It's the most wonderful time of the year!
Wait, holiday season? Pffft. It's Oscar-bait season yo.
It's time to watch half a dozen films (and pretend to watch the rest) where there isn't a superhero, robot, or Seth Rogen in sight.
Or you could go see Rogue One five times. No judgement here.
Not your style? Don't worry, there's still also plenty for you to stream. Just make sure you read all the synopsis' before February 26th.
1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Let's just get this one out of the way. It comes out on December 16th. We're all going to go see it. Some of us will cry (I will cry).
[anad]
ANYWAY, in the Star Wars timeline, Rogue One takes place just before the events of the original 1977 movie, and after the trilogy of movies that we'd like to pretend didn't exist. A team of rebels work to steal the design schematics of the Galactic Empire's fancy schmancy new toy, the Death Star.
It's gonna be f*cking lit. Remember: "Many Bothans had to die to obtain this information." (We're lazily paraphrasing here, but expect some death.)
2. Hidden Figures
First things first: RIP John Glenn. This film recounts how John Glenn (played by Glen Powell) became the first American astronaut to completely orbit the Earth.
The part that history tends to overlook is how NASA used the calculations of three black, female mathematicians (played by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae), who worked in the segregated West Area Computers division of Langley Research Center.
Catch Hidden Figures in theaters on December 25th.
3. La La Land
Starring universal faves Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, who sing and dance in this musical drama– tbh, that enough should make you want to go right?
La La Land, directed by Whiplash's Damien Chazelle, follows aspiring actress, Mia (Stone), and jazz musician, Sebastian (Gosling), as they fall in love and follow their dreams in Los Angeles.
This delightful movie hits theaters this weekend, starting December 9th.
4. Jackie
Natalie Portman is sure to receive an Oscar nod for her nuanced portrayal of Jackie Kennedy during her last days as the First Lady, after her husband was assassinated. It's in theaters now.
5. Barry
After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, Netflix quickly acquired distribution rights to this film, and will begin streaming it on December 16th.
Starring Devon Terrell as a Columbia- bound President Obama, Barry explores his struggle to connect with his mother, his estranged father, and his classmates despite their differences.
And if you haven't already, you should definitely give our president's first memoir, Dreams From My Father, a read for his own account of his college life.
6. Fuller House Season 2
TBH, we're not going to watch this, we just feel like we just had to acknowledge that somehow a second season was made.
If you're a masochist, Season 2 of Fuller House (sounds even weirder the second time) goes up on Netflix, December 9th.
7. For the Love of Spock
Great news! The #SpockDoc is now streaming on Netflix.
Listen to fans at conventions, crew, and fellow actors including William Shatner, George Takei, and Simon Pegg discuss the late Leonard Nimoy's legacy and iconic portrayal of Mr. Spock.
8. Chill With Bob Ross
Settle in and watch the iconic artist masterfully create wintry, seasonal scenes. It's streaming on Netflix, but is not to be confused with Bob Ross & Chill.
9. "Going Steadi" December 16th- January 3rd
The Steadicam is celebrating its 40th anniversary next month and the Film Society of Lincoln Center will be screening it’s greatest hits.
Invented by cinematographer Garrett Brown, the Steadicam is a camera stabilizing system that mechanically isolates the operator’s movement, which allows for a smooth shot. Basically, Steadicam allows a camera (and the audience) to move fluidly through a scene.
You’d probably recognize its work following Danny on the Big Wheel in The Shining, Rocky’s run up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Copacabana scene in Goodfellas.
“Going Steadi” includes screenings of all of the aforementioned films and more, including Pulp Fiction, Strange Days, and Eyes Wide Shut on Christmas. You can check out the full schedule, get tickets, and read synopsis’ of each film on their website.
The films, unless otherwise noted, are all screened in 35mm at the Walter Reade Theater (165 West 65th Street).
10. America's Next Top Model
If you're familiar with the ANTM world (you should be, it's reality TV at its finest), then you might have heard that Cycle 23, which begins on December 12th, will be on VH1, not the CW, and more importantly, will be hosted by Rita Ora, not Tyra Banks. This is some serious sh*t.
I'm still wary of a Top Model without Tyra at the helm. Will I be giving Rita a chance? Sure, but she's gonna have to prove herself. She can't just show up, make up a few words that mean "laughing while you're walking" or whatever and expect us to accept her as queen.
She's going to have to work for it.
11. Hairspray Live!
Did you miss it when it aired on Wednesday night? Thank the lord for Hulu, where the whole show is streaming right now.
[anad2]
Don't judge this show by the lackluster Grease Live! and frankly confusing Rocky Horror reboot– Hairspray was pure gold.
12. Love Actually
Already in hibernation for the season? This Christmas classic (yo, we will fight you) is streaming on Netflix, but you can also witness Rick Grimes pre-zombie apocalypse at Videology Bar & Cinema in Brooklyn on December 17th.
We're not sure how a 2.5 hour rom-com grew to be so popular but whether you love the movie for serious or ironically (liar), we know you'll have a good time.They will also be serving specialty peppermint cocktails to really crank up the holiday cheer.
You can purchase your ticket in advance here.
[Feature Image Courtesy FOXmovies.com]