Festive season movies

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This November is a bit of a dud in terms of movie releases in South Africa. However, things do pick up at the end of the month in preparation for the festive season film splurge. Here are the highlights (as far as I'm concerned) of what we have to look forward to:

The Kingdom: 9 November
Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and co. are a crack FBI team sent to investigate a terror attack in Saudi Arabia.
52% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Official site.

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Beowulf: 23 November
There be dragons, demons and Angelina Jolie! The bus-stop posters are already up for this motion-capture-CGI flick based on the epic poem. An all-star cast lend their likenesses to this experimental project from director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter-novelist Neil Gaiman. Super excited for this one!
Offical site.


Balls of Fury: 23 November
A spoof sports comedy that takes place in the shadowy world of illegal ping pong tournaments. Christopher Walken looks like he has a ball in his weirdo role.
25% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Official site.

Captivity: 23 November
Highly controversial torture-porn flick starring 24's Elisha Cuthbert as a model who is drugged, kidnapped and subjected to assorted sadistic degradations.
7% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Official site.


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Surf's Up: 30 November
Another animated penguin film, although this one is done in the mockumentary style and focuses on competitive surfing.
77% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Official site.


Fred Claus: 30 November
This year's anti-Christmas comedy. Vince Vaughn stars as the title character, Santa's blacksheep older brother.
Official site.

Jesus Camp: 30 November
A controversial documentary on an evangelical Christian Summer Camp in the US. Now get on your knees and pray for George W Bush!
87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Official site.

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The Golden Compass: 7 December
There's a massive budget behind this fantasy film, set in an alternate reality where everyone has a personal animal daemon companion for life, witches fly across the Northern skies and talking polar bears make the world's best warriors. Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman star. I can't wait!
Official site.


American Gangster: 7 December
Director Ridley Scott reunites Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in this crime drama focused on a stylish drug lord and the outsider cop who seeks to bring him to justice.
78% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Official site.

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Hitman: 14 December
Based on the popular video game series, Hitman stars Timothy Olyphant as the mysterious, bald and barcoded Agent 47, who gets caught up in political intrigue in Eastern Europe.
Official site.


30 Days of Night: 14 December
Can vampires be scary? Based on the graphic novel, 30 Days of Night focuses on the bloodsucker invasion of a small Alaskan town. It's up to sheriff Josh Harnett to save the day... or is it night?
51% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Official site.

Bee Movie: 14 December
I have a very low tolerance for Jerry (Please just shut the fuck up!) Seinfeld, and the trailers for this insect-focused animated comedy have hardly given me a buzz.
52% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Official site.

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Enchanted: 21 December
Animation meets live-action in Disney's big family film for the Christmas season. Princess Amy Adams finds herself displaced from her fantasy world into New York City by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon). The spin on fairy tale conventions actually makes this one look worthwhile.
Official site.

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