While we all love to spend time with our extended family over Thanksgiving, hearing about Aunt Muriel’s new pit bull or listening to Grandpa Pete’s war stories can get a little old. So if you start clamoring for some outside entertainment, here’s what will be hitting theaters this weekend and next week.
“Beowulf” (Nov. 16) stars Ray Winstone as the title character in this adaptation of the story that bored us all in high school. Robert Zemeckis directs this film utilizing motion capture technology, which usually only serves to remind us how much better real people can emote than computer imagery.
From “Donnie Darko” director Richard Kelly comes “Southland Tales” (Nov. 16), a movie which features a dystopian Los Angeles on July 4, 2008. The film stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Seann William Scott, but don’t let that fool you. Critical opinion on the thought-provoking film has been mixed, with many adopting a “love it or hate it” attitude.
“Love in the Time of Cholera” (Nov. 16) is an adaptation of the Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel that follows two estranged lovers who make their way back to each other.
Directed by Brian De Palma (“The Black Dahlia,” “Mission: Impossible”), “Redacted” (Nov. 16), discusses and questions how the media covers the war in Iraq. It’s probably a must-see for journalism students.
“Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” (Nov. 16), which kind of looks like a combination of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and an FAO Schwarz toy store, stars Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman in what looks to be a quality family film.
“August Rush” (Nov. 21) stars the super-adorable Freddie Highmore (“Finding Neverland”) as an orphan who tries to use his musical talents to track down his parents.
Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon star in Disney’s “Enchanted” (Nov. 21). The musical half-animated, half live-action film is sure to put a smile on your face and Disney 2-D animation back on the map.
Six actors, including Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale, play Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There” (Nov. 21), the not-quite-a-biopic from director Todd Haynes.
“Stephen King’s The Mist” (Nov. 21) may look a little odd if you’ve never read the book, but the film is directed by Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Green Mile”), so it may actually be worth your time.
“Hitman” (Nov. 21) is adapted from a popular video game, so like most films that make the jump from a game console, it’s not likely to be very good. The movie follows Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant), a gun-for-hire involved in a political conspiracy.
A black family gets together for the first time in four years in “This Christmas” (Nov. 21), a film that, if nothing else, looks guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.
So if you get tired of watching your cousins play “Guitar Hero” and you don’t feel like watching 48 straight hours of football this Thanksgiving, the local multiplex is more than equipped to provide holiday entertainment for you or the whole family.
