La Voz

Apocalypto; R, 125mins, 2006: Mel Gibson is back behind the camera, giving us his interpretation of the fall of the Mayan Empire. This film looks a lot more striking and allegorical than his past films. It has been shooting in southern Mexico over the past year, in the native Mayan language with a cast of unknowns.

With invading foreign forces coming into Mayan culture, a man named Jaguar Paw is selected to be a human sacrifice for the Gods. He escapes and we follow him on his brutal journey back home. It's already a hit with the Latino pre-screened audiences; at least Gibson is liked by one ethnical culture in the world. Blood Diamond; R, 143mins, 2006: This is a buddy movie with a political angle, taking place during the Sierra Leone civil war of the 1990s. African mined diamonds were sold to international diamond merchants for money and guns were supplied to African warlords. This film is already making such diamond supplies like DeBeers and others scrabble to political comment line.

The story here is Leonardo DiCaprio is a South African mercenary helping Djimon Housou, who is a West African farmer. Housou finds a rare pink diamond "The Blood Diamond" that he has hidden for protection from violent mercenaries. These to men travel torn areas of Sierra Leone to retrieve the diamond. This could either be both men's salvation out of the war torn area or their deaths. Jennifer Connelly plays a journalist that accompanies the characters on their quest. This film could turn into a movie with big actors in foreign locations like Tom Cruise in "The Last Samurai" or into a movie with big named actors making an actual point. Directed by Edward Zwick director of "Glory" and "The Last Samurai."

The History Boys; R, 109mins, 2006: Based upon England's Tony Award Winning play, this stage-to-screen adaptation is right off the cover with the same actors, director, and playwright. The only thing changing are the camera angles. The movie is about several bright but bored prep-school students try to graduate and get into Cambridge or Oxford. With the help of an old-school but liberal teacher, they pass through the year of sex, sports, and exams.

This film has been in limited release for the past month in larger cities and is now making its way to the San Jose area.

The Holiday; PG-13, 135min, 2006: A romantic comedy set in United States and United Kingdom. Starring Cameron Diaz as a klutzy blond American and Kate Winslet as a witty British brunette both unsatisfied with love. They decide to switch places for the Christmas holidays; Diaz goes to the U.K. and Winslet comes to the U.S. Diaz meets Jude Law, a dashing Englishman and in the Winslet meets Jack Black as a brassy party animal American while in the U.S. Typecasting ensues.

No wonder Nancy Myers the writer, producer, and director of the film had these actors in mind while writing the script. It'll probably be a cute, sweet, and (like all other romantic comedies) predicable. Intended for the same crowd that enjoyed "What Women Want" and "Something's Gotta Give." By the looks of it, the movie will be running way longer than is should.

Unaccompanied Minors; PG, 92mins, 2006: No one asked for "Santa Clause 3," or "Deck the Halls." Now the line of unwanted holiday movies for 2006 continues. I would go see "The Holiday" before I see this movie. The title explains the whole premise of preteen kids snowbound at the Chicago airport. Lewis Black plays a grumpy old security guard that's trying to stop them from running amuck in the airport. Wilmer Valderama from "That 70's Show" plays the kids' airport gardenia and Tyler Williams James from "Everybody Hates Chris" is one of kids. If you think about it the title is a little creepy.

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