By Juddson Ivines

HOLIDAY MOVIE REVIEWS

Ever watch the Annual Academy Awards and wonder why all of the end-of-the-year movies seem to be getting all the Oscar nominations? Perhaps it’s because Hollywood’s movie-makers save their best films for last.

During a stressful time like the holidays, theaters everywhere tend to swell with people seeking a temporary reprieve from all the shopping and running about. This makes the holiday film lineup filled with some of the most anticipated films of the year—second only to the blockbuster hits that explode onto the screen every summer.

Below are some of this year’s holiday movies that may peak your interest, and that may well be in line for an Oscar in 2010.

2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the few remaining survivors. This movie is an action adventure that keeps its audience on the edges of their seats throughout the entirety of the film (or at least after the first ten minutes of character introduction).

For movie goers in the mood to see big explosions, harrowing escapes and the cataclysmic end of the world, this movie is a must see. However, among the few things holding the movie back are the superficial characters and the sheer, exhausting length of the film. Two hours of explosions and close scrapes can be a lot of fun, but when it starts to approach three hours it can quickly become tedious.

2012 merits a seven out of ten because it does what it was meant to do, thrill the audience. The movie may see Oscar nominations for its musical score and special effects, both of which really drive the movie.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol is an animated retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions. The computer imagery and special effects for this film are rather beautiful, though none of it is anything we haven’t already seen before.

The voice acting is superb, bringing each character to life. Jim Carrey’s previous roles as rotten, villainous scoundrels (such as the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) seemed to have prepared him for the role of the horrendous Ebenezer Scrooge.

The movie is surprisingly ominous with the appearance of Jacob Marley and the disappearance of the Ghost of Christmas Present being rather morbid and terrifying affairs. Along with the Ghost of Christmas Future, such scenes are meant to terrify Ebenezer and in doing so, are quite terrifying to the audience as well.

All in all, A Christmas Carol is both humorous and hair-raising. It deserves a five out of ten. It is quite faithful to the classic story and is quite enjoyable, but is wholly unoriginal. It will likely get a nod for its quality animation during the next Annual Academy Awards.

Avatar is a film about a paraplegic marine dispatched to the planet Pandora on a unique mission on which he becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels has become his new home. The movie is well rounded with good acting, good sounds, and good writing.

What really makes Avatar stand out, however, is computer generated imagery. Not since the first Jurassic Park movie have I seen such an acute attention towards detail and realism. The wild life, the jungle, the animals, the Na’vi and the dragon-like flying creatures are all so life-like, they almost pop-off the screen (and at the 3D showings, they literally do just that)!

Avatar will see at least as much success as James Cameron’s Aliens, Terminator 2, The Abyss and Titanic. Undoubtedly, this film will net Mr. Cameron many more movie fans.

As far as original works go, this movie ranks a nine out of ten. It has almost no real flaws to speak of and it is certain to win an Oscar for incredible cinematography and visual effects.

The Blind Side is somewhat of a tear jerker as well as a heartfelt family film. It is a true story about a young African-American, Oher, and his encounter with a loving family that took him in and supported him through his many hardships.

Though it looks like another football movie at first glance, this is a family drama which proves that there are still good people in this world. Without being too sappy and over-emotional, The Blind Side is a great film to remind people that good deeds are worth doing.

This film ranks an eight out of ten. Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron offer up star performances, though I suspect they fall just short of being Oscar worthy.

Brothers is yet another unremarkable remake, this time of the Denmark feature film Brødre. In the film, two brothers must negotiate changing roles and shifting family dynamics when one is sent to war in Afghanistan and the other is left to take care of his soldier brother’s family.

The movie is both a psychological thriller and a war drama which is only made unusual for its solemnity and slow pace. This film is far more appropriate to students of psychology and fans of the American military then it is for action fans or young lovers on a date looking for a chick flick.

Brothers is also filled with such disappointing clichés as the overbearing father figure whose fondness for one son is eclipsed only by his disappointment and disgust in the other. I found myself constantly waiting for the father figure in the film to tell his son that, “it should have been you.”

Despite all this, the characters are believable and heartfelt enough to allow for a pleasurably immersive experience. Furthermore, the film occasionally moves away from the clichés long enough to give you a surprising piece of dialogue.

Overall, I give the film a seven out of ten—it was good, but not great. Many of the actors may be nominated to win Oscars for their outstanding performances.

If The Blind Side was a heartfelt film, then Precious is a dark, depressing, soul crusher of a movie. It follows the plights of a young African-American girl who must deal with constant physical and emotional abuse from her mother, sexual abuse at the hands of her father and must find a way to raise her two children while trying to get an education.

The movie starts on a down note and then goes downhill from there. Though I applaud the director and actress for a job well done, the movie itself is an extremely dull and saddening affair. It would have qualified as a tearjerker if many of the scenes weren’t so horrifying to the average viewer.

I give it a two out of ten. It’s impossible to get any real enjoyment out of this movie without being a depraved individual who fancies watching the misery of others. Nevertheless, this film may win an Oscar for its writing.

The newest film from Disney, The Princess and the Frog is a fairy tale set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans that is centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana and her fateful kiss with a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.

The film provides its young audience with important lessons about working hard to obtain your dreams while not ignoring the harsh realities of real life, something not often seen in many family films these days. Such a lesson in life would have been refreshing if it wasn’t the only thing the movie had going for it.

As usual, Disney took an old fairy-tale and added their own twist to it. Though the story is very entertaining, its characters are nevertheless unbelievably shallow and stereotypical, including such archaic concepts as the rich father that dotes on a spoiled daughter, the poor Cinderella-styled girl who never stops dreaming despite her hardships, and a host of manipulative villains.

Fans of previous Disney films will probably enjoy this movie. However, movie-goers looking for something new will likely be disappointed. I give this film a six out of ten. The standard Disney twist keeps the story entertaining, though it’s hard to get past the shallow characters and the obvious, over-used stereotypes.

It may get Oscar nominations for animated feature film and musical song, though due to some stiff competition, such as Pixar’s Up, I don’t expect it to win one.