We are full-swing in the Yuletide season and Disney looks to dominate the holiday season both on their streaming platform and theatrically. Even if the MCU isn’t your thing, there are plenty of options for your viewing pleasure as we make the final push on the 2021 cinematic year.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (Theaters)
Writers: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers | Director: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Benedict Cumberbatch
It’s rare, especially with projects like this, to keep the writer(s) and director in place over the course of three films. That is exactly what Marvel has done throughout this trilogy and it’s paid off handsomely. If you were fortunate enough to make it through the digital queue just to be able to buy tickets, congratulations. Early word has been overwhelmingly positive, so I look forward to seeing it.
Nightmare Alley (Theaters)
Writer(s): Guillermo del Toro & Kim Morgan (screenplay), William Lindsay Gresham (novel)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, and Rooney Mara
Guillermo del Toro’s latest finds a manipulative carney caught in the middle of a dangerous mystery. It’s a little difficult to tell exactly when the story is set, but the production design and the costuming certainly have a noir-ish vibe to them. The cast is exceptional and I always trust del Toro so I’ll check this one out while the world watches No Way Home.
Swan Song (Apple TV+)
Written & Directed by: Benjamin Cleary
Starring: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, & Awkwafina
Benjamin Cleary’s story, of a dying man who undergoes some extreme measures to alleviate the suffering of his family, reunites Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) and it’s about time. There have been more and more sci-fi films dealing with how technology could assist or complicate the way people process grief and it’s an intriguing use of the genre. I’m also a big fan of minimalist future design. I’ve had my eye on this one for a while and I’m excited to see what Ali and Harris do with these complex roles.
Minamata (Theaters)
Screenplay by: David Kessler, Stephen Deuters, Andrew Levitas, & Jason Forman
Directed by: Andrew Levitas
Starring: Akiko Iwase, Kogarashi Wakasugi, and Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp may have a very bizarre life in the public eye and his cologne may smell like a pile of burning, Dr. Pepper-soaked scarves, but he is a very skilled and compelling performer. This film has had a long road to distribution as Depp was going through a very ugly public divorce but the film has gotten a positive critical response. Andrew Levitas’ film, based on the film by Aileen Mioko Smith & W. Eugene Smith, focuses on a former war photographer who documents widespread mercury poisoning in a small Japanese town. It may not be the easiest film to find, but I’m interested.
The Lost Daughter (Theaters + Netflix Dec. 31st)
Written by: Maggie Gyllenhaal (screenplay), Elena Ferrante (novel)
Directed by: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Jessie Buckley
Directorial debuts are always intriguing because there’s usually a lot on the line personally for the filmmaker(s). There’s an extra layer of interest when that first-time director is a performer you’re familiar with. As Maggie Gyllenhaal sits behind the camera, directing her first feature she adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novel about a woman whose vacation beings to spiral into darkness as she revisits the demons of her past, she brings a substantial amount of industry experience with her. A huge benefit of that is being able to attract high-profile, Oscar-winning talent to the project. Olivia Colman is fantastic and I’ll generally watch whatever she does, Jessie Buckley was my Breakthrough Performer of the Year in 2017 (Beast) and I have been following her career very closely ever since, and Dakota Johnson has grown on me quite a lot since moving on from the Fifty Shades franchise. This is one where I may not wait two weeks for it to come to Netflix.
The Novice (Theaters + VOD)
Written & Directed by: Lauren Hadaway
Starring: Isabelle Fuhrman, Amy Forsyth, and Dilone
Another interesting directorial debut finds Lauren Hadaway bringing us a story of a college freshman whose ultra-competitive nature leads her to obsession with making it onto the varsity rowing team, by any means necessary. Over the past few years, there have been a number of dark, psychological dramas focusing on young women and the immense pressures of elite competitive programs (Nocturne, Birds of Paradise, Suspiria). Hadaway has worked in the sound department for four dozen projects over the past decade and finally gets to sit in the director’s chair, helming her first feature. She rowed competitively in college so it’s pretty clear that this film is a passion project that hits pretty close to home for her, even if not entirely autobiographical. It won the Founders Award at the Tribeca Film Festival for Best U.S. Narrative Feature and Isabelle Fuhrman has gotten rave reviews for her performance in the lead. It may not be easy to find in theaters but its VOD availability is a bonus.
What Else Is New…
The Tender Bar (Theaters + Amazon Prime Video Jan. 7th)
Writers: J.R. Moehringer (book), William Monahan (screenplay)
Director: George Clooney
Starring: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, and Daniel Ranieri
George Clooney steps back behind the camera for this adaptation of J.R. Moehringer’s memoir. It tells the story of a Long Island boy who looks for surrogate father figures at his uncle’s bar. The cast is solid with Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, and Christopher Lloyd but I don’t think I’ll be jumping through any hoops to watch this one.
Mother/Android (Hulu)
Written & Directed by: Mattson Tomlin
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Oscar Wahlberg, and Raúl Castillo
Mattson Tomlin brings us another minimalist, psychological sci-fi thriller, this time set in the post-apocalypse spurred by an android uprising. Tomlin’s Project Power was a marked superhero success for Netflix while Little Fish was more of an indie relationship drama with a sci-fi backdrop, this movie sort of splits the difference. Chloë Grace Moretz has proven herself as a more than capable lead, taking on a number of interesting roles. I don’t know that I would jump to see this in theaters, but the convenience of Hulu is a powerful motivator.
The Hand of God (Netflix Dec. 15th)
Written & Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
Starring: Filippo Scottu, Toni Servillo, and Teresa Saponangelo
This is Italy’s entry to the Academy Awards’ International Feature category from acclaimed director Paolo Sorrentino. The backdrop is Naples in the 80s and Diego Maradona has left Barcelona to join Napoli, bringing prominence to Southern Italian fútbol. A young boy faces an unexpected tragedy that intertwines sports, family, love, and loss. Said to be the most personal of Sorrentino’s films, you can watch it without leaving your home.
Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss (HBO Max Dec. 16th)
Director: Tommy Oliver
Starring: Juice WRLD (archival), Cole Bennett, and Lil’ Bibby
2021 has been a great year for documentaries and many of those have been music documentaries. I had only known the Juice WRLD by name and only listened to his first album in preparation for this. I am not here to speak to anything about my opinions on his music, but if you’re a fan of his then I’m sure this movie will hold some significant value for you. Even for those who weren’t fans, it can be an interesting look into the lifestyle of a young and famous hip-hop star who died from an accidental overdose at the age of 21.
Rumble (Paramount+ Dec. 15th)
Writers: Hamish Grieve and Matt Lieberman (screenplay), Rob Harrell (graphic novel)
Starring: Will Arnett, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Stephen A. Smith.
Paramount and WWE Studios are released this animated, monster-wrestling movie straight to streaming on Paramount+ in the US. It’s probably fine for kids who are wrestling fans, but no three words could turn me off to a project any more than Stephen A. Smith. No thank you.
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