Movies: November Edition!

127 Hours (11/5)
The Plot: A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive. Based on the true story of Aron Ralston.
The Players: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn; directed by Danny Boyle.
The Prospective: It was an awe inspiring story when it happened, now it's brought to our eyes by the amazing Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) and the talent of James Franco (Milk, Spiderman).  Count me in.

Due Date (11/5)
The Plot: High-strung daddy-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time...sit back and watch the humorous chaos.
The Players: Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifiniakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis, danny McBride; directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover).
The Prospective: I <3 RDJ and Galifianakis, plus it's the director of The Hangover...this movie will just be cake for me.

Megamind (11/5)
The Plot: The supervillain Megamind finally conquers his nemesis, the hero Metro Man.  When he finds his life pointless without a hero to fight he creates a new hero to fight...but things don't turn out as planned.
The Players:Will Ferrell,Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt,Tina Fey, David Cross; directed by Tom McGrath.

The Prospective: Could be funny, could be a flop...let's watch.  I will say, based on the trailer, Brad Pitt does not have what I would peg as a "super hero" voice, which goes to show what happens when you trade in quality for a name.

Morning Glory (11/12)
The Plot: A hotshot television producer is set the challenge of reviving a struggling morning show program, despite the constant feuding of its high-profile anchors.
The Players: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum,; directed by Roger Michell (Enduring Love)
The Prospective: Written by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada), produced by Bad Robot (aka JJ Abrams), plus Ford in an uncharacteristic role and the lovely and talented McAdams, I'm a bit excited for this dramedy.

Unstoppable (11/12)
The Plot: A rail company frantically works to prevent an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train carrying combustible liquids and poisonous gas from wiping out a city.
The Players: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee; directed by Tony Scott (Domino)
The Prospective: While this is also the director and main actor duo behind last year's flop The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, this looks like a decent, albeit basic, plot but with the potential for lots of good suspense and action. Also it will be good to see Chris Pine in something new and I do like Rosario.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (11/19)
This puppy gets special treatment! We all know who's in it, who's directing and what all goes down... and we all can't wait to see it! :D Squeeee!

Burlesque (11/24)
The Plot: A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.
The Players: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci, Alan Cumming, Eric Dane, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Peter Gallagher; written and directed by Steven Antin
The Prospective: I dare you not to chuckle at that trailer! It's a story that's been done before, this just has different players - even a couple of good ones! Also, the theater-geek in me does like her some musicals from time to time. In the end, I'll Netflix it; my money is too precious for this.

Love and Other Drugs (11/24)
The Plot: Maggie is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie, whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love. Based on Jamie Reidy's memoir Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.
The Players: Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, Judy Greer (Archer, 27 Dresses), Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt; directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, Defiance).
The Prospective: Zwick is a great director and I love the premise of the story.  Plus, you all know I have a mad girl-crush on Hathaway.  Add Gyllenhaal, Greer, et al and I'm SOOO seeing this movie!

The King's Speech (11/26) [limited]

The Plot: Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

The Players: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter. Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, ; directed by Tom Hooper.

The Prospective: British historic drama with great British actors; this ought to tickle my Anglophilic fancy.

Tangled (11/26)
The Plot: Disney's version of Rapunzel
The Players: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi (Chuck), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Donna Murphy (The Fountain), Jeffry Tambor (Arrested Development); directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard.
The Prospective: Interesting that the trailer is very centered on the dude and not the lady.  However, I dig the cute, vindictive chameleon side kick.

Other Notes

Thanks to my awesome friend Steve, I was able to see Soloman Kane; a fantasy/action film based on the Robert E. Howard character starring James Purefoy that, sadly, was not released in the US.  It freakin rocked! If you can find it out there in the webverse, I highly suggest viewing it.

The Next Three Days (11/19) - Starring Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson and Elizabeth Banks, and directed by Paul Haggis (Crash) this is a drama about a married couple and the drama that ensues when she is accused of murder. Three years into her sentence, Lara's husband John is struggling to keep their family together and, realizing his wife's deteriorating condition, he decides to break her out of prison. I should want to see this... but I don't.  What's happening to me? Maybe it's that the plot doesn't speak to me, maybe it's Elizabeth Banks (more on this issue later), I don't know, but I'm just not feeling it right now.