Reel Christmas

The last month of 2011 has begun and it looks rather promising on the entertainment front! Although for most, in India, Christmas is not really a huge deal – we have our own set of elaborate festivities to deal with.
I’ve never seen or been a part of authentic Christmas celebrations – the ornate trees, carols, the traditional meals consisting of roast turkey, served with roast potatoes, parsnips; not to forget the glorious plum cake and Christmas pudding! Most of these are yet only a reflection of my imagination shaped by the beautiful words of Enid Blyton, Hans Christian Anderson, Charles Dickens and JK Rowling among others. How I would love to witness an original Christmas amidst all that snow, blazing fireplaces and the original red and white striped candy canes.
Returning from dreamland, to get started on my own Christmas wish list, I’m very excited about the movies releasing this December; here’s a snapshot of my top 5!

Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows [December 16, 2011]

This is the upcoming 2011 sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Directed by Guy Ritchie, it features Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law reprising their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively, as the duo join forces to outwit and bring down their most cunning adversary, Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris.

Hugo [December 23, 2011]

Hugo is a 2011 3D adventure drama film based on Brian Selznick’s novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret starring Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, and Jude Law. Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton. The film recently won the National Board of Review’s prize for Best Film of 2011 and I simply cannot wait for it to hit the theatres in India – 3D glasses on!

Don 2 [December 23, 2011]

Don 2 is the sequel to the 2006 film written and directed by Farhan Akhtar. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra in the lead roles and also Om Puri, Lara Dutta and Kunal Kapoor in supporting roles. Utterly disappointed by Ra.One, I’m quite excited about this year’s only hopefully decent Shahrukh film!

War Horse [December 25, 2011]

War Horse is a 2011 British-American war drama film directed by Steven Spielberg based on War Horse, a children’s novel set during World War I, by British author Michael Morpurgo, first published in the United Kingdom in 1982. The cast includes David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Tom Hiddleston and Peter Mullan. The plot follows a young man named Albert and his horse, Joey, and how their bond is broken when Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent to the trenches of World War One. Despite being too young to enlist, Albert heads to France to save his friend. The trailer is definitely goose bump-inciting supported well by Scottish bagpipes as background soundtrack.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close [December 25, 2011]

My all-time favourite on-screen duo Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock star in this upcoming 2011 American drama film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer. After a 10 year old loses his father in the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, he goes on a journey across New York to find a lock-box that his dad left him the key to. Seems to be absolutely moving with a strong story-line – can’t wait!
Others to keep an eye out for are Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (December 16, 2011) to see Tom Cruise ambling around on the facade of the Burj Khalifa and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (December 09, 2011) for the superb star cast featuring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong!
Apart from what will run in cinemas, in front of the television is not a bad place to be around Christmas eve! Many of my favourite holiday classics are juggled across channels and once can curl into a nice blanket with a cup of hot chocolate.
Ah winters – and to think that I was unknown from the beauty of the season almost all my life!

4 thoughts on “Reel Christmas

  1. Aiyo, you really must have a little more faith in Shah Rukh – I believe Don 2 is going to be good fun 🙂

    And yes, thank you for the Burj tip – Not visiting the UAE in a while makes place for these errors!

    There's another movie releasing in India on December 23 – Arthur Christmas. Its a must watch!

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