Starring Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker and Denzel Whitaker (no relation to either), The Great Debaters serves as a pleasant reminder that even in the land of formulaic, mainstream Hollywood, studio films occasionally get served up without the usual dollops of melodrama and cliche.

This is especially unusual in the triumph-over-adversity genre — and even more unusual when the setting is 1930s Texas, the predominant tone is sepia and the producer is Oprah Winfrey.

And yet, perhaps because of the sheer talent involved, this effort comes across as smart and genuine.

Washington, who makes his directorial debut here, stars as Melvin B. Tolson, a real-life poet and professor who became a renowned civil rights leader and led the debate team of Wiley College, an all-black school in the South. The members consisted of Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett), James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker) and Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams).

After beating the teams at all the other black colleges, they were invited to compete against a white team at the University of South Carolina — in the film it’s changed to Harvard — with this match providing the ultimate battle of wit and rhetoric.

In the opening sequence, we see James’s father, the minister James Farmer Sr. (Whitaker senior) telling his congregation that they must do what they have to do, in order to do what they want to do. It’s a running theme, with the characters having to make crucial decisions every step of the way about whether they should react to something or let it slide, whether they should fight with their fists or with their words, and often it’s an unfortunate catch-22.

As well, as the first woman ever chosen for Wiley’s debate team, Samantha in particular must confront almost twice the prejudice, while also dealing with the romantic advances, then betrayals, of Henry. Then James, too, finds himself enamoured with her, which complicates things further, though not as far as Tolson’s secret involvement with the Southern Tenant Farmers Union.

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The Savages deals with the death with a parent without being “maudlin” and overly sentimental. This movie hits all of the right notes.

Though it’s not possible to make a feel-good movie about death — at least one that’s in good taste — The Savages comes awfully close to that paradoxical equation thanks to director-writer Tamara Jenkins’s uncanny talent for finding just the right antidote to maudlin sentimentality.

It’s called divine comedy, and though it was originally conceived by 14th century Italian poet Dante as a means of exploring the human condition in a populist way, Jenkins finds success through similar channels as she chronicles the angst, depression and fear surrounding the mental and physical disintegration of an aging parent.

Without pandering to cheap yuks or preying upon easily understood and sappy universal truths about love and meaning, Jenkins pushes us into the chapter of life we’ve all learned to dread since childhood: Watching our parents die.

When we meet Wendy (Laura Linney) and Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman), they’re happily lost in their own personal dramas. For Wendy, elusive happiness lies in the idea of writing plays with the support of the Guggenheim Foundation and leaving her job as an office temp behind.

For Jon, survival and sanity take precedence over happiness, because the 40-something college professor just waved goodbye to his girlfriend for no good reason at all — except a profound fear of commitment.

Though knee-deep in their own sagas, the two siblings find themselves in a whole new hot tub when they get news of their father’s medical condition. A recent widower who just lost his meal ticket, Lenny Savage (Philip Bosco) is now a man in need of a home and full-time care.

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Although the theme of a dead husband, who reaches out to his wife from beyond grave to inspire his wife may not sound like a Christmas movie. P.S. I Love You is after all about giving.

The perfect movie for Christmas is the surprisingly progressive P.S. I Love You. Despite drawbacks and more clichés than an office Christmas party, this romance starring Hilary Swank works on every level—and it hits home for the holidays.

The movie will not immediately ring jingle bells with a theme about a dead husband (Gerard Butler) who reaches from beyond the grave to inspire his widow (Swank). Starting with a pat lovers’ spat, P.S. I Love You is ultimately rooted in reality, peeling back the layers of one couple’s lives.

The novel-based story begins just before his life expires, and, when opening credits roll, it’s a slide show of love story snapshots. The remainder of the journey—using the deceased’s letters, mysteriously delivered to his wife in scheduled intervals after he died—fills the gaps. The movie improves as it goes.

That it flirts with formula does not hinder its ability to evince tears and laughter. Melodramatic, realistic and romantic, P.S. I Love You appropriately saves the best for last. ‘Tis the season and those who welcome happy endings will not be disappointed, though this one is achieved through small, tentative steps, like life’s most difficult lessons, some of which are often deeply felt in the last days of a given year.

Living in what must be New York’s ugliest apartment building on a corner of Orchard Street, job-hopping Holly (Swank) and her Irish-born spouse Gerry (Butler) are both typical independent, urban Americans; they work hard, wonder whether to have kids, and they have a lot of growing up to do. Their social lives involve hanging out in bars and director Richard LaGravenese taps today’s adult city lifestyle.

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Hey, Hellboy fans! We have the teaser trailer for Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

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We have some news about who is in and who is out in the upcoming Casion Royale sequel.

With Bond 22 gearing up for production next month, two actors have gone on the record about their participation — or lack thereof — in the sequel to last year’s 007 franchise reboot, Casino Royale.

Actor Joaquin Cosío informed the Mexican newspaper El Diario that he will play one of the villains in the Marc Forster-directed film. Cosio revealed, “There are various enemies, and I’m one of them. I’m General Medrano, Bond’s enemy in Latin America, but there are other enemies waiting in Europe for Bond.”

Cosio didn’t know when his scenes would be shot, but he revealed that he is expected to film in London, Panama and Bolivia. CommanderBond.net reports that Anatole Taubman, who was also recently cast as a secondary villain in Bond 22, will also be among the cast members filming in Bolivia.

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On December 16, AFI announced their pick of the the top ten movies and television programs for 2007. The list of honorees are:

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR–OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

• BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD
• THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
• INTO THE WILD
• JUNO
• KNOCKED UP
• MICHAEL CLAYTON
• NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
• RATATOUILLE
• THE SAVAGES
• THERE WILL BE BLOOD

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR–OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

• DEXTER
• EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS
• FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
• LONGFORD
• MAD MEN
• PUSHING DAISIES
• THE SOPRANOS
• TELL ME YOU LOVE ME
• 30 ROCK
• UGLY BETTY

American Film Institute

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Release date: Friday December 14, 2007
Release date: December 5, 2007 (NY, LA)
Genre: Drama
Running time: 92 min.
Director: Jason Reitman
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Producer(s): John Malkovich, Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick, Russell Smith
Screenplay: Diablo Cody
Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Rainn Wilson, Cameron Bright
Official site: foxsearchlight.com
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language

Synopsis:
“Juno” stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Cera). With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (Simmons and Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.

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The folks over at IGN visited the set of National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets back in June and they are just able to share some their experiences.

On a colder-than-usual evening back in June of this year, IGN was one of a few select outlets invited to the backlot at Universal Studios, Hollywood, to observe the filming of the upcoming action sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Now, with the film’s Dec. 21st release date fast approaching, we’re finally able to share some of the sights and interviews from that visit.

Director Jon Turteltaub returns to the helm of this follow-up, inspired by the historical factoid that 18 pages mysteriously went missing from the diary of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. Like the first film, Book of Secrets blends real history with conspiracy theories and outright fiction, presenting a series of clues that lead Nicolas Cage’s Ben Gates on a treasure hunt tied to the secrets of his ancestors.

This time, Ben’s not just on a quest for treasure, he’s also out to clear his family name when one of the missing pages turns up and implicates his great-grandfather in a conspiracy to kill Lincoln. The trail leads Ben and his team to the titular Book of Secrets, supposedly handed down from one president to the next. Said to contain the truth about every secret in the nation’s history — from Area 51 to the Kennedy assassination — the legendary book may also hold the key to finding the greatest treasure of all time.

Also reprising their roles from the original are Justin Bartha as Ben’s tech-savvy sidekick Riley; Diane Kruger as history expert Abigail Chase; and Jon Voight as Ben’s father, Patrick. And lending some additional star power to the cast this time around is Helen Mirren, fresh from her Oscar win for best actress in The Queen, playing Ben’s mom, and Ed Harris as Ben’s latest adversary.

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20th Century Fox has released an update for the eagerly anticipated prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The prequel is set to open in theaters May 1, 2009.

Hold on to your hats, mutant lovers! 20th Century Fox has released the following statement to update movie fans on “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” the highly anticipated X-prequel set to star Marvel’s lovable Canucklehead:

“‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ is set to star [Hugh] Jackman and will be directed by Gavin Hood (‘Tsotsi,’ ‘Rendition’). The producers are Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter (who produced all three previous ‘X-Men’ films), along with Jackman and his Seed Prods. producing partner, John Palermo. The film will be executive produced by Marvel Films’ Kevin Feige.

“Leading up to the events of ‘X-Men,’ ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’—written by David Benioff (‘The Kite Runner,’ ‘Troy’)—tells the story of Wolverine’s epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.”

We can’t wait! “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is set for a May 1, 2009 release. Filming is scheduled to begin early next year in Australia and New Zealand. Check back here on Marvel.com for more updates on the film!

Marvel.com

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Check out the latest Wall E trailer

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