December 2014 Movies on Our Radar

The final push in 2014 for Oscars nominations and our hard-earned dollars is upon us - welcome to our December On the Radar Preview!

November 2014 was filled with tasty movie goodness, offering solid Oscar candidates with a collection of enjoyable animated fare. From Penguins of Madagascar to Big Hero 6, November began and ended with some of the best the genre had to offer. Even the live-action sequel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 delivered on many levels. The only stinker was the disappointing Dumb and Dumber To (but don't tell our writer Brandon Wolfe we said that). But now, it's on to December and the final push towards Oscar season, with Hollywood not sure if they'll beat 2013, but happily relieved that Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Solider saved them from a potentially disastrous year.

But unlike previous months - especially August and September - our worry this month lies in the sheer number of quality releases: no less than 12 are offered, making us wonder if moviegoers have that much time (and money) to dole out nearly $130 during the Holiday season.

Some of the following films appeared in our MOST ANTICIPATED LIST OF 2014 back in January; but with release dates changing all the time, we're ok if we missed several. This month features at least three potential Oscar candidates, another Bible epic, and the final installment of short people with swords. Here is our On the Radar preview for December 2014:

Dec 5
Wild

Plot: A chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe. (IMDB)
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Michiel Huisman, W. Earl Brown, Gaby Hoffmann
Why We're Interested: Frankly, the only reason for us mentioning this is due to the utter lack of releases for this week. Why Hollywood would backload so many films later is beyond us. Regardless, there's been good buzz over Witherspoon's performance and the overall themes of perseverance, so we're hopeful that the film will be passable in its limited release.
Watch the Trailer for Wild:


Dec 12
Top Five

Plot: A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality-TV star fiancé talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her TV show. (IMDB)
Director: Chris Rock
Starring: Chris Rock, J.B. Smoove, Cedric the Entertainer, Tracy Morgan
Why We're Interested: Even though the credits include SJF #1 Hated Enemy Adam Sandler, we think the trailer is good enough to merit attention. Rock stands up to direct and write it, so we'll see if he has the chops to make the transition to director.
Watch the Trailer for Top Five:


Exodus: Gods and Kings

Plot: The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. (IMDB)
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, Sigourney Weaver, Joel Edgerton
Why We're Interested: We have to admit that the only reason why we have this on the list is entirely due to the resounding negative opinion about its partner Noah, which was panned by both critics and the religious community. Like Dwayne Johnson's Hercules earlier this year, Exodus may be an early victim of negativity by a film made from someone completely different. That doesn't mean the story of Moses will be a box office bomb, but it sure didn't help that we already have a good example of what could happen based on the Kellen Lutz Hercules 3D disaster. Still, we have worries about whether Bale and Edgerton (who don't look a thing like people who would have lived during this time) can pull off a film like this; Scott is definitely in a funk and it's hard to imagine that Exodus will provide him with the winner he so desperately needs.
Watch the Trailer for Exodus:


Inherent Vice

Plot: In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend. (IMDB)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson
Why We're Interested: One of the last true Oscar contenders of 2014, we're pinning our hopes on this one and a couple of other December picks. This one looks to be as irreverent as anything we've seen this year, and Phoenix can usually be depended to deliver the goods. Add a Josh Brolin and a few others, and you might have an Oscar winner. We hope.
Watch the Trailer for Inherent Vice:


Dec 17
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Plot: Bilbo and Company are forced to be embraced in a war against an armed flock of combatants and the terrifying Smaug from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating all of Middle-Earth. (IMDB)
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, James Nesbitt, Christopher Lee, Billy Connolly
Why We're Interested: Among the biggest prequel disappointments since Episode 1, The Hobbit franchise is in trouble. The final episode is meeting with zero buzz by audiences who seem more than ready to say goodbye to Middle Earth, and news of its recent budgetary overruns have actually tainted what was a formidable franchise. Now branded with the unattractive Battle, it faces a tough haul, even with one of the deepest (and Oscar-winning) casts in recent memory. Much like the characters it portrays, Battle will try once more to prove that it can stand with its Lord of the Rings brethren by giving us...well...exactly the same epic battles and sweeping vistas, all over again. Good luck.
Watch the Trailer for The Hobbit - Battle of the Five Armies:


Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Plot: Larry spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever. (IMDB)
Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Rachael Harris
Why We're Interested: Director Levy's filmography is filled with an imperfect patchwork of comedies, the good (the original Night at the Museum and Real Steel) being outweighed by the bad (Date Night, The Internship, This is Where I Leave You). Battle of the Smithsonian was also a dud, receiving only a 42 combined score from Metacritic. The question remains: can the franchise regain any respectability and bid a proper farewell to Williams, who passed away this year? Or will this be another example of why some movies don't deserve a sequel? The answer arrives December 17th.
Watch the Trailer for Night at the Museum:


The Gambler

Plot: A literature college professor and high stakes gambler runs afoul of a loan shark and his bodyguard-like gangsters while he has an affair with one of his students. (IMDB)
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Jessica Lange, John Goodman Why We're Interested: A director who's just spreading his wings, Wyatt directed the very good 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes but hasn't made anything of note since. With Gambler, he's assembled quite a cast, with SJF favorite Wahlberg turning in what looks like another great performance. The questions have always been whether critics will give him a fair shot, and whether Wahlberg himself can stay away from pulling "A Wahlberg" (elevated, Jersey voice) during tense moments of his films. From the trailer below, it looks like he keeps this in check, and could receive his first Oscar nomination. It's another of the December films we have placed our hopes upon - let's see if Wyatt and company can deliver.
Watch the Trailer for The Gambler:


Dec 25
American Sniper

Plot: A Navy S.E.A.L. recounts his military career, which includes more than 150 confirmed kills. (IMDB)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Luke Grimes, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner
Why We're Interested:
Eastwood is someone who should give Levy some advice about shoring up his career and enduring lean times. Having failed miserably earlier this year with the Broadway adaption of Jersey Boys, the creepy J. Edgar, and 2010's Hereafter. This one looks different, chronicling the SEAL's bloody career. Cooper has proven his staying power, but will his rather thin supporting cast deliver the goods necessary to elevate this to Oscar? Beyond the propaganda it will no doubt generate for these deserving gunmen, is this the kind of story worth telling? Having been so skeptical, take a look at the trailer below and tell us you're not absolutely hoping for this one to be a winner. Watch the Trailer for American Sniper:


The Interview

Plot: Dave Skylark and his producer Aaron Rapoport run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show "Skylark Tonight." When they discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the two least-qualified men imaginable, to assassinate Kim Jong-un. (IMDB)
Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Timothy Simons
Why We're Interested: Holy mad-cap Dictator! a film that was partially re-shot because its original edit was so offensive, the updated version hasn't exactly met with support from North Korea's dictator...er....uh...duly elected leader. Judging from the trailer, it looks the new version is hilarious. Let's just hope that no one from the production team decides to show the movie in that foreign land, else they be charged for treason. Yes, of course they don't actually live there for treason to actually stick, but Un has a way of making these things happen.
Watch the Trailer for The Interview:


Dec 31
A Most Violent Year

Plot: In New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history. (IMDB)
Director: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac, Ashley Williams, David Oyelowo
Why We're Interested: We have to be honest here - we're not sure how a story about an immigrant protecting his company has anything to do with the most violent year in NY City's history. We're also worried whether such a topic - the idea of an immigrant moving up the food chain - is actually movie-worthy. Stories of perseverance in tough times are one reason we escape to the theater, but this particular topic is going to have to do much to convince us of its merits. We do love the cast, including Chastain who's great at transforming herself into anyone she wishes. Isaac is a solid up-and-comer, and Candor did write/direct Redford's All is Lost last year. But again, we're worried that a story about a violent city and a person stuck inside isn't something we've already seen. Watch the Trailer for A Most Violent Year:


A Terrific End to 2014

With so many quality films available, we have to wonder why so many were thrown in during one of the busiest times of the year. And we haven't included another set of Oscar contenders that include the quirky Big Eyes with Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams, as well as the musicals Into the Woods with Johnny Depp and Annie starring Jamie Foxx and Rose Byrne. There's also the Angelina Jolie-directed Unbroken and the MLK biopic Selma, with David Oyelowo. Talk about a ton of interesting options this month!

Exodus and Top 5 have the ability to fail massively, which is probably why they are front-loaded, but why not inject some of the others a little earlier? Some of these (like A Most Violent Year, The Gambler, and American Sniper) will remain throughout the Oscar season, so plan accordingly. Regardless of the scheduling issues, December is as potentially deep a month as we've seen in years - who would have thought that when we discussed this back in back in January?

2015 is going to be an absolutely epic year for film, but for now get out there and enjoy what could be a thoroughly enjoyable end to 2014.

For now, be sure to add these to your Movies To-Do List:

December 5 - Wild

December 12 - Top Five

December 12 - Exodus: Gods and Kings

December 12 - Inherent Vice

December 17 - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

December 19 - Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

December 19 - The Gambler

December 25 - American Sniper

December 25 - Into the Woods

December 25 - Selma

December 25 - The Interview

December 25 - Unbroken

December 31 - A Most Violent Year

Which films are you looking forward to this month? Comment below and join the conversation!

Discuss this story with fellow SJF fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJohnFilms, and follow author Matt Cummings at @mfc90125.