December’s Top Movies

December 3

• Ready or Not

  The sanctity of marriage goes straight to hell when a young bride (Samara Weaving) competes in a time-honored tradition with her new husband (Mark O’Brien) and his insanely rich and eccentric Le Domas family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, and Andie MacDowell). The bride’s wedding night takes a turn for the worst when she realizes she is at the center of a lethal game of “Hide and Seek” and must fight her not-so-loveable in-laws for her own survival. Vitals: Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett. Stars: Samara Weaving, Mark O’Brien, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Horror Comedy, Box office gross: $28.714 million, Fox. Extras: “Let the Games Begin: The Making of Ready or Not” three-part featurette, gag reel, audio commentary by Radio Silence and Samara Weaving.

 

December 10

• Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood

  Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing in Hollywood, as former TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age. Vitals: Director: Quentin Tarantino. Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino, Luke Perry. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: R, 161 min., Comedy Drama, Box office gross: $140.422 million, Sony. Extras: More than 20 minutes of additional scenes. Blu-ray adds five behind-the-scenes-pieces: “Quentin Tarantino’s Love Letter to Hollywood,” “Bob Richardson – For the Love of Film,” “Shop Talk – The Cars of 1969,” “Restoring Hollywood – The Production Design of Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” “The Fashion of 1969.”

• It Chapter Two

  Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), he has returned to terrorize the town of Derry once more. Now adults, the Losers have long since gone their separate ways. However, people are disappearing again, so Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one of the group to remain in their hometown, calls the others home. Damaged by the experiences of their past, they must each conquer their deepest fears to destroy Pennywise once and for all … putting them directly in the path of the shape-shifting clown that has become deadlier than ever. Vitals: Director: Andy Muschietti. Stars: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgård. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: R, 169 min., Horror, Box office gross: $211.051 million, Warners. Extras: “Pennywise Lives Again!”, “This Meeting of the Losers Club Has Officially Begun,” “Finding the Deadlights,” “The Summers of IT: Chapter One, You’ll Float Too,” “The Summers of IT: Chapter Two, IT Ends.” Blu-ray adds commentary with Director Andy Muschietti.

• Hustlers

  The film follows Destiny (Constance Wu) a young stripper struggling to make ends meet. That is, until she meets Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), the club’s savvy top earner, who shows her the way toward making big bucks. But when the 2008 economic collapse hits their Wall Street clientele hard, Destiny and Ramona concoct a plan with their fellow strippers to turn the tables on these greedy power players. The film was inspired by the article published by New York Magazine entitled “The Hustlers at Scores” written by Jessica Pressler. Vitals: Director: Lorene Scafaria. Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Cardi B, Lizzo, Madeline Brewer, Mette Towley, Trace Lysette, Mercedes Ruehl. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: R, 109 min., Crime Comedy, Box office gross: $103.561 million, Universal. Extras: Feature commentary with director Lorene Scafaria, trailers.

 

December 17

• Downton Abbey

  Based on Carnival Films’ award-winning television series, the film sees the original cast return, alongside a host of newcomers, and chronicles the Crawley family one year after the conclusion of the series, as they prepare for the most important moment of their lives: an impending visit from the Royal Family. Join the glitz, glamour and spectacle as the special visit unleashes scandal, romance and intrigue on the fan-favorite family and its staff members. Vitals: Director: Michael Engler. Stars: Matthew Goode, Tuppence Middleton, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Allen Leech, Kate Phillips, Joanne Froggatt, Laura Carmichael, Imelda Staunton, Robert James-Collier, Sophie McShera, Raquel Cassidy, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 121 min., Drama, Box office gross: $94.770 million, Universal. Extras: Feature commentary with director Michael Engler; deleted scenes; cast conversations; “The Royal Visit”; “True to the Twenties”; “Welcome to Downton Abbey” behind-the-scenes look at the grandeur of Highclere Castle and how it serves as a cornerstone in the Downton Abbey franchise; “The Brilliance of (Downton Abbey writer) Julian Fellowes. Blu-ray adds “Downton Abbey Series Recap.”

• Abominable

  Family animation follows teenage Yi (Chloe Bennet) as she encounters a young Yeti on the roof of her apartment building in China, she and her mischievous friends, Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Tsai Chin), name him “Everest” and embark on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with his family at the highest point on Earth. But the trio of friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) to help Everest get home. Vitals: Director: Jill Culton and Todd Wilderman. Stars: Voices of Chloe Bennet, Sarah Paulson, Eddie Izzard, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsa, Tsai Chin, Michelle Wong. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 97 min., Family Animation Adventure, Box office gross: $59.213 million, Universal. Extras: DreamWorks short: “Marooned,” about a cantankerous and selfish robot named C-0R13 who, stranded on an abandoned lunar outpost, longs to return to Earth; “Show and Tell” magic show; deleted scenes; “Making a Myth (Movie)” featurette; “Animating Abominable”; “Meet the Cast”; “Your Yeti Care Guide”; “Courage to Dream” featurette; “An Abominable Tour With Chloe Bennet”; “Everest’s Talk Box”; “Cooking With Nai Nai” featurette on how to make Nai Nai’s famous pork buns in real life; “How to Abominable” how-to-draw character featurette; “You Can Speak Yeti-Ese”; “Nai Nai Says” life lessons; feature commentary.

• Ad Astra

  Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father (Tommy Lee Jones) and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos. Vitals: Director: James Gray. Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 123 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $49.658 million, Fox. Blu-ray extras: Deleted scenes, “To the Stars,” “A Man Named Roy,” “The Crew of the Cepheus,” “The Art of Ad Astra,” “Reach for the Stars,” audio commentary by director James Gray.

• Rambo: Last Blood

  Vietnam War veteran John Rambo tries to find some semblance of peace by raising horses on a ranch in Arizona. He’s also developed a special familial bond with a woman named Maria and her teenage granddaughter Gabriela. But when a vicious Mexican cartel kidnaps Gabriela, Rambo crosses the border on a bloody and personal quest to rescue her and punish those responsible. Vitals: Director: Adrian Grünberg. Stars: Sylvester Stallone=, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adrianna Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Joaquin Cosio, Oscar Jaenada. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: R, 89 min., Action, Box office gross: $44.649 million, Lionsgate. Extras: “Drawing Last Blood: Multipart Production Diary” featurette, “From First Note to Last Blood: Music for the Massacres” featurette, trailer.

 

December 24

• Judy

  Thirty years after rising to global stardom in “The Wizard of Oz,” showbiz legend Judy Garland (Renée Zellweger) arrives in London to perform a five-week sold-out run at The Talk of the Town. While preparing for the shows, Garland battles with management, reminisces with friends and adoring fans, and embarks on a whirlwind romance with soon-to-be fifth husband Mickey Deans — all while bravely struggling to overcome intensifying anxiety and physical decline. Featuring some of her best-known songs, the film celebrates the unyielding spirit and matchless talent of “the world’s greatest entertainer.” Vitals: Director: Rupert Goold. Stars: Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 119 min., Music Bio Drama, Box office gross: $22.920 million, Lionsgate. Extras: “From the Heart: The Making of Judy” featurette, “Judy” image gallery, theatrical trailer.