MORE FILMS WORTH NOTING
Several films bowing in New York and Los Angeles in late December to qualify for Oscar consideration aren’t scheduled to open in other markets until January:
"American Sniper." Clint Eastwood directs a fact-based story recounting the career of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Bradley Cooper stars, with Sienna Miller as his wife.
"Big Eyes." Amy Adams portrays the unsung 1950s artist Margaret Keane in director Tim Burton's biopic, opposite Christoph Waltz as her domineering husband.
"The Gambler." College professor (and gambling addict) Mark Wahlberg runs afoul of mobsters in this remake of a 1974 James Caan hit. Jessica Lange co-stars.
"Inherent Vice." Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, this 1970s crime drama features Joaquin Phoenix, Benicio Del Toro, Reese Witherspoon and Josh Brolin.
"A Most Violent Year." An immigrant family struggles to survive in 1981 New York City. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain head director J.C. Chandor's cast.
"Mr. Turner." In a rare leading role, veteran character actor Timothy Spall plays the eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner in this biopic, directed by Mike Leigh.
"Selma." Oprah Winfrey is one of the producers (and co-stars) of this drama about the historic 1965 civil rights march, with David Oyelowo as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Still Alice." Julianne Moore deals with the early onset of Alzheimer's disease in a drama co-starring Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart as her husband and daughter.
"Two Days, One Night." Marion Cotillard fights to keep her factory job in the latest drama from Belgian brothers and co-directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.
"Unbroken." The true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete and World War II hero. Director Angelina Jolie casts Jack O'Connell as her leading man.
As any savvy shopper could tell you, it’s never too early to start your Christmas shopping. And as any avid moviegoer would probably concur, there’s no time like the present to start planning ahead and marking your calendar with Hollywood’s upcoming holiday releases — some of the studios’ biggest and/or most prestigious films of the year.
In the tradition of another year-end ritual (the top 10 list), and with a nod to the fact that Oscar rules were recently revamped to allow as many as 10 nominees in the best picture category, here are an even 10 of the most eagerly anticipated movies on tap (opening dates subject to change).
“Annie” (Dec. 19)
An updated retelling of the popular Broadway musical, originally based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip. In her first major role since earning an Oscar nomination for “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (2012), 11-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis plays the eternally optimistic title character, opposite Jamie Foxx as the former Daddy Warbucks (here renamed Will Stacks) and Cameron Diaz as the villainous Miss Hannigan. Director Will Gluck (“Easy A”) transplants the story from the 1930s to the modern day. The famous Charles Strouse/Martin Charnin score has been tweaked accordingly to include a few new hip-hop songs.
“Exodus: Gods and Kings” (Dec. 12)
At the very least in terms of its state-of-the-art 3-D visual effects, “Gladiator” director Ridley Scott’s sprawling biblical epic could put Cecil B. DeMille’s classic “The Ten Commandments” to shame (if not also the cheesy “Noah” from earlier this year). Christian Bale stars as the heroic Moses, who heads a daring slave revolt against the Egyptian empire — and its evil Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton) — replete with a cataclysmic series of deadly plagues and the spectacular parting of the Red Sea. The supporting cast includes Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and John Turturro.
“Foxcatcher” (Dec. 19)
Virtually unrecognizable in prosthetic makeup (think Nicole Kidman’s Oscar-winning turn in “The Hours”), funnyman Steve Carell plays it utterly straight and serious in this fact-based drama, which has already generated considerable buzz on the film-festival circuit. He plays the eccentric multimillionaire (and wrestling enthusiast) John du Pont, whose unlikely sponsorship of an Olympic wrestler (Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz) leads to ultimately tragic results. Mark Ruffalo co-stars (as Schultz’s older brother, David), along with Sienna Miller and Vanessa Redgrave. The director is Bennett Miller (“Moneyball,” “Capote”).
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” (Dec. 17)
Director Peter Jackson brings to an end his second trilogy of fantasy-adventures based on the books of J.R.R. Tolkien (after his phenomenally successful “Lord of the Rings” films). Martin Freeman is back as Bilbo Baggins, who corrals the Dwarves of Erebor to join forces with the factions of Elves and Men to keep Middle-earth from descending into darkness. Among other co-stars reprising their roles from the earlier movies: Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Christopher Lee (Saruman) and Hugo Weaving (Elrond). Once again, the production design and visual effects promise to dazzle.
“The Homesman” (Nov. 21)
Based on a critically acclaimed novel by Glendon Swarthout, this period Western is co-produced, co-written and directed by Tommy Lee Jones, who also casts himself in the title role of a grizzled frontier drifter and “claims jumper.” Hilary Swank portrays the equally headstrong pioneer woman who enlists his aid in transporting a group of female mental patients on a treacherous covered-wagon trek from Nebraska to Iowa. The drama boasts a supporting ensemble that includes Meryl Streep, James Spader, John Lithgow and Hailee Steinfeld.
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1” (Nov. 21)
Jennifer Lawrence returns to kick more ass as Katniss Everdeen in the first of two movies based on the final chapter in Suzanne Collins’ best-selling trilogy of sci-fi action novels. Back at the helm is Francis Lawrence, who also directed last year’s “Catching Fire” installment. Julianne Moore (as President Coin) is new to the cast, which otherwise features a host of familiar District 13 faces: among them Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
“The Imitation Game” (Dec. 25)
Benedict Cumberbatch portrays the real-life mathematician and cryptanalyst Alan Turing, who was renowned as a pioneer of modern-day computing and a decorated hero for his work as a British code breaker during World War II (he cracked the Nazis’ supposedly impenetrable Enigma machine). Shortly thereafter, however, when homosexuality was still considered a criminal offense, in 1952 he was charged, convicted and imprisoned for “gross indecency.” Keira Knightley co-stars as one of his friends and colleagues, under the direction of Norwegian Morten Tyldum (“Headhunters”).
“Into the Woods” (Dec. 25)
Director Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) brings composer Stephen (“Sweeney Todd”) Sondheim’s acclaimed Broadway hit to the screen. An ingenious mishmash of several beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales — Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, etc. — the all-star cast features Meryl Streep (as a wicked Witch), Johnny Depp (as a big bad Wolf), Anna Kendrick (as Cinderella), Chris Pine (as her charming Prince) and Emily Blunt (as the Baker’s Wife, in the show’s one original storyline). The screenplay is adapted by James Lapine, who won a Tony for his stage script.
“The Theory of Everything” (Nov. 14)
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker James Marsh (“Man on Wire”) directs this romantic drama about the young Stephen Hawking (played by Eddie Redmayne), the future world-famous theoretical physicist and author of “A Brief History of Time.” Set in the 1960s during his years at Cambridge University, when he was already struggling with the ravages of a debilitating neurological disorder, the movie focuses on his courtship with (and subsequent marriage to) arts student Jane Wilde (played by Felicity Jones), on whose memoir “Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen” the script is based. Emily Watson co-stars as Hawking’s mother.
“Wild” (Dec. 12)
Reese Witherspoon stars in the true story of Cheryl Strayed, a troubled young woman who exercises her mind and body — in the process, also exorcising her various inner demons (haunting childhood memories, a failed marriage, heroin addiction) — by embarking on a journey of self-discovery during a 1,000-mile hike along the Pacific coast. Laura Dern co-stars (in flashbacks) as her ill-fated mother. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (“Dallas Buyers Club”) and adapted by Nick Hornby (“An Education”) from Strayed’s best-selling memoir, “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.”
