Greetings Film Fans: We have Holiday Film News out now…and the list of December releases is from our Fall Film News. Here’s the list of films opening in December:
December
Mary Queen of Scots is yet another period piece with Saoirse Ronan (of Brooklyn and Lady Bird fame) starring as the doomed queen. This film is based on a 2004 biography of Mary by John Guy. Historically, the famous Queen of Scots and the Virgin Queen Elizabeth never met, but there are several noteworthy plays and films that have these two women interacting and emoting together. Margot Robbie co-stars as Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen of England.
Mary Poppins Returns in an original story, not a remake of the original, with Emily Blunt playing that Poppins woman. This film is set 25 years after the initial action in the Banks’ family home, and a tragic death leaves Jane, Michael, and Michael’s three children adrift. Enter Poppins.
Aquaman debuts with Jason Momoa as the king of the sea. The film is directed by James Wan, and centers around Aquaman’s quest to regain the Trident of Neptune and battle Aquaman’s menacing brother, King Orm (played by Patrick Wilson.)
Holmes & Watson is a comic offering of the familiar Sherlock Holmes story with Will Ferrell as Holmes and his ubiquitous sidekick John C Reilly starring as Watson in this comic rendering of the classic story.
In 6 Degrees Magazine, we have reviews for The Favourite with Emma Stone, which has been getting good reviews for the performances from Stone and others. And there are retrospective pieces on two directors who died recently- Nicolas Roeg and Bernardo Bertolucci.
At the Movies: Widows has gotten good reviews; Robin Hood…not so much. Roma is the one from director Alfonso Cuaron that is getting some advance Oscar buzz. Another is the Palme d’Or winner of Cannes: Shoplifters.
There are plenty of cheesy Holiday films from Hallmark and Netflix to watch if you want to simply absorb some holiday scenery and relax without having to think much about what you are watching… The Holiday Film News recommends a few holiday classics to add to your list for Armchair Film Festival Night.
The two big films opening at Christmas will be Mary Poppins for families and for baby boomers who want to see what they are going to do with it; and Aquaman for the Comic book genre. We are ending the year with a whirlwind of changes from the MeToo movement that really began in Hollywood with the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and has continued with the controversies over the Oscars lack of diversity, the whitewashing of characters in Hollywood films, and the continued lack of gender inclusion regarding female film directors and parts for leading ladies, for women of color and for older women. All of these things have been addressed, but of course, the problems are not going away overnight.
We are going to end the year a little bit wiser in terms of our “woke-ness” at the movies! So until next time, have fun as the holiday weeks unfold and see you at the movies!-ML
Six Degrees of Film 