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December movie guide
In the Heart of the Sea, featuring Sam Keeley and Chris Hemsworth, is based on the true story that is said to be the inspiration behind Moby-Dick.

In the Heart of the Sea, featuring Sam Keeley and Chris Hemsworth, is based on the true story that is said to be the inspiration behind Moby-Dick.

Jonathan Prime

A guide to one jam-packed month of holiday films

Sure, the holiday season is about taking a break from your hectic life to spend some much deserved downtime with family and loved ones, but everyone has his limits. After hearing your great aunt mercilessly recount all-too-familiar stories and watching your little cousins fight for hours, a trip to a warm, dark movie theatre will not only seem like a welcome distraction, but also a necessary one.

And, believe it or not, there is more than just Star Wars: The Force Awakens to get excited about this winter as studios will be releasing a slew of Oscar contenders just in time for awards season. So, without further ado, here's a look at what Santa Claus is bringing to the box office this holiday season. Release dates are subject to change.

The big, shiny new toy
(for those who have been nice)

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

In the Heart of the Sea (Dec. 11)

  • Directed by Ron Howard
  • Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson

Ron Howard's first feature since 2013's critically acclaimed Rush sees Chris Hemsworth take on the role of Owen Chase, a young sailor whose ship is attacked by a giant CGI whale in this adaptation of the real-life story that is said to have inspired Moby-Dick.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Dec. 18)

  • Directed by J.J. Abrams
  • Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford

Not only is Star Wars: The Force Awakens poised to be the holiday's biggest movie, but considering that it's already obliterated the U.S. advance ticket sales record by $25-million (U.S.), it's also all but a lock to become 2015's biggest breadwinner (sorry, Jurassic World). But really, what did you expect from a J.J. Abrams film that features the likes of Han Solo, Chewbacca, a fresh cast of young Jedis and an unconfirmed (but likely excessive) amount of lens flare.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Point Break (Dec. 25)

  • Directed by Ericson Core
  • Starring: Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey, Tobias Santelmann

A movie that might have been more at home in the summer blockbuster season, Point Break tells the story of an FBI agent who infiltrates a group of extreme sports enthusiasts who double as thieves in this remake of the 1991 version that starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, and was directed by Kathryn Bigelow.

The lump of coal (for those with darker tastes)

Krampus (Dec. 4)

  • Directed by Michael Dougherty
  • Starring: Allison Tolman, Toni Collette, Adam Scott

A campy, Christmas-themed horror-comedy centred on a dysfunctional family that's being terrorized by a horned demon may seem like the antithesis of a holiday flick, but after watching non-stop reruns of Miracle on 34th Street and Frosty the Snowman, the blood, gore and cheesy dialogue may feel like a welcome relief.

Every Thing Will Be Fine (Dec. 4)

  • Directed by Wim Wenders
  • Starring: Rachel McAdams, James Franco, Charlotte Gainsbourg

Filmed in Quebec, Every Thing Will Be Fine tells the story of Tomas Eldan, a writer who struggles to move on with his life after he accidentally strikes a young child with his car.

Macbeth (Dec. 11)

  • Directed by Justin Kurzel
  • Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Elizabeth Debicki

Regardless of what your feelings toward Shakespeare were in high school, we can all agree that Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard taking on the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in this famous play's latest adaptation is too much to pass up.

Melinda Sue Gordon

Concussion (Dec. 25)

  • Directed by Peter Landesman
  • Starring: Will Smith, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Stephen Moyer

Will Smith's latest movie about the real-life story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist who discovers a link between football and brain trauma, is a movie the NFL would like you to avoid this holiday season. Directed by Peter Landesman, a former investigative journalist, Concussion was inspired by the GQ article Game Brain and should continue to shine a spotlight on concussions in professional football.

AP

The Revenant (Dec. 25)

  • Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
  • Starring: Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Domhnall Gleeson

What happens when the guy who wrote and directed Birdman teams up with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy? Well, we haven't seen their coming movie about a frontiersman in the 1800s who sets out on a path of revenge, but anything short of an Oscar nod would be disappointing for the academy's reigning Best Director.

Andrew Cooper

The Hateful Eight (Dec. 25)

  • Directed by Quentin Tarantino
  • Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Walton Goggins, Jennifer Jason Leigh

The only movie on this list that can remotely compete with Star Wars in terms of sheer anticipation, Quentin Tarantino's latest offering takes place in post-Civil War Wyoming and follows the story of a bounty hunter and his prisoner, who seek shelter during a blizzard alongside six deadly strangers.

The latest gadget (for those who already have everything)

Youth (Dec. 11)

  • Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
  • Starring: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz

Having premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the critically praised Youth is director Paolo Sorrentino's second English-language film and tells the story of a retired orchestra conductor who, along with his filmmaker best friend, struggles with retirement. That is, until he is asked to perform in front of the Queen.

Jaap Buitendijk

The Big Short (Dec. 23)

  • Directed by Adam McKay
  • Starring: Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell

Based on Michael Lewis's book of the same name, The Big Short follows a group of men who predicted the 2008 financial crisis. If its Oscar-worthy cast isn't enough to win your attention, then McKay's comedic track record (he directed Anchorman and Talladega Nights) should help make this movie accessible to most moviegoers.

Joy (Dec. 25)

  • Directed by David O. Russell
  • Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro

It wouldn't be the holiday season without a David O. Russell flick that featured the likes of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Considering that Russell's last two movies with J-Law and Cooper were Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, his latest flick about a young woman's path to success will almost certainly garner the Academy's attention come awards season.

The short-lived distraction (for the brat in the family)

K.C. Bailey

Sisters (Dec. 18)

  • Directed by Jason Moore
  • Starring: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Heather Matarazzo

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-star in a comedy about two middle-aged sisters who decide to throw one last house party before their childhood home goes up for sale. Need we say more?

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (Dec. 18)

  • Directed by Walt Becker
  • Starring: Justin Long, Kaley Cuoco, Anna Faris

In a stacked holiday season filled with action movies and Oscar contenders, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip offers a family-friendly option that should keep kids entertained during their winter break. As for their accompanying adult? That depends on their tolerance for squeaky, high-pitched voices.

Hilary Browyn Gayle

Daddy's Home (Dec. 25)

  • Directed by Sean Anders
  • Starring: Linda Cardellini, Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell

Sean Anders's latest comedy might as well be called Ferrell versus Wahlberg. Daddy's Home sees the two comedic titans square off in a battle between family man stepdad (Ferrell) and freeloading real dad (Wahlberg), with the prize being over the affection of two young children. How's that for a heart-warming holiday film?

Special to The Globe and Mail