The 10 best movies this holiday season has to offer
2016 has been an uninspiring year for movies, producing some of the lowest theater turnouts and box office grosses in history. Hoping the holiday crowds can revive abysmal sales, Hollywood producers have filled this December’s roster with high-budget, big-name films. To help you wade through 2016’s final movie releases, these are the top 10 films out this holiday season.
10. Assassin’s Creed (PG-13)
Following in the footsteps of the wildly popular action game franchise, Assassin’s Creed follows Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender), the descendant of an ancient order of assassins. Exploring the memories of his ancestor with a futuristic device called the Animus, Lynch gains the skills of the ancient assassins, exploring their history and motives. Assassin’s Creed premieres on Dec. 21st.
9. SING (PG)
In a complex world full of personified animals, an aging Koala (Matthew McConoughey) hosts a singing competition to save his theater. In the process, the community discovers it has hidden talent. Featuring big Hollywood names like Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, and Tori Kelly, the film from the producers of Despicable Me is one of the two wide-release animated movies this season, and is expected to draw large family audiences. SING premieres on Dec. 21st.
8. The Brand New Testament (NR)
Originally released as a French indie film in Sep. of 2015, this comedy/fantasy centers around a cruel, imperfect God (Benoît Poelvoorde) living with his daughter, Ea, in Belgium. Frustrated with his malice, Ea (Pili Groyne) lashes out against him, changing humanity’s views of itself forever. While subtitled, the film is original, intriguing, and just complex enough to draw English-speaking audiences. The Brand New Testament re-opens in limited theaters on Dec. 9th.
7. Office Christmas Party (R)
Featuring several Hollywood regulars including Jennifer Aniston and Saturday Night Live (SNL) comedian Kate McKinnon, Office Christmas Party pits company CEO Carol (Jennifer Aniston) against branch manager Clay (T.J. Miller), who must secure a multi-million dollar client to keep his branch afloat. To secure the investor’s interest, Clay throws a massive Christmas party, which inevitably gets out of hand. Packed with raunchy and suggestive comedy, this comedy is sure to draw adult audiences for some holiday fun. Office Christmas Party premieres Dec. 9th.
6. Jackie (R)
A dark and personal biopic of the iconic First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (Natalie Portman), Jackie aims to show a new, realistic side to the wife of President Kennedy and her struggle with grief and faith after his assassination. The film discusses Kennedy’s work to immortalize her husband’s legacy as a time of copacetic “Camelot” in American history. Sure to draw a variety crowd, Jackie will open in theaters on Dec. 2nd.
5. Nocturnal Animals (R)
Another holiday flick boasting critically acclaimed lead actors, Nocturnal Animals stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams. A haunting and intense thriller based on Austin Wright’s book “Tony and Susan,” the film chronicles Susan Morrow’s (Amy Adams) realization that her ex-husband (Jake Gyllenhaal) is stalking and threatening her, intent on carrying out a violent and symbolic revenge. Nocturnal Animals premieres on Dec. 9th.
4. Passengers (PG-13)
A space-age adventure/drama/romance featuring the biggest names this December’s movie scene has to offer, Passengers follows two colonists (Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt) on an interstellar journey in which all passengers live in sleep chambers. For the two main characters, though, the sleep chambers malfunction, waking then 90 years too early. They soon discover, though, that something is amiss. A high-budget adventure film with two beloved actors, the movie should be well-received by the public. Passengers opens in theaters on Dec. 21st.
3. Moana (PG)
Disney’s annual animated feature film is a departure from many of its previous movies, giving appearances to Hawaiian-esque demigods, monsters, and magical powers. Much warmer and more tropical than Disney’s previous smash hit Frozen, Moana will feature Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the demigod Maui and introduce Auli’I Cravalho as navigator and friend-of-the-sea Moana, with a soundtrack by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film will be a branch outwards for Disney, but is likely to be a huge hit among young audiences. Moana hits theaters on Nov. 23rd.
2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG-13)
A continuation of the beloved Harry Potter franchise, Fantastic Beasts follows magical zoologist Newt Scamander, whose Muggle friend accidentally releases a trunk full of magical creatures into New York. While the film does not feature Harry Potter or any other major characters from the previous eight movies, it takes place in the same universe and is expected to draw fans of the series. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens on Nov. 18th.
1. Rogue One (NR)
A continuation of the massively popular Star Wars film franchise, Rogue One tells the story of the early rebellion and the events that led up to the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. After 2015’s multi-billion-dollar The Force Awakens that revitalized the series, the continuation is expected to be a highlight amidst a relatively uninspiring holiday movie season. Rogue One opens on Dec. 16th.