With plenty of downtime over Thanksgiving break next week, what better way to spend it than in a theater with your entire family? The break looks promising, with a number of films set for both wide and limited release, running the gamut of genres.
*“Frozen” *(Nov. 27, wide release) — Yeah, this is a college publication, and “Frozen” is an animated Disney movie, but we all need to get in touch with our inner child once in a while. Princess Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) must venture into the mountains to find her ice-conjuring, self-exiled sister who unleashed eternal winter on the land of Arendelle. From the trailer, there will be at least one high-soaring sing-along song involving our main characters, so this might be right up the alley of those who have re-embraced their love of belting out “Mulan’s” “I’ll Make A Man out of You.”
“Oldboy” (Nov. 27, wide release) — Spike Lee’s remake of the 2003 South Korean cult classic. Husband and father Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin) is kidnapped and held captive in solitary confinement by an unknown assailant for more than 20 years. He learns, via the television in his room, that his wife has been murdered, and he is the prime suspect. Then, inexplicably, he is released — with revenge the only thing on his mind. The film looks like a thoroughly depraved conspiracy thriller. How will it compare to the original?
“The Armstrong Lie” (Nov. 27, The Loft Cinema) — Everyone’s favorite squeaky-clean cyclist finds himself on the silver screen. Director Alex Gibney initially set out to make a documentary on Armstrong’s comeback in 2009 after a four-year hiatus from the sport. However, as the US Anti-Doping Agency found Armstrong guilty of doping, Gibney wanted answers from the man himself. Based on the trailer, Armstrong himself will open up to the camera and give honest insights. Well, maybe as honest as he can manage.
“As I Lay Dying” (Nov. 27, The Loft Cinema) — James Franco continues on his quest to prove that he can do anything and everything, like getting then-Disney good girls Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens into neon bikinis (“Spring break, bitches”). I greatly admire his willingness to throw himself at any kind of project. This time around, he directs and stars in an adaptation of William Faulkner’s classic novel on the death of Addie Bundren and her family’s journey to fulfill her wish to be buried in the fictional town Jefferson.
