December is upon us and Oscar season is in full swing. But if prestige pictures aren’t your thing, fear not! There is plenty to choose from coming to theatres this month.
Leading the pack, writer-director Lowell Dean follows up his 2014 Canadian horror-comedy cult hit WolfCop with a wacky sequel. The wait is finally over (again) for Star Wars fans as The Last Jedi hit theatres mid-month. Others to watch for: The Franco brothers tackle the story of making one of the worst movies of all time, veteran filmmaker Woody Allen is back with another domestic drama, and we get a Jumanji sequel starring Dwayne Johnson.
Awards buzz percolates with Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water and the lushly romantic Call Me by Your Name.
For a glimpse at these and other titles, check out our list of new movies heading to theatres in December.
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Another WolfCop
Let the fur fly with this Canadian horror-comedy sequel! 2014’s indie sleeper hit WolfCop gained significant cult status so writer-director Lowell Dean decided his deliciously twisted tale deserved a follow-up.
Hard-drinking police officer/werewolf Lou Garou (Leo Fafard) takes on an eccentric businessman, played by Murdoch Mysteries star Yannick Bisson, with evil intentions. The flick was shot in Lumsden, Saskatchewan and Sudbury Ontario.
Release Date: Dec. 1
Rating: 18A
The Disaster Artist
The Franco brothers conjure up a delightful biographical comedy aimed squarely at what’s widely regarded as the worst film of all time. James Franco produces, directs, and stars in this hilarious true saga which details the cinematic debacle that is The Room.
Dave Franco plays aspiring actor Greg Sestero, who befriends the weird and wacky Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in the late 1990s. The pair travel to Hollywood to try and make their dreams come true. Watch for a star-studded cast including Zac Efron, Alison Brie, Seth Rogen, and plenty of surprise cameos.
Release Date: Dec. 8
Rating: 14A
Wonder Wheel
Veteran filmmaker Woody Allen returns with a domestic drama set in 1950s Coney Island. Kate Winslet portrays the wife of a carousel operator (James Belushi) who begins a passionate affair with a handsome lifeguard played by Justin Timberlake.
Oscar-winner Winslet is garnering considerable praise for her role. The film also features Juno Temple, as Beluishi’s estranged daughter, Steve Schirripa, Max Casella, and David Krumholtz.
Release Date: Dec. 8
Rating: PG
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The wait is over for Star Wars fans. Writer-director Rian Johnson (Looper) finally unleashes The Last Jedi onto the world and you can expect a box office behemoth. Picking up after the events of 2015’s The Force Awakens, Rey (Daisy Ridley) joins forces with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) along with Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) to unlock the mysteries of the Force and some secrets of the past.
Many questions still abound: Will Rey turn to the Dark Side? Will Carrie Fisher get a fitting send-off? And just how many adorable plush Porgs should I buy?
Release Date: Dec. 15
Rating: PG
The Shape of Water
Master auteur director Guillermo del Toro assembles a loving tribute to the bygone days of cinema and good ol’ fashioned monster movies. Set in the early 1960s, the story centres on a mute custodian (Sally Hawkins) who works in a clandestine government research site.
The shadowy facility houses a bizarre amphibious humanoid (longtime del Toro collaborator Doug Jones) taken from the Amazon jungle. The pair begin an unconventional relationship as she hatches a plan to free her beloved fish-man. The movie also stars Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Richard Jenkins.
Release Date: Dec. 15
Rating: 14A
Call Me by Your Name
Serious awards buzz surrounds this romantic drama that takes place in Northern Italy in 1983. A 17-year-old boy (Ladybird’s Timothée Chalamet) strikes up an intimate relationship with his father’s (Michael Stuhlbarg) research assistant (Armie Hammer).
The film is based on the 2007 novel of the same name and is actually considered the third and final installment in director Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Desire trilogy’, following I Am Love and 2015’s A Bigger Splash.
Release Date: Dec. 15
Rating: 14A
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Audiences weren’t exactly clamouring for a follow-up to the late, great Robin Williams’ comedy adventure from 1995 but such is Hollywood life. Considered a direct sequel, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan.
Four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally transported into the game’s jungle setting and they become the adult avatars they have chosen to play with. The flick features Nick Jonas as a mysterious guide, with Bobby Cannavale portraying the villain.
Release Date: Dec. 20
Rating: PG
The Greatest Showman
It’s time to bust out the show tunes for this biographical musical drama about the circus. Hugh Jackman plays P.T. Barnum, the founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Watch for plenty of bombastic scenery-chewing from co-stars Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, and Zendaya.
The movie, according to Jackman, took seven years to develop and the numerous tunes featured were written by Pasek and Paul, the American songwriting duo known for La La Land and the Tony award-winning Broadway smash Dear Evan Hansen.
Release Date: Dec. 20
Rating: PG
Pitch Perfect 3
The Bellas are back! In this third and final installment in the wildly popular series, that made a cappella cool again, the vocal group find themselves splitting apart and struggling to find work.
They get a chance to reunite for an overseas USO tour and find a way to come together once again. The returning cast includes Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, and Anna Camp.
Release Date: Dec. 22
Rating: PG
Downsizing
Matt Damon leads this social satire that combines comedy and science-fiction. In an effort to crack down on over-population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans and propose a 200-year global transition from big to small; there’s just one catch: the procedure is irreversible.
The film premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival and was directed by Alexander Payne (Nebraska, The Descendants, Sideways). Downsizing also features Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, and Jason Sudeikis.
Release Date: Dec. 22
Rating: 14A
Molly’s Game
Acclaimed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network) makes his directorial debut with this crime drama based on a true story. Jessica Chastain plays Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and was subsequently targeted by the FBI.
The movie was adapted from Bloom’s own memoir about the infamous ordeal and also stars Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, and Michael Cera.
Release Date: Dec. 25
Rating: PG/14A
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