Besides the elaborately decorated malls, plethora of holiday advertisements on TV and holiday music, this time of year often delivers some of the most anticipated films of the year. Here are my top three picks for the movies you should watch out for this holiday season.
First comes a a dramedy set right before the 2008 economic disaster, "The Big Short". This film follows four average workers in the financial district that predict and profit from the downfall. After learning of the outstanding cast, including Steve Carell, ("Foxcatcher") Ryan Gosling, ("Drive") Christian Bale, ("The Dark Knight") and even Brad Pitt, ("Inglorious Basterds") I was already fully sold on this film. And after seeing that director Adam McKay ("Anchorman") was making a huge jump from his normal comedy films to drama, I couldn't have been more excited. With the acting caliber of this all-star cast, and McKay's comedic brilliance, this is definitely not one I'm going to miss.
"Joy" is the next upcoming film that caught my eye, and with another perfect cast including Jennifer Lawrence, ("Silver Linings Playbook") Bradley Cooper ("American Sniper") and Robert De Niro ("Taxi Driver") and directed by the seemingly non-stop successful David O. Russell ("American Hustle"), this film could be another masterpiece. After the immense success of "The Fighter", "Silver Linings Playbook", and "American Hustle," O. Russell seems to have the Midas touch. "Joy" will hopefully continue this trend. The story follows Joy Mangano, a woman who survives constant struggles throughout her life to create a powerful family business. Just like “The Big Short,” A-List casts and successful directors will hopefully drive these two films to much success as award season approaches.
Unless you’ve been living under some sort of impenetrable rock, you know that the most anticipated film coming out this holiday season is “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens." The hype surrounding this film has been unbelievable. Since it was announced that a new trilogy was in the works, there has been nonstop chatter and excitement building and building as the release date approaches.
The film is set 30 years after the original trilogy, and will include both new and old generations of heroes. John Boyega, (“Attack of the Block”) Daisy Ridley, (“Blue Season”) and Oscar Isaac (“Ex Machina”) are all new to the team, while fans of the original trilogy will be recognize the iconic characters that started it all, like Harrison Ford (“Indiana Jones: “The Raiders of the Lost Ark”) as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher (“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”) as Leia, Mark Hamill, (“Batman The Animated Series”) and so many more. After seeing how well J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek”) rebooted the “Star Trek” franchise so well, I’m hoping we’ll get a “Star Wars” film that gives a refreshing new take on the story, while also maintaining the elements that made it so great.
Other films to look out for this holiday season include “In the Heart of the Sea,” “Legend,” “Point Break,” and “Concussion.” Also, if you’re lucky, Quentin Tarantino’s (“Django Unchained”) and Alejandro González Iñárritu may see limited releases in some areas around the holidays.
