Opening in theaters this week is a little bit of everything: comedy, drama, action, and docudrama. There should be something for almost every taste, as the holiday movie season gets into full swing.

Cadillac Records portrays the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists during the 1950s in Chicago, where there were many racial boundaries within the music business, and when the cross over from Blues to Rock ‘n Roll was just beginning to take off.  The film stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, the record company’s founder, who started his label by selling albums out of the trunk of his Cadillac. He then went on to help launch the careers of soul singer Etta James (Beyonce Knowles), blues musician Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), guitarists and harmonica players, Howlin’ Wolf (Eammonn Walker) and Little Walter (Columbus Short), blues singer/songwriter Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer), and one of the pioneers of Rock and Roll music, Chuck Berry (Mos Def).  The film is written and directed by Darnell Martin (I Like it Like That), and the film is expected to do well based on the casting of real musicians. 

Extreme Movie is a feature length comedy that is packed with today’s hottest comedic talent. Michael Cera (Superbad, Juno), Ryan Pinkston (Punk’d), Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle), and Jamie Kennedy (Kickin’ it Old School) all star in this humorous look at teen sex. Audiences should respond well to the big names headlining the flick, and segments of the film are written by Saturday Night Live’s Will Forte, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. Although, we hope this is Not Another Teen Movie.

Punisher: War Zone is a fresh start after 2004’s The Punisher, which is based on Marvel Comics vigilante character, The Punisher.  ritish actor Ray Stevenson replaces Thomas Jane this time around, but Lions Gate Entertainment is still the distributing studio. Punisher was a flop, widely panned by critics and grossing a worldwide total of only $54.7 million. Frank Castle. a.k.a. The Punisher, has waged a one-man war against organized crime, primary to eliminate mob boss Billy Russotic (Dominic West).  After Castle injures Russotic, the mob boss sets out for revenge with his new alias, Jigsaw. The Punisher must stop Jigsaw in order for justice to be served.

Nobel Son was screened during the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and was picked up by Freestyle Releasing for theatrical release. It follows a dysfunctional family in which the father, Eli Michaelson, wins the Nobel Prize. On the eve of receiving the award, his son Barkley is kidnapped. The kidnappers demand $2 million of the Nobel Prize money, and Eli refuses to pay it. And thus, the plot begins unraveling a tale of deception and revenge.

Hunger is the story of 27-year-old Irish Republican Army volunteer, Bobby Sands who starved himself during the 1981 hunger strike in protest of Britain’s rule. The story takes a personal look at Sand’s life and shows just how strong his convictions and those of the other nine hunger strikers at Ireland’s Prison Maze really were. This is the first feature film by director Steve McQueen, an English artist, known for his abstract short films usually portrayed in art galleries. Hunger may not be an easy film to watch, or very uplifting, but it tells an important story of men who struggled for what they believed in. Hunger opens in limited release this week, so don’t be alarmed if it’s not in your area just yet.

Frost/Nixon is based on the play written by Peter Morgan that appeared at the Donmar Warehouse theatre in 2006 in London. The play has now been adapted into a feature film directed by Ron Howard. The film follows a series of interviews between British TV broadcaster David Frost and President Richard Nixon in 1977, three years after he resigned the presidency, in which Nixon eventually admits his guilt in the Watergate Scandal. The film also delivers a behind the scenes look at Nixon’s resignation speech. The two stars of the London and Broadway play productions return to star in the movie, Michael Sheen, as Frost, and Frank Langella, as Nixon. Frost/Nixon opens in select theaters this week, with a wider release on Christmas Day.

 —Jessica Delli Santi