December 2022 Movies

I Heard the Bells  

Cast: Stephen Atherholt, Jonathan Blair, Rachel Day Hughes
Director: Joshua Enck
Rating: PG 

Synopsis

America’s Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’ idyllic life has turned into a tragedy. With a nation divided by Civil War and his family torn apart, Henry chose to put down his pen. Until the sound of Christmas morning reignites his lost voice and discovers the resounding hope of rekindled faith.

Reviews:

“I went into I Heard the Bells hoping that my deep love of literature and Christmas would make the expected cringe-worthiness of a faith-based film more palatable, and I was pleased to find my concerns unfounded.” – The Collision

Violent Night  

Cast: Beverly D’ Angelo, David Harbour, John Leguizamo
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Rating: MA15+ 

Synopsis

Santa Claus is coming! And he is about to show a team of mercenaries who broke into a wealthy family compound and took everyone inside hostage, that this Nick is no saint. 

Reviews:

The Angels: Kickin’ Down the Door

Cast: The Angels, Buzz Bidstrup, Graham Bidstrup
Director: Madeleine Parry
Rating: M

Synopsis

An intimate and compelling documentary that explores the tensions that tore a band apart and helped them produce such classic hits as Take a Long Line, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again and No Secrets.

Reviews:

“Parry has brought fresh, unbiased eyes to a story that unfolded largely before she was born, and it feels surprisingly intimate and revealing to watch a history we thought we knew, told from the inside.” – InDaily

White Noise 

Cast: Adam Driver, Raffey Cassidy, Greta Gerwig, Greta Gerwig, Jodie Turner-Smith
Director:  Noah Baumbach
Rating: M 

Synopsis

White Noise follows the story of an American family as they deal with the mundane conflicts of everyday life while grappling with the universal mysteries of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world.

Reviews:

“His film amplifies not merely the book’s richness as a period piece which speaks of the trendy zeitgeistiness of postmodernism on the American campus, but how prescient it is about the fears of the present day.” – The Guardian

“Like many of its genre, it is a novel previously thought unfilmable. So, has Baumbach proved himself up to the task? In a word, yes. He never attempts to simplify the enormous themes, both primary and secondary, of the novel. Instead, he lifts whole chunks of dialogue right off the page and casts them in the appropriate environments to be full of subtle messaging. It is a deeply faithful and thus respectful take on it.” – Louder Than War

Avatar: The Way of Water  

Cast:  Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington
Director: James Cameron
Rating: CTC  

Synopsis

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 (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), 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. 

Reviews:

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile  

Cast: Javier Bardem, Winslow Fegley, Shawn Mendes (voice of Lyle), Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy
Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Rating: G 

Synopsis

When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All of those changes when he discovers Lyle – a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and great music-living in the attic of his new home.

Reviews:

“The CGI is exceptionally well-integrated, and with the help of good sound design, avoids the frequent mistake of making heavy creatures seem weightless. The Pasek/Paul songs are filled with joyful spirit, accompanied by some choice needle-drop classics like Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” and a well-chosen Elton John number.”- Roger Ebert

“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile adapts the classic kids book in an unexpected way, adding a touch of humor as well as a heap of catchy songs. Javier Bardem steals the show as a forgotten entertainer who thrives under the spotlight, while Lyle will steal your heart with some touching tunes and a naive innocence that’s hard not to love.” – IGN

The Lost King

Cast: Sally Hawkins, Shonagh Price, Helen Katamba, Lewis Macleod
Director: Stephen Frears
Rating: M 

Synopsis

THE LOST KING is the life-affirming true story of a woman who refused to be ignored and who took on the country’s most eminent historians, forcing them to think again about one of the most controversial kings in England’s history.

Reviews:

“Stephen Frears, Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan turn the true story of how the infamous king’s remains were found under a Leicester car park into an uneven comedy drama.” – The Guardian

“…Still, the film makes great villains of technocrats from the University of Leicester who, by this telling, pushed Langley to the margins of her own triumph. They have angrily protested: a fresh discontent in the ongoing drafting of history.” – Financial Times

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 

Cast: Antonio Banderas (voice), Salma Hayek (voice), Harvey Guillén (voice)
Director: Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado (co-director)
Rating: CTC 

Synopsis

The notorious Puss returns to embark on an epic journey into the Black Forest to find the mythical Wishing Star and restore his lost lives. But with only one life left, he will have to humble himself and ask for help from his former partner and nemesis: the captivating Kitty Soft Paws

Reviews:

I Wanna Dance with Somebody 

Cast: Stanley Tucci, Naomi Ackie, Tamara Tunie, Clarke Peters, Ashton Sanders
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Rating: CTC  

Synopsis

From New Jersey choir girl to one of the best-selling and most awarded recording artists of all time, audiences are taken on an inspirational, poignant—and so emotional—journey through Houston’s trailblazing life and career, with show-stopping performances and a soundtrack of the icon’s most beloved hits as you’ve never heard them before. Don’t you wanna dance?

Reviews:

Triangle of Sadness 

Cast:  Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Woody Harrelson, Zlatko Buric, Dolly De Leon
Director: Ruben Östlund
Rating: M 

Synopsis

Celebrity model couple, Carl and Yaya, are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain. It, however, ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.

Reviews:

“Ruben makes thoughtful films that run deep but here he seems to be letting his hair down in his English language debut. He still has something to say but he’s not subtle here and ‘Triangle Of Sadness’ seems to relish its dark sense of humour rather than focus on the sad ways we can let each other down.” – Scenestr

“For all its shortcomings, ‘Triangle of Sadness’ is an entertaining dive into the lives of the rich and the famous, even if the dive is as shallow as its characters are made out to be. Thank goodness the laughs are worth sitting through the film lecturing the audience on something they are already well aware of.” – Switch