The Aviator
Martin Scorsese’s much anticipated new movie tackles the extraordinary life of billionaire Howard Hughes — aviation pioneer, Hollywood mogul, lover of both Ava Gardner and Katharine Hepburn and, finally, a long-nailed recluse terrified of germs. Moreover, as if that weren’t spice enough, Hughes is played by Leonardo DiCaprio — in his latest opportunity to prove he’s not just a pretty face. Opens January 28
Bad Education
The latest film from Pedro Almodóvar has been wildly successful overseas. It has hunky Gael GarcÃa Bernal (from Y Tu Mamá Támbien) in the lead, and now and then to be seen in drag — it would barely be an Almodóvar movie without a transvestite, would it? The plot’s impossible to summarise, but it involves a gorgeous young actor, a childhood love affair, a priest, drug addiction and … well, better not say any more, except that the movie has been described as “amazing”, “dizzying” and “rapturous”. Opens January 21
Birth
Nicole Kidman’s acting career just progresses by leaps and bounds, with her tackling ever more challenging roles. Here she plays Anna, a woman who, a decade after her beloved husband’s death, is ready to get on with her life. With the approval of her mother (Lauren Bacall), she has agreed to marry a nice man who has patiently courted her for three years. But, on the eve of their engagement party, she encounters a 10-year-old boy who claims to be the reincarnation of her dead husband, which causes a few upsets. Sure to intrigue, even shock: one scene in particular has already caused controversy in the United States. Opens January 7
Blade Trinity
The third instalment in this series of immensely enjoyable vampire action movies is here. Wesley Snipes is, of course, Blade, the Daywalker — a half-vampire hunting down other, truly evil vampires. Now his foes have managed to convince the FBI he’s a serial killer, so Blade is on the run — even as the oldest vampire of all, Dracula himself, is awakened. Blade II was even better than the first Blade, so one has high hopes here. Opens January 21
Closer
What a cast — Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Jude Law and Natalie Portman. And, moreover, it’s directed by Mike Nichols, famous for The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and, more recently, the hit TV mini-series Angels in America. This is a movie about complex relationships: Anna (Roberts) is leaving Larry (Owen), for Dan (Law). Larry, of course, is obsessing about this and he’s taking it out on Dan’s former stripper girlfriend, Alice (Portman). “Haunting … hypnotic”, said Rolling Stone, with “dynamite performances”. Based on an acclaimed play, this could push any one of its stars (or its director) into Oscar heaven. Opens January 7
Elephant
Maverick writer-director Gus van Sant (My Own Private Idaho) creates a fictionalised vision of what happened at the Columbine school massacre. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival in 2003, at last it’s coming to South Africa: this chilling tale that tracks the progress of two disaffected (if that’s not too strong a term) youths in the richest society on Earth, on their way to performing their own private apocalypse. Opens January 28
First Daughter
Samantha Mackenzie (Katie Holmes of Pieces of April fame) wants what every college freshman desires: to experience life away from home and parents. But it’s not going to be easy, because home for Sam is the White House and her dad (Michael Keaton) is the president of the United States. Directed by actor Forest Whitaker, this promises to be holiday fare for the family. Opens 14 January
Hero (Ying Xiong)
It’s as though Zhang Yimou set out to make the most visually stunning martial-arts movie ever — competition for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It revolves around the exploits of a successful bandit-hunter, Nameless (Jet Li), who tells the story of his triumphs over Broken Sword (Tony Leung) and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) to his monarch. The three episodes are colour-coded and beautifully realised, with much elegant and stirring action. Opens January 28
My Baby’s Daddy
This takes the idea of Three Men and a Baby and pumps up the volume: now it’s three men and three babies. Eddie Griffin (who also wrote the script), Anthony Anderson and Michael Imperioli play three guys whose girlfriends have all fallen pregnant simultaneously. Will they cope? Will we laugh? Opens January 28
Shall We Dance
They should have a question mark in the title, but then we all know most filmmakers can’t punctuate. This brings together Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez in a remake of a 1997 Japanese movie. Gere is a lawyer suffering a midlife crisis, despite his happy marriage to Susan Sarandon. One night, he sees silhouetted in a window the form of a dancer (that would be Lopez, then), and decides to go ballroom dancing. Given Gere’s hoofing success in Chicago, this may have some charm. Opens January 21
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Can feisty Chronicle reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) and ace aviator Sky Captain (Jude Law) stop the evil Dr Totenkopf’s plan to destroy the earth? Aided by Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), commander of an amphibious squadron, and the technical genius Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), Polly and Sky Captain may be our planet’s only hope. In another leap forward for computer-generated imagery, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow has more than 2000 effects shots, using live action against a digitally painted backdrop all the way through. Opens January 7
Stage Beauty
Richard Eyre, who directed the heart-rending Iris, has made a period movie. Set in the 1660s, this is the story of Edward “Ned” Kynaston — England’s most celebrated leading lady. Those were the days when women were forbidden to appear on the stage, so beautiful young men had to take the gap. But then King Charles II, in a jaded moment, decides to allow women on to the boards — which is bad news for Ned. Opens January 14
Suzie Gold
Set in the north London Jewish community, this has American actress Summer Phoenix playing the nice Jewish girl with a job in TV who is being pressured by her fractious mum and dad into marrying an oleaginous but highly eligible caterer. Suzie, however, is in love with a handsome non-Jewish researcher. Trouble is sure to follow! Opens January 14
Team America: World Police
A new puppet satire from the makers of South Park, who take on Bush-era American foreign policy and the results thereof. These brave puppets fly all over the world, battling anyone with an Arab-style headdress. And if the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe have to be destroyed in the process, so be it. Oh, and there’s singing too. Opens January 28
Without a Paddle
This looks like a parody of Deliverance: a handful of young men go off for a weekend in the wild, and it all goes horribly wrong. In this case, though, they won’t be playing it for shock but for laughs. Actually, it seems they are hunting for treasure, but what difference does it make? Opens January 2
Release dates correct at time of going to press. Check the weekly listings in the Mail & Guardian’s Friday section for updates.