originally published December 27, 2006

NOTE: FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF FILMS PLAYING AT PRESS TIME AND SOME PREVIEWS OF FILMS SCHEDULED TO OPEN NATIONWIDE DURING THE HOLIDAYS. BE SURE TO CALL THEATERS FOR CURRENT FILMS AND SHOWTIMES.

APOCALYPTO

(R) Crafting an ultra-violent period drama in a dead language with no bankable stars may not have been the sanest cinematic choice for recovery from drunken anti-Semitism. Mel Gibson, attempting to jab relevantly and pointedly at our society, recreates Mayan civilization at its most Romanly decadent. The vibrant fever dream viscerally frightens and awes once captured tribesman Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) reaches the massive stone city. But when Jaguar Paw traipses back into the forest, Apocalypto becomes one long foot race landmarked by dangerous jungle clichés. (Beechwood, Carmike)

BLACK CHRISTMAS

(R) Bob Clark’s '70s slasher classic is the granddaddy of the genre. Writer-director Glen Morgan’s (“The X-Files,” Final Destination, Willard) remake boasts a bevy of winsome beauties (Michelle Trachtenberg, Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert) stalked by an escaped killer who once massacred his family in the home that now houses their sorority. With Oliver Hudson and Andrea Martin, an original sister who’s now the housemarm. (Carmike)

BLOOD DIAMOND

(R) Blood Diamond, an action movie with a conscience directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai), intervenes in the civil war fought between the government and the RUF in Sierra Leone. Diamond smuggler Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) and fisherman Solomon (Djimon Hounsou), journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in tow, struggle across the war-torn country in search of a huge diamond. Diamond’s hopes to curtail the trafficking of conflict diamonds overreach, but this engaging, topical action film reinvigorates the genre. (Beechwood)

BORAT

(R) Armed to the teeth with uncomfortable malapropisms and anti-Semitism, Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) travels across the United States, unmasking inner bigotry wherever he goes. Cohen isn’t laughing with the us, he’s laughing at the us, a distinction too fine for an America as stupid as the one he exposes to make. (Georgia Square 5)

CASINO ROYALE

(PG-13) How well does new 007 Daniel Craig wear the famed tux? Pretty damn well. Chronicling Bond’s first assignment as a Double O, Casino Royale charts very highly, and so does its new Bond. I don’t know where the Bond franchise is headed, but I do know nobody’s done it better than Casino Royale and Daniel Craig in a long, long time. (Beechwood)

CHARLOTTE’S WEB

(G) E.B. White’s classic is updated by director Gary Winick (13 Going on 30) and writers Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich) and Karey Kirkpatrick (Over the Hedge). Fern (Dakota Fanning) still saves Wilbur (v. Dominic Scott Kay, The Wild). Charlotte (v. Julia Roberts) and her erudite webs still enable Wilbur to see December’s snow. The idyllic film, set in the Maine of yesteryear, balances humor, heart and cinematic beauty. White’s vocabulary of values speaks louder than ever through the film’s superstar voice cast, each actor properly matched with his or her character. Apparently, a love of this tender story is the childhood phase that never passes. Charlotte’s Web, some terrific, radiant, humble family film, wins the blue ribbon. (Beechwood, Carmike)

CHILDREN OF MEN

(R) Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu mamá también, Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban), has become one of the most artistically viable filmmakers around. In Cuarón’s adaptation of the P.D. James dystopian novel about a world where women are infertile and humanity’s days numbered, Clive Owen plays a former activist tasked by his ex-wife (Julianne Moore) with escorting a pregnant woman (newcomer Clare-Hope Ashitey) to safety. With Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Caine. (Call Theaters)

CODE NAME: THE CLEANER

(PG-13) Call this The Bourne Sanitation. An amnesiac janitor (Cedric the Entertainer) is tricked into believing he’s an international secret agent embroiled in a government conspiracy. At least Cleaner scored the hottie triumvirate of Lucy Liu, Elizabeth Hurley and Nicolette Sheridan. Why is Les Mayfield (Encino Man, Flubber, American Outlaws, The Man) still allowed to direct movies? (Call Theaters)

DARIUS GOES WEST: THE ROLL OF HIS LIFE

(NR) Fifteen-year-old Darius Weems, confined to a wheelchair by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, had never left Athens until some local college students, including Darius Goes West director Logan Smalley, took him on a cross-country trip to test the nation’s accessibility. Though the ultimate goal was a fly new wheelchair courtesy of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride,” Darius and his companions found so much more on the road. See Out There! for more. Shows Friday, 1/5 and Saturday, 1/6 (Morton) and Tuesday, 1/9 (Tate)

DREAMGIRLS

(PG-13) The hit musical is now a Golden Globe-nominated film. Dreamgirls loosely veils the Supremes story in shiny new dresses as Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles) steals the limelight from the trio’s original singer, Effie White (Jennifer Hudson, whose performances, vocal and acting, are receiving raves and awards). Jamie Foxx plays manager/ love interest Curtis Taylor, Jr. and Eddie Murphy is radiating serious Oscar heat as “chitlin’ circuit” singer James “Thunder” Early. Writer-director Bill Condon’s (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey) film will almost surely pick up a Best Picture nomination. (Call Theaters)

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

(PG-13) The cinematic coming out party for insanely popular standup comic Dane Cook does its job with surprising sweetness and a decent little ensemble. Love and hard work are blooming at the Super Club when slacker box boy Zack (Cook) falls for new cashier Amy (Jessica Simpson). (Georgia Square 5)

ERAGON

(PG) I can’t remember watching a movie so disrespectful of its source material, the bestselling novel by Christopher Paolini. Eragon (Edward Speleers), an orphaned farm boy, discovers he’s destined for greatness as the last Dragon Rider, prophesied to save his homeland, Alagaesia, from evil King Galbatorix (John “High Camp” Malkovich). What was innocent awe on paper is hokey on celluloid. The kingdom Paolini so lavishly surveyed with such excruciating detail is laid one-dimensional by visual effects guru Stefen Fangmeier, in his directorial debut. Paolini’s colorful, descriptive voice is jettisoned for an action-driven language that lacks anything epic. Talk your kid out of watching this drivel. Read the book. (Beechwood, Carmike)

FACING THE GIANTS

(PG) Sherwood Baptist Church media minister Alex Kendrick directed, cowrote, co-produced, edited, composed the pompous score, and stars as head football coach Grant Taylor, who turns to the Lord to conquer the “giants of fear and failure.” Giants looks and sounds as homemade as it is. (Georgia Square 5)

THE GOOD GERMAN

(R) Steven Soderbergh’s black and white mystery about American journalist Jake Geismer (George Clooney), who gets wrapped up in the foggy disappearance of his former mistress’ (Cate Blanchett) husband, oozes Casablanca all over the place. Clooney, Blanchett, Soderbergh and Paul Attanasio, the two-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of Quiz Show and Donnie Brasco, could be looking at Oscar nominations. Also starring Tobey Maguire. (Call Theaters)

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

(R) Robert De Niro directs a hugely talented cast in this chronicle of the birth of the C.I.A. The experiences of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), who sacrificed his home life and his ideals to keep this country safe during the Cold War, The Good Shepherd has picked up some serious awards buzz. Written by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump). (Beechwood, Carmike)

HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER

(PG) The producer of the Shreks breaks the spine of some more fairy tales. When the evil Frieda (v. Sigourney Weaver) and an alliance of baddies affect a coup d’état in Fairy Tale Land, Frieda’s stepdaughter Ella (v. Sarah Michelle Gellar) must lead the resistance effort. Featuring the voices of Freddie Prinze Jr., Andy Dick, Wallace Shawn, Patrick Warburton and George Carlin as the Wizard. (Call Theaters)

HAPPY FEET

(PG) Mumble the penguin (voiced by Elijah Wood) takes an eye-popping, breathtaking journey from dropped egg to societal savior. Happy Feet taps out a fresh rhythm to which you can dance when it’s not delivering pat lessons on religious intolerance and environmental destruction. Not until the Amigos appear, led by the infectious Ramon (Robin Williams), does this cold film thaw somewhat. Thinking visually, the musically gifted Happy Feet fails to act narratively. (Beechwood, Carmike)

THE HOLIDAY

(PG-13) Writer-director Nancy Meyers (What Women Want and Something’s Gotta Give) comes down the cinematic chimney with just about the best present a gal could hope for. Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black discover that ideal movie love while clad in expensive duds and romping through gorgeous homes. Not the most gifted dramatic actress, Diaz’s rangy physicality compensates for her over-emoting. Winslet shines as always, and Law rediscovers his irascible charm. Meyers may need to trim the fat, but her Holiday reminds us Hollywood still has some romantic magic left. (Beechwood, Carmike)

HOME OF THE BRAVE

(R) Oscar-winning Rocky producer Irwin Winkler’s seventh directing effort (his last being 2004’s De-Lovely) is the first of a myriad of films dealing with the Iraq War. In Home of the Brave, soldiers must readjust to life at home after a lengthy tour of duty capped by a deadly ambush. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel, Christina Ricci, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Chad Michael Murray and Brian Presley. (Call Theaters)

THE ILLUSIONIST

(PG-13) Edward Norton stars as Eisenheim, the magic man who, while performing in turn-of-the-century Vienna, makes an enemy of Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). Writer-director Neil Burger soaks the audience in mysterious wonder, a sleight of hand that quickly vanishes once the magical show is over. (Georgia Square 5)

THE NATIVITY STORY

(PG) I’m not ruining anything by telling you this retelling of the most famous story ever told holds no surprises. Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is told by Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) that she’s having God’s kid. Then, she and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) travel to Bethlehem where there’s a manger and some swaddling clothes. Besides the glorious cinematography of Elliot Davis, I found very little wonder in the third film from Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown). (Carmike)

A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

(PG) Ben Stiller takes a night watchman gig in a museum where the displays come to life at night. Direction from Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther) and scenarios from screenwriters Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant (Taxi, The Pacifier) have me sadly thinking we might already have laughed our loudest at the preview. With Carla Gugino, Owen Wilson and Robin Williams. (Beechwood, Carmike, Highway 17 Theatres)

OPEN SEASON

(PG) As the voice of Elliot, an obnoxious mule deer exiled from his herd, Ashton Kutcher goofs around the woods for an hour and a half. Unappealing voicework and animation as alluring as a strip mine mar Sony Pictures Animation’s first full-length feature. (Georgia Square 5)

PAN'S LABYRINTH

(R) I am nothing but excited - more so than for any film left to be released this year - about Guillermo del Toro’s Spanish-language fairy tale. The director of Hellboy has reportedly conjured visions unlike any ever seen in the tale of a young girl who discovers she’s the ruler of an underground world. Del Toro successfully fished these same Franco-infested waters for the eerie ghost story, The Devil’s Backbone. Nominated for Cannes’ Palme d’Or and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film. (Call Theaters)

THE PRESTIGE

(PG-13) Feuding magicians make for terribly intriguing drama in Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to Batman Begins. After his wife dies on-stage during a trick, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) blames rival magician Albert Borden (Christian Bale). Structurally, Nolan’s twisty tale of vengeance and its illusory curative properties is bloody confusing, yet the magical tit-for-tat is novel and anti-heroic. (Georgia Square 5)

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

(PG-13) We need a demoralizing message movie like Happyness every so often to keep us on our moral toes. Devoted father and salesman Chris Gardner (Will Smith) finds himself homeless due to bad investments and stupid decisions. But with pluck, moxie and a little luck, he lands on his feet when the greedy rich men of Dean Witter offer him a job after he makes them oodles of money during an unpaid internship. The problem with the well-made Happyness is, if you’re not careful, you’ll swallow the shit it’s shoveling. Director Gabriele Muccino and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (Sideways) have shot a lovely film, and Golden Globe nominee Smith tugs at the heartstrings while interacting with his real-life son, Jaden. But in adapting the real Chris Gardner’s life, Steven Conrad (The Weather Man) sickeningly reifies most Americans’ belief that the plight of the homeless can be eradicated through hard work. (Beechwood, Carmike, Highway 17 Theatres)

ROCKY BALBOA

(PG) See Movie Pick and Flick Skinny. (Beechwood, Carmike, Highway 17 Theatres)

THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE

(G) If you’re looking to get your holly jollies early, your cinematic sleigh has arrived. SC3 may use every elfin pun imaginable as Jack Frost (Martin Short) challenges the reign of Santa/ Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), but nothing about the high-concept, low-imagination flick is terrible. SC3 is just an old-fashioned family holiday film. (Carmike)

WE ARE MARSHALL

(PG) The most devastating disaster in college sports history occurred on Nov. 14, 1970, when the plane carrying the Marshall University football team crashed, killing all on board. We Are Marshall focuses on the aftermath as Coach Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) attempts to rebuild the decimated program. 2006 has seen lots of football movies, but Marshall could be the champion if Charlie’s Angels director McG can handle the more serious fare. With Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie, David Strathairn, and Ian McShane (“Deadwood”). (Beechwood, Carmike)