The year is about to end but there are still a few interesting movies awaiting to hit the big screens. Compared to the last couple of years, 2018 wasn’t really the best year for film, but we hope that the remaining December releases will redress the balance a little.
On this list, we tried to put together the 15 movies which we are the most excited to watch this month. In order to make things easier, we’ve selected and ordered the films based on their USA release date. This means that a few of them were already released in other countries, or in other cases will be released next year.
Let us know in the comments what are your most expected December films.
1. Mary Queen of Scots (December 7)
Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie star as Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England in this new historical drama based on John Guy’s biographical novel “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart”. The film is said to depict the conflicts between the two Queens which led to the 1569 rebellion known as the Rising of the North when Mary claimed Elizabeth’s throne as her own.
“Mary Queen of Scots” had its world premiere last month in Los Angeles at the AFI Fest, where it was praised by critics for its performances from the two leads and for its impressive costume designs. The film is director’s Josie Rourke first feature film, as she’s previously only worked as an artistic director at multiple London theatres.
2. Vox Lux (December 7)
“Vox Lux” is the story of Celeste (Natalie Portman), a girl who survives a school shooting at 13-years-old and, under some unusual circumstances, grows up into a famous pop star.
Based on what we’ve seen so far, it looks like in “Vox Lux” Natalie Portman will play her most interesting character since 2010’s “Black Swan”. It remains to be seen if the film turns out to be as appreciated as Aronofsky’s ballet thriller, but if we are to look at its first reviews it seems that Portman’s performance is as good as you’d expect from her.
“Vox Lux” is director’s Brady Corbet second feature film. Although he is better known as a television and film actor, his previous movie “The Childhood of a Leader” was really well received by critics and even earned him a couple of awards at 2015’s Venice International Film Festival, so this only makes us more eager to watch his new project.
3. The Mule (December 14)
Clint Eastwood has never been the kind of director to make only good films. His movies have rather varied in quality from great to…not so great. With that being said, you never know what to expect when a new Eastwood film hits the cinema screens, but that doesn’t make us less impatient to watch “The Mule”.
The film is based on the true story of Leo Sharp (also played by Eastwood), an 87-year-old World War II veteran who worked as a drug courier for the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel and became the world’s oldest and most prolific drug mule. The film’s script was written by Nick Schenk (who’s also worked on Eastwood’s 2008 film “Gran Torino”) and is based on The New York Times article “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old Drug Mule” by Sam Dolnick.
Be it a good movie or not, it feels really great to be able to watch the legendary Clint Eastwood on the big screens again.
4. If Beale Street Could Talk (December 14)
Recently nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Supporting Actress (Regina King) and Best Screenplay at the upcoming Golden Globe Awards, “If Beale Street Could Talk” follows the life of Clementine “Tish” Rivers (Kiki Layne), an African-American woman whose husband is wrongfully accused of rape and tries to prove his innocence until the birth of their child.
The film is based on James Baldwin novel of the same name and was directed by Barry Jenkins, whose LGBT-themed drama “Moonlight” has won, among others, the Academy Award for Best Picture (sorry La La Land) back in 2016. This and the overwhelmingly positive reactions it has received from critics after festival screenings (on Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 91% based on 92 reviews and an average rating of 8.7) put “If Beale Street Could Talk” among our most expected films of this December and we couldn’t be more excited for it to get released.
5. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (December 14)
There are so many other Spider-man films already out there, what is the purpose of another one? Well, this is a legit question, but “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” really looks promising.
Well, unlike the previous Spider-man big screen productions, this one is an animation, and this provides a lot of new opportunities for doing something different to what Sony has already done with the web-slinging superhero. Based on its trailers, “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” looks great and is very reminiscent of the Telltale Games in terms of visual style, but also seems to be funnier than the live-action films and to feature a really interesting storyline.
“Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” will feature the Miles Morales character (he’s the first black Spider-Man), but also Peter Parker and a lot of incarnations of Spider-Man from different realities. It currently has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with some critics even calling it the best Spider-Man movie since Raimi’s Spider-Man 2.
6. They Shall Not Grow Old (December 17)
This is Peter Jackson first time directing a documentary and based on its reviews (the film had its UK premiere this October) this is also Jackson’s most well-received work since “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy, with critics and audiences praising the footage quality, its engagingness and the overall authenticity of the documentary.
“They Shall Not Grow Old” depicts World War I based on previously unseen film footage from the Imperial War Museums’ archives which has been restored, colourised and enhanced with the addition of sound effects and interviews from 120 war veterans.
7. Mary Poppins Returns (December 19)
Nobody asked for a “Mary Poppins” sequel, but now that we’re about to get it we must say that it doesn’t look so bad.
The film once again blends live-action with the classic-style Disney animation while bringing to life the story of Michael and Jane Banks. However, “Mary Poppins Returns” is set 20 years after the original film, so the kids are now all grown up and Michael has three children of his own. After some tragic events, he finds himself once again in need of the magical nanny’s help.
“Mary Poppins Returns” features Emily Blunt in the titular role made famous by Dame Julie Andrews and sees the return of original cast member Dick Van Dyke. Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Meryl Streep also star in the film. It has received four nominations at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, including one for the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category.