Films To Look Out For This Holiday Season
Ever since Titanic was released during the holidays, studios have looked at the holiday season as a prime spot to release huge movies. Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Avatar, and Titanic have all seen gigantic numbers during this time of the year. This makes Winter the new Summer for movies. Sure, there are now Avengers films being released at that time, but December is where they roll out the films that could be nominated for awards.
If you take a look at this holiday season — I have taken a guess at starting from October 1st – January 6th, because October 1st is the first official time I saw a Christmas movie promotion on television — you’ll notice a load of movies that are not only big budget, but also just begging to get nominated for an Academy Award. This must all take place before the brunt of Winter takes over and no one wants to leave their houses. January – March is the dead zone of film. Sure, many films get released that surprise people, but it’s mostly the place where studios place their duds… which is shocking that Batman v Superman is getting a March 2016 release. This may try to turn the tide, but I would drive over my entire family in the snow to watch that movie.
Anyway, there are a lot of movies coming out this holiday season, but let’t take a look at the ones that you will go and see when the weather starts to turn, the snow starts to fall, and you have to make excuses to skip family parties to go and watch some movies and your local cinema!
SPECTRE — November 6th
Another new Bond film! The last film, Skyfall, was the highest grossing Bond film of all time. It looks great, had great action, but fell back into the cheesy one-liner stuff we became accustomed to. In Casino Royale, Bond was asked how he would like his martini, and he replied, “Do I look like I give a damn?”
That was the moment it felt like the series had new life. Bond was a badass, fell in love with someone who shredded his heart, and you actually cared and had sympathy for him. His past incarnations where just cheesy ways of getting him into a tuxedo to play cards and bang beautiful women. It got tiring. Sure, Goldeneye still holds up as a solid Bond film — and video game — but even Brosnan got sick of the dame old crap being given to him. A heat laser from a satellite chasing Bond in a cloaked car on the ice? That’s f*cking stupid.
Spectre hopes to bring back the classic thriller of Bond. It returns with Daniel Craig as James Bond, Ralph Fiennes as the new M, and Sam Mendes as director and CHRISTOPH WALTZ AS THE BAD GUY! So what’s it about?
Premise: In the aftermath of Raoul Silva’s attack on MI6, a cryptic message sets in motion events that will see James Bond come face-to-face with the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE. While Gareth Mallory, the newly appointed M, continues fighting political pressures that threatens the future of MI6, Bond discovers that the only way to unravel the web of conspiracy is to protect the innocent daughter of a powerful enemy. Following a trail from Mexico to Italy, Austria and Morocco, he is forced to operate outside his purview as he is drawn into a confrontation with an enemy from his past.
Bond goes out of his way to do something that his superiors don’t advise. He has to protect the daughter of… yeah, they probably bang. Waltz is the head of SPECTRE, probably. I hope this doesn’t turn into the Hydra element that derailed the entire Marvel Universe. Either way, the trailer still looks amazing. Have a look below.
The 33 — November 13th
33 Chilean miners were stuck underground after a collapse that left them stranded for 69 days. These guys were just going deep — 200 stories — underground to work and provides for their families. This was one of the reasons that the world was so captivated by the story. The international community bound together to get these innocent guys out of the ground before they ran out of resources and their air supply. You can think of many things like things like this (Apollo 13), but being stuck underground in a pocket of air is a death sentence unless people band together to help.
Premise: In 2010, the eyes of the world turned to Chile, where 33 miners had been buried alive by the catastrophic explosion and collapse of a 100-year-old gold and copper mine. Over the next 69 days, an international team worked night and day in a desperate attempt to rescue the trapped men as their families and friends, as well as millions of people globally, waited and watched anxiously for any sign of hope. But 200 stories beneath the surface, in the suffocating heat and with tensions rising, provisions—and time—were quickly running out.
Check out the trailer below. Also, bring tissues.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 — November 20th
This is the end of the film series that made Jennifer Lawrence famous. It will take all of the money of all teenage girls, and some of the money from people who like good movies. Seriously! All of the movies in the series — besides the first — are good movies that people should see. It’s also the last movie the feature Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They had to digitally put his face in parts of this film. Drugs are pretty bad, and losing such a talent like his is depressing. Thankfully, we get to see him again in this!
Premise: With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin), and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.
The end of the Hunger Games comes on November 20th, but the start of anyone ever looking hungry in these films is still a mystery.
Creed — November 25th
It’s basically Rocky Balboa teaching Apollo Creed’s kid how to box and not get into trouble. No premises can sum it up better than that. You can read more about it from a post we put up not too long ago on the film.
The Danish Girl — November 27th
Remember what I said about movies being released at this time to get all the Oscar buzz? The Danish Girl is that movie. It stars recent Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne playing artist and pioneer transgender Lili Elbe. I love Eddie Redmayne, but the fact that he won an Oscar for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything pissed me off. Why? It was Oscar-bait. The moment I saw the trailer, I knew I wanted to see it. The moment I left the theater I knew he’d win everything. Did he deserve it? No. Was the movie good? Hell no.
This looks like another one of those movies: Take a real person, pick out the parts of their lives that can be exploited emotionally, take all the awards.
Premise: The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener (portrayed by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander), directed by Tom Hooper. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.
Macbeth — December 4th
Based 0n the classic Shakespearean play, Michael Fassbender plays the lead role in the film as the historical king of Scotland and the basis for some nay TV shows and movies that rip-off the plot of the play. I’m usually turned off to Shakespeare films that are adapted… not because they’re bad, but because hearing people talk like that is silly. Sure, it will work in the context of this period piece, but do you remember the Leonardo DiCaprio film about Romeo and Juliet? Referring to guns as swords? I have hope this updated film will be good.
Premise: Based on Shakespeare’s Scottish play. The script is billed as an updated version of Shakespeare’s tale of revenge and ambition, complete with the blood and thunder of the original tragedy.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens — December 18th
Yeah, there’s really no need to explain why this is important, but I will. After 3 terrible prequels that proved Lucas probably had little to do with the success of the original trilogy, a competent director (JJ Abrams) has been brought in to bring back the series to it’s original greatness. No more of a director sitting on his ass and viewing green screens. No more ships taking off or landing. NO MORE KID ACTORS BOTCHING UP EVERYTHING!
Abrams didn’t even care for Star Trek that much, but he managed to bring that back to the screen… minus Star Trek Into Darkness. I’m guessing he was forced into that one.
Premise: The beginning of a new Star Wars trilogy will take place 30 years after Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The new films will feature “a trio of new young leads along with some very familiar faces.”
Check out the new trailer:
The Revenant — December 25th
This is one of the movies that is allowing me to bypass any sort of holiday celebrations because I want to see this movie over seeing family. It tells of a true story of a mountain man that happens to get mauled by a bear, crawls miles for help, and then seeks revenge. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the badass Hugh Glass. It’s directed by recent Best Director Oscar Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu winner for Birdman, and looks to be another movie that DiCaprio will lose and not win an Oscar for.
Premise: Hugh Glass is a 19th century fur trapper who is mauled by a grizzly bear, left for dead and then robbed. When he survives against all odds, he sets out on a treacherous journey to exact revenge on his betrayers. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption.
The Hateful Eight — December 25th
Quentin Tarantino decided to make another movie. When Tarantino makes a movie, you can expect good acting, lengthy scenes of smart dialogue, amazing music, beautiful cinematography, and the probable use of the N-word…also Samuel L. Jackson. Reason for not seeing the family has been doubled.
Premise: In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard, but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception. Will they survive?
A room full of bounty hunters in a cabin during a blizzard. Sounds like a tension filled blast to me.
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post,UPROXX,BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com