Chattanooga Pulse

As we head into the holiday season, Hollywood has prepared a feast of the imagination—and this year, it looks like there is something for everyone. We’ve picked four upcoming films to preview. You might love them all, or perhaps only one fires your synapses. In any case, it looks like on of the more interesting line-ups of recent years.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol. In his apparent attempt to appear in every Christmas classic ever written, Jim Carrey returns to holiday fare in Robert Zemeckis’s Disney’s A Christmas Carol. Carrey plays not only Ebenezer Scrooge in the 3-D film made with the same process as The Polar Express, but Ghosts Past, Present and Future as well. Colin Firth and Gary Oldman also star. Will either be fabulous or a very expensive turkey. Opens November 6.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox. The combo of director Wes Anderson and the dark children’s tale of Roald Dahl is intriguing, to say the least. The “claymation”-style adds yet another dimension. The film tells the story of Mr. Fox and his “hen heckling, turkey taking and cider sipping, nocturnal, instinctive adventures.” This story has been made into a successful opera, so we’ll see what Anderson does with it. Opens November 25.

Avatar. A hotly awaited return from director Jim Cameron, Avatar is said to have been “ten years in the making.” Set in the future, the story follows a paraplegic war veteran who is brought to another planet that is inhabited by a humanoid race with their own language and culture. We love that Cameron has cast that veteran of interplanetary scariness, Sigourney Weaver.  Opens December 18.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. An even-more-hotly-awaited (and boy, have we awaited) return, this one from director Terry Gilliam. The fact that it is also the final appearance of Heath Ledger has fans panting, and it doesn’t hurt that it also stars Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and musician Tom Waits. Described as a “fantastical morality tale, set in the present day,” the film follows Dr. Parnassus and his Imaginarium, a traveling show where members of the audience get an opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Opens December 25 in limited release only, so call your local theaters and request that we get it here.