The holidays are here, and we all know what that means.
Okay, those of us not heading to the beach or interstate know what it means: movies! Lucky for us, there’s multiple films hitting cinemas demanding your attention. But which ones actually deserve it?
Here’s our guide to the next few weeks of summer viewing.
Avatar: The Way of Water
It’s been over a decade since James Cameron’s 3D epic Avatar changed the way we looked at movies (literally). Now the first of a proposed four sequels has arrived, and if the trailers are any guide it’s going to look stunning. Story details remain sketchy – the humans are back to pillage the planet of Pandora and the now fully Na’vi Jake (Sam Worthington) is on the run with his family – but it’s the visuals that are the real selling point here and it all looks amazing.
In cinemas December 15
I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Naomi Ackie stars as Whitney Houston in a career-spanning biopic produced by her record producer Clive Davis (played here by Stanley Tucci). Houston’s life was full of ups and downs, so it’ll be interesting to see how heavily this focuses on the pop singer’s drama. The trailers have promised plenty of inspirational moments, while the producers and Houston’s estate (which is closely involved with the film) have reassured fans it won’t shy away from her many struggles.
In cinemas December 26
The Banshees of Inisherin
Writer-director Martin McDonagh reunites with Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell (from his classic In Bruges) for a darkly comedic tale of friendship gone sour. On a tiny island off the coast of Ireland, Padraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson) are lifelong friends – right up until the moment Colm tells Padraic he never wants to speak to him again. Confused, Padraic keeps wanting to know why, which only makes matters worse. Tensions escalate, sides are drawn; a happy ending seems unlikely.
In cinemas December 26
Blueback
As a young girl, Abby befriended a wild blue groper while learning to dive. But when her hometown’s local reef is threatened by commercial fishing interests, the now-adult Abby and her activist mum must fight to save her friend’s habitat. This is about as star-studded as an Australian film gets: based on a best-selling novella by Tim Winton and directed by Robert Connelly (The Dry), it stars Mia Wasikowska, Radha Mitchell and Eric Bana (as Mad Macka).
In cinemas January 1
The Fabelmans
Steven Spielberg makes his first foray into autobiography, looking back at a childhood growing up in post-WWII New Jersey (and Arizona, and California) with a fractured family and a love for the movies so strong it would reshape pop culture around the world. Starring Paul Dano, Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams, it’s a lightly fictionalised look at Spielberg’s youth featuring plenty of references to both his greatest hits and the themes that have run throughout his four decades of classic movie-making.
In cinemas January 5
M3gan
It’s evil doll time again, only with a science fiction twist as a toy company robotics specialist (Allison Williams) creates M3gan, a life-like doll with artificial intelligence. What could possibly go wrong? For starters, when the doll’s creator unexpectedly becomes the custodian of her orphaned niece, M3gan (who is programmed to be a child’s best friend) becomes a little too protective of the new addition to the family. Better lock up the knife drawer.
In cinemas January 12
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
This action comedy from writer/director Guy Ritchie has been delayed for close to a year due to various issues, but finally, we’ll get the chance to see Jason Statham as super-spy Orson Fortune on a mission to take down billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant). But instead of just shooting the bad guys, this time Fortune and his team have to work with a big-name Hollywood actor (Josh Hartnett, not playing himself) to uncover Simmonds’s scheme… and then shoot the bad guys.
In cinemas January 12
Babylon
Oscar-winning filmmaker Damien Chazelle (First Man, La La Land) turns his sights on the early days of Hollywood with this comedic epic starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and a cast of thousands partying extremely hard and living life to the fullest creating an art form out of nothing. Advanced reactions from those who’ve seen it have been mixed, to say the least, but they all have one thing in common: this is a film that, once seen, won’t easily be forgotten.
In cinemas January 19
