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Saturday, December 3, 2011

New In Theaters - December 9th, 2011



NEW YEAR’S EVE
Starring: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, 
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, 
Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl,Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, 
Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker,Michelle Pfeiffer, 
Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank & Sofia Vergara 
Directed by Garry Marshall for distribution by New Line Cinemas (WB)


The Plot: A series of inter-twining tales about the lives of New Yorkers on New Year’s Eve.

The Final Word: A pseudo-sequel to last year’s “Valentine’s Day,” audiences are going to have the same reaction; you are either going to love it or resent everything it stands for. Granted, it probably depends on if you’re in a relationship or not when you’re seeing it, but the point is that New Line and Warner Brothers aren’t looking for an Oscar here, they are looking to have a successful romantic comedy holiday hit that can continue to perform for them many years down the line and the truth is the vast majority of Americans will have a great time seeing this the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

THE SITTER
Starring: Jonah Hill, Sam Rockwell, Max Records,
Kevin Hernandez, Landry Bender, J.B. Smoove & Method Man
Directed by David Gordon Green for distribution by 20th Century Fox


The Plot: A suspended college student gets conned into babysitting a group of kids that he has no chance of controlling.

The Final Word: It just goes to show how long it takes movies to get made as this was filmed back when Jonah Hill was still a little on the heavy side. Now the suddenly single star is set to close out 2011 with his former look in a new comedy with shades of “Adventures In Babysitting.” Whether it can top “New Year’s Day” remains to be seen, but Hill has his fans (outside of his failed FOX series “Allen Gregory” that is) and this should find an audience of some sort.

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY
Starring: Gary Oldman, Ciaran Hinds, Jared Harris, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy,
Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong & Svetlana Khodchenko
Directed by Tomas Alfredson for distribution by Focus Features


The Plot: A disgraced former spy is brought back out of retirement to search for a spy inside the British Secret Service following the end of the Cold War.

The Final Word: Gary Oldman is one of the industry’s more respected and talented actors, yet he’s never received an Oscar nomination. This year though, he stands a real chance of breaking through and finally being recognized for his talents. Credit should also be given Focus Features for shifting the film’s release date right into the heart of awards season.

Previewed next week: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows & Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked