What’s under the Christmas tree

by Gabriele Barcaro

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 [trailer], most probably Natale in Sudafrica [trailer] (“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 [trailer] (“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 [trailer] with Un altro mondo [trailer] (“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 [trailer] (Warner, 260 screens).

Foreign titles include romantic spy movie The Tourist [trailer], 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 [trailer] 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 [trailer] (Eagle) and Sam Mendes’ Away We Go [trailer] (BIM).

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

(Translated from Italian)