Holiday Movie Calendar 2018

Rami Malek stars in this musical look back at influential rock band Queen and its charismatic frontman Freddie Mercury. Malek has already inspired significant awards chatter for his performance.

Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy

Directed By: Bryan Singer

Tiffany Haddish and Tika Sumpter star in Tyler Perry’s tale of two sisters — polar opposites — who discover each other’s lives aren’t quite what they seem.

Starring: Tiffany Haddish, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick, Whoopi Goldberg

Directed By: Tyler Perry

The classic ballet comes to the big screen in a new adaptation starring Mackenzie Foy as a young girl who encounters a parallel world of fantasy. The all-star supporting cast includes Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and Keira Knightley.

Starring: Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman

Directed By: Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston

Joel Edgerton wrote, directed, and co-stars in this drama, based on a memoir, about a gay teen (Lucas Hedges) who is sent by his ultra-religious parents (Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman) to a conversion therapy program. Early reviews have called it complex and powerful.

Starring: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton, Russell Crowe

Directed By: Joel Edgerton

The folks who brought you Despicable Me and Minions are bringing a new take on Dr. Seuss’ tale about the titular grump, who clashes with a young girl full of holiday spirit when he plots to steal Christmas in order to secure some peace and quiet.

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones, Pharrell Williams

Directed By: Scott Mosier, Yarrow Cheney

Claire Foy dons the dragon tattoo as Lisbeth Salander in a sequel to David Fincher’s 2011 adaptation of Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s crime novels, this time taking on corrupt government officials and cyber criminals. Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe) directs, with LaKeith Stanfield co-starring.

Starring: Claire Foy, Beau Gadsdon, Sverrir Gudnason, LaKeith Stanfield

Directed By: Fede Alvarez

J.J. Abrams produced this supernatural horror thriller about a group of World War II soldiers who come face to face with unspeakable evil in a secret Nazi lab beneath a church in enemy territory. Is is connected to the Cloverfield mythology? Probably not, but it’s a fun thought, isn’t it?

Starring: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbæk, Mathilde Ollivier

Directed By: Julius Avery

Hugh Jackman stars in Jason Reitman’s retelling of American politician Gary Hart’s historic 1988 presidential campaign, which was marred by scandal and marked a turning point in the relationship between politics and the press.

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina

Directed By: Jason Reitman

Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston return in the second installment of the Harry Potter prequel series, joined by Jude Law as a young Dumbledore and Johnny Depp as the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Can Newt (Redmayne) save the muggle world from Grindelwald’s plans to rule it?

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol

Directed By: David Yates

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne star as a married couple looking to adopt a child who instead end up with a trio of siblings and must navigate the complexities of sudden parenthood. It’s kind of like Despicable Me without the supervillain angle. Or the minions.

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, Isabela Merced

Directed By: Sean Anders

Acclaimed director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Shame) hops genres for this crime thriller about a group of women who band together to pull off a heist to pay back the debt owed by their recently killed criminal husbands. Widows premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews.

Starring: Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki

Directed By: Steve McQueen

Oscar-nominated director Julian Schnabel also co-wrote this look back at the life of celebrated painter Vincent van Gogh (played by Willem Dafoe), presented in fanciful vignettes reminiscent of van Gogh’s work. Mads Mikkelsen, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Oscar Isaac co-star.

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen

Directed By: Julian Schnabel

Acclaimed Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) gives us the first of three films about royalty (if you count Aquaman) this holiday season, as Emma Stone stars as an ambitious servant attempting to return to aristocracy by currying favor with Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), much to the dismay of the Queen’s close friend (Rachel Weisz). The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and is already Certified Fresh. 

Starring: Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, Nicholas Hoult

Directed By: Yorgos Lanthimos

Steven Caple Jr. takes the reins from Ryan Coogler for this follow-up to the 2015 boxing drama, as Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) faces off with the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), who killed Apollo Creed in the ring decades earlier.

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

Directed By: Steven Caple Jr.

Peter Farrelly takes a slight detour into heartfelt comedy-drama territory in this tale of the unlikely friendship that forms between a white driver (Viggo Mortensen) from the Bronx tasked with chauffeuring an elite black pianist (Mahershala Ali) through middle America during the 1960s.

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco

Directed By: Peter Farrelly

In this sequel to 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Princess Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) enter the world of the internet in order to save Vanellope’s game. Taraji P. Henson and Gal Gadot co-star.

Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson

Directed By: Phil Johnston, Rich Moore

Ready for another take on the merry outlaw who steals from the rich and gives to the poor? This new version stars Taron Egerton (the Kingsman movies) as the titular hero, Jamie Foxx as Little John, and perennial bad guy Ben Mendelsohn as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Starring: Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson

Directed By: Otto Bathurst

As a bit of counterprogramming to all the awards contenders and holiday cheer, we have this horror flick about a young woman who is trapped in a morgue and terrorized by the corpse of a woman who may have been possessed by a demon.

Starring: Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon, Kirby Johnson, Nick Thune

Directed By: Diederik Van Rooijen

Celebrated American author James Baldwin provides the source material for Barry Jenkins’ follow-up to his Oscar-winning Moonlight, a romance between a woman and an artist set against the backdrop of 1970s Harlem.

Starring: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo

Directed By: Barry Jenkins

This cheeky horror-comedy-musical centers on a group of friends who band together to survive a zombie onslaught during Christmas, and early reviews say it’s a fun genre mash-up with likable characters and a surprising amount of heart.

Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux

Directed By: John McPhail

Miranda Otto, Kiernan Shipka, and Stanley Tucci star in this horror film about a family terrorized by cave-dwelling monsters who hunt by sound.

Starring: Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto, John Corbett

Directed By: John R. Leonetti

Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan star in this historical period drama about the political rivalry between the titular Scottish queen and Queen Elizabeth I of England as they compete for the throne.

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn

Directed By: Josie Rourke

Natalie Portman and Jude Law star in Brady Corbet’s (The Childhood of a Leader) sophomore effort, a drama about a global pop star mounting a comeback and battling personal demons.

Starring: Natalie Portman, Raffey Cassidy, Jude Law, Stacy Martin

Directed By: Brady Corbet

Based on the novel of the same name, this Peter Jackson- and Fran Walsh-penned fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic future centers on a young man and woman who are banished from a mobile city when an assassination attempt goes awry.

Starring: Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae

Directed By: Christian Rivers

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this drama about an octogenarian struggling to pay bills who unwittingly takes on a job as a drug mule. Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Peña co-star.

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña

Directed By: Clint Eastwood

This animated film tells the story of young Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), a teenage Spider-Man who learns that there are others with the same powers, spread across multiple universes.

Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali

Directed By: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Jennifer Lopez stars in this workplace comedy about a 40-year-old woman who is mistaken for a high-powered business consultant and uses the opportunity to prove her true worth.

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, Treat Williams

Directed By: Peter Segal

Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, and Patrick Wilson star in James Wan’s entry in the DC extended universe, chronicling the ruler of Atlantis’ struggle to protect his kingdom and the surface world from nefarious threats.

Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson

Directed By: James Wan

This prequel spinoff of the Transformers series focuses on fan-favorite Bumblebee and his humble beginnings as a VW Beetle who befriends the California teen who discovers his battle-ravaged body.

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg, John Ortiz

Directed By: Travis Knight

Based on the 2010 documentary Marwencol, this drama directed by Robert Zemeckis stars Steve Carell as a victim of a violent assault who begins constructing an elaborate miniature world in his backyard as part of his recovery.

Starring: Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Janelle Monáe

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

As it turns out, this will indeed be an alternate cut of Deadpool 2 with a new framing device (a la The Princess Bride, complete with Fred Savage) that will be trimmed down to a PG-13 rating. So it’s kind of the same movie, but also kind of not.

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison

Directed By: David Leitch

Emily Blunt takes on the role made famous by Julie Andrews, playing the titular super-nanny who returns to take care of a new generation of Banks children. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, and Colin Firth round out the cast.

Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer

Directed By: Rob Marshall

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly reunite to star as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in an anachronistic period comedy that finds the titular duo attempting to track down James Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes) and stop him from assassinating the queen.

Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon

Directed By: Etan Cohen

Adam McKay (The Big Short) continues his foray into political filmmaking with this profile of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, starring a near unrecognizable Christian Bale as Cheney, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush, Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, and Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney.

Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell

Directed By: Adam McKay

Nicole Kidman stars in director Karyn Kusama’s (The Invitation) dark crime thriller about a troubled LAPD detective dealing with the re-emergence of a gang leader from her past. Based on early festival reviews, this could put Kidman in the Best Actress Oscar conversation.

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, Sebastian Stan

Directed By: Karyn Kusama

Felicity Jones plays Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in this period drama focusing on Ginsburg’s groundbreaking efforts to overturn gender discrimination as a young lawyer.

Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Jack Reynor

Directed By: Mimi Leder