The holiday season is the largest box office season after the summer. With students out of school, families are together and looking to fill the time between the excitement of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and gift giving. As a result, there are quite a few interesting offerings coming to theatres.
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," released Nov. 22, the weekend before Thanksgiving, starts up as Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are dealing with the results of the 74th Annual Hunger Games. When Katniss becomes too much of a symbol for the revolutions in the district, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) forces the pair back into the Hunger Games against previous winners.
With an additional $50 million in its budget, the sequel looks to improve upon the mythology of the series in a spectacularly visual and emotional way.
"Catching Fire" is rated PG-13 for language, suggestive content and violence.
Also opening Nov. 22 is "Philomena." Starring Judi Dench in the title role and Steve Coogan as journalist Martin Sixsmith, it is based on the 2009 book by Sixsmith, a BBC correspondent who helps Philomena find the son she was forced to give up.
This one is clearly aiming for some award love, and Dench and Coogan look fantastic in this story for truth and discovery. The movie is rated R for some language, for now.
The Weinstein Company released a Funny or Die video featuring Dench in her "M" role from the Bond films, sending Coogan’s 002 on a mission to talk the MPAA into a lighter rating.
"Frozen" is Disney’s latest Princess film, to be released on Nov. 27.
After Elsa (Idina Menzel), the Snow Queen, sends the kingdom into a perpetual winter, Anna (Kristen Bell) must reach her sister and convince her to thaw out the kingdom.
Rated PG for some rude humor and action, "Frozen" is being touted as a return to the Disney Golden Age of Animation.
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is the second entry in Peter Jackson’s "Hobbit" trilogy, to be released on Dec. 13. After the events of the first film, Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the crew of dwarves are nearly to the kingdom of Erebor, and the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). Along the way they encounter the elves of Mirkwood, including the Elvenking Thranduril (Lee Pace) and his son Legolas (Orlando Bloom) on their way to reclaim the Mountain.
This second film will continue to establish the connection between "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" trilogies, and this looks to be another visual spectacle from Jackson.
"The Desolation of Smaug" is currently unrated, but one can expect a PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy violence and some frightening images, as was "An Unexpected Journey."
The next movie that critics are looking toward on the horizon is Dec. 20th’s "Saving Mr. Banks."
Starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers, the movie tells the story of how Mary Poppins came to be a story, and her basis in the reality of Travers life.
Hanks can be looking toward a second Oscar nod of this season, in what is sure to be a fun and touching tribute to the story of Mary Poppins and the man who made the magic happen.
"Saving Mr. Banks" is rated PG-13 for some unsettling imagery.
Last year had "Life of Pi" as the visual spectacle of the year. This year that honor may lie with "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," based on the 1939 short story by James Thurber.
Walter Mitty lives his life in epic day dreams, but his life becomes one as he searches for a picture needed for the last issue of "Time."
Starring and directed by Ben Stiller, this film has a fantastical look to it that may be one of the few films to translate well to the 3D format.
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is rated PG for language and some fantasy violence.
The holiday season has a mix of blockbuster and smaller films heading to the big screen. Whether all of these live up to the hype is still to be seen, but they make for fair entertainment when the cold weather and full houses hit.
