‘Emancipation,’ RDJ doc ‘Sr.’ on tap
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Now that Turkey Day is done, December has begun with serious Oscar fare, including last awards season’s most notorious winner. This weekend, Will Smith vies for another best actor honor in Antoine Fuqua’s Civil War drama about a real-life enslaved man – the first real test of Smith’s movie stardom since The Slap. Tilda Swinton plays both middle-aged daughter and her elderly mother in a gothic ghost tale, and Robert Downey Jr.’s documentary about his filmmaking father debuts on Netflix. ⬤ Here’s a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their streaming and on-demand debuts:
If you’re ready to see Will Smith on a big screen again: ‘Emancipation’
Fuqua crafts an affecting narrative and, off-screen stuff aside, Smith is outstanding as Peter, a Haitian immigrant torn from his family on a Louisiana plantation and sent to work at a Confederate base. He escapes, survives gators and swamp creatures – plus a sadistic “man hunter” (Ben Foster) in pursuit – and winds up joining an all-Black Union regiment in a life-altering quest for freedom.
Where to watch: In theaters (and on Apple TV+ Dec. 9)
If you think one Tilda Swinton is never enough: ‘The Eternal Daughter’
Writer/director Joanna Hogg’s mystery is a sequel of sorts to her “Souvenir” films but it’s also a strong tale by itself with a double dose of Swinton. She plays middle-aged filmmaker Julie and also her elderly mom Rosalind as the pair embark on a holiday at a hotel that used to be their family home. Eerie sights and sounds weird out Julie and dig up important secrets of their history.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play
If you dig holiday musicals: ‘Scrooge: A Christmas Carol’
“Spirited” might have the star power but this Netflix animated movie is a better song-filled take on the oft-adapted Charles Dickens story. Luke Evans voices grumpy Ebenezer who’s – spoiler alert! – visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve (including Olivia Colman as Past), and the movie does a good job not only with the music and psychedelic visuals but also in examining how the loss of loved ones did a number on Scrooge’s humanity.
Where to watch: Netflix
If you’re all about period bodice-rippers: ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’
Emma Corrin (“The Crown”) powers this extremely saucy adaptation of the D.H. Lawrence novel. Living at an English country estate with her husband (Matthew Duckett) after he’s injured in World War I, Lady Chatterley (Corrin) balances her passionless marriage with a satisfying but risky affair with the gamekeeper (Jack O’Connell) that doesn’t exactly stay a secret.
Where to watch:Netflix
If you don’t know much about Robert Downey Jr.’s dad: ‘Sr.’
The black-and-white documentary chronicles the life and work of the “Iron Man” star’s dad, underground 1960s filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., and also the relationship between father and son as the elder man faces the physical effects of Parkinson’s disease. There’s a lot going on – the movie also features bits of the elder Downey making his own doc – but it works as a tearjerker tying together two artistic mavericks.
Where to watch:Netflix
If you like supernatural teen flicks: ‘Darby and the Dead’
High school tropes get a “Sixth Sense” tweak with this comedy starring Riele Downs as Darby, an introverted girl who helps spirits finish their business on Earth so they can go to heaven. Her ex-friend, clique-y cheer captain Capri (Auli’i Cravalho), gets electrocuted in a freak hair-straightening mishap and she enlists Darby to make her planned “Sweet 17” birthday party the greatest memorial shindig ever.
Where to watch:Hulu
If you’re a big ‘Squid Game’ fan: ‘Hunt’
Emmy-winning actor (and Netflix breakout) Lee Jung-jae directs this intense and twisty 1980s-set political thriller and also stars alongside Jung Woo-sung as rival intelligence officials in the South Korean government. There’s a North Korean mole among them, plus a plot to assassinate the dictatorial South Korean president, and the two guys get caught in a deadly spy-vs.-spy situation.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play
If you prefer your female revenge flicks on the gory side: ‘A Wounded Fawn’
A charming, art-loving serial killer (Josh Ruben) takes his new prey, a museum curator (Sarah Lind), to a swanky cabin in the woods for their first romantic getaway. But in this freaky and surreal delight, that familiar setup veers from conventional to ultra-trippy, weaving in mythological aspects of the Greek Furies and boasting one heck of a comeuppance.
Where to watch: Shudder