December makes way for star studded casts
“Inside Llewyn Davis” (limited release today; wide release Dec. 20)
Joel and Ethan Coen’s bleakly comic film, which won rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, follows Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) as he tries to make a name for himself in the Greenwich Village folk music scene in the early 1960s. The Coen brothers (“Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski,” “No Country For Old Men”) are two of the greatest filmmakers of the last 30 years. When they have a new film out, serious filmgoers must see it. Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver and F. Murray Abraham co-star in the film.
“The Unknown Known” (released Dec. 13 in New York)
Doesn’t watching a documentary with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld sitting and talking into a camera sound wonderful? Well, it should, knowing that Errol Morris directed it. Morris won an Oscar for Best Documentary for his 2003 film “The Fog of War,” in which he interviewed another former defense secretary, Robert McNamara. Morris has been making devilishly provocative documentaries for 35 years. What he gets out of the perplexing Rumsfeld, whom he describes as having the grin of a Cheshire Cat, should be fascinating. Although it did not make the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary, its release late in the year should make it eligible for other awards. Many of his previous films are available on Netflix streaming, including “Vernon, Florida,” “The Thin Blue Line” and “Tabloid.”
“The Wolf of Wall Street” (wide release Dec. 25)
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in his fifth collaboration with Martin Scorsese (“Gangs of New York,” “The Departed”) as a morally bankrupt Wall Street banker based on the real Jordan Belfort, whose book the film is based on. Matthew McConaughey also stars, continuing his “McConnaissance.” His recent film roles have shown he can do more than just play the shirtless romantic comedy leading man. The film is Scorsese’s longest to date — 165 minutes — and he cut the film to avoid an NC-17 rating. Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like a sex-and-drug-fueled orgy of excess and greed. The film is written by “Boardwalk Empire” creator Terence Winter and features Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin, Margot Robbie, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Ethan Suplee, Rob Reiner and Spike Jonze.
“Her” (limited release Dec. 18; wide release Jan. 10)
Love in the modern world is explored in the latest film by Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Adaptation.”). Joaquin Phoenix plays a socially awkward writer who falls in love with a computer (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) that is programmed to please him. An interesting note: Johansson is getting Oscar buzz in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in the film. If she gets nominated, it will be the first time in Oscar history that someone received a nomination for a solely vocal performance. Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Brian Cox and Spike Jonze co-star.
“Labor Day” (released Dec. 27 in Los Angeles; wide release Jan. 31)
The newest film by Jason Reitman (“Juno,” “Up in the Air”) is his first outright drama. Based on the novel by Joyce Maynard, the film stars Kate Winslet as a single mom who shelters a wounded, escaped convict played by Josh Brolin. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival earlier this year to mixed reviews, but Winslet’s performance, as usual, garnered much acclaim. The film is coming out at the very end of the year to qualify for the Academy Awards, but it will most likely receive no nominations. Tobey Maguire, James Van Der Beek and Clark Gregg co-star.