Notes on a Scandal (2006)
Release Date: December 27, 2006 (limited)Studio: Fox Searchlight PicturesDirector: Richard EyreScreenwriter: Patrick MarberStarring: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill NighyGenre: DramaMPAA Rating: R (for language and some aberrant sexual content)When Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) joins St. George's as the new art teacher, Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) senses a kindred spirit. But Barbara is not the only one drawn to her. Sheba begins an illicit affair and Barbara becomes the keeper of her secret. "Notes on a Scandal" is a story of loneliness, loyalty, envy and love.
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Rocky Balboa (2006)
Release Date: December 20, 2006
Studio: MGM
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Screenwriter: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Milo Ventimiglia, Tony Burton, James Francis Kelly III, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG (for boxing violence and some language)
The greatest underdog story of our time is back for one final round of the Academy Award-winning "Rocky" franchise, former heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa steps out of retirement and back into the ring, pitting himself against a new rival in a dramatically different era. After a virtual boxing match declares Rocky Balboa the victor over current champion Mason "The Line" Dixon, the legendary fighter's passion and spirit are reignited. But when his desire to fight in small, regional competitions is trumped by promoters calling for a rematch of the cyber-fight, Balboa must weigh the mental and physical risks of a high profile exhibition match against his need to be in the ring.
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Eragon (2006)
Release Date: December 15, 2006
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Stefen Fangmeier
Screenwriter: Peter Buchman
Starring: Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, Djimon Hounsou, Garrett Hedlund, Joss Stone, Rachel Weisz, John Malkovich
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG (for fantasy violence, intense battle sequences and some frightening images)
This epic fantasy-adventure centers on a young man named Eragon whose destiny is revealed with the help of a dragon. Eragon, now a Dragon Rider, is swept into a world of magic and power, discovering that he alone has the power to save – or destroy – an Empire.
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The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Release Date: December 15, 2006
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Screenwriter: Steve Conrad
Starring: Will Smith, Thandie Newton, Jaden Smith
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some language)
"Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something. ...You got a dream, you gotta protect it... If you want something, go get it. Period."
In Columbia Pictures' "The Pursuit of Happyness," Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a bright and talented, but marginally employed salesman. Struggling to make ends meet, Gardner finds himself and his five-year-old son evicted from their San Francisco apartment with nowhere to go. When Gardner lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, he and his son endure many hardships, including living in shelters, in pursuit of his dream of a better life for the two of them.
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Children of Men (2006)
Release Date: December 25, 2006 (limited)
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Screenwriter: Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, Michael Caine
Genre: Thriller
"Children of Men" envisages a world one generation from now that has fallen into anarchy on the heels of an infertility defect in the population. The world's youngest citizen has just died at 18, and humankind is facing the likelihood of its own extinction. Set against a backdrop of London torn apart by violence and warring nationalistic sects, "Children of Men" follows disillusioned bureaucrat Theo (Owen) as he becomes an unlikely champion of Earth's survival. When the planet's last remaining hope is threatened, this reluctant activist is forced to face his own demons and protect her from certain peril.
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Blood Diamond (2006)
Release Date: December 8, 2006
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Edward Zwick
Screenwriter: Charles Leavitt, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, James Purefoy, Arnold Vosloo, Stephen Collins, Michael Sheen
Genre: Action, Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for strong violence and language)
When a diamond smuggler encounters an indigenous Mende farmer whose young son has disappeared into the RUF's army of child soldiers, the two men's fates become linked.
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Dreamgirls (2006)
Release Date: December 15, 2006 (NY, LA; wider release: December 25; wider release: January 19, 2007)
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures (Paramount)
Director: Bill Condon
Screenwriter: Bill Condon
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson, Keith Robinson, Bobby Slayton
Genre: Drama, Musical
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for language, some sexuality and drug content)
Plot Summary: Set in the turbulent early 1960s to mid-70s, "Dreamgirls" follows the rise of a trio of women—Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Deena (Beyoncé Knowles) and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose)—who have formed a promising girl group called The Dreamettes. At a talent competition, they are discovered by an ambitious manager named Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx), who offers them the opportunity of a lifetime: to become the back-up singers for headliner James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Curtis gradually takes control of the girls' look and sound, eventually giving them their own shot in the spotlight as The Dreams. That spotlight, however, begins to narrow in on Deena, finally pushing the less attractive Effie out altogether. Though the Dreams become a crossover phenomenon, they soon realize that the cost of fame and fortune may be higher than they ever imagined.
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The Painted Veil (2006)
Release Date: December 20, 2006 (NY, LA; top 25 markets: December 29; wider release: January 5, 2007; wider release: January 12; wider release: January 19)
Studio: Warner Independent Pictures
Director: John Curran
Screenwriter: Ron Nyswaner
Starring: Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some mature sexual situations, partial nudity, disturbing images and brief drug content)
Plot Summary: Based on the classic novel by W. Somerset Maugham, "The Painted Veil" is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple, Walter, a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.
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