Cinematic gifts: 7 new movies to put the HO HO HO in your holidays
Every Christmas, Santa stuffs our movie theaters with an abundance of cinematic gifts, hoping to offer something for everyone's taste and interests.
Here come seven of my best bets for motion pictures promising to highlight our holidays.
<b>“Vice”</b> - Adam McKay directed the most daring movie of 2015, “The Big Short,” the story of America's economic collapse told as a comic tutorial. Now he turns his satirical rapier on Vice President Dick Cheney, played by former Batman star Christian Bale, who shaved his head, bleached his eyebrows and packed on 40 extra pounds for the role. (What? Richard Dreyfuss wasn't available?) Sam Rockwell stars as President George Bush. Steve Carell becomes Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Can't wait to see what McKay does with them on Dec. 25.
“Stan<b> & Ollie”</b> - I've seen it and I'll see it again when it comes out Dec. 28. Steve Coogan and Chicago's own John C. Reilly star as the comedy team of Laurel & Hardy in a surprisingly touching story that takes up 16 years after they've reached the zenith of their worldwide popularity. It's like watching Ingmar Bergman's “Scenes From a Marriage,” but directed by Jon S. Baird. Look for a star turn by Rufus Jones as their agent, a master of subtle manipulation.
“On<b> the Basis of Sex”</b> - Ruth Bader Ginsburg may be nursing three broken ribs, but the 85-year-old Supreme Court justice might be at a movie theater Dec. 25 when her life story gets told with “Rogue One” star Felicity Jones playing her. Director Mimi Leder returns after a long absence from the silver screen. Co-starring Armie Hammer (as RBG's stay-at-home hubby), Kathy Bates, Sam Waterston and Justin Theroux.
<b>“Mary Poppins Returns”</b> - The not-so-recent Chicago stage production completely underwhelmed me, but the casting of “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and the versatile Emily Blunt, plus direction from the exacting Rob “Chicago” Marshall, hooked my curiosity. Throw in vets Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth and Danville's legendary Dick Van Dyke, why wouldn't this long-overdue sequel (54 years after “Mary Poppins”) take flight on Dec. 19?
<b>“The Bird Box”</b> - Former Chicago actor John Malkovich plays a supporting role in Susanne Bier's post-apocalyptic thriller about creatures with the power to kill people on sight. Really. You see one, you die. So Sandra Bullock has to blindfold herself or close her eyes hard if she wants to protect her two kids from being killed by a look. Yes, it does sound like a vision version of John Krasinski's “A Quiet Place,” but it's based on singer Josh Malerman's 2014 novel. Opens Dec. 21.
“Welcome<b> to Marwen”</b> - Chicago native Robert Zemeckis directs Steve Carell as Mark Hogancamp, an artist who creates a miniature world for dolls dressed as World War II characters to help him recover from being severely beaten outside a bar in 2000. Carell, Leslie Mann and other cast members play both live-action and animated characters in this fantasy drama, based on the documentary “Marwencol,” about a gender-based hate crime. Opens Dec. 21.
<b>“Holmes and Watson”</b> - Hey, we need at least one comedy to look forward to this season. How about Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who have four days to solve a Buckingham Palace murder or the queen will be next? Ralph Fiennes has become the uber-villain of the 21st century, having traded his slithery Harry Potter villain Voldemort for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty. Opens Dec. 25.