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Four Christmases – Opens November 26th

There's a really good joke included in Four Christmases' trailer. It's when Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn find themselves trapped in the airport, with nowhere to go because their airline cancelled all of its flights. Reese asks if there's a sister airline. The attendant says no. Vince asks if there's a cousin airline. The attendant again says no. So Vince wises up and questions one last time: "How about like an airline that your airline's felt up before?"

There's a couple of these kind of jokes - another involves Reese eating her feelings in high school - smattered throughout the sneak peek of the movie, about a young couple who are forced to visit four parental households over Christmas Day (since both Reese and Vince's characters come from divorced families). However, with this good comes a side of bad, chiefly the tired physical comedy that the movie appears to rely heavily on - the UFC fighters bit, Reese playing with children, Vince setting up satellite TV. There came a point where a baby popped on screen, and I knew without a doubt it was going to spit up on something. Sure enough, Reese soon became the sorry target.

Even so, this one looks cute, and is easily the best holiday movie that I've had the chance of critiquing so far this year.

Grade: B
Also expected to be released on this date: Australia, Transporter 3, Fanboys, Milk

Doubt – Opens December 12th

Philip Seymour Hoffman has quite a fall on his hands. In theaters on October 24th, he plays the lead in Charlie Kaufman's buzzed-about new feature, Synecdoche, New York (whose trailer I'm still manically waiting for!) And nearly two months later, the man is set to play Father Brendan Flynn in Doubt, a movie based on the 2004 Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a priest (Hoffman) who is suspected of abusing a black student by a nun (Meryl Streep). Amy Adams portrays Sister James and Viola Davis rounds out the main cast as Mrs. Muller.

Doubt's trailer is simply quality, highlighted by strong performances from its leads (no surprise there) and a catchy violin-heavy score. Fans of the play will be delighted to know this one's adapted and directed by original playwright John Patrick Shanley.

Grade: A
Also expected to be released on this date: The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Reader, Delgo, Defiance, The Class, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, The Kings of Appletown

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