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.

2014 Preview: December

And here we are; we’ve reached the end of 2014 as we now come to the last month of the year, a year full of big hits, big misses, and everything in between. And now it’s time to look at the last batch of new films of 2014 before we officially move on 2015. Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films that are set to come out in 2014. This is the final part in an 11-part preview (previously 12 before I was unable to do the January post due to computer issues) and today we’ll be looking at the films that will be coming out this holiday season in December. So let’s get started…

DECEMBER 5- Okay remember back in September when I said that there wasn’t really anything noteworthy coming out the first week of the month? Well, I kind of lied because there was one wide release that week, ‘The Identical’, but I didn’t know anything about it so I decided not to cover it in that post (that’s usually what I do when it comes to wide releases I don’t know much about… I just don’t include them in these posts). This first week of December, however, there’s literally no new wide releases coming out. There’s only one notable limited release.

*Director Jean-Marc Vallee follows up on last year’s multiple award winning ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ (which of course as we all know earned Matthew McConaughey an Oscar win for Best Actor) with ‘Wild’, which is based off of the memoir ‘Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail’ by Cheryl Strayed. Reese Witherspoon (who also produces the film) stars as Strayed, who goes on a long hike through the Pacific Crest Trail in the Sierra Nevada on her own in order for her to get over the recent stressful moments in her life, including the death of her mother (played by Laura Dern) and her recent divorce.

DECEMBER 12- Things get back on track this week with two new wide releases along with one notable limited release.

*Ridley Scott takes on the Biblical story of the Exodus with ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’, in which Christian Bale stars as Moses, the Hebrew man who became a prince of Egypt and then the leader of his people after learning the truth about who he really is as he leads them to freedom after years of slavery in defiance of his adoptive brother, the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton). The film also stars Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro, and Ben Kingsley.

*Chris Rock writes and directs ‘Top Five’, in which he also stars as a comedian turned film star who seeks to become a ‘serious’ actor despite all of the expectations from his fan base. The film also stars Gabrielle Union, Rosario Dawson, and Kevin Hart.

*Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film, ‘Inherent Vice’, opens in limited release this weekend and is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello, a private investigator who looks into the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend. The large ensemble cast also includes Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, and Martin Short.

DECEMBER 19- The weekend before Christmas sees the release of three movies, one of which opens early on Wednesday December 17^th.

*Peter Jackson’s ‘Hobbit’ trilogy finally comes to a close this month with ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ (previously ‘The Hobbit: There and Back Again’). In this film, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his Company of Dwarves, with the help of hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), have reclaimed their home of Erebor in the Lonely Mountain but must now face the consequences of unleashing the fearsome dragon Smaug (portrayed through motion capture by Benedict Cumberbatch) upon the world along with the growing threat of the armies of the Dark Lord Sauron.

*Director Will Gluck (‘Easy A’) helms ‘Annie’, the third major film adaptation of the musical of the same name (following the 1982 theatrical version starring Carol Burnett and Tim Curry and the 1999 made-for-TV version with Kathy Bates) which in turn was based off of the comic strip ‘Little Orphan Annie’ by Harold Gray. This new version, produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z, stars Quvenzhane Wallis as Annie, an orphan who ends up getting taken in by tycoon/mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) so that she can boost his chances of becoming mayor. The film also stars Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan, Rose Byrne as Stacks’ personal assistant Grace, and Bobby Cannavale as Stacks’ political adviser Guy.

*The final film in the ‘Night at the Museum’ trilogy, ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’, hits theaters this week, again directed by Shawn Levy who helmed the first two films along with this year’s ‘This is Where I Leave You’. Ben Stiller reprises his role of Larry Daley, the night guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York where the exhibits there come to life at night through the powers of an ancient Egyptian tablet. In this film, the tablet’s powers start to fade resulting in Larry and the other exhibits traveling the globe in order to keep the magic from dying out. Also reprising their roles are the late Robin Williams, the late Mickey Rooney, Owen Wilson, and Steve Coogan (among others), joined in this one by Ben Kingsley and Rebel Wilson (among others).

DECEMBER 25- I’m finding that Christmas weekend is usually the weekend that sees the biggest number of notable releases and this Christmas is no exception. We got three wide releases and three notable limited releases all of which open in theaters on Christmas Day. Something also noteworthy is that three of them are biopics and one is an historical drama.

*First for the wide releases, we have ‘The Interview’, the new film from directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the directing duo behind last year’s smash hit ‘This is the End’). In this film, Rogen and James Franco star as a pair of celebrity journalists who land an exclusive interview with North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un but then find themselves tasked with killing him by the CIA. That whole ‘assassination’ subplot has notably attracted quite a lot of controversy in North Korea, where the film has been condemned.

*Rob Marshall, director of 2002’s Oscar-winning musical ‘Chicago’, returns to the musical genre with ‘Into the Woods’, based on the Tony-Award winning Broadway musical of the same name by Stephen Sondheim. The story involves numerous characters from Grimm fairy tales, including Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), and Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) and the Beanstalk. It primarily focuses on a Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) who embark ‘into the woods’ in order to have a curse removed that was set upon them by a witch (Meryl Streep) that has made them unable to have a child. The film also stars, among others, Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince Charming and Johnny Depp as the Wolf.

*Angelina Jolie takes on her second directorial effort after 2011’s ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’ with ‘Unbroken’, based on the biographical book of the same name by Laura Hillenbrand on World War II hero Louis Zamperini. Zamperini (played in the film by Jack O’Connell) was an Olympic track runner who later joined the military and then became a Prisoner of War in Japan under the watch of brutal sergeant Mutshiro ‘The Bird’ Watanabe (played by Japanese pop star Miyavi). The film also stars Garrett Hedlund, Jai Courtney, and Domhnall Gleeson.

*The second major ‘biopic’ of this week, and the first of the noteworthy limited releases, is ‘American Sniper’, the second film of the year from director Clint Eastwood after June’s ‘Jersey Boys’. Based on the book of the same name, Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, who was known for being the most lethal sniper in U.S. history with over 160 confirmed kills. The film also stars Sienna Miller as Chris’ wife Taya.

*Tim Burton takes on a much smaller project compared to the majority of his work from the past decade with ‘Big Eyes’, centered around Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), the artist behind the famous ‘Big Eye’ paintings. The film also focuses on her relationship with her husband Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), who claimed that he was the real artist of the paintings when they became popular, and the ensuing legal battle over the rightful ownership of the paintings. The film also stars Krysten Ritter, Danny Huston, Jason Schwartzman, and Terrence Stamp.

*Finally, we have ‘Selma’, directed by Ava DuVernay and produced by Brad Pitt’s production company ‘Plan B’. It centers on the marches made from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. David Oyelowo stars as Martin Luther King Jr. and is also joined by Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey, and Cuba Gooding Jr.

So that’s it… those are the films of 2014. Thanks for following along with me this year as I previewed all of the films that were coming out this year. At the moment I think I am planning on doing these again next year so stay tuned.