Holiday Movie Guide
From Middle-earth to Misérables, Oscar contenders to action jams, here's a look at the biggest and best movies opening across Australia over December and January.
Rise of the Guardians
Released: December 13
Director: Peter Ramsey
Voice cast: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Jude Law, Hugh Jackman
Mythological children’s avengers assemble for DreamWorks’ latest animation, which finds the Earth under attack from a villain named Pitch (voiced by Jude Law) and the Immortal Guardians — Jack Frost (Chris Pine), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), North (Alec Baldwin) and Bunny (Hugh Jackman) — standing as mankind’s last line in seasonal defense (and holiday merchandising). Producer Guillermo del Toro sprinkles some of his dark fairy tale dust on proceedings, but really we’re sold on the promise of hearing Alec Baldwin voice the movie’s badass Santa — we know how much he loves to discipline naughty kids.
Liberal Arts
Released: December 13
Director: Josh Radnor
Cast: Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Zac Efron, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney
How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor delivers his second film as writer-director, this time going the tried-and-true indie route of the thirtysomething man returning to his youth. Radnor is a college lecturer who becomes involved with one of his students, a cliche helped immeasurably by the fact she’s played by breakout star Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) — that and the presence of supporting actor Zac Efron, who continues to try and shake his teen pin-up image by appearing as a campus stoner. Critics are have been generally favorable in the US. “Despite the possible creepiness of the scenario,” says the Village Voice‘s Andrew Schenker, “Radnor plays the scenes between himself and Olsen with restrained intelligence.”
Wreck-It Ralph
Released: December 26
Director: Rich Moore
Voice cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, Alan Tudyk
What if an 8-bit arcade villain grew tired of mindlessly being the bad guy and wanted to do some good for a change? That’s the premise of Disney’s big animated adventure, in which Ralph (John C. Reilly), a Donkey Kong-style thug constantly trounced by do-gooder Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer), escapes his game and goes on a hunt for a medal that will prove his worth. Ralph’s quest takes him through a kaleidoscope of cross-platform gaming, with a veritable who’s-who of game character cameos (watch for a scene-stealing Qbert) and jokes for fans of all ages. A sizeable hit in the US recently, it’s also a smash with critics like Cinema Autopsy‘s Thomas Caldwell, who calls Ralph “a major advancement for Walt Disney Animation Studios in all regards.”
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Released: December 26
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving
One book became two movies, and two movies became three: Has Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson overstretched his long-gestating adaptation of Tolkien’s fantasy classic, or are audiences about to be lavished with a prequel trilogy of untold richness? The curtain at last rises on part one of the cycle with An Unexpected Journey, which, we might safely assume, depicts the rather impolite intrusion of a wizard and his dwarves upon the life of a hobbit bound for an awfully big adventure. Returning stars Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett and the New Zealand Tourist Commission join franchise newcomer Martin Freeman as the eponymous Bilbo Baggins, whose excited trepidation precisely mirrors our own. Early word is — cautiously — promising. “Setting aside technological considerations,” says Alice Tynan at The Vine, “The Hobbit is nothing short of a joyous homecoming.”
Les Misérables
Released: December 26
Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Redmayne
It’s been nearly 30 years since the famous musical debuted on the West End, but the popular power of Les Mis hasn’t dimmed — hence this all-star version, directed by the Oscar-winning director of The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper. Hugh Jackman (as Valjean) and Anne Hathaway (Fantine) finally reunite after their spirited song-and-dance routine from the Oscars a few years back (let’s not forget Hathaway’s Les Mis riff with James Franco, either), belting out Victor Hugo’s tales of poverty and injustice in the company of Russell Crowe (Inspector Javert) Amanda Seyfried (Cossette) and Sweeney Todd warblers Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter (who play the Thénardiers). There’s already talk of awards love for the film and Hathaway’s turn in particular, with early buzz from critics’ screenings suggesting this is going to be on a lot of year-end best-of lists.
Parental Guidance
Released: December 26
Director: Andy Fickman
Cast: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Madison Lintz, Joshua Rush, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf
If that still of Billy Crystal being shot in the crotch by a water-pistol-wielding scamp doesn’t have you lining up at the box office for this, then frankly we don’t know what we can say to convince you. Parental Guidance stars Crystal and Bette Midler as grandparents faced with babysitting daughter Marisa Tomei’s unruly kids, whose “21st century behaviour” clashes with their “old-school” parenting. Water-pistols: The new terror favoured by uncontrollable post-millennial children. Apparently. There might be fun to be had, but proceed with caution — director Andy Fickman was responsible for She’s the Man, among other not-quite modern cinema classics.
Life of Pi
Released: December 27
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain , Rafe Spall, Gerard Depardieu
In 2012’s battle of epics about the human spirit, Ang Lee might have taken a look at Cloud Atlas and chuckled, “My story’s better. It’s got tigers.” And what a wonder of visual effects the beast is. Yann Martel’s supposedly “unfilmable” novel becomes something entirely filmic in Lee’s capable hands, at once as huge as the universe and as intimate as an old-fashioned adventure yarn. Recounted via flashback, this is the tale of Pi (Suraj Sharma), a shipwreck survivor who spends months at sea on a lifeboat with only his wits — and a fearsome Bengal tiger, “Richard Parker” — as his companion. This near-wordless, feature-length sequence is both visually and dramatically breathless, and the 3D, so unnecessary in just about everything else on screen, is genuinely rewarding here. “A riveting fantasia of pure cinema,” says Slant‘s R. Kurt Osenlund.
Sightseers
Released: December 26
Director: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Eileen Davies
Director Ben Wheatley generated a considerable amount of cult buzz for last year’s thriller Kill List, and early word on his follow up is equally strong. A horror-comedy that follows a couple (Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, who also penned the screenplay) whose idyllic caravan jaunt across the English countryside takes a very wrong turn, Sightseers earned plenty of strong notices as it rolled out across the festival circuit throughout the year, with critics taken by the movie’s deft balance of grisly psychosis and character-driven laughs. “It sounds a little heavy,” wrote ScreenCrush‘s Jordan Hoffman, “but it is actually rather funny.”
Quartet
Released: December 26
Director: Dustin Hoffman
Cast: Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins
Unless you count his uncredited work on 1978’s Straight Time, this marks the first time that 75-year-old acting legend Dustin Hoffman has stepped behind the camera to direct — which is a hell of a wait in the annals of actors-turned-directors. The project he’s chosen certainly sounds pretty middle of the road — a comedy-drama set in a home for retired opera singers — but with a cast including Maggie Smith (his co-star in Hook, bless), Tom Courtenay and Billy Connolly, the cards are stacked with quality thespians, and that premise is sure to provide much-needed relief for older audiences looking for holiday alternatives. Plus, early notices are looking strong. “Hoffman has delivered a love letter to the elderly thesps of his adoptive country,” writes The Guardian‘s Catherine Shoard. “We can forgive him its falsehoods.”
Jack Reacher
Released: January 3
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Cast: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall, Werner Herzog
Tom Cruise scored one of his biggest hits in an age this time last year with Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and he’ll be hoping to take his return to the action genre to the bank again with this one. But let’s just cut to the real reason we’re excited by this, shall we? Werner Herzog plays an arch villain called The Zec, and he’s up against Tom Cruise. Yup, it’s the Werner Herzog-Tom Cruise showdown we’ve always hoped would happen. The movie’s an adaptation of Lee Child’s hit novel One Shot, in which Jack Reacher, an ex-army police officer, is called in to rescue a city under siege. Cruise is back in his comfort zone and M:I leather jackets here, while the support cast includes the ever-dependable Robert Duvall and Richard Jenkins. Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the man behind Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects and Cruise-curio Valkyrie.
Hitchcock
Released: January 10
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Danny Huston, Toni Collette
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho remains one of the finest horror thrillers in all of cinema history, and this film — which stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as the great director — attempts to take us behind the scenes on the tense production of the movie, where Hitch battled studio doubters and (according to this account, at least) endured some marital turbulence with his long-suffering wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren). It’s a big topic to take on, especially in the eyes of film fans, and reaction so far to Sacha Gervasi’s picture has run the gamut from high praise to outright dismissal. Rolling Stone‘s Peter Travers enthuses that it’s an “unexpectedly poignant look at a career and a marriage,” but The New York Times‘ Manohla Dargis is less complimentary. “It’s fluff,” she seethes. Also starring Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, which leads to — if you must know these things — a Psycho shower scene recreation.
Gangster Squad
Released: January 10
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin Giovanni Ribisi, Nick Nolte
If the prestige trimmings of aspirational Oscar fare aren’t your thing at this awards-grabbing time of year, then this looks shamelessly violent and entertaining. Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) directs this flashy tale of hoods and law enforcers set in the Los Angeles underworld of the 1940s and ’50s, as local cops try to repel the encroach of East Coast mafia types on the city. Detective Ryan Gosling and gangster moll Emma Stone provide the thespian eye candy to swoon over, Sean Penn plays a mob boss, Josh Brolin appears as Gosling’s cop partner, and Giovanni Ribisi will inevitably play some fringe crazy person. Which, frankly, he excels at. Nick Nolte, Michael Peña and Robert Patrick round out an enjoyable cast. Here’s hoping this one delivers.
ParaNorman
Released: January 10
Directors: Chris Butler and Sam Fell
Voice cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, John Goodman, Tucker Albrizzi, Jeff Garlin, Bernard Hill
One of the year’s two macabre stop-motion animations (alongside Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie), ParaNorman is the latest from the studio that delivered the wondrous Coraline, though it’s decidedly more comedic with its John Hughes-meets-George Romero pitch. Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is an outcast kid who can see into the world of the undead, which proves a handy skill when his town is overrun by zombies released by an ancient local curse. Meticulously animated and home to a strong anti-bullying message, the movie was a modest hit overseas but a resounding success with critics. “Beautifully rendered in 3-D stop-motion animation,” praised The Wrap‘s Alonso Duralde, “the film combines ghoulishness and hilarity in a way that suggests Evil Dead 2 for the Nickelodeon set.”
This is 40
Released: January 17
Director: Judd Apatow
Cast: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Charlyne Yi, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks, Melissa McCarthy, Lena Dunham, John Lithgow, Chris O’Dowd
Ever wonder what happened to Debbie (Leslie Mann), Katherine Heigl’s sister from Knocked Up, and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd)? Well Judd Apatow’s going to fill you in either way in this spin-off from his hit 2007 comedy, which follows the maritally-challenged couple as they head into their forties. Rudd and Mann are joined by an all-star comedy cast for Apatow’s first gig behind the camera since Funny People (he produced last year’s hit Bridesmaids), so expect a lot of improv (it’s a “mere” 134 minutes), sentimental life truths and, no doubt, dick jokes. Early reviews out of the US suggest another success for comedy’s super-producer. “Apatow’s got a gift for writing every character in the film deeper than expected,” says Drew McWeeny at HitFix, “and his supporting cast really gets a chance to shine.”
Monsters, Inc. 3D
Released: January 17
Director: Pete Docter
Voice cast: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Tilly, James Coburn
Pixar’s sequel Monsters University is set to be their big summer 2013 release, and so, as they did with the Toy Story films, they’re re-releasing the original film to cinemas in 3D to whet our appetites. So here’s your chance to catch 2001’s Monsters, Inc. again on the big screen (or for the first time, if you’re young enough), and relive one of the jewels in Pixar’s pre-Disney crown. Billy Crystal and John Goodman voice two blue-collar beasts whose day job it is to frighten sleeping children and generate screams for their factory — which sounds somewhat terrifying on paper, but is of course very charming and, as per vintage Pixar, wonderfully and energetically crafted in practice. The sequel sure has a lot to live up to.
Django Unchained
Released: January 24
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonard DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, Don Johnson, Jonah Hill, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Parks
Quentin Tarantino finally delivers the full-blown Spaghetti Western he’s been toying with via riffs and references over several of his movies now; though, this being Tarantino, the extent to which it sticks to one genre is anyone’s guess. Inglourious Basterds‘ star Christoph Waltz plays a German bounty hunter who rescues Jamie Foxx’s slave Django, and together they set out on a mission of vengeance to free Django’s wife from Leonardo DiCaprio’s ruthless plantation owner. While clearly inspired by the classic Django series, this is sure to be Tarantino’s own particular beast, with the trailer already suggesting his usual playful genre cross-pollination is in full effect. Even better, Serious Actor Leonardo DiCaprio — who’s already picked up a Best Supporting Actor award from the National Board of Review — looks like he’s cutting loose at last to have some scenery-chomping fun.
The Guilt Trip
Released: January 24
Director: Anne Fletcher
Cast: Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand, Kathy Najimy, Colin Hanks, Adam Scott
At last, Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand together for the Jewish comedy summit of the year. Well, maybe. Rogen’s been quiet this year (after having appeared in seemingly everything there for a while), so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares with this return to the big screen opposite the evergreen Streisand, last seen in the less-than-flattering Fockers comedies. The two play bickering son and mother, natch, on a cross-country road trip as he tries to sell an invention and she searches for a long-lost love. Hilarity ensues. Or… does it? From the director of The Proposal and 27 Dresses — so consider yourself, well, informed.
The Impossible
Released: January 24
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Soenke Möhring, Tom Holland, Geraldine Chaplin
Quietly sneaking up on everyone is this drama about an English family caught in Thailand on Boxing Day 2004, when that catastrophic tsunami laid waste to the area. Naomi Watts — who’s being mentioned as a possible Oscar nominee in some circles — and Ewan McGregor star as the couple stranded with their kids in the centre of the mayhem, which looks convincingly rendered on screen. It’s certainly a different form of horror for director Juan Antonio Bayona, whose last film was the creepy kid-ghoul chiller The Orphanage, but critics who’ve seen it thus far seem to be enthused. “The most harrowing disaster movie in many a moon,” enthuses Variety‘s Justin Chang, “The Impossible marries a tremendous feat of physical filmmaking to an emotional true story of family survival.”
Silver Linings Playbook
Released: January 31
Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker
Critics in the US have been raving about this one for months, and the latest from director David O. Russell (The Fighter, Three Kings) seems like an easy bet for a Best Picture (and Actor and Actress) nomination at this point. Bradley Cooper stars as an estranged husband just out of a mental institution who tries to get his life back on track — with the unlikely help of a young, slightly deranged widow, played with maximum Oscar visibility by The Hunger Games‘ Jennifer Lawrence. Aggressive quirkiness, dance contests and life revelations are all part of Russell’s package if that’s your thing, and it is, it must be said, great to see De Niro (as Cooper’s sports-mad dad) making some use of his talent again. “It’s alive in a way that suddenly makes you remember to what degree most Hollywood movies aren’t,” says Dana Stevens at Slate.
Zero Dark Thirty
Released: January 31
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Chris Pratt
Kathryn Bigelow isn’t straying too far from the global terrain that won her Best Directing and Picture Oscars back in 2010 for the Iraqi war movie The Hurt Locker — and the acclaim coming out of the US for this film looks like the move is paying off. Bigelow’s reunited with writer Mark Boal for this thriller that dramatises the American military intelligence’s pursuit of al Qaeda main man Osama Bin Laden, with Jessica Chastain spearheading the mission’s special ops team. No matter that we know how this all turned out, because Bigelow is a sure hand at delivering white-knuckle action sequences like few others. We know this because we’ve seen her real career masterpiece, Point Break, several hundred times, and look forward to a scene here in which Bin Laden sky-dives out of a jet on a surfboard, possibly to a track by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. If that happens, Bigelow’s second Oscar is in the bag.
Flight
Released: January 31
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, Bruce Greenwood
Remember Robert Zemeckis? Having spent years wandering the wilderness of the uncanny valley with mo-cap movies like Beowulf and The Polar Express, the man who gave us Back to the Future, Forrest Gump and Cast Away returns to live action with a big, character-driven adult drama featuring one of the planet’s last real movie stars. Denzel Washington is a lock for an Oscar nom as Whip Whitaker, a brilliant but boozy pilot who miraculously lands a doomed plane, only to face a rigorous legal investigation and a battle with his personal demons; while Zemeckis resoundingly shows he hasn’t forgotten how to make a real movie. “What lends it that force are not the carefully calibrated moral ambiguities of the script,” writes Tom Shone in The Guardian, “but the bruised, defiant soul that appears to us in the form of Denzel Washington.”
