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Get Reel: December’s Must-See Movies
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Of course we all know that Star Wars is set to be released tomorrow but there are other quality flicks that we feel you need to check out as well.
In Theatres
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (December 18, Disney)
This one could set a new box-office record, so if you’re planning to see it, stop reading this and go get in line . . . like, now. Luckily, there’s plenty of reason to think that this return to a galaxy far, far away will be a creative as well as commercial smash. For one, there’s geek director extraordinaire J.J. Abrams — who’s already turned around Star Trek’s big-screen fortunes.
Then there’s the fact that before filming began, Disney took over the reins from original producers LucasFilm, which should go a long way to sidestepping the letdown of the last three Star Wars flicks. Finally, there’s the return of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, reprising their career-making roles. It’s still not clear exactly what kind of adventure Abrams has lined up for them — but we do know it will introduce a slew of younger characters, including a Luke Skywalker-ish desert wanderer named Rey (Daisy Ridley), reformed Storm Trooper-turned-budding-Jedi Finn (John Boyega), X-Wing fighter pilot Poe (Oscar Isaac) and Darth Vader-worshipping baddie Kylo (Adam Driver).
Sisters (December 18, Universal)
One of the films with the misfortune of going to battle against Luke, Leia et al. is this R-rated laugher — but like a scrappy Rebel alliance, it should hold its own against the bigger, badder competition over the coming months, thanks to the not-inconsiderable appeal of former SNL cast mates Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, not to mention stellar reviews. Fey and Poehler play two siblings (the former a party girl, the latter a strait-laced professional) who reunite to clean out their childhood home and decide to make like it’s high school and throw one last barnburner before mom and dad sell the place. Comedic chaos ensues.
The Big Short (December 29, Paramount)
Photo Credit: Paramount/businessinsider.com
Director Adam McKay takes a break from off-the-wall laughers like Anchorman to adapt Moneyball author Michael Lewis’s fascinating account of how a group of savvy Wall Street types bet against the conventional market wisdom during the financial crisis of 2007 and managed to turn a tidy profit while pushing the banks who had instigated the collapse into financial ruin. It may sound kind of dry, but McKay and his extravagantly wigged all-star cast, including Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt, have earned raves and Oscar buzz for crafting an equal parts funny and infuriating take on one of the defining events in modern world history.
On Blu-ray
He Named Me Malala (Now available, Fox)
Photo Credit: Toronto International Film Festival
Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim takes on the story of pint-sized Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, from
her fiery advocacy for women’s rights to her near-assassination by the Taliban to her current life, exiled in the U.K., splitting her time between addressing world leaders and Googling pictures of her favourite footballers. Focusing in on her relationship with her equally outspoken father, the director paints an artful, intimate portrait of both an inspiring global icon and a regular teen girl.
her fiery advocacy for women’s rights to her near-assassination by the Taliban to her current life, exiled in the U.K., splitting her time between addressing world leaders and Googling pictures of her favourite footballers. Focusing in on her relationship with her equally outspoken father, the director paints an artful, intimate portrait of both an inspiring global icon and a regular teen girl.
Bone Tomahawk (December 29, Image Entertainment)
A wholly unique mash-up of classic Western and horror, this buried treasure features an eclectic cast of A-list character actors, including Kurt Russell, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins and Patrick Wilson, who are forced to embark on a dark journey into the desert after the latter’s wife (Lili Simmons) is kidnapped by a vicious clan of cannibals. Gunplay, dark humour and a few moments of utterly unforgettable body horror await.
Pawn Sacrifice (December 29, Universal)
Tobey Maguire takes on the juicy role of American chess wizard Bobby Fischer, who turned the sport of kings into a public obsession back in the ’60s and ’70s, particularly when he challenged Soviet champ Boris Spassky to a match at the height of the Cold War, making it far more than a simple game of chess. Beyond his unparalleled talent, Fischer was a fascinatingly complex figure, prone to paranoia, outspoken racism and flat out delusion, which would eventually consume him.
Main Image Photo Credit: Disney
Matthew Currie
Author
A long-standing entertainment journalist, Currie is a graduate of the Professional Writing program at Toronto’s York University. He has spent the past number of years working as a freelancer for ANOKHI and for diverse publications such as Sharp, TV Week, CAA’s Westworld and BC Business. Currie ...
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