Friends, we have made it. The end of the year is upon us.
Like every year, our theaters and smart TVs will be filled with a joyous mix of sometimes heady awards hopefuls, mind-numbing but entertaining comedies, big box office bangers and a few out-of-the-field curveballs.
Some seasonal titles are already out and in the news, like the Jonas Brothers’ “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” on Disney+/Hulu and “A Merry Little X-Mas” starring ’90s darlings Alicia Silverstone and Melissa Joan Hart on Netflix. A new “Knives Out” mystery and rom-com/caper “Jingle Bell Heist” also arrived on the streamer this week.
This Thanksgiving weekend will offer some exciting theatrical releases, including the tear-jerker and awards season contender “Hamnet” and the family-friendly animal adventure “Zootopia 2.”
What follows is a preview of some other upcoming miscellaneous titles.
For those who love Educational content mixed with their glee, this documentary is about Christmas tree vendors and their families in New York City – where everyone knows it’s not really the holiday season until these merchants and their fragrant wares show up.
Michelle Pfeiffer plays an overworked but underappreciated mother who is left behind by her family during the holiday event. However, “Home Alone” this is not. From the preview it appears that she gets in her car, drives away and finds something she lost a long time ago: herself.
In this “Mrs. Doubtfire” reversal, Alexandra Breckenridge (“This Is Us”) plays a single mom who manages to pull a swashbuckling mom and disguise herself as Father Christmas.
Give the kids a little extra screen time for this festive entry of Jim Henson’s Muppet-like creatures, which first appeared in 1983. The holiday special includes a cameo appearance from Lele Pons and some fun holiday musical numbers.
A full 30 years after his first film, “The Brothers McMullen,” actor-writer-director Edward Burns returns to the McMullen family for this holiday-time sequel featuring Tracee Ellis Ross, Connie Britton and Brian D’Arcy James. (HBO Max is owned by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.)
Welcome back to your animatronic horror nightmare. Based on the best-selling video game, this sequel picks up where the 2023 first film left off, and it’s safe to say it will feature a whole host of new mechanical villains.
Based on the graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg and drawing from Middle Eastern folklore, the story about a woman tested by her husband to see how faithful she can remain, stars Maika Monroe (“It Follows”), Nicholas Galitzine (“Red, White & Royal Blue”) and Charli XCX herself.
The film, which garnered Oscar buzz as soon as it hit the festival circuit, stars Wagner Moura (“Narcos,” “Dope Thief”) as a technocrat in 1970s Brazil who knows too much and is in grave danger.
Kate Winslet makes her feature directorial debut and also stars in “Goodbye June,” about a dying woman (Helen Mirren) whose daughters (Winslet, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough) come to her side… and have to deal with each other in the process. For those who want to stream it, it will be out on Netflix on December 24th.
Hollywood icon James L. Brooks returns with this original story – the first film he wrote and directed in 15 years – about a young woman who must outwit her family members to get ahead.
After winning an Academy Award for playing an invincible divorce lawyer (in 2019’s “Marriage Story”), Laura Dern plays a woman embroiled in a divorce, opposite Will Arnett as a struggling standup comedian.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ashes’ (December 19)
Three years after “Avatar: The Way of Water,” James Cameron and his Aliens from Pandora are back to heat things up with the third entry in the blockbuster franchise, featuring a new, more aggressive Na’vi tribe called the Ash People.
If the recent reboot of “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” isn’t your cup of tea, try this thriller featuring Amanda Seyfried and Sidney Sweeney, about a housekeeper who works and cares for a wealthy family.
A cast including Tom Waits, Mayim Bialik, Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver has come together for the new film from acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch about estranged children and how they negotiate their relationships with emotionally distant parents.
If the ping-pong sequence in “Forrest Gump” was your favorite part of that movie, you’re in luck this Christmas. “Marty Supreme” follows a champion in that sport, played by Timothée Chalamet, as he accomplishes the highest of highs and faces the lowest of lows. It co-stars Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow.
Oscar-nominee Kate Hudson gets a chance to showcase her acting and singing skills opposite Hugh Jackman in this look based on the true story of a husband-and-wife Neil Diamond tribute band.
Remember 1997’s “Anaconda” starring Jennifer Lopez? Well, Snake is back, but this time with a meta twist. In this film, Jack Black and Paul Rudd venture into the jungle to film “Anaconda”… but they encounter a real snake.
Oscar-nominee Amanda Seyfried gets a chance to flex her acting muscles and vocal cords (again!) in this historical portrait of the founding leader of the 18th century Shakers religious sect.
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