Hollywood and the Holiday Movie
By Mary Beth Gentle
Candy canes hanging on the Christmas tree. Sugar cookies baking in the oven. Burl Ives belting out a classic tune on the radio. These are just a few of the holiday traditions that I look forward to every year. But, the one thing that always makes my holiday season complete is sitting down and deciding which of the big studio movies will make it onto my Christmas movie wish list. And this year without a doubt, my top three holiday picks are Walt Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, James Cameron’s Avatar and Universal Pictures It’s Complicated.
The Princess and the Frog is Walt Disney Animation Studios return to 2D Animation. It is the real thing; it is old school hand-drawn animation that we have not seen from Disney for quite some time. Christmas came early for me this year, I was lucky enough to attend an advanced screening and the one thing I can say is that Disney has delivered classic family fun, complete with an unforgettable soundtrack in The Princess and the Frog.
The story is set during the Jazz era in the heart of New Orleans. A young woman named Tiana works three jobs to fulfill a dream born out of the love for her father and the many hours spent cooking in the family kitchen. She plans to save enough money to open her own restaurant to make those dreams come true. When the young and handsome, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia comes to town, he gets into trouble with a shady Voodoo Doctor in the hopes of making money the easy way. But, the Voodoo Doctor sees it as his own chance to make a fortune and turns the Prince into a frog. That is when the classic tale takes a turn for the worse and the fateful kiss from the beautiful girl, Tiana, turns her into a frog instead of turning the young Prince into a human again. The story quickly takes the two young frogs on an unexpected adventure through the bayous of Louisiana and the excitement of the New Orleans Mardi Gras as they learn to dig deep to find the true meaning of life and love.
In the story of Avatar, Oscar-winning director James Cameron takes us to a world beyond the imagination. Set in the future, paraplegic war veteran, Jake Sully is sent to the moon called Pandora where he will become an Avatar. He will regain the use of his legs as he is transformed into one of the indigenous people on the planet. In his new body, he will embark on an epic adventure to save a race of people and a planet from its human invaders. It took James Cameron over five years to bring his vision to the screen and as VFX Editor, Christopher Marino, who has worked on the movie for the past three years says, “Avatar promises to deliver the goods on December 18th!”
It’s Complicated is the third movie on my Holiday movie wish list. It stars Meryl Streep as Jane, the mother of three grown children and the owner of a thriving restaurant. After a decade of divorce, she has formed an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, Jake, played by Alec Baldwin. But, when Jane and Jake find themselves out of town for their son’s college graduation, emotions and old desires get out of control. The complication begins as we learn of Jake’s remarriage to a much younger woman and Jane’s involvement with Adam, an architect played by Steve Martin. Should Jane and Jake move on with their lives or do they give love a second chance? Thus the title, It’s complicated.
The Princess and the Frog leaps to the screen on December 11th, Avatar lands in theatres on December 18th and It’s Complicated hits the screens on Christmas day. Three weeks of what promises to be top-notch entertainment and the perfect gift this Christmas. I hope you all get the opportunity to sneak away from the Office party, skip out on one trip to the mall or maybe turn a family holiday outing into a trip to the Cineplex for at least one movie this busy Holiday season. Happy Holiday’s from the Hollywood Cubicle, to one and all!
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