For some people, Thanksgiving means more than turkey and tryptophan. It means a full multiplex packed with movies that studios were holding on to in hopes of getting some end-of-year awards attention. (This is where the studios start trotting out the big guns.) But the Thanksgiving holiday also means you have to make time for friends and relatives. It is possible to kill two birds with one stone. Here, we present movies for every social call you have to make over the Thanksgiving holiday. If you’re looking to head to the theater with…
…Your Video-Game-Obsessed Nieces and Nephews
With nary a princess in sight, it’s hard to believe this is a Disney movie. The animated film follows Ralph, a Donkey Kong-esque video-game baddie who, sick of being the villain, leaves his console in search of heroic adventures in other games. Everyone from Space Invaders fans to Halo addicts should be able to get some of the gaming in-jokes.
…Your Cousins from Mount Vernon
Robert Zemeckis’s film stars Mount Vernon native Denzel Washington as an airline pilot and addict whose life is put under a microscope when he saves an airplane full of passengers with nimble mid-crash maneuvering. (Think Sully Sullenberger on drugs.) It’s not the most fun premise, but we love seeing hometown talent get meaty acting roles.
…Your Favorite Die-Hard Fanboys and Fangirls
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Skyfall ©2011 Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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James Bond’s newest outing made more than $87 million at the box office this past weekend, so chances are you’ve seen it already. Round up the nearest die-hards for a repeat viewing. |
…Your College Student Procrastinating that Big Russian Lit Term Paper
This is Tolstoy as interpreted by master adapter Joe Wright, who previously tackled literary superstars Pride and Prejudice and Atonement. (All three movies star Kiera Knightley.) This time, he imagines the tome unfolding on stage, making it equal parts movie and work of theater.
…Your Friends Most Affected by Holiday Stress
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If your friends are complaining that they’re going nuts, they might want to check out a movie about a couple of people who are really crazy. Based on the book by Matthew Quick, the movie is about a man just out of a mental institution (Bradley Cooper) who strikes up a friendship with a young grieving widow (current It girl Jennifer Lawrence). The film was directed by David O. Russell, a graduate of Mamaroneck High School |
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…Your History-Channel-Addicted Dad
Titans of the movie industry—Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis—have teamed up to tell the story of our 16th president, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment. If this isn’t dad-bait, I don’t know what is.
…Your Book Group
If you’ve read the novel, you’d swear that Life of Pi—about a shipwreck victim stuck in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger—is utterly un-filmable. Leave it to Larchmont resident Ang Lee to try. Call a special meeting of the book group to discuss the book/movie differences. (Hopefully, you already did the same for Cloud Atlas.)
…The Biggest Cinephiles You Know
Those people who can argue the relative merits of Vertigo and The Birds all day? Take them to see this film, which gives a behind-the-scenes account of Hitchcock’s making of Psycho. Anthony Hopkins takes on the role of the Master of Suspense.
…Those People Who Still Haven’t Returned Your Sopranos DVDs
If you can’t get enough of those gritty gangsters, check out this Andrew Dominik-directed mob tale. Brad Pitt scruffs himself up to play the part of a mafia-hired killer going after some stolen money. And, yes, James Gandolfini is in it, too, if you’re looking for a Tony Soprano fix.
What movies are you most excited to see over the Thanksgiving break? Let me know in the comments.
