This is it guys, we are officially on the last month of the year. This means Christmas and New Year’s celebrations and lots of quality time with friends and family before it’s 2020 and the slog starts up again. Lucky for us, December is always a stacked month for movies, so you will definitely be spoiled for choice at the cinemas.
Strangely enough, most Christmas movies were actually released in November, like Last Christmas or Feast Of The Seven Fishes. It appears there won’t be much competition for Black Christmas, a horror movie that should appeal to contrarians who don’t like Christmas mush in their movies. There will be much to choose from, but as always, we chose 5 to tell you about.
1. Jumanji: The Next Level | 13th December 2019
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle wasn’t a movie we thought we needed. While the original Jumanji had its flaws, it was special to a lot of us and had an incredible cast. However, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle was a decent follow-up to the original Jumanji, offering a more modern spin in the form of a video game instead of the board game in the first movie. The cast turned in good performances, especially Jack Black, who had to take on the persona of a young, teenage girl. The film was funny and great, which of course guaranteed there would be a sequel.
Jumanji: The Next Level takes things further by adding Danny DeVito and Danny Glover to the cast. Their characters get sucked into the game, with Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart having to take on these personas, which already looks like it would be great fun to watch.
2. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | 20th December 2019
For Star Wars fans, a new Star Wars movie is truly the greatest gift. However, considering the reception around The Last Jedi, it’s hard to tell how this will hold up in comparison. Nevertheless, this movie is bound to drag out the fans, even if they are skeptical of it.
Directed by J.J. Abrams, who previously helmed the first installment to the series The Force Awakens, The Rise of Skywalker is a conclusion to the Skywalker saga. Abrams teased the return of the villainous Palpatine, but little else is known about the story of the movie, which is the perfect tactic to ensure people show up in droves, though it was going to happen anyway.
3. Cats | 20th December 2019
Has anything been more universally hated since the Cats trailer emerged to the world? I exaggerate, but the response to a film adaptation of Cats looks to be the most horrifying thing. The scale on the cats is confusing, and the CGI is treading too much on the valley of the uncanny for my taste.
So why is this movie on the list? Well, it has a star-studded cast, so that might convince some to watch it. Curiosity might catch others, while fans of the stage version might be tempted to watch it, even if it’s just to gloat about how the stage one is better. The critics’ reception to this will be contributing factor as well, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
4. Bombshell | 20th December 2019
With Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie all in this movie together, Bombshell looks to impress with a host of incredible performances. Bombshell is based on real life events, charting women pushing back against the sexist environment that existed in Fox News under the leadership of Roger Ailes.
Theron is practically unrecognisable in the trailer as Megyn Kelly, a news anchor who got into a public sparring situation with then presidential candidate Donald Trump. Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson, who explores legal action against Fox News founder Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), and is looking for support from other women to speak out against the culture of misogyny that pervades the setting.
5. Little Women | 25th December 2019
Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird is perhaps one of my favourite coming-of-age movies. Her portrayal of the mother-daughter relationship between Lady Bird and her mom is so on the nose and authentic. Thus, it makes perfect sense that a story like Little Women would be her next film, since it revolves heavily around female relationships – between mother and daughters, and sisters. The movie features a star-studded cast, with the likes of Meryl Streep, Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern and Eliza Scanlen.
In a recent article from Variety, Ronan mentioned that out of all her roles, Jo March is her most assured performance. She recognises that many look to Jo March as an important figure, but wasn’t daunted by that, since Jo is a character she felt she understood and could grapple with.
Little Women is the second movie Gerwig and Ronan have collaborated on, and we certainly hope it won’t be the last.
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