November 20, 2007

Die Hardest

Director Len Wiseman (Underworld, Underworld: Evolution) helms the fourth and newest Die Hard film, Live Free or Die Hard. Bruce Willis returns as the veteran of three extraordinary situations, John McClane, protecting a computer savvy Justin Long (Dodgeball, Accepted) from terrorists looking to assassinate him. The Die Hard hallmarks are all here, including McClane's struggle to connect with his estranged family, this time his daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Death Proof, Bobby) instead of his wife, and mano-a-mano with a steely arch villain as Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant adds his name to the roster of Die Hard nemeses beside Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons.

Christian Bale (Batman Begins, The Machinist) plays Dieter Dengler Rescue Dawn, Werner Herzog's (Grizzly Man, Woyzeck) dramatization of his own documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. Based on the true story of a pilot shot down and captured during Viet Nam, Rescue Dawn also features an acclaimed dramatic turn from the traditionally comedic Steve Zahn (Sahara, Saving Silverman).

A film adaptation of the Broadway musical version of the John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Pecker) original (still with me?), Hairspray is about a plus-sized girl who wants to dance on The Corny Collins show, and casts John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Ladder 49) as her mother. With a supporting cast that includes Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, and Queen Latifa, the music is composed by Marc Shaiman, who won an Oscar for his South Park feature film musical score.

Angel-A is Luc Besson's (The Professional, The Big Blue) first French language film since La Femme Nikita, where a gambler at the end of his rope discovers his tall, beautiful, blonde guardian angel. A man confesses that he has lived since the dawn of humanity in The Man from Earth, but should his audience of scholars and educators believe they're in the presence of the oldest living person or a lunatic?

Into Great Silence is a rare documentary, quietly filmed inside the usually off-limits Grande Chartreuse monastery, observing the daily rituals of the Carthusian monks. A more tense documentary, Ghosts of Cite Soleil covers violent Haitian slums and follows two gang leaders in a difficult world. The Future of Food details the current changes in the world food sources in a world of genetically engineered superfoods.

The mockumentary The Proper Care and Feeding of an American Messiah follows Brian, the descendant of generations of regionally selected messiahs, as he offers inexpensive baptisms and teaches the mankind about the miracle of fruit. The newest stand-up show from Politically Correct's Bill Maher, The Decider, continues the comedian's trend of undercutting large social and political egos.

Tim Allen (Galaxy Quest, Big Trouble) reprises his role as Saint Nick in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, where Jack Frost (Martin Short: The Three Amigos, Mars Attacks) offers Santa a way to become a normal family man again, but it may make Frostmas the new December holiday. Disney's other new Christmas film is My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Super Sleuth Christmas Movie. A new Garfield movie, Garfield Gets Real sees the cartoon cat learning that the real world doesn't offer cats the comforts his native cartoon world does.

The first volume of Book 3 of Avatar is new in the TV New Releases section, starting the Fire segment of the series. Also new in the TV section is the 4th season of Teen Titans.