As fall comes to an end and the holiday season trudges on, the primetime for end-of-year movies is ushered in. The hottest movies of the year are often premiered in December, strategically, to catch the end of the movie award season. This year, the countless movies to be released in December offer a fun and exciting way to spend the holidays with friends and family. Don’t miss out on what the season has to offer by checking out some of these upcoming films.
“Krampus” – R
Release Date: Dec. 4
Starring Adam Scott (“Hot Tub Time Machine”), Toni Collette (“The Boxtrolls”), David Koechner (“Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”), Allison Tolman (“The Gift”), Conchata Ferrell (“Two and a Half Men”), Emjay Anthony (“Chef”), Stefania LaVie Owen (“The Lovely Bones”) and Austrian actress Krista Stadler, this film will be sure to inject some spook into your holiday season.
A young boy, upset after having a bad Christmas, unintentionally summons Krampus, a Christmas demon, into his family home. Meant to be a dark comedy, “Krampus” is set to bring all sorts of Christmas terror into theaters in the beginning of the month. Check out “Krampus” to get your fill of spooky Christmas spirit.
“The Ridiculous 6” – Unrated
Release Date: Dec. 11 (Netflix)
This Netflix original feature stars Adam Sandler (“Grown Ups 2”), Terry Crews (“The Expendables 2”), Jorge Garcia (“The Wedding Ringer”), Tayler Lautner (“The Twilight Saga”), Rob Schneider (“50 First Dates”) and Luke Wilson (“Old School”). Set in the Wild West, an interesting team of five half-brothers decide to go on a quest to find their ne'er-do-well father. The comedy stars an eclectic host of older comedians and actors – come and follow the adventures of this ragtag, motley crew for the holidays.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” – PG-13
Release Date: Dec. 18
This holiday, Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) return to the big screen as their beloved characters. The seventh chapter of the Star Wars epic has fans on their toes. The film is continuation of “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi” released in 1983. Starring many of theoriginal cast members from the first 1977 film, this movie also includes Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) from “Lincoln,” Daisy Ridley (Rey) from “The Inbetweeners 2,” John Boyega (Finn) from “Imperial Dreams,” Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) from “Ex Machina,” Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata) from “12 Years a Slave,” Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke) from the “Lord of the Rings”Trilogy and Dormhnall Gleeson (General Hux) from “Ex Machina” in their first appearances in the world of “Star Wars.”
“Sisters” – R
Release Date: Dec. 18
Two sisters, now well into adulthood, decide to whip up one final crazy house party at their family home before it’s gone forever. Follow Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as two-overgrown children who just want to party. Along the way, maybe the two sisters will learn something about themselves – or maybe just learn how many drinks they can have before they throw up. This movie stars Tina Fey (“This Is Where I Leave You”), and Amy Poehler (“Inside Out”) John Cena (“Trainwreck”) and John Leguizamo (“American Ultra”).
“Concussion” – PG-13
Release Date: Dec. 18
In the world of football, concussions are as commonplace as the tackles that cause them. Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) unveils the truth about the dangerous amount of brain damage discovered in football players who repeatedly suffer concussions during play. This movie stars Will Smith (“Focus”), Alec Baldwin (“Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation”), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Jupiter Ascending”), Arliss Howard (“Time Travelers Wife”), Paul Reiser (“Funny People”), Luke Wilson (“Old School”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Annie”), David Morse (“World War Z”) and Albert Brooks (“This is 40”).
“The Hateful Eight” - R
Release Date: Dec. 25
Quentin Tarantino’s newest film is set to premiere a week after the new “Star Wars” movie, which should make for some interesting box office competition. A post-Civil War Wyoming sets the scene for a group of bounty hunters who seek shelter during a blizzard, but when notions of betrayal and deception come into play, who will survive? This film stars Samuel L. Jackson (“Django Unchained”), Kurt Russell (“Grindhouse”), Jennifer Jason Leigh (“The Machinist”), Walton Goggins (“Django Unchained”), Tim Roth (“Pulp Fiction”), Michael Madsen (“Reservoir Dogs”), Bruce Dern (“Django Unchained”), James Parks (“Django Unchained”) and Channing Tatum (“22 Jump Street”).
Tomas Olivier is the assistant arts editor and can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com.
