Christmas is around the corner, but it’s a little late in the game to try to capitalize on that at the box office…especially with Avatar: The Way of Water 2 making a big splash this weekend. However, there’s still some interesting stuff in the shadows.
December 15 (Thursday)
The Big 4 (Netflix)
Director: Timo Tjahjanto | Writers: Johanna Wattimena, Tjahjanto
Stars: Abimana Arysatya, Putru Marino, Lutesha
It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on based on the trailer but and it doesn’t sound like what I just read in the IMDB description. That said this looks like the kind of asian action cinema I used to watch a ton of and a great stay-at-home option!
The Mean One (Theaters + VOD)
Director: Steven LaMorte | Writers: Finn & Flip Kobler
Stars: David Howard Thornton, Krystle Martin, Chase Mullins
A Christmas horror story parody…this one could go straight to the 12 Days of B-Movie Christmas. Cindy’s parents are killed and her Christmas is stolen by the evil bargain basement knockoff of the Grinch called the “The Mean One”. SO, naturally she wants to stop it before it destroys the holiday and her home town. This movie isn’t meant to be taken seriously and reminds me of the tone from the Jack Frost horror movies, which I enjoy.
December 16 (Friday)
*Avatar: The Way of Water (Theaters) – Editor’s Pick*
Director: James Cameron | Writers: James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda SIlver
Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver
It has been 13 years since James Cameron’s original Avatar blew audiences’ minds and eyeballs. I wasn’t sure if the appetite would still be there all these years later, but I really appreciated the soft touch with teh advertising. The fact that this movie wasn’t crammed down my throat actually spoke volumes about the filmmakers’ and studio’s confidence. It looks every bit the epic that would be worth the wait, and it’s worth remembering that there were seven years between The Terminator and Terminator 2 and that worked out okay. I am going to wait to see this until after the weekend, because the premium formats are pretty packed and I had to go with Dolby 3D because the IMAX basically sold out.
The Almond and the Seahorse (Theaters + VOD)
Directors: Celyn Jones, Tom Stern | Writers: Celyn Jones, Kaite O’Reilly (play)
Stars: Rebel Wilson, Charlotte Gainbourg, Trine Dyrholm
The effects of traumatic brain injury on the individual and their relationships are explored in this film based on the Kaite O’Reilly play. The trailer makes it a little tough to tell what the timelines may or may not be, but I am interested to see Rebel Wilson get a project like this and Charlotte Gainsbourg just may steal the show. Fortunately, this one is going to VOD since I probably won’t see any theaters pushing it this weekend.
The Apology (Theaters + Shudder)
Written & Directed by: Alison Locke
Stars: Anna Gunn, Linus Roache, Janeane Garofolo
I see there are Christmas lights visible through the entry window, so that makes this a Christmas movie?!? I don’t know, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen Anna Gunn and that’s got my interest piqued. She plays a recovering alocholic who get as surprise visit (for the Holidays?) from the estranged ex-brother-in-law. That’s already super creepy as is without the whole daughter who disappeared 20 years prior thing. Linus Roache seems to play the creepy prick pretty well and Janeane Garofolo is in this one too. That’s enough to give it a shot, plus it’s on Shudder. Double win!
Jurassic Punk (Theaters + VOD)
Director: Scott Leberecht | Stars: Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams, Phil Tippett, Robert Patrick
This documentary focuses on the man who helped transformed an industry with groundbreaking visual effects. Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams is the man behind the dinosaur CGI that made Jurassic Park revolutionary but apparently he didn’t want to kneel and kiss the Hollywood ring. It’s a real punk rock story in an industry you might not expect.
Mindcage (Theaters + VOD)
Director: Mauro Borrelli | Writer: Reggie Keyohara III
Stars: John Malkovich, Martin Lawrence, Melissa Roxburgh
So, you’re telling me that there’s a Silence of the Lambs style film with John Malkovich in the Hannibal Lecter role and Martin Lawrence playing the detective that caught him and Melissa Roxburgh in the Clarice Starling role. Say no more. I don’t care how bad this movie may be, I am going to watch the hell out of it.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW…
High Heat (Theaters + VOD)
Director: Zach Golden | Writer: James Pedersen
Stars: Olga Kurylenko, Don Johnson, Chris Diamantopoulos
A chef and her husband run a successful restaurant, but one night the local mafia shows up because apparently the chef is ex-KGB. It’s a silly premise but it could be fun if it’s done right. Plus it’s less than 90 minutes, so it’s not like it’s going to overstay its welcome either.
Lullaby (Theaters + VOD)
Director: John R. Leonetti | Writers: Alex Greenfield, Ben Powell
Stars: Oona Chaplin, Ramón Rodríguez, Liane Balaban
Demons and babies historically go well enough together, but there isn’t a ton to go on from the trailer. What we do know is that John R. Leonetti (Annabelle) is in the director’s chair and that, for some reason, Oona Chaplin decides to read a lullaby from some creepy ancient book and some old lady in a vail shows up to kill the baby? I am not exactly sure. It might be fine with the brand of jump scares that have become common place, but I won’t rush to see this. Fortunately, it’s on VOD if you want to make the jump without going to theaters.
Nanny (Amazon)
Written & Directed by: Nikyatu Jusu
Stars: Anna Diop, Michelle Monoghan, Sinqua Walls
A South African immigrant caring for the child of an Upper East Side family in New York is haunted by her past. That’s really all I know about the first feature from Director Nikyatu Jusu, but directorial debuts are often embued with a lot of passion and personal elements and I love that. Since I probably won’t brave the Avatar crowds, this could be a nice alternative.
Nelly & Nadine (Theaters)
Director: Magnus Gertten | Writers: Jesper Osmun, Magnus Gertten
Stars: Anne Bianchi, Sylvie Bianchi, Nadine Hwang (archive)
This documentary focuses in on the untold love story between two women in Ravensbrück concentration camp on Christmas Eve, 1944. It appears to be told through their descendants, at least on one side of the family tree, as they look back through photo albums and documents. It sounds like a very sweet tale of love in the most unlikely of places and how hard that must have been at the time.
The Super 8 Years (Theaters + VOD)
Directors: Annie Ernaux, David Ernaux-Briot | Writer: Annie Ernaux
Stars: Annie Ernaux (voice), Philippe Ernaux (archive), David Ernaux-Briot (archive)
Nobel Prize-winning French Author Annie Ernaux uses home movies from about a decade from 1972-1981 and examines how that influenced her work and her life. This is a very niche documentary but I can imagine that it would be especially rewarding for her readers. On the other hand, I think it could be a very cathartic experience for anyone who has taken the time to go through old home movies.
Bardo (Netflix)
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Writers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone
Stars: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid
I previewed this movie when it did it’s theatrical run a few weeks ago, but I never even saw it listed at any theater near me which sucked because I wanted to see it. So, now it finally comes home to Netflix where I can enjoy it at my leisure. Hopefully, it doesn’t end up in watch list purgatory.
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