Each year, Hollywood saves much of its quality, Oscar-worthy fare for the packed month of December—and 2014 is no exception. There is an embarrassment of riches hitting cinemas this month, including awards bait turns by Reese Witherspoon as a re-empowered woman hiking the PCT in Wild to Julianne Moore’s riveting performance as an academic whose life is slowly unraveling due to Alzheimer’s in Still Alice. There are films from auteurs, like Paul Thomas Anderson’s gonzo neo-noir Inherent Vice and the Dardenne Brothers’ Two Days, One Night. And of course, there are big-budget Hollywood entertainments, like the Meryl Streep-starring Sondheim musical Into the Woods. Without further ado, here are the most hotly anticipated films this holiday season.
Between producing Gone Girl and starring in The Good Lie and Inherent Vice, Reese Witherspoon has had a heck of a year. The icing on the cake is her award-worthy turn as Cheryl Strayed, a woman who, following the death of her mother (Laura Dern), a divorce, and years of heroin addiction and philandering, decides to reclaim her story by hiking 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail solo. Based on a memoir by Strayed, written by Nick Hornby, and directed by Dallas Buyers Club’s Jean-Marc Vallee, the flick is one giant monument to Witherspoon’s underrated acting chops, with the Oscar winner offering the most heroic, rawest performance of her career in this redemption tale. I’d be very surprised if she wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.
Anne Marie/Fox
Winner of Best Foreign Film at the Tribeca Film Festival and the recipient of twelve Ophir Awards (the Israeli equivalent of Oscar) including Best Film, Talya Lavie’s dark comedy captures the chaotic everyday lives of young, female Israeli soldiers working in the Human Resources Office of the IDF. Amid the chaos surrounding them, these women spend their days pushing papers, procrastinating, and warding off the advances of predatory men. The film, with its mix of office setting, deadpan comedy, and absurdist nature, has been labeled “Office Space meets the IDF.”
The frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar is this, Julianne Moore’s staggering turn as a brilliant linguistics professor at Columbia University who slowly begins to lose her faculties after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Understated direction by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland augments the gravity of Moore’s turn, as we gradually become more and more aware of her illness, from forgetting where her car keys are to communication breakdowns. Moore accurately conveys the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s, as well as how it alters the dynamic between her and her family, including her husband, played by Alec Baldwin, and three grown children (Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish). Stewart gives the standout supporting turn as a rebellious daughter who struggles to reconcile the mother she had with the mother who stands before her.
Sony Pictures
Andre Singer’s eye-opening documentary, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, concerns the film “German Concentration Camps Factual Survey”—a propaganda movie assembled by the Allied forces towards the end of World War II to shame Nazism. It featured footage shot by soldiers and cameramen of troops liberating occupied Europe, and was commissioned by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. The film, however, never saw the light of day. Singer’s documentary recounts the making of the mysterious propaganda flick, which counted producer Sidney Bernstein and—yes—Alfred Hitchcock as its directors.
Spring Films
Ridley Scott, the man responsible for the Oscar-winning sword-and-sandals epic Gladiator (and the not-so-great sword-and-sandals epic Kingdom of Heaven), has followed up his disappointing crime flick The Counselor with this, a blockbuster take on the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, led by Moses (Christian Bale). When Ramesses II (Joel Edgerton) ascends to the throne, his adopted brother Moses receives a message from God to lead 600,000 Jewish slaves across the desert of Egypt. The film, featuring cinematography from Oscar winner Dariusz Wolski, depicts the deadly plagues as well as the parting of the Red Sea, and also features Aaron Paul, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, and Sigourney Weaver.
20th Century Fox
Chris Rock’s directorial efforts (Head of State, I Think I Love My Wife) have been iffy, to say the least. They seemed like half-baked comedy sketches stretched out to feature-length. But Top Five, written and directed by Rock, introduces a filmmaker with a sharp, indelible voice—similar to his uproarious stand-up routines. He stars as Andre Allen, an A-list film star known for schlocky comedy flicks who’s begging to be taken seriously by toplining a film about the 1791 Haitian Revolution. Off-screen, his reality star fiancée Erica Long (Gabrielle Union) is planning their reality TV wedding. In the midst of the madness, Allen is being profiled for The New York Times by Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), who ends up challenging him in new, exciting ways. Top Five is what Rock has been working towards his entire film career—a witty, seamless fusion of his stand-up jokes and a sharp, incisive story.
Paramount Pictures
It’s been called The Big Lebowski meets The Big Sleep. Paul Thomas Anderson is, without question, one of our finest filmmakers, and his latest is an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s gonzo novel about the trials and tribulations of private eye Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) in 1970 Los Angeles. He’s first tasked with investigating the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend’s (Katherine Waterston) boyfriend, which sets off a bizarre series of misadventures involving femme fatales, elaborate plots, and a schooner smuggling contraband. Featuring cinematography by the great Robert Elswit and a score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood (who did There Will Be Blood), the film also stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Jena Malone, Martin Short, and Anderson’s wife, Maya Rudolph.
Warner Bros.
Written and directed by 12 New York University film students, this project was originally named Tar when it premiered at the 2012 Rome Film Festival. It traces the journey of Pulitzer Prize-winnign poet C.K. Williams through the prism of his poetry, from his teen years (played by Henry Hopper) to his days as a middle-aged father (played by James Franco) married to Catherine (Mila Kunis). The experimental film, which is finally seeing the light of day, also stars Jessica Chastain, Zach Braff, and Bruce Campbell.
Lina Esco’s comedy feature was inspired by the “Free the Nipple” social media campaign critical of taboos about the public display of women’s breasts, meant to address gender equality and Americans’ fear of sexuality. The film centers on Liv (Lola Kirke, sister of Girls star Jemima Kirke), who leads a group of women to “Free the Nipple” across New York City in a coordinated effort to protest gender-biased public nudity laws in America. The film has received public support from celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Cara Delevingne.
Directed by Greg Barker (last year’s Emmy winner Manhunt), this documentary, which made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, weaves three individual stories from the Arab Spring taking place in Libya, Syria, and Bahrain. The film follows activists from all three areas who struggle to balance their desire to engage in nonviolent protest with the military might of their respective governments, and features a fascinating mixture of footage shot on the ground by protesters and interviews with those involved in the myriad protests.
Passion Pictures
The third and final installment in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy sees Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) cross Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and search for the Arkenstone. Meanwhile, Bilbo and the gang must dodge the imposing dragon Smaug (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), as well as armies of Orcs dispatched by Sauron (Christopher Lee), leading to a massive battle between Sauron’s goons and the Men, Elves, and Dwarves. The film also stars Ian McKellan, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, and more.
Mark Pokorny/Warner Bros.
Based on the 1977 Broadway musical of the same name, this musical-comedy flick is directed by Will Gluck (Easy A), and centers on Annie (Quvenzhane Wallis), an orphan in Harlem, New York, who’s left in foster care by her parents, and placed under the control of the mean Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). When she’s adopted by New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) in a shrewd campaign move, her prospects change overnight. The film also features Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale, as well as uncredited cameo appearances by Michael J. Fox, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and Rihanna.
Steve Sands/Getty
Written and directed by acclaimed British Filmmaker Mike Leigh, the man responsible for movies like Naked, Secrets & Lies, and Vera Drake, comes this biopic of celebrated British painter J.M.W. Turner, played by Timothy Spall. Turner is a radical, flawed genius who’s beloved by his housekeeper, Hannah (Dorothy Atkinson)—but chooses to sexually exploit her, frequents brothels, and at one point, demands he be strapped to the mast of a ship so he can capture a snowstorm on canvas. Leigh’s film received heaps of critical accolades when it premiered at Cannes, including Best Actor for Spall and a special jury prize for its cinematography.
Sony Pictures
Winner of the Palme d’Or and the FIPRESCI prizes at Cannes and selected as the Turkish entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Oscars, this drama by Nuri Bilge Ceylan explores the large gulf between the rich and poor in Turkey through the story of Aydin, a former actor who runs a tiny hotel in Anatolia with his young wife, Nihal. During a particularly harsh winter, the hotel transforms into a refuge for the deprived and disenfranchised, with Aydin’s callousness contrasting with Nihal’s desire for charity and compassion.
NBC Film
This remake of the 1974 James Toback flick is helmed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and sees Mark Wahlberg step into the shoes formerly filled by James Caan as Jim Bennett, a college lit professor and high-stakes gambler who, when he’s not romancing one of his students (Brie Larson), manages to rack up big debts to a group of gangsters, led by Frank (John Goodman). The crime drama, written by William Monahan (The Departed), also stars Jessica Lange, Michael K. Williams, and George Kennedy.
YouTube
The third installment in the Shawn Levy-Ben Stiller Night at the Museum franchise is notable for being the last film to feature the late Mickey Rooney, as well as one of Robin Williams’s final movies. It once again centers on Larry (Ben Stiller), who embarks on a global journey to save the dwindling powers of The Tablet of Ahkmenrah. Along the way, he comes into contact with Teddy Roosevelt (Williams), Jedadiah (Owen Wilson), Octavius (Steve Coogan), and many more historical characters from the previous films. Secret of the Tomb also features Dan Stevens as Lancelot, Ben Kingsley as a pharaoh, Rebel Wilson as a naïve museum security guard, and Ricky Gervais.
Kerry Brown
Belgian filmmaking duo the Dardenne Brothers are known for their naturalistic films tackling lower-class life in Belgium, and they’ve helmed some of the best (and most underrated) films of the past thirty years, including La Promesse, Rosetta, and L’Enfant. Their latest, Two Days, One Night, is rare in that it stars arguably the biggest film actress in France, Marion Cotillard. She plays Sandra, a young wife and mother who works at a small solar-panel factory in Liege, Belgium. She has to take time off from work after suffering an illness, and the other factory workers cover her shift by working longer hours. When management offers the workers a €1,000 bonus each to work longer and make Sandra redundant, she must visit all 16 of her co-workers and convince them to turn down the money and save her job, and family.
Big Eyes marks filmmaker Tim Burton’s long-awaited return to the CGI-less world of filmmaking. It’s a biopic about Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), a famous painter in the 1950s and 1960s known for her striking works featuring big-eyed children. A single mother, she marries Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), a charming huckster, who convinces her that he should be the face of her art, taking credit for her Warhol-approved works. Walter becomes a celebrity, but soon his controlling ways become too much for Margaret, resulting in a wacky trial over the provenance of her works.
The leadership of North Korea has already roundly condemned this action-comedy from the filmmaking duo of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It centers on Dave Skylark (James Franco), the host of a cheesy entertainment channel who’s granted an interview with North Korea’s “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Un (Randall Park), who happens to be a big fan of the program. So, the CIA’s Agent Lacey (Lizzy Caplan) orders Skylark and his producer (Rogen) to assassinate the dictator. If the North Koreans are angry now, wait ‘til they actually see the movie…
Directed by Rob Marshall and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Sondheim musical of the same name, this comedy-musical is a more subversive take on the Disney Princesses that explores what goes down after “happily ever after.” It centers on a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) who have a spell placed on them by an evil witch (Meryl Streep), and must enter the woods to complete a series of tasks to lift the curse. Their mission brings them into contact with Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and the Big Bad Wolf, played by Johnny Depp.
Peter Mountain/Disney
Directed by Angelina Jolie from a screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen, this war epic tells the story of real-life World War II hero Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), an Olympic track star who, after surviving a plane crash and spending 47 days on a raft, spends two-and-a-half years as an American prisoner of war in a brutal Japanese POW camp. Jolie’s film boasts cinematography by the great Roger Deakins and a score by Alexandre Desplat, and also features Garrett Hedlund, Jai Courtney, Domhnall Geeson, and Japanese singer Miyavi. The real Zamperini passed away earlier this year at the age of 97.
Universal Pictures
Based on Chris Kyle’s memoir American Sniper, chronicling the life of the most lethal sniper in U.S. history, this Clint Eastwood biopic stars Bradley Cooper as Kyle, a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper who serves four bloody tours of duty in Iraq, earning the nickname “Legend” for his sharpshooting abilities and poise under pressure. After returning home, however, Kyle suffers from crippling PTSD. Cooper put on 40 pounds to portray the late Kyle, and Eastwood’s film also stars Sienna Miller as his wife, Taya, and Max Charles as his son, Colton.
Keith Bernstein/Warner Bros.
Directed by Avu DuVernay and produced by Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt, this long-gestating film is the first proper movie to chronicle the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr., played by David Oyelowo. The film follows the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by King, interspersed with scenes from the King home. It boasts an all-star cast, including Tim Roth as George Wallace, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Oprah as Annie Lee Cooper, as well as Martin Sheen, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tessa Thompson, and Orange Is the New Black’s Lorraine Toussaint.
Atsushi Nishijima/Paramount Pictures
This Hobbesian-titled film comes from acclaimed Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev, who directed the excellent Golden Lion winner The Return. Zvyagintsev’s film is set in a tiny coastal town on the Barents Sea known for its whale sightings. Nikolai (Aleksey Serebryakov) and his family are tormented by a corrupt local mayor (Roman Madyanov) who’s trying to take away the family’s land, home, and auto repair shop. So, Nikolai enlists the help of his old Army buddy (now an attorney in Moscow) to try and build a case against the mayor. It’s a subtle jab at the Putin regime, and is Russia’s submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Filmmaker J.C. Chandor has already helmed the excellent financial crisis drama Margin Call and the marooned-at-sea monument to Robert Redford, All Is Lost. His third film is set in New York City during 1981, one of the city’s most violent years, and centers on Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), an ambitious immigrant who, along with his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain), fights to protect his business and family from the wave of corruption and violence enveloping the city. The crime drama also stars David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, and Albert Brooks.
Atsushi Nishijima/FilmNation
