Christmas might be over, but the holiday season is still going strong in terms of exciting movie theater debuts! From sci-fi flicks and biopics to comedies and dramas, there are plenty of films to help you end 2018 on a good note.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s story comes to life this week as Felicity Jones portrays the United States Supreme Court Justice. Meanwhile, Christian Bale embodies former Vice President Dick Cheney in the biopic “Vice.”
Looking for a good cop thriller movie? “Destroyer” dazzles with Nicole Kidman as a cop struggling with a tortured past.
The highly anticipated musical sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns,” is also making a splash in which Emily Blunt plays the world’s most beloved nanny.
Here’s what to see and what to skip this weekend:
Movies Out This Weekend
“On the Basis of Sex” — Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer; directed by Mimi Leder
Mimi Leder’s latest outing chronicles the ascent of the inimitable Ruth Bader Ginsburg from her days at Harvard Law School through her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Felicity Jones lights up the screen as Ginsburg, a young woman who is relentless in her pursuit of excellence despite gender discrimination and inequality. Armed with extreme intelligence, she is accepted at Harvard Law School in 1956, where, in a class of 500 students, only nine are female. Despite graduating at the top of her class, she gets turned down by 13 law firms.
The movie then transports us to 1970s when a newsworthy sex-discrimination case lands on Ginsburg’s desk. Working with her tax-attorney husband, she seizes on the opportunity and represents Charles Moritz (Christian Mulkey), a man denied the right of a caregiver tax deductions because only women can be primary caregivers.
The rest is history as we know it!
See it. Jones is on fire channeling Ginsburg’s conviction, determination and intensity, and the emotionally-charged movie is well-paced.
Watch the trailer:
“Vice” — Christian Bale, Amy Adams; directed by Adam McKay
Christian Bale embodies Richard Bruce “Dick” Cheney in writer-director Adam McKay’s “Vice,” an in-depth look into the former Vice President’s journey from rural 1960s Wyoming to the White House. The stellar all-star cast includes Amy Adams as Cheney’s wife, Lynn, Sam Rockwell as President George W. Bush, and Steve Carell as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
The story begins with Cheney’s early days as an irresponsible party-hardy teenager. His high school sweetheart, Lynn, helps him get a scholarship at Yale, but he flunks out of the prestigious school and gets busted for drinking and driving.
Though overly upset, Lynn, stands by her man and helps him turn his life around. Together, the couple set their sights on marriage, family, power and success.
See it. Bale’s transformation is utterly jaw-dropping, and his rendering of Cheney is brilliant, despite a meandering screenplay.
Watch the trailer:
“Destroyer” — Nicole Kidman, Sebastian Stan; directed by Karyn Kusama
In Karyn Kusama’s crime thriller, one woman must confront her tortured past, own up to her mistakes and finally make peace with herself.
At the center of the story is veteran LAPD detective Erin Belle, who, as a young cop, was a part of an undercover FBI sting gone tragically wrong. Her present is about to collide with her painful past when she is tasked with finding old nemesis, murderous gang leader Silas (Toby Kebbell).
One by one, she tracks down every member of the criminal gang in the hopes of finding the ringleader. Meanwhile, her estranged relationship with her daughter, 16-year-old Shelby (Jade Pettyjohn), becomes increasingly difficult.
Will Erin finally face her personal demons and find her path to redemption?
See it. Kidman delivers an outstanding transformative performance.
Watch the trailer:
“Aquaman” — Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman; directed by James Wan
This fantasy-action adventure chronicles the rise of Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa as the colossal protector of the oceans.
It begins as a love story between lighthouse keeper Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison) and Queen Atlanna of Atlantis (Nicole Kidman), who have been brought together by fate against all odds. When Atlanna gives birth to a son, Arthur, she must leave her new family behind and return to her underwater kingdom to keep them safe.
Soon enough, Arthur discovers his underwater superpowers — but despite his innate abilities, the half-human, half-Atlantean youngster grows into a man who feels conflicted, discontented and hollow to the core.
Meanwhile, under the sea, Aquaman’s power-hungry half brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson), plots to start war against the surface world as payback for years of oceanic pollution. This does not sit well with the free-spirited Princess Mera of the oceanic kingdom of Xebel (Amber Heard). Luckily for her, there’s Aquaman — who, as the eldest son of the queen, can stop Orm by claiming the Atlantean throne.
Will Arthur Curry finally take on a journey of his lifetime — a journey that will test his strength, courage and convictions?
See it. Anchored by Momoa’s strong screen presence, James Wan’s film is visually delightful and engaging, despite the film’s somewhat clichéd screenplay.
Watch the trailer:
“Mary Poppins Returns” — Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel-Miranda; directed by Rob Marshall
The endearing nanny who has captured the hearts of millions returns to the big screen for a sequel, which stars Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins.
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Continuing the blend of live action and animation, Disney’s new musical takes place during the Depression Era, 30 years after Mary’s sudden departure from the Banks’ residence of 17 Cherry Tree Lane in London.
The second generation of the Banks family is no longer wealthy like they were in the original movie. Jane (Emily Mortimer) is now a human rights activist, while Michael (Ben Whishaw) is a struggling banker and a recent widower with three young children (Pixie Davies, Nathaniel Saleh, and Joel Dawson).
In a timely fashion, Mary Poppins returns to help the Banks family rediscover joy in their lives as they grieve over a personal loss. Joining her in this adventure is her friend Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), a happy-go-lucky street lamplighter who helps bring light — and life — to the streets of London.
See it. Blunt is exquisite in her portrayal of Mary Poppins, making the iconic role her very own. However, the musical score is not quite as spellbinding as the notes from the original movie.
Watch the trailer:
“Bumblebee” — Hailee Steinfeld, Dylan O’Brien; directed by Travis Knight
Friendship and loyalty abound in the sixth installment of the “Transformers” movie franchise, the origin story of a B-127 Autobot Transformer, a space robot sent to protect Earth from intergalactic threats.
The movie is set in 1987 San Francisco, where Hailee Steinfeld plays social misfit Charlie Watson, a teenage car enthusiast who finds a beat-up Volkswagen Beetle in a junkyard. Intrigued, she drives it home, not knowing that the car is in fact a gigantic intergalactic Autobot.
She makes the discovery soon enough and calls her new-found friend, Bumblebee, for help. As their journey together unfolds, the two develop a close friendship as several threats loom ahead.
See it. The engaging movie has a beating heart and a fiery soul. Plus, Steinfeld simply captivates.
Watch the trailer:
“Second Act” — Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini; directed by Peter Segal
Workplace comedy “Second Act” stars Jennifer Lopez as Maya, a 40-year-old woman who is ready to take on bigger jobs at Value Shop.
After 15 years of service, Maya is convinced that the next promotion is hers. However, she’s proven wrong when the company hires someone with an MBA degree (she only holds a G.E.D).
However her life changes for the better when, out of the blue, she lands an interview with an elite consulting firm. But how? Unbeknownst to Maya, her best friend’s (Leah Remini) genius son has sent out a doctored, embellished version of her resume, highlighting her Wharton degree.
Maya wins the CEO’s approval and gets the job, but there’s more to it than meets the eye — especially since the CEO’s daughter Zoe (Vanessa Hudgens), a rising star at the company, is skeptical about Maya.
See it. The movie delivers a few laughs, and Lopez dazzles, though there are a couple of unrealistic plot lines.
Watch the trailer:
“Welcome To Marwen” — Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Janelle Monáe; directed by Robert Zemeckis
Director Robert Zemeckis’ latest outing is a fresh take on “Marwencol,” a 2010 documentary film about one man’s tragedy and triumph in the aftermath of a vicious attack.
In the film, which is based on a true story, Steve Carell portrays Mark Hogancamp, a middle-aged artist who is savagely attacked by a group of men after he drunkenly reveals his fondness for wearing women’s shoes. Left for dead, the 38-year-old man spends nine days in a coma and wakes up with serious brain damage, a severe case of PTSD and total amnesia. In fact, his recollection of the attack is completely naught.
Two years after the horrific incident, Hogancamp attempts to rebuild his life by finding refuge in his artistic creations. Particularly, he constructs a miniature World War II Belgian village called Marwen in his yard, complete with Barbie dolls and G.I. Joe action figures.
The film then transports us to Hogancamp’s world of living dolls as they play out their melodramas in Marwen. By the end, his real life becomes intertwined with his fantasy life.
Skip it. Hogancamp’s duality of living in two worlds is too intricate to understand and follow.
Watch the trailer:
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Main Photo: (L-R) Amy Adams, Adam McKay, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell and Christian Bale arrive for the World Premiere Of ‘Vice’ on December 11, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo Credit: Steve Cohn/Annapurna Pictures)