Your family coaxes you into the living room to finally start opening the presents.

I'll be right there! you yell one last time, as you prepare hot chocolate for everyone.

As you sit down in front of the tree, hands warmed by a mug of cocoa, your brother gets first blood.

I got a PLAYSTATION 3?! AWESOME! he screams at the top of his lungs.

Your parents are beaming, but your sister rolls her eyes.

She opens a box from a friend and pulls out a shirt you wouldn't even know how to fit into. This doesn't seem to deter her, however.

Imagine all the outfits I could wear with this! she says to Mom.

It's your turn now. You pick out a smaller box with a neat bow-tie on top. You carefully rip off the wrapping paper and lift the lid. What your hands emerge with is your escape. You've already been with your family for fifteen minutes.


I'm going to the movies! you announce after stuffing the $100 Regal Cinemas gift card into your pocket.



The movie theater beckons you...your destiny awaits!

But what movie should you see? There are a lot that you could see. What follows is a guide of the big (and not so big) movies out this holiday season, complete with TomatoMeters (from rottentomatoes.com), summaries (from www.imdb.com), review snippets from the top film critics, trailers, and commentary from yours truly. Enjoy!


TomatoMeter: 20% (rotten)

Summary: A remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth.



Review Snippets: The stone-faced silliness in this new TDTESS at first seems like an homage to old-fashioned '50s watch-the-skies movies, until it becomes clear it's just newfangled bad filmmaking.
-- Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

One can only hope that in the future [Reeves] will devote himself to playing androids, less-self-aware species of undead, stylish pieces of contemporary furniture, and other roles that do not require the exhibition of any recognizably human traits.
-- Christopher Orr, New Republic



Commentary: I haven't seen the film, but reports from my film-going friends and critics aren't good. In light of their comments, the trailer seems much more melodramatic and cliche. Haven't we seen enough alien invasion in the past three years of cinema? If you do have the itch to see another, I recommend watching War of the Worlds again. It features solid character development and slick special effects.


TomatoMeter: 14% (rotten)

Summary: Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the evil forces in Central City.



Review Snippets: At which exact point The Spirit hits rock bottom is a matter of debate. -- Jason Anderson, Toronto Star

There is not a trace of human emotion in it. To call the characters cardboard is to insult a useful packing material. -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Its like walking into your office and finding a buxom, leggy blonde on your desk, begging for your help. Its going to be so much fun, how can you say no? -- Fiore Mastracci, Outtakes With Fiore



Commentary: To answer your question, Fiore, because it may ruin my marriage with good film-making. If the majority of film reviews are any indication, The Spirit stinks. It's too bad, too -- it looks so sexy. Just like that blonde, though, I'm sure there's not much substance behind the glitz. I'll be skipping it.


TomatoMeter: 76% (Fresh)

Summary: Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.



Review Snippets: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a monumental achievement -- not only one of the best films of the year, but one of the greatest films ever made. -- Rex Reed, New York Observer

An epic tale that contemplates the wonders of life -- of birth and death and, most of all, love. -- Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter



Commentary: Finally a film worth seeing. A senior film major at my college told me this is the movie to watch this holiday season. According to his sources (he's got 'em), it will be a fantastical tale presented with gorgeous cinematography. This film was also rated 90% by only the top critics on Rotten Tomatoes (so far, there have only been 11 reviews from top critics so far -- and out of those only one rotten review). I'm watching it as soon as possible.


TomatoMeter: 62% (Fresh)

Summary: Based on actual events, a plot to assassinate Hitler is unfurled during the height of WWII.



Review Snippets: Valkyrie is a World War II thriller without enough thrills. -- Claudia Puig, USA Today

The film isn't half bad. It's certainly not the unwitting laugh riot that many (me included) expected.
-- Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer

Singer has a masterful touch with composition, creating tension simply by the way he places his actors around a room. And even though we know how it turned out, the assassination plot remains a gripping tale. -- Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

*Movie Clip Coming Soon*

Commentary: My friends and I love the looks of this film, so we're watching it regardless, but I'm happy that not all the reviews are bad. The top critics' consensus is a 58%, so the reviews have been extremely mixed. I'll have to wait to deliver my final verdict until I see it (and hopefully my love of WWII history doesn't cloud my judgment).


TomatoMeter: 75% (Fresh)

Summary: Set in 1964, Doubt centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality and authority.



Review Snippets: Doubt asks hard questions, and we dutifully squirm in reply. -- Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

The movie is a mystery tour of human motives, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of being sure. -- Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Nothing in Doubt -- which Shanley directed, adapting his own Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play -- is certain, definitive or clear. Least of all the filmmaking. -- Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

*Movie Trailer Coming Soon*

Commentary: The buzz is strong with this one. Despite some poor reviews, most of it is positive indeed (71% score from the Top Critics). I hadn't even heard much about it before looking it up, but it's a film which will vie in the Academy Awards next year -- of that, I doubt I'm wrong.


TomatoMeter: 93% (Fresh)

Summary: The story of how impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik became a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire? -- an endeavor made without prize money in mind, rather, an effort to prove his love for his friend Latika, who is an ardent fan of the show.



Review Snippets: Both tragic and joyful, it's like a musically accented Oliver Twist, a lightly curried Frank Capra. -- Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Watching Slumdog Millionaire, it's easy to believe director Danny Boyle has been working toward this brilliantly woven masterwork with each entertaining and diverse tale he's delivered. -- Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Don't let the exotic setting put you off; this is a massively cool cross-cultural crowd-pleaser. -- Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

I'll keep this simple: Cancel whatever you're doing tonight and go see Slumdog Millionaire instead.
-- Ty Burr, Boston Globe

*Movie Trailer Coming Soon*

Commentary: It's directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later), and it's the highest-rated film currently out in theaters. I'm going to see it immediately, and hopefully I'm able to upload the trailer for everyone to see. It may not have the glitz that a big-budget film like Spirit does, but it has heart in spades. The must-see movie of the holiday season, which will compete with Benjamin Button for Best Film of 2008 (if I had my way).




Hopefully you're more prepared to spend that $100 Gift Card now that you've read my holiday movie guide. Now go see a movie with your family and have a Merry Christmas!