Now that awards season is officially upon us, the Hollywood studios are unloading the last of their Oscar bait films, including Michael Fassbender’s fiery turn as the tragic Macbeth, Leonardo DiCaprio vying for a long-overdue Oscar in The Revenant, and Jennifer Lawrence going for her second Best Actress statuette in David O. Russell’s Joy. And since Christmas is also approaching, that means the hugely anticipated blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally hitting theaters. So buckle up your seatbelts—here are all the movies to check out this holiday season.
Weinstein Co.; 20th Century Fox; LucasFilm
Directed by Kent Jones, the programmer for the New York Film Festival, this documentary bills itself as “The Greatest Story Hitchcock Ever Told”—as bold a tagline as there ever was. Over eight days, French New Wave filmmaker (and ex-film critic) François Truffaut interviewed Alfred Hitchcock, and their talks were adapted into the 1966 book Hitchcock/Truffaut. This doc explores this meeting of the minds, and features narration by Mathieu Amalric, as well as testimonials from current filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, David Fincher, Olivier Assayas, Richard Linklater, and more.
Philippe Halsman
Spike Lee’s latest is his most vibrant, urgent, and thoroughly captivating film in years. Set in America’s mass-murder capital of Chicago, it’s an adaptation of Aristophanes’ Greek comedy Lysistrata that sees the titular goddess (Teyonah Parris) recruit all the women of the Windy City to go on a sex strike in order to end the city’s scourge of gun violence following the accidental shooting death of a little girl. Lee’s film pulsates with energy and ideas, featuring a clever, insightful screenplay—mostly in verse—and a collection of fine performances, courtesy of Parris, Nick Cannon, Angela Bassett, John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, and more.
Roadside Attractions
Aussie filmmaker Justin Kurzel, who last helmed the almost unbearably bleak—yet nonetheless gripping—drama The Snowtown Murders, is back with a pitch-black adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Awash in stunning cinematography, this may be the most beautifully lensed film adaptation of a Shakespeare play ever, and the fine camerawork is complemented by two towering performances—Michael Fassbender as Macbeth, and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth.
Jonathan Olley/Weinstein Company
Directed by acclaimed rock photographer and music video helmer Anton Corbijn, who’s transitioned seamlessly into film work with Control and The Most Wanted Man, this biopic combines Corbijn’s two loves to tell the story of Dennis Stock (Robert Pattinson), a photographer for Life magazine who receives an assignment to shoot scorching hot young Hollywood star James Dean (Dane DeHaan) following the release of East of Eden. An unlikely friendship emerges as the project takes the two across the country, with Dean revealing his outward brilliance and inner torment.
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Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine), a retired classical music composer, and Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel), a filmmaker working on his final “testament,” are a couple of septuagenarian cranks on vacation in the Swiss Alps when a series of strange events cause them to reflect on their memorable lives. The surrealist film, directed by Italian maestro Paolo Sorrentino, also stars Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, and Jane Fonda.
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If you’re in need of some holiday counterprogramming, there’s Krampus—a horror/black comedy helmed by cult filmmaker Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat) about a disillusioned young boy in a feuding family whose sour mood unleashes a spooky demon, Krampus. This essence of evil is all about making life a living hell for non-believers, so it proceeds to possess a series of Christmas icons and force this unfortunate family to fight for their lives. The film stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and Fargo’s Allison Tolman.
Steve Unwin/Universal Pictures
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the former longtime artistic director of London’s National Theatre who’s gone on to helm films like The Madness of King George and The History Boys, this delightful British film tells the real-life tale of Miss Mary Shepherd (Maggie Smith), an oddball homeless woman who lives in a run-down van. She strikes up a friendship with Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings), who allows her to park the van in his driveway. As the two get closer, Alan learns that there is a whole lot more to Miss Shepherd than meets the eye.
Nicola Dove
For Elvis aficionados it’s a well-known story, but casual fans will be shocked by this eye-opening documentary. In the wake of Elvis Presley’s death, his record label began touting Orion—a masked Elvis look-alike who sounded exactly like The King. Orion performed to sell-out crowds across the country, leading some to believe that Elvis never really died. Jeanie Finlay’s fascinating film is the story of the man behind the mask who hoodwinked the country.
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How do you make credit default swaps sexy and fun? Well, first you have a wickedly droll book by Michael Lewis. Then, you hire the brains behind Anchorman to direct it. And if that weren’t enough, you assemble an all-star cast of acting studs—Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt—to make the dialogue sparkle. Adam McKay’s film chronicles the build-up of the housing and credit bubble, and a team of renegades who took on the big banks in profiting off its collapse. Yes, it’s far more entertaining than a film about the financial crisis has any right to be.
Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises
A few years ago, hulking actor Chris Hemsworth and filmmaker Ron Howard teamed up for the vastly underappreciated racing drama Rush. They’re back again with disaster epic about the 1820 sinking of the whaling ship Essex—the event that inspired Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby-Dick. After their ship is decimated by the biggest sperm whale the world has ever seen, the men must survive shipwrecked at sea. Joining Hemsworth in this perilous adventure are Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, and Tom Holland, who was recently cast as the new Spider-Man.
Warner Bros. Oictures
Directed by Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess, this oddball comedy centers on self-anointed Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean (Sam Rockwell), who’s hired by a pastor to hunt for ancient religious treasures in the Holy Land. Of course, he is a fraud, and his ineptitude triggers a series of wacky events in the pastor’s small town. In addition to Rockwell, the film boasts an impressive cast including Oscar nominee Amy Ryan, Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement, Last Man on Earth’s Will Forte, and the inimitable Danny McBride.
Lionsgate Premiere
No, this is not an adaptation of the celebrated Hans Christian Andersen short story. Rather, it represents one of the more bizarre team-ups of the year: British auteur Michael Winterbottom, who’s helmed films like 24 Hour Party People and Welcome to Sarajevo, and comedic force Russell Brand. In this documentary, Winterbottom trails Brand as the snarky Brit goes Michael Moore-on-coke, combining sabotage interviews with commentary in examining income inequality, and how very little has really changed since the 2008 economic crisis.
StudioCanal UK
I mean, what can I say about this? Precious little is known about the seventh installment in the Star Wars franchise—as is J.J. Abrams’s head-scratching wont. What we do know is it’s the most diverse entry in the Star Wars universe ever, centering on a rogue Storm Trooper (John Boyega) who teams up with a gal (Daisy Ridley) who may or may not be the spawn of Han Solo. Oh, and it’s set 30 years after the Return of the Jedi, and it not only features the original cast (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO), but also the a variety of new soon-to-be indelible characters, including dark warrior Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), X-wing pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), pirate Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o), and more. Disney’s genius acquisition will, in all likelihood, be the highest-grossing movie of all time.
Lucasfilm 2015
The original Star Wars films were inspired by the events of World War II (see: Storm Troopers, Grand Moff Tarkin). Going up against the new episode will be Hungarian filmmaker László Nemes’s debut feature set at Auschwitz in 1944. The film centers on Saul, a Hungarian-Jewish prisoner who works as a Sonderkommando, cremating his fellow Jews. He comes across the body of a young boy whom he believes to be his missing son, and sets off on a frantic quest to bury him in secret. Intense and visually arresting, Son of Saul is one of the best films of the year, and a frontrunner for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.
Sony Pictures Classics
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler make a heck of a team. We’ve seen this time and time again when the gals host the Golden Globes. But their big-screen team-up, Baby Mama, disappointed. And while the trailers for their latest look very iffy, there’s a whole lot of talent behind this comedy about two sisters who decide to throw one last bash at their childhood home before it gets sold. It’s written by longtime SNL scribe Paula Pell, directed by Pitch Perfect’s Jason Moore, and also stars Neighbors scene-stealer Ike Barinholtz, The Daily Show’s Samantha Bee, ex-SNLers Maya Rudolph and Rachel Dratch, and… Ja Rule.
Universal Pictures
If food porn is as much your thing as it is mine, then you’ll love basking in the mouthwatering glow of Pierre Deschamps’s documentary Noma: My Perfect Storm—a compelling portrait of both world-famous chef Rene Redzepi and his Copenhagen restaurant Noma, which was voted the Best Restaurant in the World in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014. It traces Redzepi’s humble, small-town origins and rise to the top of the food ranks, while also taking you inside Noma to see exactly how one of the world’s finest food establishments achieves greatness, and stays on top.
Pierre Deschamps/Magnolia Pictures
It’s Road Chip instead of Road Trip! Ugh. OK, this film is clearly not for me, but if you’re a parent that needs to drag your kids to a movie this holiday season and they’ve both already seen The Good Dinosaur and are too young for PG-13 Star Wars, then I suppose this is their only feasible stop. Sorry, parents.
Twentieth Century Fox
While his canceled HBO show Looking was a snooze, Andrew Haigh’s last film, 2011’s Weekend, is one of the most poignant gay love stories ever put to film. Here, he focuses on another community that doesn’t get nearly the appreciation it deserves onscreen: the elderly. It centers on an old married couple, Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay), who are planning their 45th anniversary celebration. That all comes to grinding halt when the pair receive shocking news from Geoff’s past—news that forces Kate to question their entire relationship. Rampling is superb here in a career-best performance worthy of serious awards consideration.
Curzon Artificial Eye
Produced in clandestine fashion, this travelogue movie—shot in Finland, Italy, and France—sees Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore travel to the aforementioned countries in order to “invade” their way of life, and learn how they manage to deal with similar social and economic hardships that face his home country of the U.S.
DOD Photo by Robert D. Ward
The last two times filmmaker David O. Russell and his muse Jennifer Lawrence teamed up, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, resulted in two left-field blockbusters, a pair of Oscar nods for J.Law, and one win. So needless to say, there’s plenty of awards buzz surrounding this, a biopic of Joy Mangano (Lawrence), the inventor of the Miracle Mop who built a huge Home Shopping Network-assisted empire. The film also stars Robert De Niro as Joy’s father, Bradley Cooper as an HSN exec, and Edgar Ramirez as Joy’s ex-hubby. Oh, and it’s J.Law as a feisty Long Island entrepreneur, which alone is worth the price of admission.
Merie Weismiller Wallace
Leonardo DiCaprio may not be raped by a bear in The Revenant, but if the pundits are correct, he stands a great chance of taking home his first Academy Award for this. He plays Hugh Glass, a frontiersman and fur trapper who, during an 1823 expedition in the American wilderness, is brutally mauled by a bear and left for dead by John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), a fellow trapper who’s really a criminal on the run from the law. The film, directed by Oscar-winner Alejandro Inarritu (Birdman) and lensed by the masterful two-time Oscar-winner Chivo Lubezki, chronicles his fight to survive—and seek revenge.
Kimberley French/Twentieth Century Fox Film
Gawker tactlessly posting its leaked script couldn’t stop Quentin Tarantino’s latest Western from hitting the screen. It’s a violent, terribly funny film set in the plains of Wyoming some years after the Civil War. A stagecoach filled with John “Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell), a bounty hunter transporting suspected murderer Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to Red Rocks, Colorado, comes upon two men on the road as a blizzard approaches: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black ex-Union soldier turned bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walter Goggins), a Southern renegade claiming to be Red Rocks’ new sheriff. As the blizzard hits, they seek refuge in a stop known as Minnie’s Haberdashery, where they encounter a group of strangers who aren’t what they seem. The film also stars Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir, Michael Madsen, and Channing Tatum.
The Weinstein Company
It’s the film the National Football League doesn’t want you to see. Peter Landesman’s biopic stars Will Smith as Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist investigating the effects of brain trauma in the NFL. As he hopes to publicize his discovery of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in these athletes, he comes head-to-head with league officials hoping to silence him. The film also stars Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Morse, Albert Brooks, and Luke Wilson as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Melinda Sue Gordon
The last collaboration between Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, the cop comedy The Other Guys, was pretty damn hilarious. Their latest, however, looks atrocious. But hey, maybe lightning can strike twice. It centers on easygoing Brad (Will Ferrell) who’s trying his best to be a great stepfather to his wife’s (Linda Cardellini) two children. Things get dicey when their hunky biological dad, played by Wahlberg, enters the picture to win their affections.
Paramount Pictures
Edgar Ramirez is a damn fine actor—as is Teresa Palmer, who plays the female lead here—but I’m against the very idea of this, a reimagining (butchering?) of Katherine Bigelow’s 1991 cult classic. The stars aren’t as hot as Keanu and Swayze, there’s no Gary Busey or Flea, and the homoeroticism, the lifeblood of the original, is downplayed. Hard pass for me, but if you like seeing some sweet X-Games-type shit, perhaps this is your bag.
Reiner Bajo/nterpol Pictures
I don’t want to give too much away about Anomalisa, the latest from acclaimed writer/director Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and co-director Duke Johnson, but I will say it’s a stop-motion animated film based on Kaufman’s eponymous play about a dispirited middle-aged author (voiced by David Thewlis) who one day comes across a fetching stranger (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh) that sets him aflame. The film is a poigannt masterpiece that has to be seen to be believed.
Toronto Film Festival
