This article was originally published with The Vindicator.
The last month of 2018 is upon us, and that usually comes with big-shot movie releases — like a new "Star Wars" film or "The Greatest Showman," which premiered at the beginning of December last year. Looking through the movie releases for this year, however, I didn't get the same feeling of excitement that I usually do. Don't get me wrong, I now plan on seeing at least half of these films after they come out, but most of them are not massively over-advertised, big budget Hollywood movies which surprised me a little. Even so, I had the chance to read over a synopsis of each of these movies, and I changed my mind about how many I want to see when the time comes.
1. "Mary Queen of Scots"
"Mary Queen of Scots" will premiere on December 7th. This historical drama stars Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, who play Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I, respectively. Focusing on the life of Mary, during the period in which she tries to overthrow Elizabeth, this movie looks like it'll be a success. Although there isn't a high demand for historical dramas, the acting capabilities of Ronan and Robbie are bound to be enticing and powerful.
2. "Aquaman"
"Aquaman" is coming to theaters on the 13th of December. Although I'm not expecting to enjoy the entirety of this one, or for it to be ground-breaking, I still think I'm going to see it because of Jason Momoa. After how much "Justice League" flopped last year, I'm surprised that I've heard buzz and excitement for this release. Centering around a revolt in the underwater world of Atlantis, "Aquaman" has some decent expectations to fill. Even so, I'm interested to see where they decide to take the new hero's storyline after introducing him in "Justice League" previously.
3. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" can be seen in theaters the day after the release of "Aquaman," on December 14th. Another superhero movie, but unlike all the recent others, this story is going to be exploring dimensions and alternate realities within the Spider-Man universe, through animation. While it's become clear that the past decade or so has been a new age of live-action movies inspired by our favorite novels and comic books, this film reflects back on the original roots of 2D design and style. Even so, it still explores modern issues and utilizes an African American character as the main hero, instead of the usual white protagonist. This film stars a fantastic cast that includes names such as: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Nicholas Cage, and many others. Although I haven't always been thrilled with every movie produced by Marvel or DC in recent years, I'm looking forward to this one.
4. "Mary Poppins Returns"
"Mary Poppins Returns" is being released just days before Christmas — on December 19th. It feels like this movie was supposed to come out ages ago. I remember hearing about it because of interviews with Emily Blunt, but it took forever to come out. I'm not sure if Disney was just preemptively advertising, or if Blunt just happened to talk about it during several interviews, but I was expecting to see it in theaters a lot sooner than December of this year. "Mary Poppins Returns" is obviously based on the original 1964 story of Mary Poppins, that starred Julie Andrews. Filling in these big shoes, as stated previously, is Emily Blunt. I wasn't a huge fan of the previous Mary Poppins movie, so I don't know too much about this one. On the other hand, every time I see someone react to the trailer, they're usually filled with a ton of excitement. Hopefully it's as good as everyone thinks it'll be.
5. "Bumblebee"
"Bumblebee" is premiering shortly after "Mary Poppins Returns," on December 21st. Although the Transformers movies aren't that great, this movie gives me a slight hope that "Bumblebee" won't follow the example set by its predecessors. This probably won't be the case — which is why I don't think that I'm going to waste my time, energy, and money sitting through this one. However, if you're a big fan of the Transformers, or action movies in general, this might just be right up your alley.
6. "On the Basis of Sex"
"On the Basis of Sex" is premiering on Christmas of this year. I hadn't heard about this movie until I was looking up a list of releases for this December, and that surprises me. "On the Basis of Sex," starring Felicity Jones, is the story of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and a Supreme Court case about gender discrimination. Considering how popular Ginsberg is with teens and young adults, it's odd that the advertising for this story hasn't been plastered on other social media platforms. I almost wish I'd heard about it before; if I hadn't planned on writing this article, it would've gone overlooked. Since I haven't had the chance to learn anything about Ginsberg, or read the popular book about her, "Notorious RBG," this is definitely on the list of films I'm going to see this December.
December 2018 is coming up pretty soon - sooner than you think. Movie season is almost upon us, and there's plenty of decent-looking films coming out in the next month. I'm not sure if I'll be able to see all the movies I want to this season, but I hope that you have the chance to.
