Thanksgiving is a time for family, food and movies. It’s also the start of a season when the industry releases some of the best movies of the year. Many will continue on to Oscar glory, while the rest will live in the has-been world.

Most families with a love for Martin Scorsese will go see ‘Hugo,’ and those who want to reminisce about their childhoods will go see ‘The Muppets.’ During the break, look out for these movies coming out in late November that you probably wouldn’t see at the Carousel Mall.

 

‘The Descendants’

In this dramedy set in a tropical paradise, a mostly absent and clueless father (George Clooney) must reconnect with and care for his two daughters after his wife is injured in a boating accident.

After the success of ‘Sideways,’ writer-director Alexander Payne did what few Oscar winners normally do: He stopped making movies and produced a few projectshere and there, like ‘The Savages’ and ‘Cedar Rapids.’ This is his first time back in the director’s chair in seven years, and all that can be expected is more great work from one of the modern master filmmakers of portraying dysfunctional relationships. After Payne quit filming in his beloved hometown of Omaha, Neb., he first ventured to California, and now he’s off to Hawaii with ‘The Descendents.’ This might not be the Midwest, or Napa Valley, but if ‘Election’ and ‘Sideways’ taught us anything, it’s that painfully uncomfortable and hysterically physical comedy can take place anywhere.

 

A Dangerous Method

This historical thriller examines the intense relationship between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) during the early days of psychoanalysis.

‘A Dangerous Method’ could easily be a run-of-the-mill historical epic. However, in the hands of David Cronenberg (‘The Fly’ and ‘A History of Violence’), it will be something incredibly violent, perplexing and enthralling. Plus, Cronenberg and Mortensen are one of the finest director-actor pairings in collaboration. If they can create something in ‘A Dangerous Method’ that tops the bathhouse fight scene in ‘Eastern Promises,’ it will be a cinematic holiday miracle.

 

The Artist

It’s 1927 in Hollywood, and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is one of the biggest stars of the silent film era. In the midst of his new love escapade with dancer Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), Valentin’s career faces a major threat due to the birth of talkies, motion pictures with sound.

‘The Artist’ is not just about a silent film star — it’s about a silent film star within a silent film. Critics and audiences alike sang its praises at Cannes Film Festival, and it seems ‘The Artist’ will live up to the hype. More than 80 years of evolution in technology has transpired, so it will be interesting to see a silent movie in the modern age. Perhaps a new silent film will give viewers a new reason to pay close attention to movies.

 

Three to see

Here are three movies that might have fallen under your radar after they were released earlier this year. They are worth finding whether in theaters, on DVD or streaming on your computer.

 

‘Terri’ (July 1):  This little gem offers an honest portrayal of a teenager’s life and the misunderstood anti-hero in thiscoming-of-age story. The film has good reason to earn our respect. ‘Terri’ is a quiet, pleasant and moving film about the beauty of the little things in life.

 

‘The Guard’ (July 29): ‘I’m Irish. Racism is part of my culture,’ said Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleason) in ‘The Guard.’  This offbeat crime comedy didn’t get the attention it should have when it was released. Part ridiculous, fish-out-of-water comedy and part murder mystery filled with intrigue, ‘The Guard’ will make you laugh, think and then laugh some more.

 

‘Drive’ (Sept. 16): Critics praised this one to the heavens, and if you’re looking for something completely different, then ‘Drive’ is the movie for you. Although there may be too many shots of Ryan Gosling staring at the camera, the film’s aesthetic brilliance makes it hard not to recommend to any raging cinephile.

iaphilli@syr.edu

Published on November 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm