By Dan Auty on Dec 18, 2018 09:32 pm
There might not be a new Star Wars hitting theaters this December, but there's no shortage of big, crowd-pleasing movies to choose from. Last weekend saw the animated Spider-Man movie Into The Spider-Verse smash records, but its place at the top of the box office chart is likely to be short lived. In the US, there are three of the season's most-anticipated films hitting theaters this weekend--DC's Aquaman, Disney sequel Mary Poppins Returns, and Transformers spin-off Bumblebee. DC's last movie, Justice League, might have underperformed a year ago, but Aquaman has already made $266 million worldwide before it even opens in the US, and there is clearly plenty of interest in Jason Momoa's mad undersea adventure.The original Mary Poppins has now become a perennial family classic, so Mary Poppins Returns is likely to appear to both younger viewers and older audiences who have grown up with the first movie. As for Bumblebee, a year ago it looked like Transformers series might be on its last legs, with the critically panned and commercially disappointing The Last Knight leading Paramount to cancel plans for its ongoing universe. But the more family-friendly, smaller-scale approach of the '80s-set Bumblebee has potentially saved the franchise, with strong reviews and impressive box office predictions suggesting that we are likely to see more Transformers movies in the same vein. Away from the blockbusters, the highly acclaimed period romance Cold War gets its US release, while prison escape remake Papillion debuts on UK screens. Over on Netflix, we have the sci-fi thriller Bird Box, which stars Sandra Bullock and Trevante Rhodes. This has been Netflix's highest profile year so far in terms of its own movie productions, and hopefully it will end 2018 on a high note. So here's the week's new releases in the both the US and UK, in both theaters and on streaming...
Mary Poppins Returns
See it in US and UK theaters on December 19 In what must be one of the longest gaps between an original movie and its sequel, the follow-up to the 1964 family classic Mary Poppins arrives in the US and UK this week. Set in 1935, 25 years after the first movie, it sees the much-loved magical nanny return to London for another adventure. Emily Blunt takes over from Julie Andrews in the title role, while the cast also includes Colin Firth, Emily Mortimer, Ben Whishaw, and Meryl Streep. There's also a role for Dick Van Dyke, who co-starred with Andrews in the original. It might have been 54 years since the original movie, but the perennial popularity of that Disney classic ensures that the sequel is an almost guaranteed hit.
Aquaman
See it in US theaters on December 21 It's been a more than a year since the last DC hit theaters--and frankly, it's best just to forget Justice League ever happened. But there's plenty of movies from the studio on the way over the next couple of years, kicking off with Aquaman, which arrives in the US on Friday. Jason Momoa reprises his role as the King of Atlantis, with Amber Heard plays Mera, and a cast that also includes Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, and Dolph Lundgren. In his review for GameSpot, Michael Rougeau said that Aquaman "isn't simply a bunch of remixed comics elements thrown together. It's a movie with its own over the top, tongue in cheek, inconsistent, massive, irreverent, CGI-soaked tone, aesthetic, and world."
Bumblebee
See it in US theaters on December 21 The future of the Transformers franchise might be uncertain, but at the very least, we have one more movie. This spin-off focuses on the earlier adventures of the much-loved yellow VW Autobot. It's set in California in the 1980s and stars Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) as a young woman who finds Bumblebee in a trash heap. WWE star John Cena also features in the cast, and this is definitely a more family-orientated movie than the main Transformers series. In his review for GameSpot, Michael Rougeau said that Bumblebee hits a perfect tone with a great mix of action, humor, and heart. "hits a perfect tone with a great mix of action, humor, and heart."
Cold War
See it in US theaters on December 21 Hotly tipped as a potential Best Foreign Language Oscar winner, this highly acclaimed dark romantic drama tells the story of an affair that spans the decades and political divides. A musician meets a young singer in 1940s Poland--their ensuing relationship is fraught with danger, as she is recruited into the Communist cause and he exiles himself to live a freer life in Paris. Lik director Pawel Pawlikowski's Oscar-winning last film, Ida, Cold War is shot in exquisite black-and-white and delivers an incredible emotional punch in a concise running time.
Papillion
See it in UK theaters on December 21 2018 was the year that Mr Robot star Remi Malick made the leap from TV to the big screen, with his incredible performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, He can also be seen in this true-life prison drama, which is also a remake of the 1973 Steve McQueen movie. Malek stars alongside Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) as convicts who plot to escape from the maximum-security Devil's Island penal colony in 1941. It flopped when it hit US screens back in the summer, but with Malick's profile now much higher and Bohemian Rhapsody currently still in theaters, expect more interest on its UK release.
Bird Box
See it on Netflix on December 21 While this year's horror hit A Quiet Place used the power of speech as its sensory threat, the new Netflix movie Bird Box uses a similar concept for sight. Based on the acclaimed novel (which predates A Quiet Place), it's a post-apocalyptic chiller starring Sandra Bullock as a woman who must make her way through a forest blindfolded to avoid seeing a deadly supernatural entity. The cast also includes Trevante Rhodes (The Predator), Jacki Weaver (Widows), Rosa Salazar (ALita: Battle Angel), and Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story). It's directed by Catherine Bier, who mostly recently helmed the hit TV show The Night Manager, and looks like an intelligent, gripping slice of sci-fi thrills.
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