Thanksgiving is upon us once again, and with it two age-old traditions take precedence: spending time with the family, and finding ways to not spend time with the family.
When the football’s over and the turkey rounds its last hairpin turn through your intestines, the magic of cinema can always unite families by distracting them from each other. This Thanksgiving weekend there’s a little something for everyone, so grab your family, grab your snuggie and get ready to ring in the holiday like the pilgrims did: in the comfort of someone else’s home.
Movies to make her happy:
The Blind Side (PG-13)
Sandra Bullock, in what is being hailed by some as one of her most multi-dimensional performances, plays the well-to-do adoptive mother of teenage footballer Michael Oher, a ghetto-born child of a broken home. This hammy sports biopic is perfect for game-day fans and their adoring mums alike.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13)
The literary love affair of Bella Swan and her immortal inamorato Edward continues with the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s “”Twilight”” saga. There will be vampires. There will be werewolves. There will be simulated teenage mackin’. What more do you need?
At the cheap seats
(Crossroads, 4811 E. Grant Rd.):
Julie and Julia (PG-13)
Movies to make him happy:
Ninja Assassin (R)
A grudge-bearing ninja wreaks vengeance upon his duplicitous comrades by the most fun means possible: killing them all (in stunning CG!). Produced by the Wachowskis, this ultra-violent kung-fu narrative is choice viewing for your hyperactive brothers as they come down from that pumpkin-pie high.
A Serious Man (R)
Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) tries to be a serious man, but life has a way of complicating things. A series of familial mishaps, workplace woes and chaotic coincidences leave Larry questioning his faith, both in Judaism and the ordered world he presents in his quantum physics lectures. The newest from the ever-unpredictable Joel and Ethan Coen, this “”Man”” is a tragicomic tribute to their own father; see it with yours.
At the cheap seats: Inglourious Basterds (R)
Movies to make the youngsters happy:
Planet 51 (PG)
An American astronaut lands on the mysterious Planet 51, thinking he’s the first life form to touch down upon it. Instead, he discovers a civilization of little green men and women that looks suspiciously like 1950s America. Dwayne “”The Rock”” Johnson, Jessica Biel, Gary Oldman and John Cleese are among the arsenal of voice actors in this animated sci-fi celebrity vehicle.
A Christmas Carol (PG)
Nothing says “”Thanksgiving”” like “”Christmas””! Jim Carrey, the Ghost of Christmas Humor, is at it again as a curmudgeonly old misanthrope who learns to tolerate his fellow man in time for Jesus’ birthday. It’s not “”The Grinch,”” but it’s close! “”Polar Express”” director Robert Zemeckis spearheads this vivid Dickensian animation.
At the cheap seats: Shorts (PG)
Movies to make everyone happy:
Pirate Radio (R)
A teenage boy comes into his own amidst a ragtag group of rock DJs trolling the high seas outside 1966 rock-free Britain. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy are among the bombastic rock personas populating “”Love Actually”” director Richard Curtis’ unchallenging ensemble comedy of rock and romance.
2012 (PG-13)
The apocalypse isn’t too far off, you know; better be prepared. John Cusack and Amanda Peet show us how to survive a world-collapsing-in-on-itself scenario in this long-winded, doomsayer’s disaster delight.
At the cheap seats: The Invention of Lying (PG-13)
