December Movie Preview (2023)

Drama - directed by Andrew Haigh
In theaters December 22

The latest from writer-director Andrew Haigh (45 Years, Weekend) is an adaptation of Taichi Yamada's Japanese novel Strangers. Haigh moves the story to London, where Adam (Andrew Scott), a screenwriter, is listlessly struggling on a script about his parents, who died when he was 12. A chance encounter with Harry (Paul Mescal), a drunk neighbor, pulls Adam out of his stupor. As their relationship develops, he decides to visit the suburban town where he grew up, where he discovers his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) still living in his childhood home, having not aged a day in the 30 years since they passed. Haigh delicately balances this fantastical element and Adam's need to communicate with his parents with his budding romance with Harry. Prepare for your tear ducts to be tested.

Drama/Comedy - directed by Cord Jefferson
In theaters December 15

Emmy-winning writer Cord Jefferson (Watchmen) makes his directorial debut with this adaptation of Percival Everett's novel Erasure. Jeffery Wright stars as Monk, an English professor and novelist struggling to publish his new book. When he takes on a pen name and jokingly writes a "Black" book full of the stereotypes the publishing industry craves, Monk finds himself suddenly famous and stuck in the system he claims to hate. Erika Alexander, John Ortiz, Sterling K. Brown and Issa Rae also star in this winner of the People's Choice Award at September's Toronto International Film Festival.

Documentary - directed by Wim Wenders
In theaters December 8

This documentary portrait of German painter-sculptor Anselm Kiefer by filmmaker Wim Wenders (Pina, Buena Vista Social Club) debuted in Cannes to strong reviews (as did the director's other 2023 release Perfect Days). Shot in 3D 6K over two years, the film chronicles Kiefer's journey from his native Germany to his current home in Barjac, France, where the sprawling grounds overflow with sculptures, massive installations, and warehouses of giant canvases made over his more than five-decade career. A film that is enriched by its 3D format, Anselm is worth seeking out in a theater if you can.

Rom-com - directed by Will Gluck
In theaters December 22

In this romantic comedy from writer (with Ilana Wolpert) and director Will Gluck (Easy A, Friends with Benefits), Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell star as Bea and Ben, whose chemistry fizzles after a great first date. Reunited as they travel to Australia for a destination wedding, they find themselves pretending to be a couple to makes their exes jealous. Inspired by Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, the film has earned plenty of press for the chemistry between its two stars. Now they just have to show it on the big screen.

Drama/Sports - directed by George Clooney
In theaters December 25

George Clooney directs Mark L. Smith's (The Midnight Sky, The Revenant) adaptation of Daniel James Brown's 2013 best-selling nonfiction book about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. With the help of stars Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Peter Guinness, and James Wolk, Clooney will try to turn this underdog story into something more than what some will perceive as an Oscar-bait dad movie.

Musical/Drama - directed by Blitz Bazawule
In theaters December 25

Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Color Purple has been adapted multiple times: for the screen by Steven Spielberg, and for the musical stage with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Now comes a second film version based on the latter (as well as the book). Directed by Blitz Bazawule (The Burial Of Kojo, Black Is King) from a screenplay by Marcus Gardley (The Chi), the new film musical stars American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino as Celie, the role that earned Whoopi Goldberg her first Oscar nomination and Tony wins for LaChanze and Cynthia Erivo in the 2005 production and 2015 revival, respectively. Expect strong supporting turns by Rustin star Colman Domingo as Celie's abusive husband Mister, Corey Hawkins as Mister's son Harpo, Danielle Brooks as Harpo's wife Sofia, and Taraji P. Henson as singer Shug Avery.

Drama/Thriller - directed by William Oldroyd
In theaters December 1

Director William Oldroyd's follow-up to Lady Macbeth is an adaptation of Otessa Moshfegh's novel about the complicated relationship between two women in 1964 Massachusetts. Thomasin McKenzie plays Eileen, a secretary who becomes infatuated with Anne Hathaway's Rebecca, the new counselor at the prison where they work. It's a dark and disturbingly twisted story, but in her review for Variety, Jessica Kiang asserts, "It might prove an off-putting cocktail in some quarters, but the weirdos among us will find Eileen's sheer chutzpah, couched as it is in classy, clever filmmaking, curiously exhilarating and addictive."

Drama - directed by Michael Mann
In theaters December 25

Michael Mann's first feature since 2015's Blackhat has been decades in the making. Adapted by Troy Kennedy Martin from Brock Yates' book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races and set during the summer of 1957, the film examines a critical moment in the life of ex-racer turned car manufacturer Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver). Bankruptcy threatens the company he built with his wife, Laura (Penélope Cruz), but that's just the start of his problems. The death of their son haunts their marriage, and his mistress Lina (Shailene Woodley) is now mother to his young son. As he has masterfully done in the past, Mann takes these elements of domestic drama and weaves them into Ferrari's single-minded pursuit—winning the Mille Miglia, a dangerous 1,000-mile race across Italy.

Foreign/Action/Horror/Sci-fi - directed by Takashi Yamazaki
In theaters December 1

Writer-director Takashi Yamazaki (Lupin III: The First) directs this back-to-basics version of the Godzilla story. Set in the aftermath of World War II, this crowd- (and critic)-pleasing blockbuster imagines how a devastated postwar Japan would respond to a Godzilla attack. A kamikaze pilot (who, obviously, failed in his final mission) played by Ryunosuke Kamiki leads us through the story as he survives an encounter with Godzilla and attempts to start a new life with his girlfriend (Minami Hamabe) and an orphan they adopted. Hidetaka Yoshioka plays the scientist who devises a plan to defeat Godzilla. Between this and Apple's new series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Godzilla fans are having an unusually good month.

Foreign/Drama - directed by Hong Sang-soo
In theaters December 1

Hong Sang-soo's yearly contribution to cinema is one of the most experimental works of his career. The story is simple: Three friends travel to an island to make a film. Seongmo (Shin Seokho), a former actor, wants to direct his first film, but hasn't decided what to make. With him are Sangguk (Ha Seongguk), who will be the cinematographer, and Namhee (Kim Seungyun), who will act in it. Unlike recent features like The Novelist's Film, which won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (second place) at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival, in water comes to theaters without a major award, but those movie fans already intrigued by Hong's light tough will find plenty to enjoy in this mysterious sketch.

Drama/Sports - directed by Sean Durkin
In theaters December 22

Writer-director Sean Durkin (The Nest, Martha Marcy May Marlene) is at the helm of this dramatization of the tragic story of the Von Erich (née Adkisson) wrestling family. Beginning in the 1970s in Texas and led by their father Fritz Von Erich, brothers Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris were rising stars in the wrestling world before a series of tragedies took their toll. Zac Efron leads the cast as Kevin, and the film focuses on Harris Dickinson's David and Jeremy Allen White's Kerry and their relationship with their dad, played by Holt McCallany. Maura Tierney plays their mother, and Lily James plays Pam, Kevin's love interest.

Documentary - directed by Steve McQueen
In theaters December 25

Steve McQueen's four-hour-plus documentary about the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam was inspired by his wife Bianca Stigte's book Atlas of an Occupied City (Amsterdam 1940-1945). Stigte, a Dutch journalist, is also the director of Metacritic Must-See Three Minutes: A Lengthening, a haunting look at the Jewish inhabitants of Nasielsk, Poland before the Holocaust. McQueen's film juxtaposes narration by Melanie Hyams with vignettes of contemporary Amsterdam life, chronicling in door-to-door detail the ghosts of the past that still haunt the city. It's an approach that has thrilled some critics and left others wanting.

Drama/Sci-fi - directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
In select theaters December 8 and nationwide December 22

Winner of the Golden Lion for best film at this year's Venice Film Festival, Yorgos Lanthimos' adaptation of Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel tells the fantastical tale of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Eager to learn about the world, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) on a liberating adventure. Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and Margaret Qualley also star in this absurd, comedic riff on the Frankenstein story that will earn plenty of notice as year-end awards are announced.

Sci-fi/Action-adventure - directed by Zack Snyder
In theaters December 15 (LA/NY only)
Streams on Netflix beginning December 22

Sofia Boutella stars as Kora in this epic story of a group of rebels who must band together to defeat the armies of the Motherworld. Is it Zack Snyder's Star Wars film? It may have a few similarities, but, regardless, it's undoubtedly a major swing at a sci-fi franchise by the director and Netflix. Also featuring Michiel Huisman, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Ed Skrein, and the voice of Anthony Hopkins, this first part sets the table for the April 19, 2024 release of Part 2: The Scargiver.

Documentary/Music - directed by  Beyoncé, James B. Merryman, and Mark Ritchie
In theaters December 1

Written, produced, and directed by Beyoncé, this two-and-a-half-hour concert movie combines performances from 56 tour dates to capture what it was like to be at a Renaissance tour show. But unlike Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Renaissance also leaves the arena to spend time with Beyoncé and her family. She rehabs after knee surgery. Her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, works at becoming a featured dancer on the tour, and she visits her childhood home in Houston, where she speaks of her late Uncle Johnny, who sparked her interest in house music. There is also a brief reunion of Destiny's Child. The Beyhive should be more than satisfied.

Drama - directed by Noora Niasari
In theaters December 1

Writer-director Nora Niasari's debut feature follows Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) and her six-year-old daughter as they find refuge in an Australian women's shelter. As they celebrate Nowruz (Persian New Year), their new life is threatened when Shayda's estranged husband attempts to take their daughter back to Iran. Australia's submission for Best International Feature at this year's Academy Awards is a sensitive exploration of the journey through the trauma and fight for freedom from domestic abuse.

Drama - directed by Ilker Çatak
In theaters December 25 (LA/NY only; others to follow)

Working from a screenplay co-written with Johannes Duncker, director İlker Çatak's latest film presents the classroom as a microcosm of society. Dedicated, idealistic teacher Carla Nowak (Leonie Beseech) finds herself caught between angry parents, dogmatic colleagues, and frustrated students after a theft occurs in the teachers' lounge. Her attempts to do the "right" thing only makes her more desperate in what is Germany's submission for Best International Feature at this year's Academy Awards.

Musical/Fantasy/Family/Comedy - directed by Paul King
In theaters December 15

Did you ever wonder how Willy Wonka became the Willy Wonka of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Well, this prequel from Paddington and Paddington 2 director Paul King and his co-writer Simon Farnaby imagines that Wonka must defeat a chocolate cartel to become the greatest chocolate and candy maker the world has ever seen. With Timothée Chalamet as Wonka, Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa, musical numbers and wondrous inventions, this could be the large-scale film that families are looking for during the holidays.

Drama - directed by Jonathan Glazer
In theaters December 15

Jonathan Glazer's fourth feature film in 23 years, following Sexy Beast, Birth, and Under the Skin, follows commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), and their children as they go about their lives in their pristine villa just outside the walls of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in the early 1940s. To observe the family's actions, Glazer embedded remote control cameras around a reconstructed version of the house, allowing cuts to happen as actors moved from room to room. Unlike the Martin Amis novel that inspired it (the film borrows the book's title and setting but not much else), the film never actually enters the camp, but the combination of what Lukasz Zal's cinematography captures and the film's intricate sound design (including Mica Levi's score) powerfully conveys the horrors taking place. Winner of the Grand Prix (second place) at this year's Cannes Film Festival, The Zone of Interest is one of the best-reviewed movies of 2023.