The CHRISTMAS 2006 must-see MOVIE list...

[KiwiCoromandel]

ONCE upon a time, Boxing Day was when you watched the cricket on telly, hit the beach to sleep off the Christmas turkey and went to the cinema to see a nice quiet family movie. Times have changed.

This year most of the kiddie fare was released early in December. Boxing Day 2006 is dominated by the kind of cutting-edge, provocative movies that used to be relegated to the new year.

There are a couple of reasons for this: Boxing Day is now regarded as a day off rather than a religious holiday. Cinemas and distributors seemed to have decided that Christmas finishes at 12.01am on December 26 and that viewers are happy to tackle tougher issues than talking reindeer.

Another factor is the Academy Awards. That ceremony has been brought forward, which means those Oscar-bait movies flood into Australia earlier.

And last but definitely not least: as Boxing Day is a reliable money earner (traditionally the biggest day of the year), it's a great time to launch movies that are not just certified blockbusters but are the quality films that audiences talk about.

All of this is terrific for viewers. Want to hear even better news?

After months of Hollywood dishing scarily similar-looking fembots, this year's Boxing Day movies are driven by great female characters and performances.

So here's your guide to the best of Boxing Day.......

Marie Antoinette...

SOFIA Coppola's frothy bonbon interprets the early court years of the doomed French queen. The movie was famously booed at the Cannes Film Festival. However, anyone who has seen French audiences talk, sleep and apply their make-up through film screenings won't take their reactions seriously. Besides, a director like Coppola, who is prepared to set her pre-revolution story to the music of Siouxsie and the Banshees and New Order isn't going to let a little Gallic anti-Americanism stop her. Coppola is tougher than her ethereal looks suggest. At 19, she survived public pillorying for her acting in father Francis Coppola's The Godfather III. Her wistful explorations of modern girl power and helplessness have included suicide themes (her debut movie The Virgin Suicides) and failed relationships (Lost In Translation, which is based on her own failing marriage to Being John Malkovich director Spike Jonze). And she has a perfect lead actor in Kirsten Dunst, who recently stumbled through unrewarding roles in Spider-Man 2, Elizabethtown and Wimbledon, and has obviously and sensibly decided on bold action.

Must-see rating: 9/10

Why? Because even Coppola on a bad day is more inventive than most directors. And she's our big hope for being the first woman to win a best director Oscar.

The Queen....

"I cried when I saw the shoes and tweed skirts," said sex bomb Helen Mirren of the frumpy gear needed to play England's Queen Elizabeth. But Mirren isn't crying now: she's already the frontrunner to take out the 2007 best actress Oscar. If any movie does NOT sound like Oscar-bait, it's this heady British drama about the days following the death of Princess Diana. Then, the royal family famously underestimated the depth of public feeling, much to the despair of media-astute Prime Minster Tony Blair (Michael Sheen). The movie is a deft examination of image and reality, but it's Mirren's transformation that fascinates - and the chance to see a real, non-Botoxed female face on screen.

Must-see rating: 9/10

Why? Because Mirren never lets you down.

Happy Feet....

Australian director George Miller's first movie since 1998's delightful but underappreciated Babe: Pig In The City famously kept James Bond out of the top spot at the US box office for three weeks. No wonder: this gorgeously animated comedy musical about tap-dancing penguins has a knockout voice cast, including Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood and Robin Williams in not one but two hilarious roles. The plot taps into the hot topic (no pun intended) of global warming. The camera work makes you feel as though you're in Antarctica (not bad for a cartoon) while non-stop pop classics will have both tots and grannies dancing in the aisles.

Must-see rating: 9/10

Why? It's the best family movie opening on Boxing Day. Plus, you can take young adults, relatives, your boss, that long-lost friend from out of town . . .

Babel.....

You know a movie scores when Cate Blanchett is just one of several reasons to see it. The latest from the director and writer of 21 Grams and Amores Perros is a globetrotting drama about an American couple (Blanchett, Brad Pitt), a Mexican nanny, a Moroccan family and a despairing hearing-impaired Tokyo girl (Rinko Kikuchi). Blanchett has been gracious about her Oscar chances, pointing out that she spends most of the movie bleeding and shot. But her work with Pitt is a revelation (of his ability), while the explosive scenes with Kikuchi's lonely and sexually needy teenager make the Japanese actor a definite contender. Overseas reviews have been ambivalent about the movie's randomness. But that is exactly the point of this poignant story.

Must-see rating: 8/10

Why? The level of suspense, and Pitt may never again be as haggard and convincing.

The Holiday....

The most conventional of the Boxing Day releases takes this year's Love Actually slot. High-powered American Cameron Diaz and nerdy Brit Kate Winslet swap houses for the holidays and are wooed by smoothie Jude Law and peppy Jack Black respectively. Cue the silly dances, sentiment and pop soundtrack - as well as likeable, chatty, non-sleazy comedy guaranteed to woo romantics. Diaz is too self-conscious to truly connect but Winslet, Law and Black supply plenty of charm.

Must-see rating: 7/10

Why? Guaranteed to maintain that "Love to all people" Christmas mood.

Night At The Museum

This isn't the witty break-out hit adults were expecting. It's a fun family movie you should put on your list to see - after you've done Happy Feet. Ben Stiller plays the struggling, divorced dad who takes a job as security guard at the Natural History Museum to impress his young son. One item not in the job description? The exhibits come alive at night. Stiller battles prehistoric animals, ancient warriors and a cheeky monkey. Think of it as Jumanji meets Small Soldiers. The support cast (Robin Williams, Owen Wilson and The Office's Ricky Gervais) is amusing but this is a one-idea, quickly forgettable comedy fantasy.

Must-see rating: 7/10

Why? Stiller always delivers believable nice guys. Gervais makes a joke from every word - even the ones not there.

And in the new year...

Blood Diamond....

Hard-hitting action drama about the bloodthirsty diamonds-for-weapons trade in Africa got the international diamond industry in a tizzy, and on a reported multimillion-dollar image-boosting PR campaign. The Departed's Leonardo DiCaprio has never been hotter.

Must-see rating: 8/10

Apocalypto....

Another maverick story from Mel Gibson, headstrong director of The Passion Of The Christ. Comes with typical Gibson movie PR furore (DUI meltdown in Malibu! shocking screen violence! in ancient language! with subtitles!). But you can trust Gibson to deliver a gripping (maybe pulverising) story.

Must-see rating: 9/10 (but only for brave-hearted viewers).

Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer....

Lavish version of Patrick Suskind's best-selling period novel obviously hopes that movie serial killers (think Hannibal Lecter) are still fashionable. But will female viewers want two hours-plus of murder and carnage, no matter how nicely dressed? We don't think so. And where's the hero?

Must-see rating: 3/10

Deja Vu....

What you see in the trailers and what you get in the movie are two entirely different things, thanks to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who never met a story he couldn't dumb down. Denzel Washington maintains his cool in a simple murder plot made incomprehensible by futuristic gadgets.

Must-see rating: 4/10

Dreamgirls....

The much-hyped musical Oscar contender is a formulaic biography gussied up with great songs and a break-out performance from American Idol contender Jennifer Hudson. Smooth work from Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy's best-ever performance are no burdens, either.

Must-see rating: 6/10

For Your Consideration....

Timely look at what happens when a low-budget, sentimental drama is suddenly hyped as an Oscar contender. Master of mockery Christopher Guest gathers his Best In Show ensemble for familiar but funny spoofing. Catherine O'Hara and Parker Posey contribute memorable female characters.

Must-see rating: 7/10

Miss Potter....

Bridget Jones's Diary star Renee Zellweger back in British accent? Jolly good news - although this biography of famed Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter is less comedy than (gentle) romantic drama. Co-star Ewan McGregor woos Beatrix - and viewers. Here's hoping for another literary gem a la Johnny Depp's Finding Neverland.

Must-see rating: 7/10

Breaking and Entering....

Another achingly vulnerable performance from Juliette Binoche, and nice work from Jude Law and Robin Wright Penn, steady this rather erratic UK drama. It's not sure whether it's a relationship study (Law and Penn), a forbidden affair (Law and Binoche) or immigrant angst (Binoche and son).You'll yawn in places but stay for the cast.

Must-see rating: 6/10

Source:The Sun-Herald/Rob Lowing

image:AP:CHILL-A-MINUTE....HAPPY FEET...directed by Australian George Miller, kept the new James Bond out of the US top spot for three weeks...

[DudeAsInCool]

Ive heard good things about The Queen and Happy Feet

[moodyblue]

I wanna see The Queen, looks good.

[slum_goddess]

i'd rather die on the spot than see anything by and/or w/mel gibson.

[Shawn]

I don't know Slum. Apocalypto looks killer.

[DudeAsInCool]

I forgot add that I liked the Good Shepherd, which looks at the the creation of the CIA, and uses James Angleton as a model for its investigation...