New Year’s Eve

“New Year’s Eve” celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in the intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.

Opens December 9, 2011.

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Rango

From the director of “The Pirates of the Caribbean” comes RANGO, featuring Johnny Depp in an original animated comedy-adventure that takes moviegoers for a hilarious and heartfelt walk in the Wild West. The story follows the comical, transformative journey of Rango (Depp), a sheltered chameleon living as an ordinary family pet, while facing a major identity crisis. After all, how high can you aim when your whole purpose in life is to blend in? When Rango accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging town of Dirt – a lawless outpost populated by the desert’s most wily and whimsical creatures – the less-than-courageous lizard suddenly finds he stands out. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, new Sheriff Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt . . . until, in a blaze of action-packed situations and encounters with outrageous characters, Rango starts to become the hero he once only pretended to be. With a cast that includes Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone and Timothy Olyphant as the Spirit of the West, Rango is an exciting new twist on the classic Western legend of the outsider who saves a town – and himself in the process.

Open March 4th.

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Zombieland

A cowardly shut-in named Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is forced to join up with a seasoned zombie slayer named Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) in order to survive the zombie apocalypse. As Tallahassee sets out on a mission to find the last Twinkie on Earth, the duo meets up with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), two young girls who have resorted to some rather unorthodox methods to survive amidst the chaos. Reluctant partners in the battle against the undead, all four soon begin to wonder if it might be better to simply take their chances alone. – Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Opens October 2nd

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My Sister’s Keeper

In answer to the obvious question: yes, you are going to need tissues when you see this. And if you’re one of those people who try to hide that you’re crying, don’t even bother. Let go and let flow! There will not be a dry eye in the theater when you go see this film. The real question is: should you bother seeing a movie about a young girl with cancer when there are awesome robots out there? Well if you’re looking for a touching family drama to counteract summer-blockbuster-itis, you might want to consider seeing My Sister’s Keeper.

In the tradition of films like Steel Magnolias (1989), Terms of Endearment (1983) and Six Weeks (1982, remember that one with Mary Tyler Moore and Dudley Moore?) comes the next in Mother/ sick Daughter weepers. I’m not revealing any major spoilers when I say that My Sister’s Keeper is about a family struggling with a child’s fight with cancer. You get that from the commercials. The oldest daughter Kate (played so well by “Medium’s” Sofia Vassilieva) is losing her battle with leukemia. Her parents Sara and Brian (Cameron Diaz and [yeah!] Jason Patric) have opted for an unconventional solution and genetically engineer a sibling to be a perfect donation match. That child, Anna (Abigail Breslin) is now 11 and has decided hire a flashy attorney (Alec Baldwin) to sue her parents for medical emancipation to prevent any further surgeries against her will. It sends the family into a tailspin as the end for Kate draws closer. Sara has to stop her singular quest to save her sick daughter and focus on the bigger picture, saving her family.

I thought this film was thoughtful and well done. The story is told in flashbacks and from different points of view. The whole moral dilemma of creating one child to save another is a fascinating subject and handled smartly by director Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook, 2004). Cameron gives a layered performance as the unstoppable Sara. I could totally understand why she was making the decisions she was but was not agreeing with the logic she was using to come to those decisions. Jason Patric is great as David: quiet, concerned and finally pushed to the point of having to confront his wife about how she’s treating all their children. It’s so good to see him on the big screen again. That man does nothing but improve with age!

Abigail Breslin is her usual sensational self. She’s another one of those old-soul child actors that can tend to be creepy after a while. Is it just me or does she sound congested all the time? I wanted her to blow her nose! As I mentioned before Sofia Vassilieva is wonderful as Kate. The character makes this tremendous arc from giggly teen to mature adult, guiding her mother to the inevitable and Sofia handles it masterfully. Evan Ellingson, who’s had a tremendous television career up until now, plays the often forgotten, troubled oldest Jesse. This kid’s got a bright future ahead of him.

Rounding out the cast are two fantastic character actors taking a break from their usual comedic roles. Joan Cusak as Judge De Salvo may very well break your heart. And as the smarmy but brilliant defense attorney Campbell Alexander, Alec Baldwin is strangely adorable.

Let me just reiterate – you WILL cry when you see this film. Hell, I even cry during the trailer! Don’t take your husband/boyfriend. This is a movie to see with your mom, your sister, your daughter. It’s a perfectly fine chick-flick with an interesting element to strike up some post-viewing conversations, assuming of course that you have recovered in a decent amount of time. Try consuming a little chocolate. It might help.

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