December 7: “Happy New Year” tells the story of Sgt. Cole Lewis (Michael Cuomo), a brave soldier who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan for four tours. He comes home badly broken with a scarred face and he is wheelchair bound. Placed in a bare bones Veterans Hospital with insufficient care, the only free bed available is in the PTSD unit. With heavy shades of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, Lewis rallies the mentally ill patients to rise above their dire circumstances. It is a sad film but an important one. There are many welcome moments of humor and hope—and shockingly good acting. Michael Cuomo won Best Actor at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and he deserves it. Opens in NYC at Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street. Drama. Rated R. 104 minutes.
View slideshow:
Check out stills from December movies
December 7: “Lay the Favorite” is a fun romp to Las Vegas based on the hysterical memoir by Beth Raymer. This is the story of a stripper who wanted more. Once in Vegas she lands a cocktail waitress job and there she connects with the opportunity for her star to rise. She becomes a sports gambling prodigy and rakes in lots of dough. The movie, directed by Stephen Frears (“The Queen“, “High Fidelity“), landed an impressive cast.Rebecca Hall plays Beth; Bruce Willis plays her gambler boss Dink Heimowitz; Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Dink’s wife Tulip, and Vince Vaughn plays Rosie. The screenplay was written by D.V. DeVincentis (“High Fidelity“). It’s a story of odd friendships, weird lives and unusual aspirations. Post-Sundance, some of the reviews were less than stellar but if you remember it’s a small film on a lower budget, it may just tickle your fancy. Go with it, and you’ll enjoy the ride. It’s worth going just to hear Rebecca Hall nail an American accent. Comedy. Rated R. 94 minutes.
December 7: “Heleno” is a tragic story based on the life of an incredibly gifted athlete, who was his own worst enemy. Brazilian-born Heleno de Freitas (Rodrigo Santoro) conquered the soccer world in the 1940s but as his fame and monetary success grew, hedonistic passions spun him into a mess. Santoro—stunning and mesmerizing—won Best Actor in both the Lima Latin American Film Festival and the Havana Film Festival. His face, like a roadmap, shows every marker on the way to a man jumping off a cliff. The movie was nominated as Best Film in the Cartegena Film Festival. Directed brilliantly by José Henrique Fonseca, this is a sad story of a gifted soul being devoured by rage. The acting performance and the original subject matter make this a must-see. Drama. Rated R. 116 minutes.
December 14: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is the prequel to J.R.R Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Directed by Peter Jackson, the story follows Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and 13 fortune-seeking dwarves undertaking a hazardous journey with Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen). As they make their way across mountains they must beware the giant arachnids, evil elves, dastardly dragons, wild wolves, and Gollum—the most grotesque, peculiar, and particularly creepy character. Others stars include Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom. Impressively filmed in state-of-the-art IMAX 3D with 48 frames per second. The sequel, “The Desolation of Smaug,” is slated for December 2013 and the third of this triology, “There and Back Again,” is due out in 2014. Action adventure, sci-fi, fantasy. Rated PG-13. 170 minutes.
December 19: “The Guilt Trip” stars Barbra Streisand as Joyce Brewster and Seth Rogen as her son Andy Brewster. This overbearing mother and overwhelmed son set out on a road trip. Andy hopes to sell his latest invention and play yenta for his mom—he is hoping to hook Joyce up with her old flame. Clichés abound but the two talented actors are the appeal. It’s been a long time since Streisand played the lead in a film and that alone will draw viewers. Dan Fogelman(“Crazy, Stupid, Love”) wrote the screenplay and Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal”) directs. This one is probably not an Oscar contender—its release date was originally Christmas day but then moved out of that top spot. Comedy. Opens in New York City on Wednesday, December 19, 2012. Rated PG-13. 95 minutes.
December 25: “Zero Dark Thirty” derived its title from military-speak for: 30 minutes past midnight. It’s the story of Navy SEALs and the manhunt that will be forever remembered as President Barack Obama’s most important victory—the capture and killing of al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Kathryn Bigelow (Oscar winner “The Hurt Locker”) does a masterful job as director of the screenplay written by Mark Boal. It depicts a harrowing behind the scenes look at what happened—including severe torture tactics used by the United States in order to gain information during interrogations. Bigelow took great care in sticking to the facts. She felt it important not to serve up the typical Hollywooded-up fare. Though the real young woman at the heart of this thriller most likely does not look anything like Jessica Chastain. One odd detail is how little of President Obama is included in the movie. This Oscar contender boasts a powerful cast including James Gandolfini, Scott Adkins, and Chris Pratt. Action, drama, history. Not rated. 150 minutes.
December 25: “Django Unchained,” written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, is about a slave-turned-bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx) who sets out to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). Fans of Tarantino will thrill at the humor and homage to spaghetti westerns by the Italian movie director Sergio Corbucci(“Django”1966). The flick’s stars include Don Johnson, Jonah Hill, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, and James Remar. Drama, Western. Rated R. 141 minutes.
December 25: “Les Misérables” is an adaptation of the Broadway mega-hit musical which was based on Victor Hugo’s 19th century novel set in early revolutionary France. The film received a standing ovation during its New York City screening. The main character is paroled prisoner Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who is on the run from Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe). Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Anne Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried). Their lives are forever changed. Worthy of note is that every song was recorded live on set—a remarkable feat considering almost all musical films are lip-synced. The stars wore hidden earpieces to keep them singing on key and the orchestral music was added later. Expect lots of high drama including a heated love triangle. Madame Thenardiér is played by Helena Bonham Carter and Thenardiér by Sacha Baron Cohen. Drama, musical, romance. Rated PG-13. 129 minutes.
December 25: “Monsters, Inc. 3D” is a re-release of the 2001 Academy Award®-winning animated comedy adventure that brought us the lovable Sulley (John Goodman) and his wisecracking best friend Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal). Monsters, Inc. is a large scream-processing factory and children are strictly forbidden to enter. Boo (Mary Gibbs) is a little girl who follows Sulley into Monstropolis and chaos ensues. Other characters are voiced by Steve Buscemi, James Coburn and Jennifer Tilly. The sequel, Monsters University, is filming now and slated for release in June, 2013. Animation, adventure, comedy. Rated G. 92 minutes.