LIFE OF PI
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irffan Khan,
Gerard Depardieu, Adil Hussain & Rafe Spall
Directed by Ang Lee for distribution by 20th
Century Fox
The Plot: Following an
accident at sea, a teenager and a tiger must depend on each other to survive
until helps reaches them.
The Final Word: “Pi” is heavily
favored as a lock for a Best Picture nomination, with a corresponding nod for
Lee in the Best Director race. After going through numerous directors
(including M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuarón and Jean-Pierre Jeunet), Lee was
the one to right the ship and make this 3D drama a Oscar frontrunner.
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
Starring (voices): Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh
Jackman, Isla Fisher & Jude Law
Directed by Peter Ramsey for distribution by
DreamWorks Animation
The Plot: Santa Claus,
the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost team up and
disrupt the plans of a evil spirit named Pitch, who’s bent on taking over the
world.
The Final Word: If “The
Avengers” was an animated film starring some of today’s most renowned legends
then this would be it! This 3D holiday film should do well enough to win over audiences
during the Christmas season, but DreamWorks is hoping it will do well enough to
become its next franchise.
RED DAWN
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh
Hutcherson,
Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise &
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Directed by Dan Bradley for distribution by
FilmDistrict
The Plot: A group of
teenagers fight back when there city comes under siege from a North Korea army.
The Final Word: In 1984, “Red
Dawn” made more sense as the Soviet Union was front and center in the news and
audiences could buy into the premise. Fast forward to 2012 and the Soviet Union
is no more and the Russians have been replaced with North Koreans. While North
Korea was the logical choice to act as the film’s villain, it’s still a little
illogical why Spokane, Washington would serve as their initial target. However
that’s only one of the strings critics will be pulling at when this hit
theaters after sitting on the shelf for years.
