Hello end of the year!
It’s the traditional period in which movies come at us in numbers so considerable that your only option is to camp at your favourite cinema if you want to see them all.
Leaving obvious hygiene issues aside, it means that all too often we’re having to choose between watching movies on the big screen and waiting for them to go to streaming unless, as if happily the case these days, that’s where they start out.
Here for your viewing pleasure, and hopefully not as the starter to a whole lot of indecision about what to see, are five movies of great storytelling diversity and genre variety which are sure to fill the days ahead with all kinds of cinematic enjoyment.
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Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. Avatar 2: The Way of Water is directed by iconic Canadian filmmaker James Cameron, director of the movies Piranha II: The Spawning, The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, Titanic, and Avatar previously. The screenplay is written by James Cameron and Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds, The Black Dahlia, Terminator: Dark Fate, Snowpiercer series), from a story by James Cameron. Produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau. (courtesy First Showing)
Avatar: The Way of Water releases into theatres on 15 December in Australia and 16 December in USA.
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Deep inside the mountain of Dovre, something gigantic awakens after being trapped for a thousand years. Destroying everything in its path, the creature is fast approaching the capital of Norway. But how do you stop something you thought only existed in Norwegian folklore? Troll is directed by Norwegian writer / filmmaker Roar Uthaug, director of the movies Cold Prey, Magic Silver, Escape, The Wave, and Tomb Raider previously. The screenplay is written by Espen Aukan, from a story by Roar Uthaug. It’s produced by Espen Horn and Kristian Strand Sinkerud. (courtesy First Showing)
Troll releases on Netflix on 1 December.
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Acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Bujalski (Support the Girls, Computer Chess) explores the precarious nature of human connection in There There, a round robin of emotional two-character vignettes in which seven people reach out and bond momentarily, setting the scene for the next encounter. A pair of new lovers, an alcoholic and her AA sponsor, a teacher and a parent, a lawyer and his client, and more move from scene to scene, revealing intimate details as they forge connections. Utilizing his own groundbreaking shooting process, Andrew Bujalski plays with ideas of isolation and perception by filming each actor individually in separate locations, only joining them to their partner’s performance in the edit. There There is both written and directed by innovative American filmmaker Andrew Bujalski, director of the films Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation, Beeswax, Computer Chess, Results, and Support the Girls previously. Produced by Sam Bisbee, Houston King, Dia Sokol Savage. (courtesy First Showing)
There There releases in theatres and via video-on-demand on 16 December in USA; no Australian release date assigned at this stage.
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Sam & Kate takes place in a small town in the heart of the country. Hoffman plays Bill, the larger-than-life father to Sam (Jake Hoffman), who has returned home to take care of his ailing dad. While home, Sam falls for a local woman, Kate (Schuyler Fisk). And at the same time, Bill starts to fall for her mom, Tina (Sissy Spacek). But finding love is complicated and for these four, it is no different. They all must confront their past in order to make their new love work for the future. Sam & Kate is both written and directed by German actor / filmmaker Darren Le Gallo, making his feature directorial debut with this after numerous other industry jobs. Produced by Cindy Bru, Ben Shields Catlin, Ford Corbett, Darren Le Gallo, and Orian Williams. (courtesy First Showing)
Sam & Kate opens in theatres in USA on 11 December.
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Vinny discovers that his fatalistic ex-girlfriend Rina is now engaged to a goat-shit recycler named Sanjay, Vinny decides to disrupt her future wedding by stealing her dowry diamonds from her father’s grocery store. Crewing up with an actor who longs to go to Bollywood, plus a do-gooding newspaper editor, and a malcontent immigrant engineer, Vinny and his gang somehow pull off the heist despite their obvious ineptitude. But will the theft get Vinny and Rina back together again or lead to more misery? And will Vinny ever finish a song? Four Samosas is both written and directed by British-Indian actor / filmmaker Ravi Kapoor, making his second feature film after Miss India America previously, plus a few other shorts. Produced by Ravi Kapoor, Rajiv Maikhuri, Venk Potula, and Craig Stovel. (courtesy First Showing)
Four Samosas releases in US theatres and via video-on-demand on 2 December.