December sees the return of a filmmaking behemoth in Michael Mann and a
literal behemoth in Godzilla, a slasher take on a seasonal classic and
dramas from across the globe. Here''s our pick of the most exciting new
movies arriving on UK/ROI screens big and small in December.
Eileen (Dec 1st, cinemas)
Directed by William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth) and written by Luke Goebel and Ottessa Moshfegh,
Eileen is adapted from Moshfegh's 2015 novel. The film stars
Thomasin McKenzie as Eileen, a young prison secretary in 1964 Boston.
She becomes infatuated with Rebecca (Anne Hathaway), a new counsellor
at the prison. Things take a sinister turn when Rebecca reveals a dark
secret.
Fallen Leaves (Dec 1st, cinemas)
Writer/director Aki Kaurismaki won the Jury prize at this year's
Cannes Film Festival with his 20th feature film,
Fallen Leaves. Kaurismaki has called the film a continuation of his "Proletariat
Quartet," following Shadows in Paradise (1986),
Ariel (1988) and
The Match Factory Girl (1990).
Fallen Leaves stars Alma Pöysti and
Jussi Vatanen as Anna and Holappa, two lonely strangers who meet by
chance and attempt to build a relationship in spite of Holappa's
alcoholism.
It's a Wonderful Knife (Dec 1st, Shudder)
With the likes of
Happy Death Day,
Freaky
and
Totally Killer, we're seeing a growing trend of movies that put a horror spin on a
beloved mainstream classic. The latest is
It's a Wonderful Knife, which as the title suggests, is a slasher spin on
It's a Wonderful Life. Directed by Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls), the film stars Jane Widdop as Winnie, a young woman who saves
her town from a knife-wielding killer. Feeling unappreciated, she wishes
she had never been born. When her wish is granted she realises the horrors
she's now subjected her town to in her absence.
Leave the World Behind (Dec 8th, Netflix)
Adapted by writer/director Sam Esmail (Mr Robot) from the novel by Rumaan Alam,
Leave the World Behind stars Julia Roberts and
Ethan Hawke as a couple who take their kids on a getaway to a remote
home. During the night the family is disturbed by the arrival of a stranger
(Mahershala Ali) and his daughter (Myha'la Herrold) who claim
the home is theirs and wish to take refuge during a devastating cyber
attack.
Trenque Lauquen (Dec 8th, cinemas)
Argentine filmmaker Laura Citarella's 2011 film
Ostende starred Laura Paredes as a character named
Laura who found herself caught up in a mystery. Laura returns for
Citarella's latest, the sprawling mystery Trenque Lauquen. This time Laura has gone missing in the titular Argentine town. Over 12
chapters split across two individual movies, the film chronicles the search
for Laura undertaken by her boyfriend and a professional colleague.
Finestkind (Dec 15th, Paramount+)
Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of LA Confidential and
Mystic River) writes and directs this crime thriller. Ben Foster and
Toby Wallace play estranged brothers from a beleaguered fishing
community who reunite to strike a deal with a dangerous Boston crime
syndicate. Hoping to escape crippling debts, the brothers find themselves in
over their heads as a mysterious young woman (Jenna Ortega)
interrupts their plan.
Godzilla Minus One (Dec 15th, cinemas)
Godzilla returns to his home soil of Japan in this Toho Studios reboot of
their signature franchise. Set in 1947, the film sees Tokyo's attempts to
rebuild itself after WWII face a new threat when the giant lizard emerges
from a pacific island, a product of the American nuclear tests at Bikini
Atoll.
Ferrari (Dec 26th, cinemas)
Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann (Manhunter; Heat) returns with Ferrari. The racing biopic stars Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, founder of
the legendary Italian car manufacturer. The film is set in 1957 and sees
the motor mogul faced with several crises in both his professional and
personal lives.
Raging Grace (Dec 29th, cinemas)
With his feature debut, British writer-director Paris Zarcilla taps
into his Filipino roots for a modern update on the classic horror format of
a working woman uncovering sinister goings-on at the lavish home of her
wealthy employer, adding issues of race and immigration. Max Eigenmann plays a single mother immigrant who takes a job
caring for an elderly man in a comatose state, leading her to suspect the
man's niece of harbouring murderous intentions.
Tchaikovsky's Wife (Dec 29th, cinemas)
Despite drawing the ire of Putin by criticising modern Russian society in
his work, filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov (Leto) returns with this sweeping historical drama. The film chronicles the
tumultuous relationship between composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky (Odin Lund Biro) and his wife Antonina Miliukova (Alyina Mikhailova).