“Joy” (Dec. 25 Wide) – Writer and director David O. Russell reunites with frequent collaborators Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro, for the story of Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano. With “The Fighter,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle,” Russell has been a consistent provider of quality adult dramedies for the holiday movie season. Expect great performances all around, especially from Lawrence. Trailers suggest this is her best role in a Russell movie, which says a lot.
“The Big Short” (Dec. 11 Limited, Dec. 23 Wide) – This late addition to the holiday movie season is an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ best seller about the events leading up to the mid-2000s housing and credit bubble, the subsequent financial crisis and the group who saw the coming storm. The “Wolf of Wall Street”-style black comedy features another dramatic role from Steve Carell, who was nominated for an Oscar last year for “Foxcatcher.” The rest of the all-star cast consists of Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Melissa Leo. The big surprise is it comes courtesy of writer and director Adam McKay, most famous for his collaborations with Will Ferrell (“Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights”).
“Sisters” (Dec. 18 Wide) – Tina Fey and Amy Poehler team up as sisters who throw one last party at their childhood home before it is sold by their parents. Expect the hijinks of adults re-living their high school party days for the last time. Fey and Poehler’s tag-team comedy resembles the level of comedy they brought to “Saturday Night Live” and “The Golden Globes.”
“The Revenant” (Dec. 25 Limited, Jan. 8 Wide) – Reigning Best Picture/Directing/Screenplay winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s (2014’s “Birdman”) newest feature is also Leonardo DiCaprio’s best chance at an Oscar since “The Aviator” in 2004. While the trailers have been beautiful, behind-the-scenes troubles have created a lot of uncertainty as to whether or not the final movie will come together. However, based on the previous work of the director, actors and crew — including cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, making a strong play for the Oscar hat trick — “The Revenant” should make a bold statement on Christmas Day.
“The Hateful Eight” (Dec. 25 Limited, Jan. 8 Wide) – Quentin Tarantino’s latest film is set in the post-Civil War West with a group of travelers taking refuge in a cabin during a blizzard. Expect the usual sharp Tarantino dialogue and style throughout the movie. The film, however, experienced a script leak that almost led Tarantino to temporarily pull the plug on the project. The movie’s Christmas Day release is only a limited 70mm run, with the wide release coming after the New Year.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (Dec. 18 Wide) – You will all see this movie anyway, so the big question is if it can add something new to the Star Wars franchise and break the “Jurassic World” opening weekend record of $209 million. Trailers suggest the movie is trying to walk the fine line between nostalgia trip and modern update that director J.J. Abrams nailed with 2009’s “Star Trek.” Commercially, the feature is launching at a time where movies open at a medium level and play for months (for reference, “Avatar” only opened at $77 million and went on to became the highest grossing movie ever) in contrast to the huge summer box office openings. While the season suggests “Star Wars” will follow the pattern of past Christmas blockbusters like “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy,” the massive ticket pre-sales suggest it may break the record. Regardless, it has the title of number one Christmas movie locked in.
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