According to: Selina
20 – Holmes &
Watson (12/21)
Tag Line: They don’t
have a clue.
Production Company:
Columbia Pictures Corporation, Gary Sanchez Productions, Mimran Schur Pictures,
Mosaic Media Group
Director: Etan
Cohen
Writer: Etan
Cohen, Arthur Conan Doyle
Actors: Will
Ferrell, Kelly Macdonald, Ralph Fiennes, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Lauren
Lapkus, Noah Jupe, Hugh Laurie, Pam Ferris, Steve Coogan, Wolf Roth, Rob
Brydon, Bella Ramsey, Clare Foster, Bronson Webb, Adam Scherr, Billy Jenkins,
Scarlet Grace, Hector Bateman-Harden, Laura Stevely, Paul Cassidy, Ella Bright,
David Shackleton, Codie-Lei Eastick
Genre: Adventure,
Comedy, Crime
Rated: NR
Length: Unknown
IMDb Blurb: A humorous take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic
mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
I really didn’t want to add this film to my list. I’m not a
Will Ferrell (Daddy’s Home, Get Hard, The
Lego Movie) fan and, although I can enjoy John C. Reilly (Wreck-It-Ralph, Chicago, Anger Management)
for the most part, the moment you pair him with Ferrell I’m just not on board
anymore.
On top of that, I think it’s a dumb interpretation of the Sherlock
Holmes story.
That said, I know this movie is just not something geared
toward my sense of humor. I understand why others might enjoy it. So, it’s on
the list. Despite being lowest common denominator on almost every aspect of the
film.
Except where it cast Ralph Fiennes (The Grant Budapest Hotel, Skyfall, In Bruges) as Moriarty. I can
see that.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything better to add in its
place.
19 – Clara’s
Ghost (12/6)
Tag Line: Family can
be haunting.
Production Company:
Smudge Films, Nighthorse Productions, Irony Point
Director: Bridey
Elliott
Writer: Bridey
Elliott
Actors: Paula
Niedert Elliott, Chris Elliott, Abby Elliott, Bridey Elliott, Haley Joel
Osment, Isidora Goreshter, Bella Bracken, Josh Fadem
Genre: Comedy, Drama,
Family
Rated: NR
Length: 80
minutes
IMDb Blurb: Set over the course of a single evening in the
Reynolds family home in suburban Connecticut, Clara's Ghost tells the story of
Clara Reynolds who, fed up with constant ribbing from her self-absorbed showbiz
family, finds solace in and guidance from the supernatural force she believes is
haunting her.
Even after watching the trailer, I’m not entirely sure what
to expect from this film. It looks like a funny kind of horror.
The most I can honestly say I might expect is some cringe in
with the jump scares and a lot of family-based humor.
Even not knowing what to really expect from the movie, I can
say that the trailer does look amusing enough to make me want to know more –
which is what the purpose of a trailer is. If it makes you want to see the
movie, for any reason, then it’s successful.
I can’t really put to words exactly why this one caught me,
but it undoubtedly did.
18 – Second Act (12/21)
Tag Line: Her
talent was real. Her resume was not.
Production Company:
STX Entertainment
Director: Peter
Segal
Writer: Justin
Zackham, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
Actors: Vanessa
Hudgens, Milo Ventimiglia, Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini, Freddie Stroma,
Charlyne Yi, Treat Williams, Dave Foley, Larry Miller, Natasha Romanova, Annaleigh
Ashford, Dan Bucatinsky, Elizabeth Masucci, Alan Aisenberg, Dalton Harrod, John
James Cronin, Dierdre Friel, Anna Suzuki, Phil Nee, Meng Ai
Genre: Comedy,
Romance
Rated: PG-13
Length: 103
minutes
IMDb Blurb: A big box store worker reinvents her life and her
life-story and shows Madison Avenue what street smarts can do.
It’s possible this is going to be a kind of basic rom-com.
That said, I’m seeing little bits and pieces of the trailer
that indicates it could be a part of the ‘Set
it Up (2018) effect’. There’s a decent director along with a decent cast.
When you add to that the small bits of the trailer that indicate it’s not going
to be all meet-cutes and last-second kisses… it really does seem like it’s
possible there’s some depth behind the tropes.
Between the fact that it seems like the main character
starts off married – with no other suitors appearing in the trailer – and the
story seems to be concentrating on her career rather than her love life, there’s
hope.
If anything, Second
Act seems more like a love story between a woman and herself.
17 – Slay Belles
(12/4)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Epic Pictures
Director: Dan
Walker
Writer: Jessica
Luhrssen, Dan Walker
Actors: Barry
Bostwick, Kristina Klebe, Susan Slaughter, Hannah Wagner, Stephen Ford, Diane
Salinger, Joel Ezra Hebner, Richard Holl, Rich Manley, Blake Reigle, Larry L.
Andrews, Jarrod Burris, Matt Eskew, Diane Ayala Goldner, Clayton Keller, Folsom
Keller
Genre: Adventure,
Horror, Comedy
Rated: NR
Length: 77
minutes
IMDb Blurb: It's Christmas Eve, and three cosplaying women come
across the malevolent Christmas demon Krampus. The girls must team up with
Santa Claus himself to battle the creature and save the world.
Personally? I’m super looking forward to seeing this movie,
but that’s my own strange personal taste. For a B-movie, the effects look
pretty decent and I love horror/comedy B-level films.
At the very least, I’m hoping this will be a case of
laughter saving the movie. At best? It could be cult classic quality.
Quite frankly, I expect it to go more toward the latter. The
director is not entirely unheard of. Dan Walker (Spookshow, Midnight Ride, Cabaret of the Dead) is on my radar for
several reasons. He was a producer for The
Devil’s Carnival (2012) – a horror/musical that I watched for Trust the
Dice a while back that I really enjoyed. He was also in the visual effects
department for Slither (2006) –
another damn good film.
It’s true that I don’t know his directorial work at all, but
his inclusion on the aforementioned movies does make me think he could very
well go down the same road.
On top of all that, Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, The Devil’s Carnival, Tales of
Halloween) the director of the cult classic Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) is credited as executive producer
for Slay Belles. I feel like that’s
another bonus.
I’m willing to chance it.
16 – Tyrel (12/5)
Tag Line: When
you’re the only one.
Production Company:
Front Row Filmed Entertainment, Magnolia Pictures
Director: Sebastián
Silva
Writer: Sebastián
Silva
Actors: Christopher
Abbott, Trust Arancio, Nicolas Arze, Max Born, Roddy Bottum, Reg E. Cathey,
Michael Cera, Ann Dowd, Philip Ettinger, Olivia Gilliatt, Caleb Landry Jones,
Jason Mitchell, Michael Zegen
Genre: Comedy,
Drama
Rated: NR
Length: 86
minutes
IMDb Blurb: Tyrel, a sole black man, attends an otherwise
all-white weekend of drunken bro debauchery on a birthday trip to a cabin in
the Catskills.
On one hand, this film looks great. On the other hand, it
looks like it’s trying really hard to be Get
Out (2017) while overly relying on liberal vs. conservative politics.
One of the great things about Get Out is that it got its point across without relying too heavily
on the politics of the time and just concentrated on human nature and racial
relations – weaving it in with an amazing story. Here, the trailer immediately
goes to a radio clip about Trump’s inauguration controversy.
I hate Trump, but I also believe that trying to use his
bullshit to manipulate an audience to feel one way or another about your film
is just obnoxious.
That was a misstep in my opinion. If it didn’t look like Tyrel was going to rely that heavily on
the politics of right now, it’d be higher on the list.
15 – Hospitality
(12/7)
Tag Line: Trouble
comes knocking.
Production Company:
Kandoo Films
Director: Nick
Chakwin, David Guglielmo
Writer: Nick
Chakwin, David Guglielmo
Actors:
Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jim Beaver, JR Bourne, Sam Trammell, Conner McVicker
Genre: Thriller
Rated: NR
Length: 80 minutes
IMDb Blurb: A woman with a checkered past must protect her son
when a man brings trouble to her isolated bed and breakfast.
There are some parts of this trailer that stand out to me,
but Hospitality makes the list almost
completely on the merit of its cast.
IMDb has five actors credited for Hospitality and only one of them is a wild card. The others? Oh, I
know them. More than likely, so do you – even if you don’t entirely know them
by name.
Emmanuelle Chriqui (Wrong
Turn, Waiting…, Entourage) has done everything for your typical cop dramas,
like The Mentalist (2008-2015), to voice
acting Cheetara in Thundercats
(2011-2012). Her first acting credit was over 20 years ago. She’s a complete
professional, and good at what she does.
Like the female lead, JR Bourne (Revenge, Stargate SG-1, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) has a long list
of credits going back to the 90s. Now he’s mostly known for his time as Chris
Argent in Teen Wolf (2011-2017), but he’s
got a long list of thriller/horrors to his name as well.
Speaking of people starring in long-running well-loved
series’, Hospitality also features
Sam Trammell (This is Us, The Fault in
Our Stars, Autumn in New York) and Jim Beaver (The Ranch, The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy, Crimson Peak). The
boys are highly recognizable from True
Blood and Supernatural respectively.
Personally, I’m most interested in seeing how Beaver does. I haven’t really
seen him in much else that doesn’t include Sam and Dean.
When there’s a movie coming up with the kind of cast I’ve
listed here, it’s impossible to not notice. Provided the writer/directors are
on their game, there’s no real way for this to be a dud.
14 – Vox Lux (12/7)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Killer Films, Andrew Lauren Productions (ALP), Bold Films
Director: Brady
Corbet
Writer: Brady
Corbet
Actors: Jude Law,
Natalie Portman, Christopher Abbott, Willem Dafoe, Jennifer Ehle, Raffey
Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Natasha Romanova, Maria Dizzia, Erik King, Daniel
London, Matt Servitto, Christopher Dylan White, Sophie Lane Curtis, Fred Hechinger,
Allison Winn, Anna Mikami
Genre: Drama,
Music
Rated: R
Length: 110
minutes
IMDb Blurb: An unusual set of circumstances brings unexpected
success to a pop star.
Although this looks like a unique and interesting look
behind the curtain of super-stardom, there’s no way it would make the list at
all without Natalie Portman (Annihilation,
Song to Song, Planetarium).
Portman makes the entire trailer. I know it says that Jude Law
(King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Genius,
The Grand Budapest Hotel) is in the film, but he honestly got 100% lost for
me. I only saw Natalie… and that says a lot. She is absolutely stunning in Vox Lux – both visually and through her
acting.
This wouldn’t normally be the kind of movie that had me on
the edge of my seat waiting for opening night, but I’ve got enough interest in
Portman’s performance that I am.
13 – The Mule (12/14)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Warner Bros., Imperative Entertainment, Bron Creative, The Malpaso Company,
BRON Studios
Director: Clint
Eastwood
Writer: Sam
Dolnick, Nick Schenk
Actors: Clint
Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Michael Peña, Taissa Farmiga, Andy Garcia, Alison
Eastwood, Laurence Fishburne, Dianne Wiest, Clifton Collins Jr., Jill Flint,
Manny Montana, Robert LaSardo, Noel Gugliemi, Katie Gill, Ignacio Serricchio
Genre: Crime,
Drama, Mystery
Rated: R
Length: Unknown
IMDb Blurb: A 90-year-old horticulturist and WWII veteran is
caught transporting $3 million worth of cocaine through Michigan for a Mexican
drug cartel.
This is not to be confused with the 2014 film of the same
name that also deals with smuggling drugs. This film has a better cast and just
seems to be a better plot – even though it, too, seems to be based on a true
story.
Just, in general, this film seems to look like it’s going to
be a memorable action/drama. With the legendary Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby, True Crime)
alongside other great actors like Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Limitless), Michael
Peña (Narcos: Mexico, Ant-Man, A Wrinkle
in Time), Taissa Farmiga (American
Horror Story, The Nun, 6 Years), and Laurence Fishburne (John Wick: Chapter 2, Ant-Man and the Wasp,
Hannibal)… there’s no lack of talent acting in The Mule.
I’ll admit that a lot of the trailer looks a little trope-y,
but I think the cast involved could make even a paint-by-numbers story feel
fresh.
12 – The House
that Jack Built (12/14)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Zentropa Entertainments, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image, Copenhagen
Film Fund, Eurimages, Film i Väst, Film und Medien Stiftung NRW, Nordisk Film-
& TV-Fond, Concorde Filmverleih, Danmarks Radio (DR), Les Films du Losange,
MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Nordisk Film Distribution, Potemkine, Sveriges
Television (SVT), Danish Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute
Director: Lars
von Trier
Writer: Lars von
Trier, Janle Hallund
Actors: Matt
Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Sofie Gråbøl, Riley
Keough, Jeremy Davies, Ed Speleers, David Bailie, Ji-tae Yu
Genre: Drama, Horror,
Thriller
Rated: R
Length: 152
minutes
IMDb Blurb: The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial
killer, over the course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really
develop his inner madman.
The House that Jack Built
seems to be a creepy and interesting look into the life of a sociopathic
serial killer.
There are a lot of people involved in this film that make it
seem more interesting, but it’s almost unnecessary, because the story itself
will appeal to fans of horror movies. It certainly appeals to me.
The idea of getting an almost psychological look into the
mind of a serial killer is fascinating to me.
I do hope that the film sticks more to the thriller aspect than
diving into the straight torture porn stuff. That would lessen my enjoyment
greatly.
11 – Vice (12/25)
Tag Line: The
untold true story that changed the course of history.
Production Company:
Annapurna Pictures, Gary Sanchez Productions, Plan B Entertainment
Director: Adam
McKay
Writer: Adam
McKay
Actors: Steve
Carell, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons, Sam Rockwell, Shea Whigham,
Alison Pill, Lily Rabe, Eddie Marsan, Tyler Perry, Justin Kirk, Bill Camp, Fay
Masterson, LisaGay Hamilton, Casey Sander, Tiffany Smith, Don McManus, Bob
Stephenson
Genre: Biography,
Drama, History
Rated: R
Length: 132
minutes
IMDb Blurb: VICE explores how a bureaucratic Washington insider
quietly became the most powerful man in the world as Vice-President to George
W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways still felt today.
The very first thing I need to say here is that Francine
Maisler (Blade Runner 2049, Baby Driver,
The Revenant), the woman responsible for casting, is a damn genius. I don’t
think there’s anyone else on the planet who would have thought:
“We need someone to play Dick Cheney? Oh, yeah, Christian
Bale. Of course. George Bush? Gotta be Sam Rockwell.”
Of course, I haven’t seen the film yet, so I can’t give too
much credit before I see how they do… but on looks alone? She fucking nailed
it. Although you can place Sam Rockwell (F
is for Family, Woman Walks Ahead, Blue Iguana) without too much thought, I’m
still having trouble wrapping my head around the idea that the guy in the trailer
is Christian Bale (The Big Short,
American Hustle, The Dark Knight).
Make-up and costume departments need a lot of credit, too.
Just to see if those two are as good as they look, I have to
see this movie.
10 – Stan &
Ollie (12/28)
Tag Line: The
untold story of the world's greatest comedy act.
Production Company:
Entertainment One, BBC Films, Fable Pictures, Laurel and Hardy Feature
Productions, Sonesta Films
Director: Jon S.
Baird
Writer: Jeff Pope
Actors: John C.
Reilly, Shirley Henderson, Stephanie Hyam, Steve Coogan, Danny Huston, Nina
Arianda, Rufus Jones, Susy Kane, Ella Kenion
Genre: Biography,
Comedy, Drama
Rated: PG
Length: 97
minutes
IMDb Blurb: Laurel and Hardy, the world's most famous comedy
duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes
their swan song - a grueling theatre tour of post-war Britain.
This is exactly the kind of movie that I enjoy John C.
Reilly in. No matter how many trailers and films I watch, I find I almost
always believe that Reilly is just plain better without Will Ferrell. Just
watch the trailer. Reilly looks amazing in it and he seems so believable that
it almost makes him unrecognizable.
Aside from that, the story looks interesting. I’d very much
like to know more about Laurel and Hardy.
Films that offer me the truth behind laughs always intrigue
me. Comedians are always giving so much of themselves to their audience, but it’s
only the parts that bring smiles. You don’t always get to know what’s going on
behind it all. I like movies that allow us to see that side of things.
9 – Mary Queen of
Scots (12/7)
Tag Line: Two
queens, one future.
Production Company:
Focus Features, Perfect World Pictures, Working Title Films
Director: Josie
Rourke
Writer: Beau
Willimon, John Guy
Actors: Gemma
Chan, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, David Tennant, Joe Alwyn, Guy Pearce, Ian
Hart, Jack Lowden, Martin Compston, Brendan Coyle, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Adrian
Lester, Scot Greenan, Maria Dragus
Genre: Biography,
Drama, History
Rated: R
Length: 124
minutes
IMDb Blurb: Mary Stuart's attempt to overthrow her cousin
Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment
before facing execution.
If you know me then you know period piece dramas are not my
cup of tea. I watch them, mostly, under great protest. Needless to say, when I
first saw this trailer – I didn’t even consider putting it on my list.
Then a few days past and I reconsidered.
Something about the trailer was unforgettable. The leading
ladies, Margot Robbie (Goodbye
Christopher Robin, Suicide Squad, Wall Street) and Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird, Brooklyn, Lost River), are so
absolutely regal in Mary Queen of Scots
that it was impossible to look them over for this list. The longer I thought about
it, the higher up the film got – finally resting here.
I haven’t changed my mind about period piece dramas. I think
they’re unbelievably boring for the most part, but this film has a soul to it
that is very hard to ignore.
8 – Bumblebee (12/21)
Tag Line: Every
adventure has a beginning.
Production Company:
Allspark Pictures, Bay Films, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Hasbro, Paramount
Pictures, Tencent Pictures, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production
Director: Travis
Knight
Writer: Christina
Hodson
Actors: Hailee Steinfeld,
Justin Theroux, Angela Bassett, Pamela Adlon, John Cena, Megyn Price, Kenneth
Choi, John Ortiz, Peter Cullen, Len Cariou, Lenny Jacobson, Jorge Lendeborg
Jr., Gracie Dzienny, Marcella Bragio, Glynn Turman, Andrew Morgado, Jason
Drucker, Christian Hutcherson, David Sobolov
Genre: Action,
Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rated: PG-13
Length: 113
minutes
IMDb Blurb: On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge
in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of
turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee,
battle-scarred and broken.
I really didn’t want to put another Transformers (2007-2017) movie high on this list. Even before I saw
the trailer, Bumblebee was at a disadvantage.
I simply didn’t want to recommend it. The last couple of Transformer films I
saw lost any semblance of anything worth it. In one of the movies, part of the
script was just copy and pasted in and it was VERY noticeable.
Against all odds, Bumblebee
looks good.
The only reason I allowed myself to add it to the list,
though, is because Michael Bay (Transformers,
13 Hours, The Island) has minimal involvement in it. It’s directed by
Travis Knight (The Boxtrolls, Coraline,
ParaNorman), the director responsible for Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), and written by Christina Hodson (Shut In, Unforgettable, Batgirl), a
complete wild card.
The creators are backed up by a pretty good cast as well.
In fact, the only involvement Bay has with Bumblebee is as a producer, but he’s out
ranked by the executive producer, Steven Spielberg (Ready Player One, The BFG, Catch Me If You Can).
I do believe that Bumblebee
could be decent. The trailer certainly holds up… but we’ll see.
7 – On the Basis
of Sex (12/25)
Tag Line: Her
story made history.
Production Company:
Amblin Partners, Participant Media, Robert Cort Productions
Director: Mimi
Leder
Writer: Daniel
Stiepleman
Actors: Felicity
Jones, Stephen Root, Armie Hammer, Cailee Spaeny, Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates,
Jack Reynor, Sam Waterston, Ronald Guttman, Gabrielle Graham, Francis X.
McCarthy, John Ralston, Arlen Aguayo-Stewart, Dawn Ford, Angela Galuppo, Joe
Cobden, Jeff Lillico, Callum Shoniker, Arthur Holden, Julia Borsellino, Amanda
MacDonals, Alexandra Petrachuk, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Genre: Biography,
Drama
Rated: PG-13
Length: 120
minutes
IMDb Blurb: The story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for
equal rights and what she had to overcome in order to become a U.S. Supreme
Court Justice.
Regardless of political standing, it’s impossible to try to
say that Ruth Bader Ginsburg hasn’t done a hell of a lot for equal rights.
This movie could have concentrated on any number of things
that Ginsburg has done for women specifically. What I really love is that it
concentrates more on showing how her aiding a male helped equal rights and that
is something that is very rarely explored. Too often, equal rights seems to be
about raising women above men – when it’s really just supposed to be putting
both genders on the same level with equal opportunities.
I’m thrilled to get to see On the Basis of Sex. I expect to hopefully see it at some point
with my mom.
6 – Aquaman (12/21)
Tag Line: Home is
calling.
Production Company:
DC Comics, DC Entertainment, Panoramic Pictures, Warner Bros.
Director: James
Wan
Writer: David
Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Will Beall, Geoff Johns, James Wan, Mort Weisinger,
Paul Norris
Actors: Jason
Momoa, Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, Patrick
Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Graham McTavish, Tahlia Jade Holt, Djimon Hounsou, Randall
Park, Temuera Morrison, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Leigh Whannell, Ludi Lin, Alice
Lanesbury, Otis Dhanji, Kaan Guldur, Patrick Cox
Genre: Adventure,
Action, Fantasy
Rated: PG-13
Length: 143
minutes
IMDb Blurb: Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the
underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be
a hero to the world.
I’m as surprised as you probably are to find this film at
only #6 for it’s release month. Since the first time I saw the trailer I’ve
known it would not only make the list but be very near #1. It just so happens
that it’s up against some really amazing stuff in December.
I had to take into account that DC really hasn’t hit the
ball out of the park on the majority of its live-action films. I’m hopeful that
Aquaman will go the route of Wonder Woman (2017)… but skeptical. That
means that the film simply doesn’t inspire the confidence that the movies that
appear closer to #1 do.
Still, I love the trailer and Jason Momoa (Justice League, The Bad Batch, Braven)
is a bad-ass Arthur Curry.
5 – Mary Poppins
Returns (12/19)
Tag Line: When
you lose your way, just remember the magic always returns.
Production Company:
Lucamar Productions, Marc Platt Productions, Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Rob
Marshall
Writer: David
Magee, Rob Marshall, John DeLuca, P.L. Travers
Actors: Emily
Blunt, Dick Van Dyke, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Emily Mortimer, Colin
Firth, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Julie Walters, David Warner, Pixie
Davies, Joel Dawson, Jeremy Swift, Jim Norton, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Nathanael
Saleh
Genre: Animation,
Adventure, Family
Rated: PG
Length: 130
minutes
IMDb Blurb: Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny
returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael's children through a difficult
time in their lives.
Mary Poppins (1964)
is incredibly nostalgic for me. I love the original movie version (I haven’t
read the book). I used to watch the film on repeat with my mom. Sure, there are
a lot of issues with it, but that hardly matters to a kid. All that mattered to
me was that it mixed realism and cartoons and brought fantasy into my reality.
I suspect that Mary
Poppins Returns is going to bring the feeling of the story I once loved
into the hearts of a new generation. And I think that’s awesome.
4 – Mortal
Engines (12/14)
Tag Line: Some scars
never heal.
Production Company:
Media Rights Capital (MRC), Scholastic Productions, Silvertongue Films, Universal
Pictures, WingNut Films
Director: Christian
Rivers
Writer: Fran
Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Philip Reeve
Actors: Hugo
Weaving, Hera Hilmar, Jihae, Robert Sheehan, Stephen Lang, Frankie Adams, Leila
George, Caren Pistorius, Colin Salmon, Ronan Raftery, Joel Tobeck, Patrick
Malahide
Genre: Action,
Adventure, Fantasy
Rated: PG-13
Length: Unknown
IMDb Blurb: A mysterious young woman named Hester Shaw joins
forces with Anna Fang, a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head, and Tom
Natsworthy, an outcast from London, to lead a rebellion against a giant
predator city on wheels.
As far as I’m concerned, the top 4 movies for December are just
about a tie for first. It took days to figure out what order to put them in,
and there was a lot of swapping back and forth during that time.
The only reason Mortal
Engines wound up in 4th is because I haven’t read the book. That’s it. It’s
a dumb reason, I know… but I was really having to be picky to figure out where
to put everything.
Watch the trailer, though. There’s so much to this story and
it is visually astounding. It’s directed by a wild card, but the writers
involved were part of the Lord of the
Rings (2002-2014) team – which is about as good as it gets for this kind of
film. I will be beyond pissed if this film doesn’t live up to the trailer.
3 – Bird Box (12/21)
Tag Line: Never
lose sight of survival.
Production Company:
Bluegrass Films, Chris Morgan Productions, Universal Pictures
Director: Susanne
Bier
Writer: Eric
Heisserer, Josh Malerman
Actors: Rosa
Salazar, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, Tom Hollander, John Malkovich, Danielle
Macdonald, Jacki Weaver, Machine Gun Kelly, BD Wong, David Dastmalchian,
Parminder Nagra, Trevante Rhodes, Lil Rel Howery, Taylor Handley, Amy Gumenick,
Keith Jardine, Happy Anderson, Chanon Finley, Julian Edwards, Vivien Lyra Blair
Genre: Drama,
Horror, Sci-Fi
Rated: NR
Length: 117
minutes
IMDb Blurb: A woman and a pair of children are blindfolded and
make their way through a dystopian setting along a river.
We all know how much I love apocalypse movies. This one seems
to be as creative and unique as they come.
It makes me think back to the movie Hush (2016). That might be a bit confusing, so let me explain. In Hush, the main character is deaf and has
to navigate a terrifying situation without any sound. We got to experience her
other senses and how they helped her survive. Since seeing that film, I’ve been
much more interested in seeing others where the protagonists are forced to
travel through the story with one or more of their senses cut off.
In Bird Box, the
characters are trying to survive in a hostile world without their sight. The
entire story seems like it would be engrossing, and Sandra Bullock (Minions, Ocean’s Eight, Gravity) really
stands out in the trailer.
2 – Welcome to
Marwen (12/21)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
DreamWorks, ImageMovers, Universal Pictures
Director: Robert
Zemeckis
Writer: Caroline
Thompson, Robert Zemeckis
Actors: Steve
Carell, Diane Kruger, Eiza González, Leslie Mann, Gwendoline Christie, Marritt Wever,
Janelle Monáe, Siobhan Williams, Leslie Zemeckis, Stefanie von Pfetten, Neil
Jackson, Matt O’Leary, Falk Hentschel, Christie-Lee Britten, Eric Keenleyside,
Venna Sood, Nikolai Witschl, Conrad Coates, Matthew Kevin Anderson
Genre: Biography,
Comedy, Drama
Rated: PG-13
Length: Unknown
IMDb Blurb: A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and
beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.
I’ve been waiting for this film to come out. I think I saw
the trailer for it for the first time something like 3 or 4 months ago and I’ve
been in love with it since. I never seen anything even remotely like it. It
reminds me of literally nothing. I wasn’t sure that could even be a thing in
this era.
Steve Carell (The Big
Short, Despicable Me, Foxcatcher) really sells his traumatized character,
in every version of the trailer I’ve seen. The idea of using his art to protect
himself and bolster his sense of safety is something I can truly relate to, as
well.
This movie is one that I really want to see in theaters.
1 – Spider-Man:
Into the Spider-Verse (12/14)
Tag Line: What
makes you different is what makes you Spider-Man.
Production Company:
Columbia Pictures Corporation, Lord Miller, Marvel Animation, Marvel
Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures
Entertainment (SPE)
Director: Bob
Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Writer: Phil
Lord, Steve Ditko, David Hine, Stan Lee, Rodney Rothman, Brian Michael Bendis,
Fabrice Sapolsky, Sara Pichelli
Actors: Hailee
Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage, Mahershala Ali, Liev Schreiber, Jake Johnson, John
Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Lily Tomlin, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez,
Shameik Moore, Melanie Haynes, Nick Jaine, Muneeb Rehman, Jessica Mikayla
Adams, Alycia Cooper, Edwin H. Bravo
Genre: Animation,
Action, Adventure
Rated: PG
Length: Unknown
IMDb Blurb: Spider-Man crosses parallel dimensions and teams up
with the Spider-Men of those dimensions to stop a threat to all reality.
Miles Morales. Look at him. Look at how awesome!
I almost made Welcome
to Marwen my #1. I would have if this was just some random Marvel film
coming out. However, it’s MILES. I’ve been dying to see Miles on the big screen
for a while. He’s an awesome Spidey and it’s about damn time we got a non-Peter
Parker version. Sure, Pete’s in it, but it’s not really HIS movie.
I’m not hating the idea of getting a look at Spider-Gwen and
Spider-Ham, either… I’m just hoping that Spider-Ham doesn’t make the film lose
some of its validity.
Movies to Look out For
According to: Cat
Holmes & Watson .20
Ben is Back .19
Clara’s Ghost .18
No Sleep ‘til Christmas
.17
Asher .16
Vox Lux .15
Second Act .14
Destroyer .13
Dumplin’ .12
The Mule .11
Bird Box .10
Mary Queen of Scots .9
Stan & Ollie .8
Welcome to Marwen .7
Mary Poppins Returns .6
On the Basis of Sex .5
Spider-Man: Into the
Spider-Verse .4
Bumblebee .3
Aquaman .2
Mortal Engines .1