Hollywood on the Hill December Movie Preview

This Thanksgiving, film fans had even more to be thankful for than usual as a slew of great family films was released. The newest Muppets,starring Jason Segal and Amy Adams, was an incredibly big hit with kids and parents alike and brought back some much needed Jim Henson fun. Arthur Christmas received incredibly high reviews and should be added to the never-ending list of children’s Christmas classics. Martin Scorsese’s Hugowas the highest rated of them all. The film is beautiful – the best 3D I have ever seen – and has a narrative that, in telling the story of an orphaned boy who finds his way, also shows its spectators the beauty of cinema. All three of these films have received scores of over 90 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and will continue to do well into the month of December as families will eventually go see all three. Nonetheless, the line-up of potential hits coming in the next month is exciting to say the least. Below are the five future must see films this holiday season.

            Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy(December 9) – This new British thriller opened at the Venice film festival with superb reviews of both the ensemble cast and directing of Tomas Alfredson. The film stars a slew of the best actors Britain has to offer. Gary Oldman stars as a British spy who is on his way to retirement when he discovers there is a mole is at the top of M16 during the height of the Cold War. Costarring are recent Academy Award winner Collin Firth and one of Hollywood’s hottest actors and future star of the next Batman, Tom Hardy. The rest of the cast is filled out with Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Hurt. Both the film and Alfedson’s directing are in serious talks for Oscar nominations.

            Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol(December 16) – While this film will not win any Oscars, Tom Cruise’s latest in the Mission Impossiblefranchise is supposedly the best yet (and that includes the original). Directed by Pixar legend Brad Bird (he directed The Incrediblesand Ratatouille) the new MItrailer showcases visually stunning effects and early reviews of the film are incredibly high. Hollywood’s hottest young actor Jeremy Renner costars along Cruise in what will be a tremendous success critically and economically for Bad Robot productions.

            The Adventures of Tintin(December 21) – Any movie that is directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has to be good… and Tintinwill not disappoint. Telling the legendary British story of Tintin in stop-motion animation, the film is being described as “Indiana Jones meets something.” That is some good company to be in. Audiences around the world will pour in to see this cinematic adventure.

            The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo(December 21) – David Fincher’s version of the first in Stieg Larsson’s classic trilogy is poised to be the movie of the year. Rooney Mara is getting early buzz as the surprise Oscar winner for her portrayal of the antisocial Lisabeth Salander. Fincher has never made a bad film, and coming off best director nominations for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Social Network, it is hard to see Fincher not getting a nomination.