Monthly pick of films to watch - December 2019
Here is our monthly pick of films to watch for December 2019.
Here are our pick of the films being released in Britain and Ireland during December 2019.
Sunday 1st December 2019
The Party's Just Beginning (15)
In a bleak Inverness midwinter, Luisaidh is careering off the rails after the suicide of her best friend. She medicates her misery with joyless sex, chips and a belief in the power of positive drinking. Surrounded by bittersweet memories, she struggles to find someone to talk to or some reason to make life worthwhile at the most stressful time of the year.
In a bleak Inverness midwinter, Luisaidh is careering off the rails after the suicide of her best friend. She medicates her misery with joyless sex, chips and a belief in the power of positive drinking. Surrounded by bittersweet memories, she struggles to find someone to talk to or some reason to make life worthwhile at the most stressful time of the year.
Thursday 5th December 2019
Invasion Planet Earth (12)
After the death of his young daughter, Thomas Dunn is a man who has lost his faith. His life has crumbled and his confidence is shattered. Yet, on this day he wakes to discover that Mandy, his loving wife is finally pregnant again. Maybe this is their chance to move away from the tragedy of the past and for him to find his faith again. But also on this day a large alien mother-ship appears in the heavens and the people of earth are suddenly plagued with visions about the end of civilization. Tom and Mandy are split up as the mother-ship launches a massive alien fleet which attack the towns and cities of earth. Tom must look deep within himself to find not just his faith but the wisdom and strength to save the human race from the horrors that threaten them. However, first he must find Mandy, as he discovers that their new baby holds the key to the future of mankind. The battle lines are drawn and the final stance for Earth is about to begin.
After the death of his young daughter, Thomas Dunn is a man who has lost his faith. His life has crumbled and his confidence is shattered. Yet, on this day he wakes to discover that Mandy, his loving wife is finally pregnant again. Maybe this is their chance to move away from the tragedy of the past and for him to find his faith again. But also on this day a large alien mother-ship appears in the heavens and the people of earth are suddenly plagued with visions about the end of civilization. Tom and Mandy are split up as the mother-ship launches a massive alien fleet which attack the towns and cities of earth. Tom must look deep within himself to find not just his faith but the wisdom and strength to save the human race from the horrors that threaten them. However, first he must find Mandy, as he discovers that their new baby holds the key to the future of mankind. The battle lines are drawn and the final stance for Earth is about to begin.
Friday 6th December 2019
Honey Boy (15)
From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, based on his own experiences, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har'el brings to life a young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalizing his childhood's ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har'el casts Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon. Artist and musician FKA twigs makes her feature-film debut, playing neighbor and kindred spirit to the younger Otis in their garden-court motel home. Har'el's feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as medicine and imagination as hope.
Watch Trailer
From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, based on his own experiences, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har'el brings to life a young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalizing his childhood's ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har'el casts Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon. Artist and musician FKA twigs makes her feature-film debut, playing neighbor and kindred spirit to the younger Otis in their garden-court motel home. Har'el's feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as medicine and imagination as hope.
Watch Trailer
Human Nature (PG)
The biggest tech revolution of the 21st Century isn't digital, it's biological. A breakthrough called CRISPR has given us unprecedented control over the basic building blocks of life. It opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children. Human Nature is a provocative exploration of CRISPR's far-reaching implications, through the eyes of the scientists who discovered it, the families it's affecting, and the bio-engineers who are testing its limits. How will this new power change our relationship with nature? What will it mean for human evolution? To begin to answer these questions we must look back billions of years and peer into an uncertain future.
The biggest tech revolution of the 21st Century isn't digital, it's biological. A breakthrough called CRISPR has given us unprecedented control over the basic building blocks of life. It opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children. Human Nature is a provocative exploration of CRISPR's far-reaching implications, through the eyes of the scientists who discovered it, the families it's affecting, and the bio-engineers who are testing its limits. How will this new power change our relationship with nature? What will it mean for human evolution? To begin to answer these questions we must look back billions of years and peer into an uncertain future.
Lucy in the Sky (15)
In LUCY IN THE SKY, Natalie Portman plays Lucy Cola, a strong woman whose determination and drive as an astronaut take her to space, where she's deeply moved by the transcendent experience of seeing her life from afar. Back home as Lucy's world suddenly feels too small, her connection with reality slowly unravels.
Watch Trailer
In LUCY IN THE SKY, Natalie Portman plays Lucy Cola, a strong woman whose determination and drive as an astronaut take her to space, where she's deeply moved by the transcendent experience of seeing her life from afar. Back home as Lucy's world suddenly feels too small, her connection with reality slowly unravels.
Watch Trailer
Motherless Brooklyn (15)
Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, "Motherless Brooklyn" follows Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome, as he ventures to solve his friend's murder. Armed only with a few clues and the powerful engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely-guarded secrets that hold the fate of the whole city in the balance.
Watch Trailer
Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, "Motherless Brooklyn" follows Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome, as he ventures to solve his friend's murder. Armed only with a few clues and the powerful engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely-guarded secrets that hold the fate of the whole city in the balance.
Watch Trailer
Ordinary Love (12A)
Joan and Tom have been married for many years. There is an ease to their relationship which only comes from spending a life time together and a depth of love which expresses itself through tenderness and humour in equal part. When Joan is unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer, the course of her treatment shines a light on their relationship as they are faced with the challenges that lie ahead and the prospect of what might happen if something were to happen to Joan. ORDINARY LOVE is a story about love, survival and the epic questions life throws at each and every one of us.
Watch Trailer
Joan and Tom have been married for many years. There is an ease to their relationship which only comes from spending a life time together and a depth of love which expresses itself through tenderness and humour in equal part. When Joan is unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer, the course of her treatment shines a light on their relationship as they are faced with the challenges that lie ahead and the prospect of what might happen if something were to happen to Joan. ORDINARY LOVE is a story about love, survival and the epic questions life throws at each and every one of us.
Watch Trailer
StarDog and TurboCat (U)
A loyal dog and a vigilante cat embark on a space age voyage to find their way home.
A loyal dog and a vigilante cat embark on a space age voyage to find their way home.
The Last Right (15)
A fateful exchange on a flight from New York to Ireland has complicated consequences for Daniel Murphy. He's left in charge of a corpse, the body of someone he never knew. He is persuaded to take on the challenge of getting an environmentally friendly cardboard coffin from his family home in Clonakilty to Rathlin Island by his autistic younger brother Louis and Mary, a flighty young mortician with her own agenda.
Watch Trailer
A fateful exchange on a flight from New York to Ireland has complicated consequences for Daniel Murphy. He's left in charge of a corpse, the body of someone he never knew. He is persuaded to take on the challenge of getting an environmentally friendly cardboard coffin from his family home in Clonakilty to Rathlin Island by his autistic younger brother Louis and Mary, a flighty young mortician with her own agenda.
Watch Trailer
Thursday 12th December 2019
Black Christmas
Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. One by one, sorority girls on campus are being killed by an unknown stalker. But the killer is about to discover that this generation's young women aren't willing to become hapless victims as they mount a fight to the finish.
Watch Trailer
Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. One by one, sorority girls on campus are being killed by an unknown stalker. But the killer is about to discover that this generation's young women aren't willing to become hapless victims as they mount a fight to the finish.
Watch Trailer
Friday 13th December 2019
Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (12A)
The origin story behind one of Broadway's most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof, and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when "tradition" was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were evolving.
The origin story behind one of Broadway's most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof, and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when "tradition" was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were evolving.
Jumanji: The Next Level (12A)
The gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world's most dangerous game.
Watch Trailer
The gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world's most dangerous game.
Watch Trailer
Pink Wall (15)
Six scenes. Six years. Six moments that shaped the relationship of Jenna and Leon. Pink Wall examines what defines us, the pressures of gender expectations, and our perpetual struggle between life and ambition.
Watch Trailer
Six scenes. Six years. Six moments that shaped the relationship of Jenna and Leon. Pink Wall examines what defines us, the pressures of gender expectations, and our perpetual struggle between life and ambition.
Watch Trailer
The Bikes of Wrath
In 2015 5 friends from Australia set out to bike from Oklahoma to California the same route the families traveled in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. The friends did this on a budget of just $420 which is the equivalent to the $18 each family had on average that made the same trek during the dust bowl. They were overwhelmed by the generosity of the people in the states they biked through which are known as Red States. During the edited process of the documentary they realized this trek was more about the people they met than the actual trek.
In 2015 5 friends from Australia set out to bike from Oklahoma to California the same route the families traveled in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. The friends did this on a budget of just $420 which is the equivalent to the $18 each family had on average that made the same trek during the dust bowl. They were overwhelmed by the generosity of the people in the states they biked through which are known as Red States. During the edited process of the documentary they realized this trek was more about the people they met than the actual trek.
The Kingmaker (15)
Centered on the indomitable character of Imelda Marcos, The Kingmaker examines, with intimate access, the Marcos family's improbable return to power in the Philippines. The film explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicles Imelda's present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice-presidency. To this end, Imelda confidently rewrites her family's history of corruption, replacing it with a narrative of a matriarch's extravagant love for her country. In an age when fake news manipulates elections, Imelda's comeback story serves as a dark fairy tale.
Watch Trailer
Centered on the indomitable character of Imelda Marcos, The Kingmaker examines, with intimate access, the Marcos family's improbable return to power in the Philippines. The film explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicles Imelda's present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice-presidency. To this end, Imelda confidently rewrites her family's history of corruption, replacing it with a narrative of a matriarch's extravagant love for her country. In an age when fake news manipulates elections, Imelda's comeback story serves as a dark fairy tale.
Watch Trailer
Thursday 19th December 2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.
The saga will end. The story lives forever. The culmination of 42 years of storytelling.
Watch Trailer
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.
The saga will end. The story lives forever. The culmination of 42 years of storytelling.
Watch Trailer
Friday 20th December 2019
Cats
A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
Watch Trailer
A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
Watch Trailer
The Courier (18)
Set against a gritty London backdrop, Olga Kurylenko plays a tough motorbike courier whose work is interrupted when she discovers that one of the packages she's transporting is a bomb. It transpires that the gas bomb she carries is set to kill Nick Murch, the only witness able to testify in Washington DC against ruthless crime lord Ezekiel Manning. As the British Police and FBI scramble to try and deal with the mess, the mysteriously well-trailed and equipped courier teams up with unlikely partner Nick to evade Manning's heavily armed goons and make sure that justice is delivered.
Watch Trailer
Set against a gritty London backdrop, Olga Kurylenko plays a tough motorbike courier whose work is interrupted when she discovers that one of the packages she's transporting is a bomb. It transpires that the gas bomb she carries is set to kill Nick Murch, the only witness able to testify in Washington DC against ruthless crime lord Ezekiel Manning. As the British Police and FBI scramble to try and deal with the mess, the mysteriously well-trailed and equipped courier teams up with unlikely partner Nick to evade Manning's heavily armed goons and make sure that justice is delivered.
Watch Trailer
Thursday 26th December 2019
Playing with Fire (PG)
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Watch Trailer
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Watch Trailer
Spies in Disguise
Super spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith) and scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is - not. But when events take an unexpected turn, this unlikely duo are forced to team up for the ultimate mission that will require an almost impossible disguise - transforming Lance into the brave, fierce, majestic- pigeon. Walter and Lance suddenly have to work as a team, or the whole world is in peril.
Watch Trailer
Super spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith) and scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is - not. But when events take an unexpected turn, this unlikely duo are forced to team up for the ultimate mission that will require an almost impossible disguise - transforming Lance into the brave, fierce, majestic- pigeon. Walter and Lance suddenly have to work as a team, or the whole world is in peril.
Watch Trailer
Friday 27th December 2019