17/12/2010

Gone are the times in which the Christmas blockbuster dominated the year’s box office. After the extraordinary success of Benvenuti al sud [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], most probably Natale in Sudafrica [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (“Christmas in South Africa”) by the award-winning team of Neri Parenti (director), Aurelio De Laurentiis (producer) and Christian De Sica (actor) can at most hope for the top holiday slot.

The ingredients are the same as ever: an ensemble cast (including Massimo Ghini and newcomer Max Tortora), exotic locale and the sex bomb of the moment, Belén Rodriguez.

The latest in this Christmas series will get stiff competition from FilmAuro, which is releasing, on 800 prints, several challengers. First up is trio the return of comic trio Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo in La banda dei Babbi Natale [+see also:
trailer
Interview Angela Finocchiaro [IT]
Interview Antonia Liskova [IT]
Interview Lucia Ocone [IT]
film profile] (“The Santa Claus gang”) by Paolo Genovese. The film will be released on 600 screens by Medusa.

Silvio Muccino follows up his Parlami d’amore [+see also:
trailer
film profile] with Un altro mondo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (“A Better World,” Universal), the story of a 27-year-old who in Kenya discovers a brother he knew nothing about. Sergio Castellitto is also coming out with another film in which he stars and directs, La bellezza del somaro [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Warner, 260 screens).

Foreign titles include romantic spy movie The Tourist [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile], set in Venice, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp and directed by Germany’s Florian Henkel von Donnersmarck (01 Distribution, 430 screens). As well as three 3D films for younger audiences: Megamind, Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, released respectively by Universal, Eagle Pictures and 20th Century Fox).

The day’s releases are rounded out by Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Eagle) and Sam Mendes’ Away We Go [+see also:
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film profile] (BIM).

Other imminent releases include, on December 29, 3D title Tron Legacy (Walt Disney) and, on January 5: Gennaro Nunziante’s Che bella giornata [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Medusa), featuring stand-up comic Checco Zalone; Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter (Warner); and Stephen Frears’ Tamara Drew [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stephen Frears
film profile] (BIM).

(Translated from Italian)