New Movie Releases: December 2015

December is finally upon us, bringing some of our most highly-anticipated films of the year, including a new Star Wars movie, the latest from Quentin Tarantino and the joyful pairing of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. There are so many exciting titles hitting theaters next month that it might be a bit hard to keep up. Let us help you prioritize with our guide to December’s new movie releases.

December 4

Krampus: Directed by Mike Dougherty. Starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette and Allison Tolman. A boy who has a bad Christmas ends up accidentally summoning a Christmas demon to his family home.

Every Thing Will Be Fine (Limited): Directed by Wim Wenders. Starring Rachel McAdams, James Franco and Peter Stormare. One day, driving aimlessly around the outskirts of town after a trivial domestic quarrel, a writer named Tomas accidentally hits and kills a child. Will he be able to move on?

Life (Limited): Directed by Anton Corbijn. Starring Dane DeHaan, Robert Pattinson and Lauren Gallagher. A photographer for Life Magazine is assigned to shoot pictures of James Dean.

Macbeth (Limited): Directed by Justin Kurzel. Starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and Elizabeth Debicki. Macbeth, a Thane of Scotland, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

Youth (Limited): Directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel and Rachel Weisz. A retired orchestra conductor is on holiday with his daughter and his film director best friend in the Alps when he receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform for Prince Philip’s birthday.

Close Range (Limited / VOD): Directed by Isaac Florentine. Starring Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund and Caitlin Keats. A rogue soldier turned outlaw is thrust into a relentless fight with a corrupt sheriff, his obedient deputies, and a dangerous drug cartel in order to protect his sister and her young daughter.

December 11

The Big Short: Directed by Adam McKay. Starring Christian Bale, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling. Four outsiders in the world of high-finance who predicted the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s decide to take on the big banks for their lack of foresight and greed.

In the Heart of the Sea: Directed by Ron Howard. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland. Based on the 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home.

The Dark Horse (Limited): Directed by James Napier Robertson. Starring Cliff Curtis, James Rolleston and Kirk Torrance. An emotionally charged and inspiring drama about a man who searches for the courage to lead, despite his own adversities — finding purpose and hope in passing on his gift to the children in his community.

Dixieland (Limited): Directed by Hank Bedford. Starring Riley Keough, Chris Zylka and Faith Hill. An unlucky ex-con falls for the girl with the troubled home life next door, and the two set off down a dangerous path of crime and obsession.

The Lady in the Van (Limited): Directed by Nicholas Hytner. Starring Maggie Smith, Dominic Cooper and James Corden. A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that’s parked in his driveway.

December 18

Sisters: Directed by Jason Moore. Starring Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and John Cena. Two sisters decide to throw one last house party before their parents sell their family home.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Directed by J.J. Abrams. Starring John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver. The highly-anticipated new chapter in the Star Wars saga.

Son of Saul (Limited): Directed by László Nemes. Starring Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, and Urs Rechn. In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival upon trying to salvage from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son.

December 23

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip: Directed by Walt Becker. Starring Jason Lee, Kaley Cuoco and Anna Faris. Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in Miami…and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother.

45 Years (Limited): Directed by Andrew Haigh. Starring Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay and Geraldine James. In the week leading up to their 45th wedding anniversary, a couple receive an unexpected letter which contains potentially life changing news.

December 25

Concussion: Directed by Peter Landesman. Starring Will Smith, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Stephen Moyer. Will Smith stars in a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player.

Joy: Directed by David O. Russell. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro. Joy is the story of a family across four generations and the woman who rises to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty.

Point Break: Directed by Ericson Core. Starring Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey and Teresa Palmer. A young FBI agent infiltrates an extraordinary team of extreme sports athletes he suspects of masterminding a string of unprecedented, sophisticated corporate heists.

The Hateful Eight (Limited): Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson. In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception. Will they survive?

The Revenant: Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Domhnall Gleeson. In the 1820s, a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.