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CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS Not since Jingle All the Way has there been a Yuletide film as fascistic -- or as odious -- as this dreck about a couple (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) whose decision to skip Christmas draws revulsion from those around them. Simply on a comedic level, this is wretched, but dig deeper and you'll find a repugnant yarn whose idea of morality wouldn't be out of place at the Nuremberg rallies. The Kranks aren't allowed to think or act for themselves lest they upset the suburban status quo, and the intrusive, overbearing, conformist neighbors are depicted as heroes for converting the pair to their narrow-minded way of thinking. This is sure to become a holiday staple around the Bush-Cheney White House for the next four years, but thoughtful citizens who believe in freedom of choice without persecution will see right through this turkey and reject its unsettling -- and decidedly un-American -- overtures. 
FINDING NEVERLAND Almost one year after being treated to a delightful live-action version of Peter Pan, we now get a fanciful tale that seeks to explain how playwright J.M. Barrie initially came up with the idea for this children's classic. What ends up on the screen is as much fiction as fact (probably more so), but it's the sort of moving saga that will make audiences wish this was the way it really happened. A gentle Johnny Depp is just right as Barrie, whose inspiration comes from a widow (Kate Winslet) and her four sons, particularly the moody Peter (Freddie Highmore). Director Marc Forster (Monster's Ball) and scripter David Magee have made a film full of warmth and wit.
THE INCREDIBLES Writer-director Brad Bird refreshingly panders to no demographic, meaning that we're left with a, well, incredible animated tale that's more than just another superhero yarn. The bulk of the comic relief comes from costume designer Edna Mode, an Edith Head caricature voiced by Bird himself; the drama comes from the Incredibles, presented as the modern American family that's expected to conform to the societal status quo (i.e., blend with the bland) rather than champion its own uniqueness. The domestic conflicts triggered by their suburban ennui give way to an acceptance of their individuality and, consequently, an ability to pool their resources as both crime fighters and family members. It's emotional without being sticky-sweet, and just one of the reasons why this gem, for all its kid-friendly sops, feels like one of the most mature movies currently gracing theaters. 1/2
NATIONAL TREASURE There's a certain crazy appeal to the central thrust of this Jerry Bruckheimer production, which suggests that George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and other Founding Fathers did such an exemplary job of hiding a sizable bounty that the only way to find it is to use the map hidden on the Declaration of Independence. Yet while the film strives for the breathless pace of a matinee cliffhanger, it's too clumsy, too flat-footed, to generate anything more substantial than glazed-over glances in the general direction of the screen. It's better than typical Bruckheimer junk like Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, but it has no sense of pace or style, and it finds Nicolas Cage (as the do-gooder trying to protect the treasure from greedy foreigners) sleepwalking through yet another undemanding part.
THE POLAR EXPRESS When it comes to animated features, how human is too human? This expansion of Chris Van Allsburg's children's book takes it to the next level, using cutting-edge computer technology to place its characters within throwing distance of real life. Unfortunately, the result is rather creepy, with the "humans" coming off as slick automatons; just call this The Stepford Movie. Also call it dull, derivative, and lacking the sense of magic that informs all of the great Christmas flicks. A "Harry Potter meets Scrooge" hodgepodge enacted on a plateau of plasticity, this yarn about a train that takes doubting kids to meet Santa is distressingly flat. Many will hail it as a Christmas classic, but a better bet for seasonal cheer would be a screening of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians under the influence of heavily spiked eggnog.
RAY Just how good is Jamie Foxx's central performance in Ray? Let's just say that without him, this new biopic about music legend Ray Charles would possess only marginally more value than a film about Tiffany or The Village People. Director Taylor Hackford wastes a lot of time going over the same material, focusing largely on Ray's drug use and womanizing ways yet ending the movie before we get to see the musician as humanitarian, as elder statesman, as soulful survivor. Still, it's easy to overlook the flaws in the storytelling with Foxx commanding our attention in virtually every scene. Much more than Will Smith as Ali or Anthony Hopkins as Nixon, the actor loses himself so thoroughly in the role that it's impossible to tell where Ray Charles ends and Jamie Foxx begins. It's a real barn burner of a performance, mesmerizing enough to keep Ray on my mind.
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