The Blind Side of Racism

The Blind Side


The one question that kept running through my head when I was watching The Blind Side was whose story is this film really telling?

The Blind Side is based on the true-life story of Michael Oher's (Quinton Aaron) journey from homeless teen to professional NFL player. Hailing from the Memphis projects, Michael spent a good portion of his time moving from foster home to foster home after the state took him away from his crack addicted mother. It is only when Michael is accepted into a Christian private high school, mainly on the basis that his size may help the school's sports teams, that his life begins to change for the better. Michael he meets Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw), a wealthy Republican couple who offers him a place to stay. Over time, the relationship between Michael and Tuohys proves mutually beneficial. Michael's grades improve and the chances of getting a college football scholarship become a reality; while the Tuohys, by embracing Michael, realize that they should not take their life for granted.

The Tuohys should be commended for their act of generosity. It is heartwarming to know that there are still people in this world who genuinely go out of their way to help those in need. Unfortunately, the way that the story is portrayed on film is just downright insulting to all parties involved.

The Blind Side should really be about Michael's rise to the top with the assistance of the Tuohy family. Instead the film is about Tuohy family opening their doors to Michael. What is the difference you ask? Well it is all in the details. Let us use another Oscar nominated movie, Precious, as an example. What is the most compelling aspect of that film? Precious' life or the teacher who helps Precious see her potential? Obviously that film would not have had the same impact it did if director Lee Daniel's had approached the story from the teachers point of view. Which is exactly why The Blind Side is so offensive.

In The Blind Side, Michael's story is only told in spurts. We get brief flashbacks to the most traumatic event in Michael's life but it is not truly explained until near the end of the picture. Come to think of if, every aspect of Michael's life prior to meeting the Tuohys is reduced to mere footnotes. Let's see... Mother? A drug addict. Siblings? Out there somewhere. Kid who got accepted at private school along with Michael? Gang member. Etc. Heck, we do not even get Michael's perspective on the Tuohy family themselves. The only thing The Blind Side director, John Lee Hancock, offers up from Michael is a few lines such as "I thought I was already part of the family." Though we hear a lot in the film about what the family thinks of Michael.

This is further evident when you think about the adjustment Michael would have had to make. We are rarely shown what Michael had to endure living in an all white community. We see brief scenes of Michael sitting by himself in study hall, and racist remarks being hurled at the football game, but at no point does Michael comment on any of it, or express how he copes on a daily basis. Instead we must watch Leigh Anne's plight as the members of her country club start to question her actions. Even when the film takes a turn at the end, and Michael's future is in jeopardy, we are still shown the Tuohy's discussing the issue rather than Michael.

Not only is Oher's life story secondary to Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family's but, to add further insult, Michael is portrayed as borderline autistic for the majority of the film. Yes Michael may not have the best reading skills but, as Ms. Boswell (Kim Dickens) points out on numerous occasions, Michael is smarter than everyone thinks he is. Not only is he a writer but he can retain a ton of information that is given to him orally. Yet, despite all of this, we are shown scenes of Michael being mesmerized by balloons in the sky, the Forrest Gump-like scenes where he only stopped running once the whistle was blown, etc. Heck, there is even a scene where Leigh Anne needs to point out the art of buying clothes...as if Michael has never been in a store before! The kid may be poor, but he is not the simple-minded Neanderthal that the film makes him out to be.

I cannot help but wonder if Michael would have been portrayed the same way if the racial lines were reversed? Would Michael's history be told in brief flashbacks had he been white and taken in by a well-to-do black family? Would the actor still portray Michael as borderline autistic? Would the film even be told from the families point of view? Or would it be an underdog rag-to-riches tale like Eminem's 8 Mile?

I know some, my fiancée included, thought that Tuohy's tale was worthy of being on film. Again, I have nothing against what Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family did. As I mentioned above, I think they did a wonderful thing. I might have been a little easier on the film had both sides of the story been told in an even manner. Yet, as it stands, I found The Blind Side, as a movie, to be both insulting and extremely offensive.

Ajami's Hard Streets Hurt Soul

Ajami


Now that the Academy Award nominations have been announced there is a lot of debate over whether Avatar or The Hurt Locker will come out on top. Instead of weighing in on that discussion I want to focus on the one nomination that brought me the most joy Tuesday...Ajami’s nomination for Best Foreign Film. The film was released in New York on Wednesday and is expanding to Los Angeles in the coming weeks. Hopefully the Academy Award nomination will help to expand its theatrical run to an even wider release before it hits DVD.

I was fortunate enough to catch Ajami at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. After reviewing my initial selections, I decided I needed to add a few more foreign films into the mix. So I traded in my ticket for Drew Barrymore’s Whip It and took a chance on Ajami. Needless to say it was one of the smartest moves I made in since I started attending the festival back in 2001. The decision almost made up for me passing on tickets to films such as Whale Rider and Brokeback Mountain a few years back…almost. Hey, sometimes it is tough to tell what films will be a good if you simple go by the brief write up in the festival’s program book…but I digress.

Ajami is co-directed by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, one is of Palestinian decent while the other is an Israeli Jew, and their vastly different backgrounds offer a very unique feel to the film. The conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians have been widely documented on a global scale but rarely do we see what goes on daily in average neighborhoods. Ajami looks at how the lives of seemingly separate individuals are intertwined. There is the story of a family who is doomed to pay for one uncle’s heroic act. Another story looks at an Arab who wants to live in Israel. There is also the tale of a cop who is desperate to find his missing brother. To give any more of the plot away would be a great disservice to the film.

Ajami is a film very much in the same vein as City of God. The majority of the film is set in Jaffa the crime ridden section of Ajami. There are corrupt Jewish police officers, organized gangs, Palestinians working illegally, etc. The fascinating thing about the people living in Jaffa is, despite their profession and/or social class, how deep their faith runs. In fact, one of the most shocking things about the film is how much religion factors into everyone’s daily life. Every action is said to be in Allah’s name. Allah name is often used to justify a lot of the criminal activity in Jaffa. This makes for a fascinating contrast in many of the characters that inhabit the film.

The majority of the cast consist amateur performers from the area where the film is set. The non-professionals do a really good job drawing the audience into their world. The film's non-linear storyline also help to enhance the overall impact of certain characters. Ajami does not make any grand political statements nor does it choose sides. Instead it provides a fascinating, and at times heartbreaking, look at how corruption and violence can ruin communities no matter where in the world you are.

A Little Light The Edge of Darkness Be

Edge of Darkness

A character in Edge of Darkness remarks “it never is what it is. It is what it can be made to look like…” This line sums up the film perfectly. Edge of Darkness is yet another example of faulty studio marketing at its finest. Mel Gibson's return to acting is being sold as an action-packed revenge flick in the same vein as Taken and Payback. In reality, the movie is actually a political thriller that is surprisingly light on the thrills.

Based on the 1985 BBC mini-series of the same name, Edge of Darkness is about Thomas Craven’s (Mel Gibson) quest for justice after his daughter, Emma (Bojana Novakovic), is gunned down before his eyes. Soon Thomas finds himself unravelling a mystery that somehow links back to Jack Bennett (Danny Huston), the head of a nuclear facility contracted by the United States government. Thomas search for the truth is further complicated by the emergence of Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), a man who specializes in ensuring that government secrets stay hidden.

The one major hurdle Edge of Darkness never seems to overcome is how close to the edge will Craven go? Every time you think he has reached his breaking point, the director, Martin Campbell, seems to pullback Craven leash. This gets frustrating after a while as it seems that all the truly interesting moments are being kept from the audience. It is as if Campbell needed to cut out the good stuff to ensure a regular running time. It is only in the last ten minutes of the film when we finally see the rabid dog inside Thomas cut loose. The sad part is that even that severely disappoints. The “action-packed” finale is nothing you have not seen in hundreds of movies before. Come to think of it, the most memorable moment in the entire film is when Gibson" goes to town" on a bookish environmental crusader who clearly has never been in a fight in his life. The mismatch of the two men is so absurd that you cannot help but laugh at the scene.

I know some will argue that the film is not about the action as much as it is about the moral dilemma within Gibson’s character. While I am sure the inner conflict that Craven, and several of the other characters , face is gripping in the six episode mini-series; it just does not work in a two hour film. Proof of this comes when you really look at how Campbell handles Gibson's character in the film. Martin Campbell tries really hard to justify Craven’s actions at the end of the film by making him witness and endure a lot of the evil things up to that point. Yet the question must be asked, is it really necessary to justify Craven's actions at all? A loss of a child is enough to make the average parent snap. Do we really need the shady corporation to do extremely dastardly things as well just so we can cheer for the hero?

Trying to moralize a person's violent action is a theme that runs throughout the picture. Whether it is Danny Huston’s Bennett perversely wondering what pain of losing a child feels like, or Winstone’s Darius philosophizing about his actions on the job, everyone is wrestling with something. Speaking of Ray Winstone, his superb acting talents are grossly wasted in the film. Darius Jedburgh spends the majority of the picture on the sidelines trying to figure out whose team he wants to play for. By time Darius does decide to make a statement it comes far too late and ultimately does not enhance the plot at all.

The only thing the Edge of Darkness did successfully was peak my interest in the original source material. I could see how the subject matter could be invigorating if given the length of a mini-series to flesh everything out properly. Sadly by truncating the series to fit a standard film running time, Edge of Darkness does not have enough depth or thrills to really make the impact that Campbell and Gibson hoped for.

Can You Dig it?: Total Film and Pitch the LAMB

First I off, I have to send out a big THANK YOU to the folks at the Total Film website. Total Film recently compiled a list of the 600 Movie Blogs You Might Have Missed and included this little blog in page 4 of their selections. I am not sure how I made such a comprehensive list, but I am appreciative nonetheless. Also, you will notice that several of the blogs I have listed in my links column, and that I "follow" through blogger, made the list as well. Be sure to stop by Total Film and review the full list; a lot of great blogs out there.

I also wanted to alert you to a new feature, Pitch the LAMB, I am working on over at The LAMB. Pitch the LAMB is a column that will not only be promoting movie blogs, but the creative minds behind them as well. Each month I will provide a movie genre and bloggers are encouraged to come up with a premise for a movie in that genre style. Movie blogger often spend so much time critiquing other writer's works, that we rarely get to indulge in our own creative plot writing talents. Now there is an outlet to express our talents. Remember, even famed movie critic Roger Ebert found time to come up plot for Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. Visit The LAMB for full details on Pitch the LAMB and other great features.

Upcoming films I am hoping to watch in the next week or so: Black Dynamite, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, The Messenger, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Best Films of 2009

The end of January officially means it is time to close off the best of 2009 list. As much as I strive to see every film (both good and bad), there is only so much I can squeeze in before the “Best of…” deadline. Here is my selection of the 10 films I enjoyed the most from 2009.

Best of 2009 (click on titles for full review)

10) (500) Days of Summer – This film has made as many “worst of 2009” list as it has “best of 2009.” Regardless, it has been a longtime since I have enjoyed a romantic comedy as much as I did this one.


9) Coraline – The best animated film of 2009 in my opinion. Yes the first half of Up is brilliant but the film quickly loses steam and becomes formulaic in the second half. Coraline was consistently good the entire way through. The story is far more original and took bigger risks than Pixar’s latest.


8) District 9 – Avatar was the film that wowed everyone with its stellar 3D visuals. Yet District 9 was the science fiction film that entertained me the most. The film featured a great story, an original premise, and dazzling special effects. All of which was done on a relatively small budget when compared to most blockbuster such as Avatar.


7) Polytechnique – Denis Villeneuve took a tragic event and managed to tell the story in a beautifully artistic way. Polytechnique is powerful while still managing to avoid sensationalizing such a horrific event.


6) A Serious Man – This brilliant dark comedy from The Coen Brothers just did not catch on with mainstream audiences. I still think it is one of the Coen’s Brothers better films in recent years. If you happen to miss it in theatres, make sure you catch it on DVD.


5) Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire – Raw, dark, and powerful. Whether you love it or hate it, there is no denying that the film features two of the finest female performances of 2009.


4) More Than A Game – A vastly underrated hidden gem. Not only one of the better documentaries to come out in 2009, but also one of the best sports documentaries to come out in a longtime.


3) Up in the Air – This film resonated with me on a very personal level. A great film that was lucky enough to hit theatres at just the right time.


2) Inglourious Basterds – Tarantino’s latest may have divided many but I still think it rivals his best works: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown.


1) Hunger – No other film impacted me the way Steve McQueen’s debut did. Hunger is a tough film to watch at times but also extremely rewarding. Michael Fassbender was merely good in Inglourious Basterds, but he is simply brilliant here.


Honorable Mention: Advertureland; Where the Wild Things Are; Tyson; The Hurt Locker; New York, I Love You; Pontypool; I Love You, Man; Star Trek, Treeless Mountain. Here is the full list of Big Thoughts From A Small Mind’s 2009 Reviews .

Want to see what other bloggers listed as their top 10 films of 2009? Be sure to keep and eye on The LAMB as they are currently compiling the definitive 2009 top ten list voted on by movie bloggers from around the globe.

Only Two Lovers? I Call That A Slow Night

Two Lovers

It is always fascinating to watch a director work with his/her acting muse. The bond that forms on screen is electrifying as both the director and the actor push each other in bold new creative directions. Martin Scorsese had it with Robert DeNiro from the seventies through to the nineties. Now Scorsese has it again with Leonardo Dicaprio. Other examples of this can be found in the pairings of: Woody Allen and Diane Keating and/or Mia Farrow, Hal Hartley and Martin Donovan; P.T. Anderson and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson, Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz, and the list goes on and on. For director James Gray, his muse is clearly Joaquin Phoenix as the two have worked together on three straight movies including Gray’s latest work, Two Lovers. The first thing that struck me about Two Lovers was how much of a departure it is from Gray’s earlier crime laden works: Little Odessa, The Yards (his strongest work to date), and We Own the Night (by far Gray’s weakest film).

Two Lovers looks at all the complications that arise as a result of being in love. In the film Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonard, a man who is so wounded by the demise of a previous relationship that he attempts to kill himself. After his failed suicide attempt, Leonard returns to his parents’ (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Moshonov) home, were he has been living for the last months, just in time for a dinner party. It is at this dinner where Leonard meets Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the daughter of the man who wants to buy the dry cleaning business from Leonard’s father. Sandra is clearly interested in Leonard and his love life may finally be back on the upswing. As luck would have it, Leonard meets Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), his new neighbor upstairs, the very next day. Leonard is instantly attracted to Michelle and feels that she may be “the one”. Like Leonard, Michelle is carrying a lot of emotional baggage of her own, including an affair with a married man (Elias Koteas). Can Leonard successfully juggle relationships with both women at the same time? Should he even be in a relationship in his current state? One thing is for sure, Leonard will soon learn the hardest lesson of love…that there are no easy answers.

While there are technically “two lovers” that Leonard must deal with, the film plays more like “one and a half lovers.” James Gray is far more compelled with the dynamics of Leonard and Michelle’s relationship than he is with Leonard and Sandra’s. Gray, and fellow writer Ric Menello, really strive to make Phoenix and Paltrow’s characters fully realized. We understand how Leonard’s bipolar tendencies often blind him to the reality of the situation. Leonard believes that, because they share love induced heartbreak, only he can truly see Michelle for the person she is. Similarly, with Michelle, we see that her desperation to be love by Ronald (Koteas), is leading her astray. She clings onto a romanticized version of love that does not quite exist. It is obvious that Ronald is bad for Michelle, just as Michelle is bad for Leonard.

The problem with paying so much attention to making Leonard and Michelle well rounded characters is that Sandra is left floating in the wind. Sandra really should be the spark that ignites the tension in the love triangle. Unfortunately, she becomes a rather forgettable character as Gray gives her no real arc whatsoever. Sandra is identical to Betty in Archie Comics. She is the good girl who will always be there; providing Archie to spend ample time with Veronica until things between the two go sour. Two Lovers would have benefitted greatly had James Gray developed the character of Sandra a lot further. Not only would it provide much deeper complexity to Leonard’s situation, but it would allow the final moments of the picture to resonate much more than it actually does.

As Sandra, Vinessa Shaw did a good job with what little she was given, but I got the sense that she would have really taken the character to a great place had she been given the chance. As a result, Two Lovers succeeds mainly on the work of Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow. Both actors do an admirable job keeping each other at the top of their game. There is also strong supporting work by Rossellini and Moshonov. The two really keep the parents grounded and realistic. They manage to be caring but never over barring, even when circumstances would force most parents to be.

Two Lovers is both compelling and uneven at times. It is a good movie that never fully lives up to its potential…just like some relationships.

A Number of Sins on this Journey

Sin Nombre

America has always been viewed as the land of hope and prosperity. It is the bench mark that many countries try to set themselves up to, and apart from. People often risk their lives attempting to get to America, but sometimes the journey there is just as harsh as the conditions they are traveling from. Cary Fukunaga's film, Sin Nombre,looks at both the physical and mental journey that some people take to get to the supposed promise land.

Willy (Edgar Flores), known as El Casper to most, is part of the Confetti gang in Mexico. One night El Casper, El Smiley (Kristyan Ferrer), and the leader of the Confetti gang, Lil' Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), attempt to rob stowaways on a train. One of the stowaways happens to be Sayra (Paulina Gaitán). Having travelled from Honduras through to Mexico with her father and uncle, Sayra is one of many Latin Americans on board the train hoping to sneak into America and start a new life. Unbeknownst to Willy, the decision he will ultimately make this night will change both his and Sayra's life forever.

There was a point in Sin Nombre where I thought the film would go off the rails. It was just after a key moment on the train, where Sayra's intervention helps Willy, when I thought "this film is going to go downhill". I could see how future scenes were going to play out, and to a certain extent they did just that. I will not lie, this movie is filled with clichéd moments. Still, I found myself, by the end, completely engulfed with Sin Nombre. I could not help but root for Willy and Sayra despite knowing, deep down, what their outcome most likely would be. Cary Fukunaga provided just enough of both the Willy/Sayra story and the illegal immigrant tale to keep my interest throughout.

Although Fukunaga often juxtaposes hardships of gang life with the plight of fleeing Latin American, this is a redemption tale first and foremost. The theme of redemption is everywhere in the film. El Casper is the misguided soul who must atone for his sins several times throughout the picture. Whether he is taking his lumps from his fellow gang members for lying to Lil' Mago; taking his lumps in a hostel for wearing the trademark gang teardrop; Willy is constantly reminded of, and paying for, his sins. Even Sayra remarks in the film that a fortune teller said she would be delivered to the USA "not in God's hand but in the hands of the devil". Yet can redemption be achieve by using one illegal act, such as helping Sayra sneak into the US, to cancel out another?

It is only throughWilly's journey to salvation do we really get a true glimpse of the illegal immigrants plight in Central America. Fukanaga shows that the Latin Americans who stowaway on trains, not in but on top of, have to deal with many hardships along their journey. Not only must they keep a constant watch for border patrol but also: local gangs who want rob them, rock throwing villagers who consider them traitors for trying to leave, harsh weather conditions, and limited access to food and water. The hope and faith of their journey is embodied in the character of Sayra. Though Fukanaga points out in the film that the odds of making into America alive are slim; and even within the United States an illegal immigrant will never truly be safe.

Both Edgar Flores and Paulina Gaitán are charismatic enough to keep you interested in their budding friendship. They are the real standouts, acting wise, in the picture. They somehow find a way to transcend the formulaic aspects of the script. The clichés in the story are what hold Sin Nombre back at times. It is during these moments were the movie plays like a lighter version of City of God with a sprinkle of Y Tu Mamá También mixed in. In regards to the latter, this is more in terms of how Fukunaga uses the immigrant climate in Mexico as the backdrop of Willey and Sayra's journey. Still, despite its flaws, there was enough in Sin Nombre that warrants a viewing.

Polytechnique Exams A Killer

Polytechnique

There is often debate over what real-life events should and should not be covered on film. Regardless of whether the subject is war, genocide, rape, or murder, the fact that it is based on actual events takes away from the escapist element of cinema. This is why films, such as Denis Villeneuve’s Polytechnique, often face a slew of harsh criticisms even before they are released. While some may feel that making a film based on real-life tragedy is insensitive to the victims and their families who lived through it; if done right, these films can serve as a reminder of how important it is to never forget what mankind is capable of.

Polytechnique is a dramatization of the 1989 Montreal Massacre where Marc Lépine (Maxim Gaudette) killed 14 female engineering students, and wounded 14 other people (including 4 men), at the Polytechnic School of Montreal. The narrative of the films follows three individuals on that deadly day and the impact the massacre had on their lives. After the startling opening, we are introduced to Lépine as he is prepping his semi-automatic weapon and preparing his suicide note. Lépine’s note reveals his deep hatred of the feminist movement and how he felt women were destroying man’s role in society. The second person of note in the film is Valerie (Karine Vanasse), an engineering student who is struggling to overcome the confines that come with being a woman in a male dominated profession. Lastly we meet Jean-François (Sébastine Huberdeau), an engineering student who initially thinks that getting a grasp on the course material would be the hardest thing he would have to deal with on this day.

The film is sparse on dialogue but extremely powerful. Director Denis Villeneuve provides just enough dialogue to make his characters rounded enough for us to care about. All it takes is a few well chosen scenes to give us all we need to know about Valerie and Jean-François. The killer never really utters a single word in the film. All of his dialogue comes courtesy of the “voiceovers” when he is writing his suicide notes. Villeneuve skillfully uses other avenues, such as a class presentation on entropy, to provide a better understanding of Léger’s unstable nature.

While the actors do a terrific job in the film, it is Villeneuve who deserves the most praise. His previous films, 32nd Day of August on Earth and Maelstrom, one of my all-time favourite Canadian films, already proved that Denis Villeneuve was a talented director. Yet Villeneuve has truly outdone himself with Polytechnique. The film is both startling and beautiful all at the same time. Villeneuve’s film, similar to another stellar 2009 film, Hunger, is artistic without sensationalizing the horrific event.

I am sure many will see similarities in tone to Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, which I saw at TIFF. a few years back, but I think Polytechnique far surpasses that film. Villeneuve’s film, similar to the Montreal Massacre itself, will stay in our conscious for many years to come. Polytechnique is easily one of the best films of 2009.

Worst Films of 2009

In preparation for my favourite films of 2009 list, which will be in the next few weeks, I thought I would take look at the pictures that annoyed me the most this year.

10) Observe and Report – I liked it better when it was called Taxi Driver. Sadly this is not the only mall related film to make this esteemed list.



9) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Robot Heaven, jive talking cars, a female terminator…did I mention robot heaven?



8) The Limits of Control – I really love Jarmusch’s other works, which is why this film was such a big disappointment for me.



7) Drag Me To Hell – Look, I enjoy Sam Rami’s horror classics as much as the next guy. Heck, I even went to see the Evil Dead Musical when it came to town. Yet trying to recapture that campy low budget feel through a big budget production just does not work.



6) 12 Rounds – This made Walking Tall look like Shakespeare…Walking Tall!!! Aidan Gillen goes from the sensation series, The Wire, to this? Gillen deserves better, Hollywood.



5) Push – As a comic book, video game, or a television series the premise is great. As a movie, on the other hand, this is an unsalvageable mess. Push way too much stuff into this film.



4) My Bloody Valentine 3D – Thanks, Avatar. Now certain movies will not just be awful…they will be awful in three dimensions.



3) X-Men Origins: Wolverine – X2 was great. X-men: Last Stand was awful. Which one would you assume Hollywood would follow?…yep, they fooled me as well. To prolong the pain even further, Deadpool is getting his own spinoff.



2) Bride Wars – Number 2 by a hair…or bridal tiara. This film was offensive beyond belief and single handedly set feminism back a few centuries…and this is coming for a male. Worst of all, Hathaway goes from being on my best of 2008 list, for Rachel Getting Married, to the worst of 2009 list. Hudson can take solace in the fact that she has now made my worst list two years running.



1) Paul Blart: Mall Cop – What is with Hollywood’s obsession with mall security guards? Is this really the last sect of the population whose stories have yet to be told? It was a close call for the number one spot but Paul came out on top.



Runners-Up: He’s Just Not That Into You, The Box, Race to Witch Mountain, A Christmas Carol 3D