Blood Diamond
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou
Edward Zwick executive produced the television show “thirtysomething.” He also directed the film Glory. Which means he directed a film about the first black regiment to see combat in the Civil War and created the whitest show ever on television—no small accomplishment. Blood Diamond takes place in the civil war-ravaged country of Sierra Leone during the 1990s. It’s the story of an African farmer (Hounsou), a smuggler (DiCaprio) and a journalist (Connelly). When the three become involved with a precious—and highly coveted—pink diamond, the thrill ride ensues.

The Fountain

Bobby
Directed by: Emilio Estevez
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Ashton Kutcher
A powerful drama chronicling the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy might be the last thing you’d expect from the star of Maximum Overdrive, but that’s exactly what you get with Bobby. Nominated for the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival, the film—which features a huge and stellar cast of new and seasoned actors, including the writer-director’s father, Martin Sheen—will continue its selective festival run, opening up this year’s AFI FEST, before hitting theaters later in the month.

Breaking and Entering
Directed by: Anthony Minghella
Starring: Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright Penn, Ray Winstone
Jude Law is an architect who lives with Robin Wright Penn. After a series of break-ins at his office, he decides to investigate further. When he catches a young thief (Rafi Gavron), he chases him home, where he meets the boy’s mother (Binoche) and immediately becomes entranced, forcing him to reevaluate his life. Sound confusing? Sure. But in the hands of a director as capable as Minghella, who has turned elaborate stories like The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain into Oscar fodder, this film is cinematic poetry.

The History Boys

Children of Men
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Not to be confused with Children of the Corn. This film takes place in the year 2027, when there is no more procreation and the human race is dying. A bureaucrat (Owen) helps to take the only pregnant woman on earth to a sanctuary where scientists can help her give birth and, hopefully, save humankind. This is not a popcorn and Sour Patch Kids movie; Prozac and gin may be more appropriate.

Déjà Vu
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, James Caviezel, Paula Patton
This is a Tony Scott (Domino, True Romance) film, which means you’d better grab your Dramamine as you’re sure to be treated to some spasmodic editing and a camera seizure or two. Denzel Washington plays an ATF agent who travels back in time (in a Humvee, no less) to save a woman from being murdered. Of course, he then falls in love with her. Sounds like fans of Timecop have got themselves a sequel!

Dreamgirls
Directed by: Bill Condon
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy
The musical has experienced a bit of a rebirth in recent years, thanks in large part to the work of writer-director Condon, who received an Oscar nomination for his Chicago script. He’s tackling the genre once again with Dreamgirls, which is based on the Broadway musical of the same name about a trio of black soul singers who rise and fall in the 1960s. Here’s hoping that this one goes the way of All That Jazz—and not Glitter.

The Good Shepherd

Eragon
Directed by: Stefen Fangmeier
Starring: John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons, Robert Carlyle
Eragon is based on the first book of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance trilogy. How many more of these fantasy trilogies can we handle? How many more trolls? How many more rings of power? How many more underbathed Riders of Rohan? Looks like Stefen Fangmeier is banking on just one.

For Your Consideration
Directed by: Christopher Guest
Starring: Eugene Levy, Bob Balaban, Michael McKean, Parker Posey
Departing from the mockumentary format that has become Guest’s trademark, For Your Consideration is the story of three actors who are learning their roles for a film called Home For Purim. Guest reassembles his usual cast of characters and adds in one Ricky Gervais (“The Office,” “Extras”), presumably for some much needed comic relief.

The Fountain
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn
It has been six years since audiences have heard from writer-director Aronofsky, who stormed the indie scene with Pi in 1998 and Requiem for a Dream two years later. Now he brings us The Fountain, a part period piece, part science-fiction medley that spans 1,000 years and, like Aronofsky’s previous films, is sure to be a bit nebulous. Some say it is the story of enduring love between stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, while others say it is an exploration of our own mortality. Whatever. We just know it’s about time.

Eragon

The Good German
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire
Steven Soderbergh reunites with his old pal George Clooney, who plays an American journalist headed to post-war Berlin to locate his former mistress. Part thriller, part romance and set against the sexy backdrop of post-war Berlin, this movie has all the markings of a great film noir.

The Good Shepherd
Directed by: Robert De Niro
Starring: Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie
Leonardo DiCaprio was slated to play the lead role in The Good Shepherd, about the tumultuous early days of the CIA, before he bailed out to make room for Matt Damon. Damon plays Edward Wilson, a man whose morality is challenged when he takes a position with the newly formed CIA. This has been De Niro’s pet project for over a decade, so hopefully the wait pays off for him—and his fans.

The History Boys
Directed by: Nicholas Hytner
Starring: Richard Griffiths, Samuel Anderson, Samuel Barnett
This is one of those British movies that stars virtually no one you’ve ever heard of, perhaps with the exception of Richard Griffiths, the wonderful character actor who played Dr. Meinheimer in The Naked Gun 2 ½. Still, screenwriter Alan Bennett is one of the great contemporary playwrights, so have some faith. And because it’s based on a play, and it’s British, it’s a bit more intelligent than other comingof- age movies of its ilk. Let the hijinks ensue!

The Holiday
Directed by: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black
Two women, Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, swap homes in each other’s respective countries where they meet local men and fall head over heels in love. Sounds a little silly, but let’s not forget it’s brought to us by the same person who wrote I Love Trouble, so it must have some backbone and sizzle. They say it’s not Jude Law’s fault that all of his movies seem to be released at the same time. Well, it’s certainly not our fault.

Home Of The Brave
Directed by: Irwin Winkler
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel, Christina Ricci, 50 Cent
Irwin Winkler is mostly a producer. However, when he does decide to helm the camera, the effort is usually justified. Here is the story of three Iraq war veterans who come home and attempt to readjust to life after combat. It stars 50 Cent, who may or may not rap in the film. But I assume he has penned a rap for the soundtrack about readjusting to life after the Iraq War. Okay, so maybe he’s not a soldier, but the man does know something about his material—he’s certainly no stranger to getting shot at.

The Nativity Story

The Nativity Story
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Keisha Castle-Hughes
This one seems fairly self-explanatory. It centers around the lives of Mary and Joseph as they travel to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. To make the film more authentic, the actors were taught how to press their own olives, make their own cheese and milk their own cows. Which is a good thing, as non-authentic cow milking can easily be detected on screen and totally ruin the moviegoing experience. Home video footage of the actual birth of Jesus was omitted from the final film for copyright reasons.

Notes On A Scandal
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Starring: Cate Blanchett,
Judi Dench, Bill Nighy
This movie is about a pottery teacher (Blanchett) who has an affair with an underage student. Unlike the American attempts at this story (both fictionalized and otherwise), the focus of this tale is on Blanchett and the friend who keeps her secret (Dench). Phillip Glass did the music for this film, which is worth the price of admission alone.

The Painted Veil
Directed by: John Curran
Starring: Liev Schreiber,
Edward Norton, Naomi Watts
This is one of those “journey of selfdiscovery” type movies much in the vein of Out Of Africa or The Hobbit. I didn’t read the book by W. Somerset Maugham, but had I started it I’m sure I wouldn’t have finished it. It’s about a woman (Watts) who becomes disenchanted with her marriage. She sets off for the Far East, where she becomes dedicated to battling a Cholera epidemic. It also stars Liev Schreiber, who no doubt lends the movie a sense of sophistication, and Edward Norton, who no doubt lends the movie a sense of self-importance.

Pan’s Labyrinth
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Doug Jones, Ivana Baquero
As far as I know, this movie has nothing to do with Peter Pan. But don’t think I didn’t investigate it thoroughly. I believe it takes place in Franco’s Spain, at the height of his post-war, fascist regime. There, a young girl named Ofelia (Baquero) comes to terms with the repression of the times by creating an imaginary friend and a fable to accompany it. Rife with scary monsters and graphic violence (it is, after all, from modern day master of horror del Toro), don’t make the mistake of assuming this is a kid’s movie.

Venus

The Pursuit of Happyness
Directed by: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith
Unless Will Smith really screws something up here, this film’s got Oscar nominee written all over it. It tells the true—and truly inspiring—story of Christopher Gardner. Gardner, homeless and struggling as a salesman, assumes custody of his son (played here by Smith’s own son, Jaden) and begins a new career on Wall Street where he turns himself into a millionaire. So why is “Happyness” spelled incorrectly in the film’s title? Guess you’ll just have to pay the $10 to find out for yourself.

Rescue Dawn
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies
Why is Werner Herzog a great director? Because he is crazy, a rabid perfectionist and a true storyteller. While not always conducive to a pleasant work environment, these traits help to create unadulterated truth on the screen. This is the true story of U.S. fighter pilot Dieter Dengler (Bale) who, after being shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War, plans a daring escape from a POW camp. The movie is based on Herzog’s own short film, Little Dieter Needs to Fly. An almost unrecognizable Zahn must have used co-star Bale’s The Machinist diet of one can of tuna and an apple per day to achieve the frighteningly frail look he’s sporting in this role.

Rocky Balboa
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Milo Ventimiglia
The tagline is “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” but it’s probably safe to say that it’s been over for quite some time. Rocky is back, out of retirement (at the age of 60?) to step back into the ring for one more paycheck. Is there anything left in the tank? Burt Young thinks so. Talia Shire does not. She sat this one out. We see her only in the form of archival footage. Sly’s son, Sage, also decided not to reprise his role as Rocky’s son. Good move little Sly, good move.

Unaccompanied Minors
Directed by: Paul Feig
Starring: Dyllan Christopher, Tyler James Williams
Paul Feig has directed mostly television shows. But they’ve been some damn good television shows—all of them too short-lived (see “Freaks and Geeks,” “Undeclared” and “Arrested Development”). So I will see this Paul Feig motion picture. Even if it does involve a fictional Chicago airport, a band of snowbound kids on Christmas who create a makeshift holiday celebration and Wilmer Valderrama.

Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj
Directed by: Mort Nathan
Starring: Kal Penn, Glen Barry, Lauren Cohan
Speaking of coming of age college movies set in Britain—here comes Van Wilder II: The Rise of Taj. “Who the hell Is Taj?” you may be asking. Friends, I just don’t know. How can you have a Van Wilder movie without Van Wilder? The answer is, you can’t... and most likely don’t. In case you do care, this movie—brought to you by the director of Boat Trip— is about a guy named Taj (Penn, Kumar in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle), who goes to Oxford to mess shit up old school.

Venus
Directed by: Roger Michell
Starring: Peter O’Toole, Leslie Phillips, Vanessa Redgrave
From the same team that created Notting Hill comes a story about a couple of old farts and a kid. Peter O’Toole and Leslie Phillips are well seasoned British actors and here, I’m afraid, we may see one or more of them naked. The two play a pair of veteran actors whose lives become drastically altered when they meet a feisty teenager (Jodi Whitaker). A little ickiness ensues, but not so much that the film still couldn’t be considered “a feel good movie.” MM