Holiday movie preview: A grab bag of offerings
The holiday movie season kicked into high gear this weekend with the opening of a little movie you may have heard about: “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.” Yeah, there’s no not knowing about it.
But there are many other titles yet to open before the end of the year, and they are surprisingly diverse. Here are 10 that I am looking forward to, listed by release dates, which are subject to change:
“Horrible Bosses 2” — Did the world really need a sequel to the hit comedy “Horrible Bosses”? Do I ever really need that extra butter on my popcorn? They’re both going to happen anyway, so might as well embrace them. Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis return as friends who goofily plotted to kill their bosses in the first outing and now return as bosses themselves. But when a shady investor steals their business, they hatch a kidnapping plan to get out of debt. (Opens Wednesday)
“The Pyramid” — In a rare horror outing for the holidays (and I’m not talking about Black Friday shopping), this follows an archaeological team that tries to unlock the secrets of a lost pyramid only to find themselves hunted by a ruthless creature. And we don’t mean Aunt Hilda after too many spiked punches. (Dec. 5)
“Exodus: Gods and Kings” — Ridley Scott (“Gladiator,” “Prometheus”) goes the biblical route with this re-telling of how Moses (Christian Bale) rises up against Egyptian ruler Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton) to lead 600,000 slaves out of Egypt. Expect big-budget-scale special effects. (Dec. 12)
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” — Yup, Bilbo Baggins is still trying to recover that blasted treasure, but first he and his cohorts must fight in a war that threatens to end Middle-Earth. And what good would a treasure be if that happened? (Dec. 17)
“Annie” — A fresh, new take on the classic Broadway musical with young Quvenzhane Wallis (the youngest Oscar nominee ever for “Beasts of the Southern Wild”) as the titular orphaned Annie, who escapes her mean foster mom, Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz), and is taken in by tycoon/New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx). (Dec. 19)
“Big Eyes” — Tim Burton directs this drama about American artist Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), whose work was fraudulently claimed in the 1950s and ’60s by her then-husband, Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz). (Dec. 25)
“The Imitation Game” — Drama/thriller about British cryptologist Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), who helped crack Germany’s Enigma Code during World War II but was later prosecuted as a homosexual. (Dec. 25)
“The Interview” — James Franco and Seth Rogen star in this action-comedy as tabloid TV producers who learn that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of their show, and when they land an interview with him, are recruited by the CIA to assassinate him. No big deal, right? (Dec. 25)
“Into the Woods” — Another musical for the holidays based on a Broadway show! If that’s good, continue reading; if not, skip this graph. Disney adapts the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine fairy tale mash-up musical with Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Meryl Streep as the Witch and Johnny Depp as the Wolf. (Dec. 25)
“Unbroken” — Angelina Jolie directs this look at the life of Louis Zamperini (British import Jack O’Connell, who made waves earlier this year in the breakout indie “Starred Up”), an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II. The script is written by Joel and Ethan Coen. (Dec. 25)
Independents to look out for
No word on when or if these films will open in Wichita, but many are generating Oscar heat:
“Foxcatcher” — Millionaire John du Pont (an unrecognizable Steve Carell) becomes an unlikely coach to Olympic hopeful wrestler brothers (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo) with tragic results.
“Wild” — Reese Witherspoon is getting raves for her turn as a woman who hikes 1,100 miles solo as a way to recover from a tragedy.
“Inherent Vice” — Ambitious director Paul Thomas Anderson returns with this 1970s-set tale of a detective who investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend in Los Angeles’ seedy drug underground.
“Mr. Turner” — Mike Leigh (“Another Year”) directs this exploration of the last years in the life of eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner.
“The Theory of Everything” — Eddie Redmayne (“Les Miserables”) is said to be revelatory as English physicist Stephen Hawking in this look at his life.
Other movies opening
“Penguins of Madagascar” — The penguins get their own adventure in this spin-off of “Madagascar.” (Wednesday)
“Top Five” — A comedian (Chris Rock) tries to make it as a serious actor by broadcasting his wedding on TV. (Dec. 12)
“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” — Ben Stiller’s third outing in the series. (Dec. 25)
This story was originally published November 21, 2014 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Holiday movie preview: A grab bag of offerings."