2008 Winter Movie Guide

The Pitch
Adapted from Nechama Tec's nonfiction account, this true story follows three Jewish brothers who flee German-occupied Poland in 1941, heading deep into the dense Belarusian forest. From that bastion, with the help of Russian resistance fighters, these heroes try to save as many Jews as possible, harassing Nazi forces whenever they can.

The Scoop
A superfluity of good intentions cannot disguise the mediocrity of writer-director Zwick's filmmaking. Despite raves from soft-hearted liberals, "Blood Diamond" (2006) was as schematic as Paul Haggis' "Crash," and equally given to easy sermonizing. Zwick gravitates to big, heroic subject matter, from "Glory" (1989) to "The Last Samurai" (2003), and "Defiance" certainly suits his tastes to a T. Craig and Schreiber can both be counted on to deliver strong performances, so there's a chance "Defiance" could defy the odds -- and its director's earnestness -- to become an authentic picture of European Jews who refused to die as victims.

The Pitch
The powerful and mysterious Ozunu Clan raises Raizo as a deadly assassin, but when they kill his best friend, the gang is instantly targeted for revenge, ninja-style.

The Scoop
Nope, it's not anime, but live action brought to you courtesy of James McTeigue, the clueless fellow who helmed the lackluster duo "The Invasion" and "V for Vendetta." (The Wachowski brothers are producing, but that's not likely to electrify what hits the screen.) A Korean pop star cutely called Rain -- he made a brief, forgettable appearance in "Speed Racer" -- plays the vengeful ninja. A blathering Box Office Prophet opines that "Ninja Assassin" is basically "The Bourne Identity" meets "Eastern Promises" -- whatever that means!

The Pitch
Graphic-novel vengeance-machine Frank Castle is back, still beating on bad guys big-time. After Castle wrecks mobster Billy Russoti's face, plastic surgery can't quite fit the pieces back together -- and Russoti metamorphoses into the monstrous Jigsaw. Now somebody besides the Punisher wants revenge.

The Scoop
As a onetime karate and kickboxing champion, director Lexi Alexander's no stranger to physical punishment. Former Punisher Thomas Jane's gone, but Ray Stevenson, the big foot soldier who stole the show in TV's "Rome" miniseries, has stepped up to the plate. And we can look forward to a wicked-bad villain, played by Dominic West, once cocky Jimmy McNulty, the perennial screwup on "The Wire." The gents are joined by Julie Benz, the main squeeze of serial killer "Dexter" and the sexy vamp who "sired" Angel in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," then gave birth to his son in "Angel." Could be a very kinky ménage-à-trois!

The Pitch
After his beloved Vesper's death, 007 (Craig) tracks down one of those invisible, incredibly complex organizations that has somehow enmeshed the world in its villainous web. Hooking up with another bereaved and vengeful soul (Kurylenko), James Bond travels to Austria, Italy and South America to unmask QUANTUM's head honcho (Amalric), a smooth-as-silk megalomaniac plotting to take control of the world's most indispensable natural resource.

The Scoop
The best Bond since Sean Connery is back, custom-tailoring thuggery in sexy elegance. High-powered Eurostars -- Ukrainian beauty Kurylenko and Almaric, the superb French actor most recently featured in Julian Schnabel's Oscar-nommed "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" -- have been imported to replace the exotic Eva Green and Mads Mikkelsen from "Casino Royale." So lean back and inhale the heady Bond brew: tuxedos and martinis, veiled threats and arch repartee, delicious intrigue and mayhem on the grand scale.

The Pitch
An ex-CIA operative (Neeson) now bodyguards pop stars, while looking out for his own 17-year-old daughter (Grace). On a Paris vacation, the kid gets snatched into sexual slavery and dad launches a take-no-prisoners assault on the bad guys, leaving parts of the City of Lights in ruins.

The Scoop
Morel's a cinematographer ("The Transporter") turned director, who's been collaborating with writer-director Luc "The Fifth Element" Besson (see last year's wild-and-woolly action flick "Banlieue 13," aka "District B13"). Released in February in France, "Taken" racked up ecstatic reviews from fans of well-crafted mayhem and fist-to-the-solar-plexus fight sequences. Best of all, it's got Neeson, an actor who authenticates any role, even a vengeful dad with superhero moves -- after all, the handsome Irish lad was once Sam Raimi's "Darkman"!

The Pitch
FedEx hires Frank Martin (Statham), onetime British Special Forces ace, to make an urgent delivery. Just kidding! You know the drill: This ultra-tough deliveryman takes on dangerous jobs that involve a humungous amount of shooting, martial arts, racetrack-style driving, and maybe a little sex.

The Scoop
The "Transporter" franchise is all about Statham, the former championship diver and fashion model who got his acting break in Guy Ritchie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998). Super-ripped and balding, this action star projects unshakeable self-confidence and unblinking commitment to whatever nonsense the script comes up with (see especially the recent remake of "Death Race"). But action movies can be undone by lousy direction, and it's worrisome that Louis Letterier (2002's "Transporter 2"; 2008's "The Incredible Hulk") has been replaced by largely unknown Olivier Megaton -- could he be a distant relation of the "Transformers" Megatron? Just askin'.