Is there any doubt the holiday movie season is upon us? This is the time of year for big, ambitious pictures, the kind of movies angling for awards attention.
Yes, I know, the “Twilight” sequel is also big right now. But we’re now in the season of heavy-hitting directors such as Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, David Fincher and Cameron Crowe. There’s talk of Oscar-friendly chameleon-like performances from Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams and Gary Oldman.
And a new “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie. Nothing says “Oscar” like helium-voiced cartoon rodents, as the old saying goes.
All right, it’s a mixed bag: Oscars and chipmunks, dragon tattoos and iron ladies, “Tintin” and “Twilight.” But maybe that’ll be the fun of it.
Thanksgiving weekend has brought the first wave of contenders: Scorsese’s “Hugo,” a terrific George Clooney star turn in “The Descendants,” the audience favorite (and bona fide silent movie) “The Artist” and “My Week with Marilyn,” featuring a maybe-Oscar-worthy performance by Michelle Williams. And of course “The Muppets,” which (until they invent a category for “best performance by an artist primarily made of felt”) might snag a best song Oscar nomination.
Here’s a list of the coming onslaught. As usual, opening dates can change with barely a moment’s notice.
Dec. 2
”Dragonslayer.” An award-winning documentary from Sundance arrives for a run at the Northwest Film Forum. The film sketches the life of Josh “Skreech” Sandoval, a skateboarder floundering toward getting his life together.
”Kinyarwanda.” And another Sundance winner, this time a drama about six stories developing during the mass killings in Rwanda in the 1990s.
”Empire of Silver.” In 1899 China, a young heir is torn between commerce and spirituality, as he is groomed to take over a financial empire.
Dec. 9
”The Sitter.” Movie sidekick Jonah Hill takes the starring part for this adventure in babysitting, an R-rated escapade director by “Pineapple Express” guy David Gordon Green.
”New Year’s Eve.” Huge cast lights up the last day of the year in, of course, New York City. Why couldn’t they set something like this in Peoria, for once? Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Ashton Kutcher, lots more.
”Shame.” A guaranteed-to-be controversial film about the sexual foibles of a New York man (Michael Fassbender, having a landmark year) whose sister (Carey Mulligan) comes to stay with him. Fassbender works here again with director Steve McQueen; their first film was “Hunger.”
”Sleeping Beauty.” Not a kid-friendly version of the story, but an Australian tale of a young woman (Emily Browning, from “Sucker Punch”) on a self-destructive erotic journey.
”Tyrannosaur.” Strong advance reviews for the performances of Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman explain the timing of this British drama, which looks at the damage left by a chronic alcoholic.
”Charlotte Rampling: The Look.” The mighty actress (currently on view in “Melancholia”) gets her own documentary profile, which travels back to the mid-1960s for a well-traveled career.
Dec. 16
”Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return to their roles as Holmes and Watson, action heroes, not quite what Arthur Conan Doyle had in mind, methinks, but a blockbuster sequel nonetheless. Jared Harris plays arch-nemesis Moriarty.
”Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked.” The chipmunks are on a cruise ship and end up stranded on an island. Let’s hope they didn’t have to lose weight for the roles, as Tom Hanks did in “Cast Away.”
”Young Adult.” Charlize Theron plays a writer who moves back to her hometown in an attempt to get back together with an ex; he happens to be married. This movie reunites director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody, who did “Juno.”
”I Melt with You.” Four friends revisit a pact they made 20 years earlier; this dark-hued drama stars Rob Lowe and Jeremy Piven.
Dec. 21
”The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The Swedish adaptations of the best-selling trilogy weren’t enough, it seems, so here’s the first part of David Fincher’s re-do of the popular saga. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara look like good casting in the leads; can’t help but wonder how heavy the violence will be, given the source.
”Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.” This will actually begin playing exclusively in IMAX theaters on Dec. 16, and then open everywhere today. Either way, you’ll see Tom Cruise dangling from extremely high skyscrapers.
Dec. 23
”The Adventures of Tintin.” The hugely popular (in Europe, anyway) comic-book character comes to the screen in a motion-capture animated film engineered by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. That’s a pretty good pedigree, so let’s see if Americans warm to the exploits of a globe-trotting Belgian kid.
”Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” Trim and taut, just as a spy movie should be, this adaptation of the John le Carre novel brings Gary Oldman to the role of the extremely careful British intelligence master; the cast includes Colin Firth and Tom Hardy. The director is Tomas Alfredson, who proves that “Let the Right One In” was no fluke.
”We Bought a Zoo.” Director Cameron Crowe (“Say Anything…”) makes a welcome return, with this story of a young family that (you guessed it) acquires a small zoo and makes a new start on their life. Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson star. (The film’s scheduled for an early sneak preview this weekend.)
”A Dangerous Method.” A pair of psychoanalysts in Vienna, whose names happen to be Freud and Jung, spar over a distinctive patient (Keira Knightley). Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender play Freud and Jung, under the direction of David Cronenberg (“A History of Violence”), who knows a thing or two about repression and desire.
Dec. 25
”War Horse.” One of the oddest-sounding of holiday movies, but it’s a Spielberg picture, so let’s give it a shot: a World War I epic about a horse sent away to the front lines of battle. Despite the grand sweep, this is based on a play. See? Odd.
”The Darkest Hour.” Outer-space aliens lay waste to Russia, and a group of young survivors (led by Emile Hirsch, of “Into the Wild”) battle for survival. Happy holidays, by the way.
Plus
A few awards contenders that will have qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles, but will open here in January:
Jan. 6
”In the Land of Blood and Honey.” A wartime film about the relationship between a Serbian soldier and a Bosnian woman; but the marquee name belongs to the director, one Angelina Jolie.
Jan. 13
”The Iron Lady.” Meryl Streep brings her uncanny talents to bear on the person of Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s fierce prime minister during the Reagan era. With something like this, an Oscar nomination for the leading lady is assumed.
Jan. 20
”Carnage.” Two couples spend an uncomfortable evening together, in an adaptation of the Broadway success, directed for the screen by Roman Polanski and featuring Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet.
”Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” An adolescent boy has a suspenseful adventure on September 11, 2001; his parents are played by Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, which will undoubtedly help get this movie some attention.
Jan. 27
”Albert Nobbs.” Glenn Close is being touted for her performance, as a woman who passes for a man in 19th-century Ireland. Based on the photos, she’s eerily convincing; her co-stars are Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson.
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