After a crowded November filled with Oscar contenders, December brings some light fare to audiences and last minute Oscar Contenders are unveiled making their final pushes for the coveted award.
December 7
December 7th sees the release of Playing for Keeps, a romantic comedy about a former sports star who falls on hard times and starts coaching his son's soccer team as a way to get his life together. His attempts to become an adult are met with challenges from the attractive soccer moms who pursue him at every turn. The film stars Jessica Biel, Gerard Butler, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta Jones and Uma Thurman.
In arthouse theaters Oscar Contender Hyde Park on Hudson is finally unveiled after obtaining mixed reception out of the Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals. The film tells the story of an affair between FDR and his distant cousin Margaret Stuckley and a weekend with the King and Queen of the United Kingdom. Also unspooling in theaters are Lay the Favorite starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis and Vince Vaughn and Deadfall starring Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde. Both these films have already been on demand for a number of weeks and hope to continue their successful VOD runs in theaters.
What to see: Out of the four films being released I recommend Hyde Park on Hudson because it has the most buzz and may be a big awards contender in the coming months.
December 14
December 14th sees the release of Peter Jackson's highly anticipated The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Adapted from the Tolkien novel, The Hobbit is the first of a trilogy that Jackson plans on releasing throughout the next three years. The film is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings and tells the story of a curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.
In the arthouse theaters the Sundance hit Save the Date is unveiled by IFC and the Oscar contender Music box's Any Day Now starring Alan Cummings are unveiled. Save the Date is about Sarah who begins to confront her shortcomings after she rejects her boyfriend's hasty proposal and soon finds herself in a rebound romance. Meanwhile, her sister Beth is immersed in the details of her wedding. Any Day Now tells the story of a gay couple fighting for a biased legal system to keep custody of the abandoned mentally handicapped teenager that comes to live under their roof.
What to See: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the film to see. After years of production, the prequel to The Lord of the Rings will finally hit theaters and will most likely be one of the biggest films of the year.
December 19 and 21
Four films will unspool early on the 19th. The Guilt Trip starring Seth Rogan and Barbara Streisand tells the story of an inventor and his mom hitting the road together so he can sell his latest invention. Pixar re-releases the Oscar winning film Monster's Inc in anticipation for Monster's University coming out next year.
In arthouse theaters the Palm d'Or winner Michale Haneke's Amour gets its first release. The film which is contending for the Foreign Film Award at the Oscars tells the story of Georges and Anne. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple's bond of love is severely tested. Oscar hopeful Zero Dark Thirty will be released in New York and Los Angeles and tells the story of the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden.
On the 21st another slew of films unveil. Tom Cruise's latest Jack Reacher and Judd Appatow's latest comedy This is 40 unspool. Jack Reacher tells the story of a homicide investigator digging deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims. This is 40, the sequel to Knocked Up takes a look at the lives of Pete and Debbie a few years after the events of Knocked Up.
The anticipated adaptation On the Road also unveils in select theaters along with the Naomi Watts-Ewan McGregor starrer The Impossible. The New York Film Festival centerpiece film Not Fade Away also gets a limited release. The film set in suburban New Jersey the 1960s, tells the story of a group of friends forming a rock band and trying to make it big.
What to See: If audiences get around to the movies Amour and Zero Dark Thirty are the films to see because of the buzz they are generating.
December 25th and 28th
December 25th and 28th sees the release of the last films of the year. Quentin Tarentino's Django Unchained tells the story of a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. The film stars Leonardo Dicaprio Jaime Foxx and Christoph Waltz. The musical phenomenon Les Miserables also unveils with heavy Oscar hopes. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathway, Amanda Seyfried and Helena Bonham Carter. The last wide release is Parental Guidance. The film starring Marisa Tomei and Billy Crystal tells the story Artie and Diane who agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town for work. Problems arise when the kids' 21st-century behaviors collide with Artie and Diane's old-school methods.
In arthouse theaters Peter Jackson's documentary West of Memphis and Sundance film LUV are also released.
December 28th sees the release of Gus Van Sant's film Promised Land starring Matt Damon, and Frances McDormand. The film being released by Focus Features tells the story of a salesman life changing experience after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available natural gas resources.
What to See: Les Miserables is one of the event films of the year and is a sure Oscar nominee. After its New York premiere critics are calling it the front runner to win the Oscar. Django is also highly recommendable.
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