The Club PUBlication 12/02/2024

THE MUST- SEE FILMS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
By MOIRA MACDONALD
 Tribune News Service

LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES!

​How about a little popcorn for the holidays?
And you'd best make it a large popcorn. After all, this is when Hollywood tends to think big — superstar talent, epic stories, special effects bonanzas — so we might as well think big, too.

The films released at the end of the year tend to include the offerings that are carrying the studios' highest Oscar hopes. Even if that's not a likely outcome, the distributors love to flood this season with big-name talent. And let's not overlook franchises that come with a fan base. It is, after all, a time of year when people tend to look for entertainment. And if we're looking, Hollywood is certainly going to be selling.

Here's a sampling of what you'll find on screens during the festive season. Note that all release dates are tentative and subject to change.

​'Maria'
Director Pablo Larrain's latest deep dive into the life of a prominent woman (previous works include "Spencer," about Princess Diana, and "Jackie," about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) takes place during the last days of the life of opera superstar Maria Callas, played by Angelina Jolie. (In theaters Nov. 27, Netflix Dec. 11)

'Juror #2'
Clint Eastwood directed this legal thriller about a member of a jury struggling with a serious moral dilemma that could result in the wrong person being convicted of murder. The cast includes Nicholas Holt, Toni Collette and J.K. Simmons. (Nov. 27)

'The Order'
In this drama, based on events that took place in the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s, Jude Law plays an FBI agent in pursuit of the leader (Nicholas Hoult ) of a white supremacist terrorist group known as the Order. (Dec. 6)

'Y2K'
It might seem a little late in the year for a horror comedy. Nonetheless, Kyle Mooney's debut film is the story of two high schoolers who crash a New Year's Eve party in 1999. The cast includes Rachel Zegler ("West Side Story"), Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison. (Dec. 6)

'Nightbitch'
The most memorable title of the year? No question. Writer/ director Marielle Heller follows up "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" and "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" with this adaptation of Rachel Yoder's 2021 novel, starring Amy Adams as a stay-at-home mother who transforms into a dog at night. (Dec. 6)

'Kraven the Hunter'
If you're grieving the absence of Russell Crowe in "Gladiator II," fear not: Here he is in the latest Marvel Comics installment, playing the father of big-game hunter Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Ariana DeBose and Alessandro Nivola co-star. (Dec. 13)

'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim'
And you thought this franchise was over? Not quite. This animated film uses the voices of Brian Cox and Miranda Otto to tell a story — visually inspired by Peter Jackson's trilogy — of legendary king Helm Hammerhand, who became the namesake of Helm's Deep. (Dec. 13)

'September 5'
Another drama based on true events, this one goes back to 1972, when a group of sports journalists at the Summer Olympics in Munich found themselves covering a hostage crisis. Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin star. (Dec. 13)

'Mufasa: The Lion King'
Barry Jenkins, the director of "Moonlight" and "If Beale Street Could Talk," takes on his first animated feature: a photorealistic "Lion King" sequel featuring the voices of Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogen and Beyoncé. (Dec. 20)

'The Brutalist'
Escaping postwar Europe, visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work and his marriage to Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. (Dec. 20)

'The Fire Inside'
Speaking of Jenkins, he wrote the screenplay for this factbased drama about Olympic boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields (Ryan Destiny). Oscarnominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison ("Mudbound") makes her feature directing debut. (Dec. 25)

'Babygirl'
There was lots of buzz out of the international film festival circuit this fall about this erotic thriller. Nicole Kidman won the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival for her role as a CEO who becomes involved with a younger man (Harris Dickinson). Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn directs. (Dec. 25)

'Nosferatu'
Care for a little bloodsucking for the holidays? More than a century after F.W. Murnau's silent vampire film "Nosferatu" (based on Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula") comes this gothic remake, with a cast featuring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor- Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe. (Dec. 25)

'A Complete Unknown'
Timoth & Chalamet plays Bob Dylan. Do you need to know any more than that? (Dec. 25)

'Better Man'
This docudrama is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams (playing himself ). (Dec. 25)

'Nickel Boys'
Based on Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this drama follows two boys at an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida. (Date TBD)
MOANA 2 ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ out of 4
GLADIATOR 2 ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ out of 4
WICKED ⋆ ⋆2 . . . out of 4