him on a chase from Paris to London and ultimately back to America. This journey leads Ben and his crew not only to surprising revelations – but to the trail of the world’s most treasured secrets.

National Treasure is everything The Da Vinci Code wanted to be and isn’t. The first movie was good enough and successful enough that maybe it deserves a sequel, but how will they do it? National Treasure was about a generational mystery which culminated in a recent heir. How many mysteries can Benjamin Gate’s family have?

Hopefully plenty, because there’s still fun to be had in watching Nic Cage do his history geek thing as he races around historical landmarks. The first movie did a wonderful job of bringing history to life, making it exciting and interesting in a way stuffy textbooks simply cannot. Usually Europe or Africa gets all the good treasure hunting movies. It’s nice to see the United States getting a turn. The second one should be just as fun as the first, I can’t wait to see it.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Rated: R
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: 2007-12-21

Starring: Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd), Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Lovett), Alan Rickman (Judge Turpin), Timothy Spall (Beadle Bamford), Sacha Baron Cohen (Signor Adolfo Pirelli)
Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by John Logan, Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes, Richard D. Zanuck
Written by John Logan, Stephen Sondheim

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller "Sweeney Todd." Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who "shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again." Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney's amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes Alan Rickman, who portrays the evil Judge Turpin, who sends Sweeney to prison and Timothy Spall as the Judge's wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is a rival barber, the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: 2007-12-21

Starring: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, David Koechner, John Michael Higgins

Directed by Jake Kasdan
Produced by Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan, Clayton Townsend
Written by Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan

America loves Cox! But behind the music is the up-and-down-and-up-again story of a musician whose songs would change a nation. On his rock ‘n roll spiral, Cox sleeps with 411 women, marries three times, has 22 kids and 14 stepkids, stars in his own 70s TV show, collects friends ranging from Elvis to the Beatles to a chimp, and gets addicted to – and then kicks – every drug known to man… but despite it all, Cox grows into a national icon and eventually earns the love of a good woman – longtime backup singer Darlene (Jenna Fischer).

P.S. I Love You

Rated: PG-13
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 2007-12-21

Starring: Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Gina Gershon, Lisa Kudrow, Harry Connick, Jr., Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kathy Bates, James Marsters
Directed by Richard LaGravenese
Produced by Wendy Finerman, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Molly Smith Executive Producers: John H. Starke, Lisa Zupan
Written by Richard LaGravenese and Steven Rogers, based on the novel by Cecelia Ahern

Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank) is beautiful, smart, and married to the love of her life—a passionate, funny and impetuous Irishman named Gerry (Gerard Butler). So when Gerry’s life is taken by an illness, it takes the life out of Holly. The only one who can help her is the person who is no longer there. Nobody knows Holly better than Gerry. So it’s a good thing he planned ahead. Before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters that will guide her, not only through her grief but in rediscovering herself. The first message arrives on Holly’s 30th birthday in the form of a cake and, to her utter shock, a tape recording from Gerry, who proceeds to order her to get out and “celebrate herself.”

In the weeks and months that follow, more letters from Gerry are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure and each signing off in the same way: P.S. I Love You. Holly’s mother (Kathy Bates) and best friends, Sharon (Gina Gershon) and Denise (Lisa Kudrow), begin to worry that Gerry’s letters are keeping Holly tied to the past, but, in fact, each letter is pushing her further into a new future. With Gerry’s words as her guide, Holly embarks on a touching, exciting and often hilarious journey of rediscovery in a story about marriage, friendship and how a love so strong can turn the finality of death into new beginning for life.

Charlie Wilson's War

Distributor: Universal Pictures
Release Date: 2007-12-25

Starring: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty

Directed by Mike Nichols
Produced by Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks
Written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the book by George Crile

Charlie Wilson's War is the true story of how a playboy congressman, a renegade CIA agent and a beautiful Houston socialite joined forces to lead the largest and most successful covert operation in history. Their efforts contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, with consequences that reverberate throughout the world today.
Charlie Wilson (Hanks) was a bachelor congressman from Texas who had a habit of showing up in hot tubs with strippers and cocaine. His "Good Time Charlie" exterior, however, masked an extraordinary mind, a deep sense of patriotism and a passion for the underdog, and in the early 1980s the underdog was Afghanistan--which had just been brutally invaded by the Russians.
Charlie's longtime friend and patron and sometime lover was Joanne Herring (Roberts), one of the wealthiest women in Texas and a virulent anti-communist. Believing the American response to the Russian invasion was anemic at best, she prods Charlie into doing more for the Mujahideen (Afghan freedom fighters).

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Rated: PG
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Release Date: 2007-12-25

Starring: Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Joel Tobeck, Craig Hall, Alex Etel, Geraldine Brophy, Priyanka Xi, Adam Smith, Forbes KB

Directed by Jay Russell
Produced by Robert Bernstein, Charlie Lyons, Barrie M. Osborne, Douglas Rae, Jay Russell
Written by Robert Nelson Jacobs

The Academy Award®-winning producer and special-effects team behind The Lord of the Rings join with Revolution Studios, Walden Media (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Beacon Pictures to bring to the screen the magical motion picture The Water Horse. Rooted in one of the most enduring and intriguing legends of our time, the story begins with an enchanted egg... and what hatches will set in motion an adventure that will take a young boy on the unforgettable journey of a lifetime.

Aliens vs. Predator Requiem (AVP-R)

Rated: R
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 2007-12-25

Starring: John Ortiz, Steven Pasquale, Johnny Lewis, Reiko Aylesworth, David Paetkau, Chelah Horsdal

Directed by Colin Strause, Greg Strause
Produced by John Davis, Wyck Godfrey
Written by Shane Salerno

Let’s give Fox some credit here. Yeah they’re making a sequel to a crappy, franchise-ruining movie which nobody liked, but at least they seem to be attempting to correct some of the mistakes that were made with the first one.
For instance Paul W.S. “not the good one” Anderson, architect of the original AVP, is nowhere in sight. He’s not involved in the sequel, not even a little bit. Instead they’ve brought in two first timers with a background in visual effects named Greg and Colin Strause, guys who claim to actually like the Alien and Predator movies they’re supposed to be basing their battle movie on. Can they direct? Who knows, but at least they’re not Anderson.
Then there’s Fox’s apparent willingness to let this one be rated-R. The franchise they’re ripping off to make these monstrosities were renowned for being hardcore, R-rated horror movies. For the first AVP, they watered it down to a lukewarm PG-13. They pulled in teenagers, but pushed the two franchises’s original fans right out the door. Now they’re attempting to correct that, by making this the R-rated horror movie AVP should have been..

The Bucket List

Rated: PG-13
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 2007-12-25

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes

Directed by Rob Reiner
Produced by Alan Greisman, Rob Reiner, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron
Written by Justin Zackham

Corporate billionaire Edward Cole (JACK NICHOLSON) and working class mechanic Carter Chambers (MORGAN FREEMAN) are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do before they “kick the bucket” and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest. Each adventure adds another check to their list, all done with insight and humor.

There Will Be Blood

Rated: R
Distributor: Paramount Vantage
Release Date: 2007-12-26

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Produced by Joanne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson

This adaptation of Oil! by Upton Sinclair, is a period piece taking place in the turn-of-the-century where a tycoon (Daniel Day-Lewis) strikes it rich after gaining oil rights to a family's ranch, turning the small town into a boomtown where a charismatic young preacher (Paul Dano) captivates churchgoers. The studio describes it as "a story about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered around a turn-of-the-century Texas prospector in the early days of the business."

The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

Rated: Not Yet Rated
Distributor: Picturehouse
Release Date: 2007-12-28

Starring: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Geraldine Chaplin, Montserrat Carulla, Mabel Rivera, Andrés Gertrúdix, Roger Príncep

Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona
Produced by Alvaro Augustin, Joaquin Padro, Mar Targarona, Guillermo del Toro
Written by Sergio G. Sánchez

The Orphanage, presented by Oscar-Nominee Guillermo del Toro, centers on a Laura (Belén Rueda) who purchases her beloved childhood orphanage with dreams of restoring and reopening the long abandoned facility as a place for disabled children. Once there, Laura discovers that the new environment awakens her son’s imagination, but the ongoing fantasy games he plays with an invisible friend quickly turn into something more disturbing. Upon seeing her family increasingly threatened by the strange occurrences in the house, Laura looks to a group of parapsychologists for help in unraveling the mystery that has taken over the place.