The holiday season is almost upon us, and while that means Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas parties and putting on 10 lbs that will become a New Year’s resolution to lose, it also means the annual holiday line-up of movies. This time of year tends to bring a wide variety of flicks for everyone’s taste, including Christmas films, light comedies, action flicks and serious dramas contending for Oscar nominations.
Once again, our movie-lovin’ staff sat down and watched enough movie trailers to make anyone’s eyes go blurry. We did it all for the sake of science (plus it gave us an excuse to make popcorn during office hours).
Sherlock Holmes:Â A Game of Shadows
The game is afoot once more as the sequel to 2009’s blockbuster hits the theaters in December. The producers have kept the plot a closely guarded secret, but expect to see the famous detective and his trusted colleague, Dr. Watson, battle their arch nemesis, Professor Moriarity.
Why We Want to See it: Although it doesn’t give away any story lines, the trailer looks like the movie will retain all the elements from first film; witty comedy, high gloss action and stellar art direction. Robert Downey Jr. has been at the top of his game lately, and this looks like it won’t be a disappointment either. A good cast, skillful direction and a big budget necessary to recreate merry ol’ England should prove to be box office gold. Elementary, eh Watson?
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Based on a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, the movie is about a talented nine-year old boy in New York whose father died during the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th. He discovers a key left by his father and searches the city to find what it unlocks.
Why We Want to See it: The movie trailer has a dramatic, gripping feel to it. It might be one of those rare movies that shed some light on our own humanity too. With its subject matter and distinguished actors (Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow) this film clearly has Oscar nomination written all over it.
The Sitter
Jonah Hill stars as a suspended college student living with his mom. He’s persuaded to babysit the kids next door. Wild adventures, and plenty of comedic moments, soon follow.
Why We Want to See it: Jonah Hill has been on a roll lately and this looks like a movie that could take his career even higher. The trailer promises plenty of fun stuff we love, like danger, sophomoric humor, bratty kids, irresponsible adults and car chases. Sounds like a winner to us.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
The stakes are raised in this fourth Mission Impossible movie when the IMF is shut down after being suspected of helping a terrorist plot. Instead of complying, the team goes undercover to clear their name.
Why We Want to See it: Tom Cruise is back for another sequel, along with a huge budget, fast cars, plot twists, furious action and lots of cool special effects. This is one of the few movies that offer all of those elements this holiday season, which means it should clean up at the box office.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Based on the 1974 novel by John Le Carre, the subject matter was also a BBC miniseries in the late 1970’s. Now, the story of a SIS agent recalled to duty to uncover a Soviet mole is a movie starring some of the best British actors working today.
Why We Want to See it: The trailer looks smart, tense and well acted – just the way we like our spy thrillers. The all star cast, lead by Gary Oldman, looks fantastic. And while this isn’t summer blockbuster movie fare with explosions and car chases, word on the street is that this film gives you something to think about and has a satisfying, well scripted story.
Hugo
An orphaned boy living in a Paris train station sets off on an adventure to unravel a mystery about his father and repair a mechanical being. Based on the children’s novel by Brian Selznick, some are saying the movie sets new standards with its stylized look and 3-D.
Why We Want to See it: This looks like a visually stunning film from renown director, Martin Scorsese. Scorsese rarely makes bad films and the trailer promises a unique fantasy movie that could make it a holiday favorite for years to come on DVD.  James Cameron (Avatar) reportedly said Hugo is a masterpiece and has the best use of 3-D to date. That’s quite an endorsement.
Arthur Christmas
A glitch in the high-tech North Pole operations results in a child not receiving a gift from Santa. So Santa’s misfit son, Arthur, decides to make things right and deliver the present himself utilizing outdated technology – reindeer and a sleigh.
This movie is from Sony Pictures Animation which doesn’t have a track record yet of producing top notch CG animated films (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs anyone?), but this could be their first hit.
Why We Want to See it: Our holiday list wouldn’t be complete without at least one Christmas movie on it, and this one looks like it has potential. The CG animation looks like it will please the kids and the trailer promises enough contemporary humor to please adults.
Note: We do suggest that you leave as soon as the end credits begin, however so you can miss Justin Bieber’s rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. (C’mon Santa, we’ve been good all year. Why penalize us with that?)
The Darkest Hour
American tourists find themselves stranded in Moscow after an alien attack. The aliens destroy the electrical grid and hunt down the few remaining groups of survivors.
Why We Want to See it: The movie trailer looks encouraging and looks like a fairly unique take on alien invasions. The film seems to take alien invasion more seriously than some of its predecessors (Independence Day, War of the Worlds).
In a season dominated by light fare and Academy Award hopefuls, this could be a sleeper hit for those wanting more intensity and suspense.
Our only fear is that there appears to be a lot of CGI in the trailer. More often than not, too much CGI means the movie is compensating for a weak story. We hope not.
Which movies are you going to see this holiday season? And which movies are you waiting to watch later on DVD? Let us know which movie trailers you think are the best on this blog post’s entry on our Facebook page. We want to hear from you!
