Here are the movies that will light up the holiday season.
HERE ARE THE MOVIES THAT WILL LIGHT UP THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Comedy, action, sci-fi horror, musical, historical drama … just about all of Hollywood’s genres are covered in the films arriving between now and Christmas Day.
Aquaman — the LONG-awaited “Aquaman” movie — an animated Spider-Man and a more kid-friendly Deadpool hold down the superhero slots. Mary Poppins is back for the first time in more than 50 years. The Step Brothers (sort of) go into detective mode and, on a more serious side, Clint Eastwood and Christian Bale step into some historical roles.
This also is prime time for Oscar hopefuls to be released, with “The Favourites” among likely contenders come nomination time.
Here’s what to watch for:
NOV. 30
“The Possession of Hannah Grace”: An exorcism has gone way wrong, and now Shay Mitchell (Emily from “Pretty Little Liars”), while working security in a basement morgue, encounters a disfigured body that may be possessed by a demonic force.
DEC. 12
“Once Upon a Deadpool”: Till now, the Deadpool movies have been R-rated, leaving kids out of the party completely. Their patience is rewarded in this holiday gift from the franchise that finds the Marvel hero retelling the story of the film to Fred Savage in a takeoff of the 1987 classic “The Princess Bride.” It hits theaters with a PG-13 rating, and $1 for every ticket will benefit the renamed “Fudge” Cancer charity.
DEC. 14
“Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse”: Fans are deservedly excited for this animated “Spider-Man” offering. Teenage Miles Morales (voice of Shameik Moore) is stunned to discover there are alternative universes with different variations of Spider-Man, and he’s one of them. Others include Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), Spider Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) and, intriguingly, John Mulaney as Spider-Ham.
“The Mule”: Clint Eastwood, starring in one of his own films for the first time since 2008’s “Gran Torino,” plays Leo Sharp in this true story about a World War II veteran in his 80s who became a drug dealer and courier. The screenplay by Nick Schenk (“Gran Torino”) is based on The New York Times article “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-YearOld Drug Mule.” The cast also includes Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Pena, Dianne Wiest and Andy Garcia.
“Mortal Engines”: Adventure film
based on the novel by Philip Reeve is set in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world, hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed, where London is a giant predator city on wheels. It follows the tale of two young mavericks played by Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan.
“The Favourite”: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz star in this period drama that won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival. It centers on the rivalry between two cousins during Queen Anne’s reign in the early 18th century.
DEC. 19
“Mary Poppins Returns”: Former Pittsburgher Rob Marshall directs the very, very long-awaited sequel to the 1964 Disney classic, with Emily Blunt in the title role as the umbrella-bearing nanny. It’s set in 1930s London where the Banks children are now grown up, and Michael, raising three kids in the house on Cherry Tree Lane, is dealing with a personal tragedy. Ben Whipshaw, Meryl Streep and “Hamilton’s” Lin-Manuel Miranda also star.
DEC. 20
“Bumblebee”: The sixth installment of the “Transformers” series is a prequel to the 2007 original. This time, it’s set in the junkyard of a California beach town, where a teenage girl (Hailee Steinfeld) befriends the popular title character, and they end up on the run from Agent Burns (John Cena) and Sector 7. It’s the first of the live-action Transformers films not to be directed by Michael Bay.
DEC. 21
“Aquaman”: The Justice League superhero — who turned up in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League” — finally gets his own film. Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo from “Game of Thrones”) stars as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, where the dwellers are fed up with the pollution dumped into their world and ready to rise to the surface and fight back. With Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson and Willem Dafoe.
“Welcome to Marwen”: Writer/director Robert Zemeckis has created a visually intriguing framework around a WWII vet (Steve Carell) suffering from PTSD after being brutally attacked by a gang of men. His therapy involves creating dioramas with dolls honoring the women in his life. It’s based on a true story and includes fantastical visual effects. With Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger and Eliza Gonzalez.
“Second Act”: Jennifer Lopez stars in this romantic comedy as an underachieving mom who gets a second chance at a corporate career when a private finance firm is fooled by her fake Facebook page promoting her as as a high-powered consultant.
“Mary Queen of Scots”: Historians have declared this depiction of Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) and Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) as “problematic,” given they never met in real life — although apparently, there was a great deal of furious letter-writing between the two. That doesn’t play well on the big screen, so take the historic accuracy with a big grain of salt and enjoy the rest. With Guy Pearce and David Tennant.
CHRISTMAS DAY
“Holmes and Watson”: Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are back, not as “Step Brothers” but as the legendary detective and his biographer, trying to foil a plot by James Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes) to assassinate the queen. “We sat down and said, ‘What are the most neglected characters in literature?’” Mr. Reilly joked in an interview with The New York Times.
“Vice”: Christian Bale morphs once again, this time into Dick Cheney in a biopic about Mr. Cheney’s rise to power as vice president. He’s joined by Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush and the ubiquitous Steve Carell (also seen in “Beautiful Boy” and “Welcome to Marwen”) as Donald Rumsfeld.