Santa is toting a mixed bag of holiday movies this year. Oddly, the only real Christmas movie in the bunch, “Red One,” a frenetic Santa Claus comedy starring Dwayne Johnson, was released on Nov. 27, during Thanksgiving. The Rock reportedly earned a $40 million paycheck. The movie earned a disappointing $10.9 million its opening weekend. Enough said.
Three movies being released on Dec. 20 include: Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” a prequel to the two Lion King movies released in 1994 and 2019 (which earned $763 million and $1 billion, respectively). Add to that success, the $1.9 billion success of the Broadway musical, and it becomes clear that the Lion King franchise is a veritable King Solomon’s gold mine for Disney. Mufasa should be no exception.
Also released on Dec. 20 was, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” with Jim Carrey returning to reprise his role as Ivo Robotnik in this zany, superhero franchise.
On a much more serious note, Adrien Brody stars in a sweeping 3 1/2-hour epic, “The Brutalist,” about a Jewish architect struggling for acceptance in America following WWII. The two-part movie includes a 15-minute intermission, like movie epics of the past including “The Ten Commandments” (1956) and “Ben Hur” (1959).
Despite the artistic filming and powerful performances, the movie’s length and unevenness might prove to be obstacles at the box office. The first half of “The Brutalist” is practically a movie in itself, and one worth seeing.
Christmas day releases
‘Babygirl‘
Three movies are scheduled for release on Christmas Day. Nicole Kidman stars in the dark drama “Babygirl” as a very successful but sexually unfulfilled CEO, married with children, who finds herself drawn into a kinky S&M relationship with a college-age male intern. “Babygirl” essentially turns the tables on the dangerous dynamics of “Fifty Shades of Grey” (2015). Here, it’s a powerful woman taking a deep dive into sexual submission. As reported in the prerelease hype, Kidman bravely bares all and turns up the heat all in a role designed to reaffirm that at age 57, she remains a stunningly attractive, very bankable star. The films opening scenes include shots of Christmas trees in New York, but that’s about the only holiday connection in this erotically driven, eye-candy drama.
‘Nosferatu‘
Also opening on Christmas Day is Robert Eggers re-telling of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent film classic “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” which famously starred Max Schreck as Graf Orlok, the vampire. Robert Eggers made his mark with stylishly dark movies like “The Witch” (2015) and “The Lighthouse” (2019). He brings his trademark directorial touches to “Nosferatu” adding sexuality and nudity to an otherwise bleak, wintry landscape. Bill Skarsgard’s portrayal of Count Orlok is a strange mix –a towering, ghastly figure with a thick moustache (somewhere between Frank Zappa and Borat) and a deep growling voice reminiscent of The Grim Reaper in Monty Python’s “Meaning of Life” (1983). It’s not for everyone. The movie, likewise, may not be everyone’s proverbial cup of tea (or blood) during a holiday season of happiness and cheer.
‘A Complete Unknown’
Perhaps the best movie opening on Christmas Day 2024 is “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet as the incomparable folk singer Bob Dylan. The biopic, inspired by actual events, traces Dylan’s rise to fame, from his arrival in New York City in 1961, as a complete unknown, to his infamous performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, when he shocked and angered his fans by performing with an electric guitar in a staunchly traditional venue that only permitted acoustic instruments.
“A Complete Unknown” was co-written and directed by James Mangold whose earlier movies include 2005’s Walk the Line, a biopic of another pop music rebel, Johnny Cash. “A Complete Unknown” is brilliant, with a sense of authenticity rarely seen in musical biopics. The lead actors all sing and play their instruments on camera, convincingly channeling their respective characters and performances (Chalamet as Bob Dylan, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash). It is guaranteed to garner a list of Oscar nominations.
Other choices
For those who haven’t been to the movie theater since Thanksgiving, other noteworthy choices for the holidays well-worth seeing would include Ridley Scott’s sensational, swords and sandals sequel “Gladiator 2,” as well as the record-breaking box office hit “Wicked,” starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Like a good gift box of holiday chocolates, there is something for just about everyone at the movie theater this holiday season. Happy Holidays!
Well-written and informative. Plus entertaining!