Merry Christmas – almost – to ya. Don’t give up on December just yet though, as there are still some juggernauts and gems to hit cinemas, as well as home video goodies that double both as stocking stuffers and distractions for you from the silly season. Get amongst the goodness below…
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Dec. 11
There’s a Hobbit movie coming out? No kidding… Sir Peter Jackson wraps up his second trilogy of Middle-earth dalliance with this all-action spectacular that we saw the other day and really dug. Best Hobbit film so far, we reckon – and there’s a review to back it up. Sample quote: “It’s a welcome experience to see Peter Jackson to break free from the knots he’s entangled himself in by unnecessarily expanding The Hobbit, and as he gets stuck in to entertaining, rather than indulging, the audience shares in the rewards”.
Movie times and release date info
Paddington – Dec. 18
Michael Bond’s beloved creation is making his way to the big screen just in time for Christmas. “Sweet and silly,” “a Pixar-level delight,” and “as warm and welcome as a hot pair of socks on a winter morning” are but a few of the ways reviewers have been expressing their gush over this UK family-friendly tale. It shouldn’t come as a surprise though given the talent on board: Nicole Kidman, Peter Capaldi, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, The Mighty Boosh director Paul King and Harry Potter producer David Heyman. Most importantly, Ben Whishaw (who played Q in Skyfall) provides his vocal talents as our loveable Paddington. The role was originally meant for Colin Firth, but we know what he’s like on the mic…
Movie times and release date info
Obvious Child – Dec. 18
Sneaking in under the radar among the crop of end-of-year event films, comedy Obvious Child has been called a breakout vehicle for lead Jenny Slate. She plays Brooklyn comedian Donna, who suffers a trifecta of suck: she gets dumped, fired and pregnant just in time for Valentine’s Day. Described by Variety as “a romantic comedy that dares to consider the subject of abortion suitable for date-night crowds.” Stars Jenny Slate (Parks and Recreations), Jake Lacy (The Office), Gaby Hoffmann (Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus) and David Cross (Arrested Development).
Movie times and release date info
The Water Diviner – Dec. 26
Russell Crowe makes his directorial debut with this story, in which he also stars, set in 1919 after the Battle of Gallipoli. Following the World War I campaign fought by ANZAC, Turkish and Allied troops, an Australian farmer (Crowe) travels to Turkey to find his three missing sons. Timed to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the tragic wartime events, The Water Diviner seems set to offer a seldom-seen side of the story – the Turkish one – as well as being likely to require several packets of tissues along the way.
Movie times and release date info
Big Hero 6 – Dec. 26
From Disney Animation comes this family superhero sci-fi set in the high-tech city of San Fransokyo where a brilliant young robotics prodigy and his self-made robo-pal Baymax join forces with a team of first-time crime fighters in order to save the city from a dastardly criminal menace. Features the voices of Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games), T.J. Miller (How to Train Your Dragon), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids) and Samuel L. Jackson.
Movie times and release date info
Mr. Turner – Dec. 26
Hurray for Timothy Spall! After years of displaying fantastic character acting talents in co-starring roles, he finally gets to break out in full force as the lead of this British biopic as the great, idiosyncratic painter J.M.W. Turner. The film is written and directed by Mike Leigh who just cannot seem to score an Oscar, having been nominated – but not won – for his films Secrets & Lies, Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky and Another Year. It’s little wonder he jumped on this project about a misunderstood artistic genius…
Movie times and release date info
Killers – Dec. 10
The basics: We’re going to just assume that you’ve seen and loved The Raid and The Raid 2. (If you haven’t seen one or the other yet, get to it soldier!) Now Indonesian cinema goes equally dark and violent with this psychological thriller from directors Kimo Stamboel (Macabre) and Timo Tjahjanto (V/H/S/2), using a student-teacher serial killers premise with a viral marketing twist.
The buzz: Only 6 votes on Rotten Tomatoes so far, but they’re all fresh. But why listen to them other critics when you’ve got us? Liam Maguren saw it as NZIFF, calling it “a slick-looking film, but for more compelling and convincing touched-by-evil thrillers, the Koreans are light-years ahead with I Saw the Devil.”
DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Palo Alto – Dec. 10
The basics: A James Franco collection of short stories is brought to the big screen by Gia Coppola (the granddaughter of Francis Ford and niece of Sofia Coppola). The complicated relationships, heightened emotions and romantic highs and lows of adolescence are explored in intertwining high school stories set in northern California. Cast includes Emma Roberts, Jack Kilmer, Val Kilmer and… James Franco as a sleazy soccer coach.
The buzz: 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. “An example of how to turn been-there-done-that material into something luminous” raves The Atlantic, while Film.com call it “One of the best movies ever made about high school life in America”.
DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
The Quiet Ones – Dec. 10
The basics: Hammer horror set in the 1970s sees an unorthodox professor (Jared Harris, Mad Men) carry out a dangerous experiment – testing a troubled young woman with powerful telekinetic abilities. Their subject is a dangerous and disturbed woman (Olivia Cooke, Bates Motel), whose dark energy they hope to manifest. As the experiment unravels, along with their sanity, the rogue PhD students trigger a terrifying and other-worldly force.
The buzz: 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. “As an exercise in retro pastiche, it impresses”, says Hollywood Reporter, “But as a postmodern genre reinvention, it fails to deliver”. Entertainment Weekly play a little more nice: “A retro possession story that will wind up being best remembered for its groovy ’70s setting (lots of mutton-chop sideburns and T. Rex and Slade songs on the soundtrack) and a deliciously sinister performance from Jared Harris”.
DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Space Station 76 – Dec. 10
The basics: Sci-fi comedy stars Patrick Wilson (Insidious), Liv Tyler (The Incredible Hulk) and Matt Bomer (Winter’s Tale), going back to a 1970s vision of the future, where the women are still domesticated, the robots are still box-shaped, and the moustaches are still glorious.
The buzz: 65% on Rotten Tomatoes. Hollywood Reporter call the film “an oddball pastiche whose intent is hard to decipher”, while Variety reckon “With the aid of ensemble players who maintain admirably straight faces amid the absurdity, director Jack Plotnick gets an impressive amount of mileage from a concept that might seem at first blush barely adequate to sustain a Saturday Night Live sketch.”
DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead – Dec. 11
The basics: Those damn Nazi zombies just won’t stay dead. Now they’re tangling with Norwegian villagers and all three members of the ‘US Zombie Squad’ (including Freaks and Geeks‘ Martin Starr) in Tommy Wirkola’s follow-up to the 2009 cult classic comedy horror, which picks up right where the first left off.
The buzz: 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. “Dementedly enjoyable…” says Entertainment Weekly; “This grudge match plays like a generic zombie free-for-all, though Wirkola now has the money to shift from a chintzy Evil Dead homage to an elaborate Dead Alive [Braindead] homage” proclaims AV Club.
DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Soul Boys of the Western World – Dec. 11
The basics: Doco on ’80s British new wave mega-band Spandau Ballet, brilliantly named after toilet graffiti in a Berlin nightclub (and referring to the hangings at Spandau Prison, where Nazi war criminals would twitch on the end of a rope). Uses news footage, material from the band’s archives and interviews to tell their tale.
The buzz: 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. “makes a very persuasive case for Spandau Ballet’s place in the Britpop pantheon” argues the Independent; Empire call the film “a funny, absorbing, trivia-filled portrait of friendship, the ’80s music biz and bad hair”.
DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Earth to Echo – Dec. 17
The basics: In an attempt to do something new with the found-footage genre that isn’t a complete waste of time, this suburban sci-fi young-teen adventure adds an extraterrestrial twist to the format about a group of 13-year-olds who discover an alien being in desperate need of their help.
The buzz: 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. Time Out London says “its characters are drawn with more care and insight than you’d expect” while the New York Times calls it a “shallow knockoff of classic suburban adventure movies.” Meanwhile, The Playlist doesn’t NOT hate it, saying “neither unforgettable nor particularly bad.”
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Outcast – Dec. 24
The basics: Nicolas Cage has a sword, a wig, and a British (Scottish? Irish? Canadian?) accent in this historical action film. Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Episode 2, 3) stars alongside as the pair defend the rightful heir to the Chinese throne.
The buzz: None yet. Can’t wait to hear what it will be…….
DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
ABCs of Death 2 – Dec. 31
The basics: After 2012’s horror anthology – which gave a crop of diverse filmmakers a letter of the alphabet from which they were to create a short film involving death – a new batch of directors contribute to this sequel’s sick and twisted compilation. The new filmmakers include The Mighty Boosh‘s Julian Barratt, E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills), Shion Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell?) and the Soska sisters (American Mary).
The buzz: 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. “There’s no denying this mixed bag contains some really choice severed heads” says Village Voice; “This follow-up stands as a marked improvement” states the Austin Chronicle; “This cavalcade of sophomoric, mean-spirited schlock is an embarrassment, putting to shame all of the exciting, limitless possibilities the horror genre has to offer” said some dude called Dustin Putman.
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The Purge: Anarchy – Dec. 31
The basics: In our review of last year’s The Purge, we said we wanted a sequel. We’re pretty damn happy when Hollywood gives us a sequel we actually want for a change, but it’s where Anarchy is prepared to go that has us most excited of all. Going from the confines of a middle-class home to the frightening freedom of the open streets, this sequel may very well be a modern take on The Warriors. (Hey, we got what we wanted before, so we’re asking for anything at this point.)
The buzz: 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. We suppose you can go with what Variety has to say: “remains as patently absurd as ever… [a] noisy, self-serious sequel.” Or you could side with the more suited audience of Badass Digest: “A well-paced action movie with clear stakes, a badass hero and real ideas.”
DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Madman release limited edition collections of Studio Ghibli classics this month – The Wind Rises, Howl’s Moving Castle and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Each comes packaged with awesome additions: hard cover books, coins/figurines, postcards and more. Check out The Wind Rises, for example:
