With award season in swing and families coming together, theaters are stocking up on cinematic gifts for everyone. New works from James L. Brooks, Bi Gan, and Jim Jarmusch should assuage the “they don’t make movies for grown-ups” crowd while SpongeBob, Freddy Fazbear, and a very long anaconda (with a taste for Jack Black) have the sillier counterprogramming all set. But there’s also the matter of a new Avatar movie that could see James Cameron cure one case of the holiday blues with another. Just don’t take anyone with a heart condition to see Marty Supreme—no one wants to spend Christmas in the hospital. Our December film preview will at least help get some of your holiday planning out of the way early.
Dust Bunny (December 5)
Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller reteams with Mads Mikkelsen for his directorial debut, the fireworks-filled family horror film Dust Bunny. Mikkelsen stars as an assassin hired by a little girl (Sophie Sloan) to take care of the monster under her bed—permanently. Making matters worse, Sigourney Weaver and David Dastmalchian throw a couple non-monstrous wrenches into the scheme.
Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 (December 5)
It’s time to cash in your tickets for another Five Nights At Freddy’s. Based on the long-running video game series about a haunted Chuck E. Cheese-like restaurant, Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 sees Freddy Fazbear, Chica The Chicken, and Bonnie The Rabbit escape the pizza parlor to terrorize Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and Abby (Piper Rubio) on their home turf. The sequel reunites Scream-team Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich, while inviting Mckenna Grace, Megan Fox, YouTuber MatPat, and Wayne Knight to Gen Z’s cursed birthday party.
Ella McCay (December 12)
Ella McCay, the first movie from James L. Brooks in 15 years, looks like vintage work from the filmmaker. In this not-so-distant period piece, Emma Mackey stars as Ella McCay, a high-strung but idealistic lieutenant governor who gets an unexpected promotion after her boss, Governor Bill (Albert Brooks), gets called up to the Obama administration. If only her family and love life weren’t a constant source of anxiety. Brooks rounds out the cast with Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Julie Kavner, Becky Ann Baker, Rebecca Hall, and Woody Harrelson.
Resurrection (December 12)
The latest from Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan, the director of A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, introduces a world without dreams and a woman who can read minds. Across Resurrection‘s six chapters, Miss Shu (Shu Qi) inhabits the mind of a monster (Jackson Yee) that still has the power to dream and travels across different visions of Chinese history. Premiering earlier this year at Cannes, the film took home the festival’s Prix Spécial.
Avatar: Fire And Ash (December 19)
In the third Avatar film, Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the rest of the Sully clan step out of the water and square off against the volcano-based “Ash People,” led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Complicating matters, the ashen Na’vi have teamed up with Sully’s longtime rival, Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Filmed simultaneously with The Way Of Water, Fire And Ash picks up shortly after the last sequel, bringing Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Giovanni Ribisi, CCH Pounder, and Edie Falco along on James Cameron’s latest trip to Pandora.
The Housemaid (December 19)
It’s a reverse Hand That Rocks The Cradle situation in The Housemaid, Paul Feig’s latest thriller of feminine rivalry—his second this year following Another Simple Favor. Desperate for work, Millie (Sydney Sweeney) takes a job as Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester’s (Brandon Sklenar) live-in housemaid. But perfection is only skin-deep as Millie’s gainful employment becomes something far more sinister when she discovers the Winchester household’s dirty little secrets.
Taking a step back from the musical theater phantasmagoria of Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s stand-up-dramedy Is This Thing On? hands the mic to sadsack Alex Novak (co-writer Will Arnett) and continues Cooper’s exploration of showbiz. Going where many divorcés have gone before, Novak channels the pain of his crumbling marriage to Tess (Laura Dern) into a fledgling comedy career. Cooper puts himself in a supporting role this time, joining an ensemble that includes Andra Day, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, and Ciarán Hinds.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants (December 19)
The fourth SpongeBob movie (if we don’t count the Netflix-produced spin-offs) sends fans below Bikini Bottom and into the Ocean’s deepest and most terrifying depths: the Underworld. SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) set off on an adventure to prove SpongeBob’s bravery to Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) and end up in haunted waters in pursuit of The Flying Dutchman. Joining the crew are guest voice stars George Lopez, Ice Spice, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola, Regina Hall, and Mark Hamill. As the great Ice Spice once said, “SpongeBob, big guy pants, okay.“
Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Lion winner, Father Mother Sister Brother is a family drama told in three parts. “Father” follows Jeff (Adam Driver) and Emily (Mayim Bialik) as they visit Father (Tom Waits), who’s on the decline. “Mother” invites us to sit in on Timothea (Cate Blanchett) and Lilith’s (Vicky Krieps) passive-aggressive tea-time with Mother (Charlotte Rampling). Finally, “Sister Brother” explores the lives of siblings Skye (Indya Moore) and Billy (Luka Sabbat). It’s like going to three separate family Christmases for the price of one movie ticket.
Anaconda (December 25)
The meta, postmodern reboot has come for 1997’s Anaconda. Raiding some ideas from Raiders Of The Lost Ark: The Adaptation, Paul Rudd and Jack Black are at the start of a midlife crisis that inspires them to remake their favorite childhood movie, Anaconda. (We’re not qualified to do the math on how old Black and Rudd were in 1997.) They hire their friends, Kenny (Steve Zahn) and Claire (Thandiwe Newton), to help shoot the film in the Amazon, and find themselves hunted by a snake that can swallow Jon Voight whole.
Marty Supreme (December 25)
Director Josh Safdie answers his brother’s Smashing Machine with the ping-pong epic Marty Supreme. Supreme sends Timothée Chalamet back to the 1950s Big Apple to prove he’s the best table tennis player in the world. However, like the heroes of Safdies’ Uncut Gems and Good Time, Marty’s faults overwhelm every room he’s in as he creates chaos on the table, in his city, and around the globe. Nevertheless, his unrelenting motormouth and boundless confidence ensnare Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher as he ascends to table tennis greatness.
Song Sung Blue (December 25)
Joining Saving Silverman in the Neil Diamond cover band pantheon, Song Sung Blue explores the healing powers of “Sweet Caroline.” In this musical based on a true story, Hugh Jackman plays Mike “Lightning” Sardina, a Vietnam vet who channels his pain into his Neil Diamond tribute act alongside his wife, Claire, a.k.a. “Thunder.” As the family survives tragedy and hardship, including a car accident that takes Claire’s leg, they find connection on stage, healing crowds and themselves with renditions of “Forever In Blue Jeans.”
More December premieres
December 3
Oh. What. Fun
December 5
100 Nights Of Hero
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
December 10
Merv
December 12
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Scarlet
December 25
The Testament Of Ann Lee
The Choral
The Plague
December 26
Cover-Up
Join the discussion...
GET A.V.CLUB RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX
Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed.
