Stephen Whitty on Film

A blog from the Star-Ledger's movie critic

PHOTOS BY ERIC LIEBOWITZ Adrien Brody is label owner Leonard Chess, and Jeffrey Wright is Muddy Waters in "Cadillac Records."

Cadillac Records (R) TriStar (109 min.) Directed by Darnell Martin. With Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyonce Knowles. Opens Friday at theaters in New Jersey. TWO AND A HALF STARS

No other popular music comes as directly, painfully from the soul.

Rock'n' roll has the adrenaline rush of parties and rebellion. Jazz is all intellect and quicksilver creativity. But the blues? The blues are messy. The blues are raw. The blues are pain.

RALPH NELSONFrank Langella stars as president Richard Nixon, left, and Michael Sheen, portrays TV personality David Frost in "Frost/Nixon."

Frost/Nixon( R) Universal (122 min.) Directed by Ron Howard. With Frank Langella, Michael Sheen. Opens Friday at theaters in New York. THREE AND A HALF STARS

When an absolute leader falls, he falls absolutely.

And there is a ritual. The self-righteous, late-night address to the people who don't deserve him anyway. The emotional, morning-after goodbyes to a tearful retinue of faithful servants. And then, the private helicopter, the unrepentant wave -- and the flight to wealthy exile in a palace by the sea.

Jason Statham's "Transporter" character has a secret

Louis Letterier, one of the forces behind the "Transporter" franchise, has a surprise for fans of that bare-knuckle, brute-force series.

Its hero is actually gay.

ANGELA JIMENEZ/FOR THE STAR-LEDGERFrank Langella at the Ritz-Carlton New York on Central Park South in New York City

On Broadway, he's currently starring in "A Man for all Seasons" as Thomas More, the stubbornly principled British statesman whom millions revere as a literal saint.

In movie theaters, he's about to appear in "Frost/Nixon" as Richard Nixon, the elastically moral American president whom millions revile as an irredeemable villain.

But Frank Langella's approach to creating each character doesn't differ.

(MGM)Cruise's "Valkyrie": Don't count it out yet, insists studio.

One of the pleasures -- and surprises -- of this job is that you never know who's reading your stories online. The last few weeks, for example, brought responses to things I wrote from Robert Davi (not favorable) and Kate Winslet's agent (quite pleased).

And then there was the rejoinder to the thoughts I'd posted the other day that the lack of early screenings for "Valkyrie" -- making it ineligible for various end-of-year critical awards -- suggested a certain lack of optimism from its studio.

Not so, a studio representative quickly answered.

(MGM)Cruising for a bruising: "Valkyrie" isn't counting on awards

Late word that "Valkyrie" - the ballyhooed, then bad-buzzed, and much-delayed World War II epic with Tom Cruise - will not be screening to junket journalists until Dec 12, or to regular critics before Dec 15.

Seems timely, you might think, considering the film doesn't open until Dec. 26. Except those screening dates actually send a subtle, but very clear message of defeat.

NEW LINEVince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon in the romantic comedy "Four Christmases."

Four Christmases (PG-13) Warner Bros. (89 min.) Directed by Seth Gordon. With Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon. Opens Wednesday in theaters throughout New Jersey.TWO STARS

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Five siblings sniping. Four parents fighting. Three rivals wrestling. Two babies puking. And a huge case of anxiety.

That's the set-up for "Four Christmases," anyway.

FOCUS FEATURESSean Penn in "Milk."

Milk (R) Focus (128 min.) Directed by Gus Van Sant. With Sean Penn, Josh Brolin. Opens Wednesday at theaters in New York and the Ritz 16 in Voorhees. THREE AND A HALF STARS

When he got involved in politics, people told him he didn't have a chance. An activist and community organizer, he lacked the legislative history, long-time allies and establishment backing successful candidates needed. His speeches about "hope" were nice. But what he really needed to do was wait.

But Harvey Milk was in a hurry.

20TH CENTURY FOXNicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in "Australia."

Songs have a holy place in Aboriginal culture. They have almost as sacred a spot in the work of Australian director Baz Luhrmann.

He has staged several operas, and his films -- "Strictly Ballroom," "Romeo + Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge" -- are shot through with music, whether they're traditional musicals or not. "Australia," his latest -- and biggest -- is the first to be conceived as a straight drama.

(SUMMIT)Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart take to the trees in "Twilight"

It's a feeding frenzy.

"Twilight", the new tween vampire movie, brought out $70 million worth of fang-fans this weekend. "True Blood" has its own cult on HBO; "Let the Right One In," a Scandinavian import about pubescent bloodsuckers, is winning unanimous critical raves. Chain bookstores have begun to devote entire display tables to books about parasitical detectives, thirsty high-schoolers and medieval immortals.

Dracula and his brood are back - and the whole world, it seems, has gone blood simple. But why vampires? And why now?

FOXNicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in "Australia."

Have yourself a very little Christmas.

That's what millions of recession-battered American are thinking as they head into the holiday season. Time to cut back and shop smart, narrow things down to essentials and best buys.

And that applies to entertainment, too.

And so, just as Hollywood is getting ready for its busiest, most prestigious month of releases, audiences are looking at the price of tickets (and crush of time) and thinking ... maybe I'll wait for the DVD.

(PARAMOUNT VANTAGE)DiCaprio and Winslet: Titanic troubles on "Revolutionary Road"

I am supposed to be more measured than this.

The year is not over yet. And as many movies as I am cramming in, as quickly as I can -- eight this week, and it's only just past one on Thursday, excuse me, Friday -- there are still more to come.

But let me, as Shakespeare's witches advised, be bloody, bold and resolute -- and predict right now that this year's best-actress Oscar is going to go to Kate Winslet for "Revolutionary Road."