Michelle Williams’ “My Week With Marilyn” was supposed to open this week, but alas, movie-boss Harvey Weinstein is aiming for Oscar gold and moved it to Thanksgiving. There are still some decent options available, especially if you like a couple of stoners and Neil Patrick Harris cameos.
November 4
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
One tag line for this movie is: Christmas comes prematurely. Is there really anything else to say? Harold and Kumar shoot Santa Claus, of course. Neil Patrick Harris gets down and dirty, while likely being the only good part of the movie … again. All in 3D, because everyone really needs to see pot smoke in the third dimension.
Tower Heist
There was some drama with this one last month after the film distributors dropped out of plans to release the movie on demand before a theatrical debut. It made movie theaters mad, apparently. In the flick, a group of condo workers decide to steal a fortune from a Madoff-ish banker who stole their retirements. For having such a ridiculous premise, there’s a pretty huge cast in it. Matthew Broderick, Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, and Alan Alda star.
Another Happy Day
Who doesn’t want to watch someone else’s family implode before the holiday season? Sam Levinson wrote and directed this film that was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize. The premise of the movie is that a dysfunctional family is forced to spend the day together during a wedding. It was critically acclaimed at Sundance, so this one might be a sleeper hit.
November 9
J. Edgar
A combination of Clint Eastwood behind the camera and Leonardo DeCaprio in front of it is a good thing. DeCaprio stars as the titular J. Edgar Hoover, who started the FBI and lived a strange, strange, life. Despite Eastwood being like half a billion years old, he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down with his directing career.
November 11
Immortals
Thankfully, this one is marked as being “from the producers of 300″ because the slow-motion fighting, countless dudes with their shirts off, and sword play wasn’t a dead giveaway. In the film, Theseus is chosen by the immortal Zeus to lead a fight against King Hyperion. Their battlecry? This is not Sparta. (Just kidding.)
Jack and Jill
What’s worse lately than Adam Sandler starring in a comedy? How about two Adam Sandlers starring in a comedy? In this film, he goes the way of Eddie Murphy and plays multiple roles. Actually add in a twist of Tyler Perry, because his second role is that of his sister. She’s ugly. Ha-ha. Katie Holmes co-stars for no particular reason.
Melancholia
Lars Von Trier is back with a new film that has a completely ridiculous plot involving a newlywed couple and their family as they deal with a new planet that is threatening to collide with Earth. Von Trier is critically acclaimed for his visual work, but he’s juggling visual work with Kirsten Dunst in a lead role. That’s challenging.
