New releases: The 12 movies of Christmas
Critics say the new Aquaman flick is ... actually pretty good.
With a slew of big movies marking the end of the year, here are 12 we think will have everyone talking.
The grand adventure: Mortal Engines
Adapted from the Philip Reeve novel by Peter Jackson & Co., this steam-punk, teen dystopia is Mad Max meets Brexit. Hugo Weaving plays the Machiavellian populist leader of a future London on wheels, with ace Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar as the plucky heroine out to stop him.
Mortal Engines is out December 6
The gory screamer: Overlord
Australian director Julius Avery, who delivered the criminally underrated Son of a Gun and is about to remake Flash Gordon, has scored heaps of hype for this wild addition to the zombie Nazis horror sub-genre, set on the eve of D-Day.
Overlord is out December 6
The clever schemer: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Comedy queen Melissa McCarthy might just be an Oscar wildcard for this low-key, high-praise turn as hapless celebrity biographer Lee Israel, who forged literary letters to pay the bills when her books fell out of favour.
Can You Ever Forgive Me out December 6
The cleaned-up comedy: Once Upon a Deadpool
Fox kept everyone guessing what this surprise Deadpool drop would involve But it’s basically a PG-13 cut of the sequel that saw the mouthy merc face off against Josh Brolin’s time-travelling assassin Cable, with added bedtime stories as told to a kidnapped The Princess Bride star Fred Savage.
Once Upon a Deadpool out December 13
The vengeance kick: Peppermint
Jennifer Garner returns to the genre that shot her to stardom in Alias with this vengeance quest from Taken director Pierre Morel which sees a bereaved mother take justice into her own hands after the murder of her husband and child.
Peppermint is out December 13
The teen action flick: Bumblebee
Just when you thought the interminable Transformers franchise was dead – (are you kidding, have you seen the box office they rake in?) –along comes an ’80s-set prequel. It actually looks kinda cute and is refreshingly female-led with The Edge of Seventeen star Hailee Steinfeld, who also voices Gwen Stacy in nifty superhero animation Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, out the previous week.
Bumblebee is out December 20
The juicy biopic: Colette
Once she bent footballs like David Beckham, now Keira Knightley bends both ways as the proudly bisexual French society queen, saucy author and performer in early 20th century Paris, Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle, or simply Colette. She’s brilliant, as is Dominic West as her incorrigible husband in this fun frolic from director Wash Westmoreland.
Colette is out December 20
The superhero CGI-fest: Aquaman
It wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one Lycra-clad superhero duking it out in a CGI overload. With Marvel taking a breather post-Infinity War, it’s left to struggling DC to launch the dude-bro King of Atlantis, Jason Momoa’s solo outing, Our Queen Nicole Kidman plays his mum and hopefully she can save it from sinking without a trace.
Aquaman is out Boxing Day
The instant classic: Cold War
Shot in striking black and white, Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski took home Best Director at Cannes for this absolute stunner with the emotional pull of an all-time classic like Casablanca. Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot are incendiary as lovers separated by the Iron Curtain in our fave film of the year.
Cold War is out Boxing Day
The Disney toon: Ralph Breaks the Internet
There may be no Star Wars or Marvel movie this Christmas, but that doesn’t mean Disney is taking it easy. Instead the animated alter-egos of Sarah Silverman and John C Reilly are back in this animated caper that also recruits every one of the entertainment behemoth’s princesses (plus look out for Emily Blunt in Mary Poppins Returns on New Year’s Day).
Ralph Breaks the Internet is out Boxing Day
The mighty ensemble: Vice
Infamously intense method actor Christian Bale disappears into yet another meaty role, this time as war happy Vice-President Dick Cheney to Sam Rockwell’s George W. Bush in this buzzy biopic from The Big Short director Adam McKay. It also features Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld and Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney.
Vice is out Boxing Day
The Oscar bait: The Favourite
About to slip into Claire Foy’s ermine robes as an older QEII in The Crown, Olivia Coleman is odds-on favourite to secure Best Actress at next year’s Oscars as 18th century monarch Queen Anne. Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz compete for the eccentric monarch’s prized attentions in this latest offering from kooky Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster).
The Favourite is out Boxing Day
