2015 Preview: December

Well here we are in the final month of 2015; December. Christmas is soon upon us and when it comes to films, the headliner of the month is a certain film that I know we are all looking forward to. But aside from that, there are still some other noteworthy films hitting theaters this month, from holiday crowd pleasers to potential Oscar nominees. So with that said, welcome back to the final part, Part 12, of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films slated to come out in 2015 and today we’ll be looking at the films that will be hitting theaters this December.

DECEMBER 4- The month starts out simple with a Christmas themed horror flick.

*Writer/Director Michael Dougherty, who brought us 2007’s cult horror film ‘Trick ‘r Treat’, is back with a brand new holiday horror themed flick in ‘Krampus’. Based upon a famous German alpine folktale, the film sees a family having to deal with the horned demon creature of legend that punishes naughty children during the season of Christmas. The film’s cast includes Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and David Koechner.

DECEMBER 11­­­­- The latest from director Ron Howard and the nationwide expansion of a Tom Hardy-starring gangster flick headline this weekend.

*Ron Howard brings to life the true story that inspired the timeless story of ‘Moby Dick’, ‘In the Heart of the Sea’. Based off of the 2000 non-fiction book of the same name by Nathaniel Philbrick, the film centers on the Essex whaling ship in the year 1820 as its crew tries to survive after being shipwrecked by a whale. Chris Hemsworth stars as First Mate Owen Chase along with Cillian Murphy as Second Mate Matthew Joy, Ben Whishaw as ‘Moby Dick’ author Herman Melville, and Tom Holland as cabin boy Thomas Nickerson.

*Tom Hardy takes on the dual role of brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray in director Brian Helgeland’s gangster biopic ‘Legend’. The Kray brothers were infamous for playing a key part in organized crime in the East End of London in the 50’s and 60’s. The film also stars Emily Browning, Christopher Eccleston, Taron Egerton, and Paul Bettany.

DECEMBER 18- Three new wide releases, one of which being a film that you may have heard about.

*The rowdy trio of Alvin and the Chipmunks return to the big screen in their fourth live-action film, ‘The Road Chip’. This film sees the trio taking a road trip to Miami in the hopes of stopping their surrogate father Dave (once again played by Jason Lee) from proposing to his new girlfriend in Miami.

*The comedic duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite for ‘Sisters’, directed by ‘Pitch Perfect’ director Jason Moore. The two star as sisters who decide to throw one last party at their childhood home before their parents sell it.

*And then there’s this other film that’s coming out this week… you may have heard of it… who am I kidding? You know what it is. It’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, easily the most anticipated film of the year. J.J. Abrams (‘Star Trek’, ‘Super 8’) helms the first in a new line of ‘Star Wars’ films to be produced by Disney after their acquirement of Lucasfilm in 2012. The new film sees the return of Original Trilogy stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, and Anthony Daniels as well as newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, and Lupita Nyong’o, among others.

DECEMBER 25- As always, Christmas weekend is full of new releases. I have the feeling that most of you will be re-watching ‘The Force Awakens’ this weekend but there are still five new nationwide releases and two noteworthy limited releases to close out the final film weekend of the year.

*First up, expanding into theaters nationwide after a Dec. 11 limited release is director Adam McKay’s new film, ‘The Big Short’. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt headline this adaptation of ‘Moneyball’ author Michael Lewis’ 2010 novel of the same name as a group of men who foresee the impending financial crisis of 2007. The film also stars Karen Gillan, Melissa Leo, and Marisa Tomei.

*One of the most pressing issues in the NFL is the focus of ‘Concussion’, a biopic starring Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered the devastating effects of brain damage in football players and fought against the NFL to make his findings public. The film also stars Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, and Luke Wilson.

*The ‘Other Guys’ duo of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg team up again for ‘Daddy’s Home’. Ferrell stars as a new stepfather who must compete for the affection of his kids when their real dad (Wahlberg) comes to town.

*David O. Russell teams up with Jennifer Lawrence for the third time in a row after ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and ‘American Hustle’ for ‘Joy’. Lawrence stars as entrepreneur Joy Mangano, who become famous for her creation of the ‘Miracle Mop’ in 1990. Fellow recent O. Russell regulars Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper co-star as Joy’s father and a Home Shopping Network executive who helped her promote her new invention, respectively.

*The final major wide release of the year is the remake of 1991’s classic action flick, ‘Point Break’. Edgar Ramirez and Luke Bracey take on the roles of athletic thief mastermind Bodhi and FBI agent Johnny Utah originated by Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves, respectively, as the latter infiltrates a team of extreme sport athletes, led by the former, who may be responsible for a series of corporate heists.

*A pair of potential Oscar nominees headline the two big limited releases of the week. First up is ‘The Revenant’ from director Alejandro G. Inarritu, fresh off of last year’s Best Picture winner, ‘Birdman’. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this adaptation of Michael Punke’s 2002 novel of the same name about frontiersman Hugh Glass and his journey to survive in harsh winters in the middle of the American wilderness after his crew leave him for dead after he is mauled by a bear. The film also stars Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Will Poulter.

*And finally to close out this year’s group of monthly previews is director Quentin Tarantino’s eighth directorial effort, ‘The Hateful Eight’. Tarantino’s second western in a row after ‘Django Unchained’, this film centers on a group of strangers who take refuge in a stagecoach stop in post-Civil War Wyoming. The titular eight are played by Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern.

And that’s it for the year 2015. Thanks for following me through the 2015 year of film and stay tuned for my end of the year ‘Top 10 Best and Worst’ lists near the end of the month. Of course, I’ll be back again next month for the start of my 2016 monthly preview series.