MOVIES RELEASED AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2001

6 DECEMBER

American Pie 2 (MA): National. UIP. Comedy. Jason Biggs, Eddie Kay Thomas, Bill Paxton, Tara Reid, Shannon Elizabeth. All the gang is re-united a year later during the summer vacation after their first year of college. More of the same sexual hi-jinks no doubt, this time the emergency ward looks like it will be needed- damn superglue looks too much like lube.  Despite all his stupidity, Biggs gets sex tips at a band camp and meets up with two willing lesbians. 

Divided We Fall (MA): Selected- Sydney. Melb 3 Jan. Gil Scrine. 117 m. Subtitled. Bolek Polivka, Csongor Kassai, Jaroslav Dusek, Anna Siskova. Nazi concentration camp flick- you know lighthearted fun for the whole family. 

Kingdom Come (M): Selected: Syd. Fox. Comedy. LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett, Vivia A Fox, Loretta Divine, Toni Braxton. This family has issues! When mean and surly Bud Slocumb keels over at breakfast, his family gathers for the wake and funeral, with lots of disaster to follow. 

Original Sin (M): National. Fox. Romantic thriller. 96 m. Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Thomas Jane, Pedro Armendariz, Allison Machie, Jack Thompson. A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.  Que lots of melodrama, a bit of nudity and hopefully not too many sleeping audience members.  Period flick. 

13 DECEMBER

Thir13een Ghosts (M): National. Columbia. Horror.  Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elizabeth, Matthew Lillard, Embeth Davidtz, Rah Digga,  JR Bourne, Alec Roberts, F. Murray Abraham. When Dr. Zorba dies, he leaves his house to his broke nephew, who moves in with his daughter. With the house come two unexpected pluses (or minuses): the house has 13 ghosts which can only be seen with a special pair of glasses, and there's a fortune hidden somewhere in the house...and someone wants it. 

Evil Woman (M): National. Roadshow. Comedy. 91 mins. Jason Biggs, Jack Black, Steve Zahn, Amanda Peet, Neil Diamond. D: Dennis Dugan. A guy gets married and the whip comes out. His buddies then embark on a mission to rescue their friend. Re-named (Saving Silverman) and much delayed, two signs that when put together mean... RUN !! Its already out on American DVD, and a change of title can't escape todays internet savvy movie-goers, so you know to watch out for this one. 

Soul Survivors (M): Sydney only. Fox.  Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Eliza Dushku, Melissa Sagemiller. "The World of the Dead and the World of the Living... are About to Collide."- its about someone who is caught between the world of the living and the dead- described as Jacob's Ladder lite.  

20 DECEMBER

The Closet (MA): Selected. Sharmil Films. Comedy. 84 m. Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Dépardieu, Michele Laroque, Thierry L’Hermitte. D: Francis Veber. Subtitled. France. Fançois Pignon (Daniel Auteuil) leads an uncomplicated, unremarkable life of quiet monotony; his only problem - he is exceedingly boring. So boring in fact, that his beloved wife has left him and his apathetic 17-year-old son constantly avoids him. his only salvation is his accounting job at a condom factory.

Long Nights Journey Into Day (M): Selected- Sydney, Melbourne. Ronin Films. Documentary.  94 mins.  Mary Burton (III), Jann Turner, Desmond Tutu, Tony Weaver, Glenda Wildschut. The subject of this documentary (the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission), so wait for its inevitable SBS screening shortly after unless you are especially interested in the subject matter. 

Monsoon Wedding (M): Selected. Drama. Indian. New Vision. 113 mins. Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shetty. D: Mira Nair. The film is crowded with characters, the members of a family gathering together for the marriage of a young woman in New Delhi: we trace their stories, retrieve facts and feelings about their lives, get to know them, even when drama is behind the corner and the past seems to mix with the present. 

Vanilla Sky (M): National. UIP. Romance / Thriller. Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, Kurt Russell Directed by Cameron Crowe. A womanising guy gets his deserts when an ex-lover drive them both into a tree leaving him disfigured. Remake of a European flick, Cruise's real chance at being more than an action star. Getting rave notices from preview screenings.  

26 DECEMBER

Amelie (M): Selected. Opens wider Jan 24. Dendy. Comedy. Advance screenings from early Dec. 120 mins. Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz. French- subtitled. B&W with colour. Amelie, an innocent and naive girl in Paris, with her own sense of justice, decides to help those around her and along the way, discovers love. 

Fellowship of the Ring: Lord of The Rings (M): National. Roadshow. Fantasy. Cast: Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee), Sean Bean (Boromir), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Billy Boyd (Pippin), Martin Csokas (Celeborn), Brad Dourif (Grima Wormtongue), Bernard Hill (Theoden), Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Sala Baker (Sauron), Dominic Monaghan (Merry), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), John Noble (Denethor), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), Andy Serkis (the voice of Gollum), Liv Tyler (Arwen), Karl Urban (Eomer), Hugo Weaving (Elrond).  An epic tale unfolds when its learned that the weapon of the Dark Lord Sauron, long thought lost forever is discovered in Hobbiton  - The One Ring. Under the guidance of the wise old wizard Gandalf, a fellowship of 9 embark on an impossible mission deep into enemy territory to unmake that which could destroy them all. All the while pursued by Sauron and Saruman's forces. Runs at 180 mins.

Golden Bowl (M): Selected. Palace. 134 m. UK/ USA.  Uma Thurman, Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Northam, Nick Nolte, Anjelica Huston, James Fox. D: James Ivory. Romantic period drama set between 1903 and 1909 in Italy and New York. Starring Uma Thurman, Jeremy Northam, Kate Beckinsale and Nick Nolte. Based on the novel by Henry James, it is the story of two marriages entangled in a complex, almost incestuous relationship

The Man Who Wasn't There (MA): Selected. Buena Vista. Comedy / Crime. 116 m. Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badaluco, James Gandolfini, Ted Raimi, Tony Shaloub. Another Coen brothers film, this time in black and white, certain to have that certain quirky feel and wackiness to it.  Should be worth a look-see.   

Monsters Inc (G): National. Buena Vista Int. Animation. 92m. Billy Crystal, John Goodman, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly. D: Peter Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich. They are monsters. And they are inc. The latest film from powerhouse Pixar animation sees monsters harvest scares from human children to power their world.