Movies for the Holidays 2025: Zootopia 2, Eternity, Knives Out 3, Timothee Chalamet, and a Neil Diamond Tribute Duo

Posted on November 24, 2025 at 8:44 am

The holiday season always brings great movies, some destined for Oscar recognition, some for generations to enjoy together, some to make you laugh, and some to make you cry. There are sequels, big-budget extravaganzas, and even a few promising little indies. The ones I am most looking forward to include:

Zootopia 2 (November 26) Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are now partners tracking down a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia. And the sloth is back, too!

Eternity (November 26) If the legendary wit Noel Coward did a remake of Albert Brooks’ after-life fantasy “Defending Your Life,” it might look like this, with Elizabeth Olson as an elderly woman who arrives in heaven to find both of her husbands waiting for her: the one she married when they were young who was killed in the Korean War (Callum Turner), and the man she was later married to for more than 60 years (Miles Teller).

Hamnet (November 26) Jessie Buckley gives one of the most thrilling performances of the year as a woman married to an aspiring playwright named William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal). Based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, which itself was based on the true story of the death of Shakespeare’s young son.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (November 26) The third in the murder mystery series featuring master detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is another all-star treat, this time set in a church in upstate New York, with Josh O’Conner, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, and Thomas Hayden Church.

Merrily We Roll Along (December 5) First it was a legendary flop by powerhouse duo George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. They were known for comedy but they experimented with a serious play told in reverse order, taking a trio of characters from middle age back to their early 20s. Then Stephen Sondheim decided to make it into a musical, where it flopped so badly there is a whole documentary about it, called “The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened.” Then it was remounted on Broadway with Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Krystal Joy Brown, where it finally was a huge hit and won Tonys for the two male actors. This is a film of that play.

Jay Kelly George Clooney stars as the title character, a huge movie star en route to a festival in Italy where he will receive a lifetime achievement award. He is accompanied by his manager (Adam Sandler) and publicist (Laura Dern) and tries to reconcile with his older daughter (Riley Keogh) and connect to his younger daughter (Grace Edwards), who would rather travel with her friends. This film, from writer/director Noah Baumbach, is one of my favorite of the year.

Dust Bunny (December 5) An eight-year-old girl asks her hitman neighbor for help in killing the monster under her bed that she thinks ate her family. Rogerbert.com’s Brian Tellerico calls it “playfully twisted.” Note: it is about a child but it is not for children: Rated R.

Merv Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox play a separated couple who still share love — and custody — of their dog, Merv. When the dog’s vet tells them their pet is depressed because they are not together, they join forces to take him on a vacation.

Ella McCay (December 12) This is one I’m especially looking forward to because it is from James L. Brooks, the writer/director of “Terms of Endearment” and “Broadcast News.” Emma Mackey plays a young politician who unexpectedly becomes governor of New York. the cast includes Albert Brooks, Julie Kavner, Woody Harrelson, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Goodbye, June (December 12) Adult siblings who do not get along gather to be with their dying mother. Kate Winslet directed, based on a screenplay by her son. She also stars along with Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren, Stephen Merchant, and “Ted Lasso’s” Jeremy Swift.

Avatar: Fire and Ash (December 19) Writer/director James Cameron gives us another chapter in the saga of Pandora, again starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang, with Oona Chaplin as the new villain.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (December 19) The residents of Bikini Bottom are back, this time with Mark Hamill providing the voice for the Flying Dutchman, who needs the world’s most innocent soul to break his curse. Who could that be?

Anaconda (December 25) Paul Rudd and Jack Black play bros who decide to remake their favorite movie, the cheesy 1997 film Anaconda. When their fake snake fails, of course they decide to get a real one. What could go wrong?

Marty Supreme (December 25) Timothée Chalamet (with a mustache) and Gwyneth Paltrow (as a movie star) appear in a film about a ping pong champion. Viewers at a recent surprise screening loved it. From the AP’s Jack Coyle: “A madcap ode to strivers. A great New York movie.”

Song Sung Blue (December 25) A documentary about a real life Neil Diamond tribute duo inspired this feature film starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

Summer Movies 2025!

Posted on May 14, 2025 at 10:35 am

It’s time for summer movies! That means reboots, sequels, lots of Pedro Pascal, land even a few surprises.

SERIES and REMAKES

“Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” (May 23) Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, with some surprises from his past and some mind-blowing stunts.

“Karate Kid: Legends” (May 30) Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, and Ralph Macchio are back to wax on, wax off, and kick.

“Ballerina” (June 6) From the world of John Wick, pulls a bit of a “Tokyo Drift” on us, taking place not after the most recent film but in between Wicks 4 and 5, so expect some Keanu in this spin-off with Ana de Armas as a ballerina/assassin, co-starring Gabriel Byrne and Anjelica Huston.

“How to Train Your Dragon” (June 13) The popular animated movie series/television series inspired by Cressida Cowell’s bestselling books reboots as live action. Gerard Butler reprises his role in the animated films.

“28 Years Later” (June 20) Almost three decades after the setting of the “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later” films, it turns out those speedy zombies are still around. The healthy (for now) humans they are trying to attack include Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes.

“M3gan: 2.0” (June 27) The killer doll is back.

“Jurassic World: Rebirth” (July 2)

The killer dinosaurs are back.

“The Old Guard 2” (July 2)

The immortal mercenaries are back. Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts, Luca Marinelli, return; Uma Thurman, and Henry Fielding join the cast.

“Smurfs” (July 18) Rhianna produced and provides the voice in the latest story of the little blue people.

“Happy Gilmore 2” (July 25) Adam Sandler is back as the hockey player-turned golfer, now an established champion. Yes, Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) is back, too. Expect some cool cameos.

“The Naked Gun” (August 1) Liam Neeson(!) takes over for Leslie Nielsen in this reboot of the deliriously silly series about the fumbling police officer, directed by Lonely Island ‘s Akiva Schaffer.

“The Bad Guys 2” (August 1) That glimpse of the Bad Guys before “Dog-Man” this year made us even more eager for this long-awaited sequel. Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos return, this time joined by Bad Girls (voiced by Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova and Natasha Lyonne).

“Freakier Friday” (August 8) Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are back for another body switch, this time with the next generation. I hope “Pink Slip” is back with another banger.

“The Roses” (August 29) For those who don’t remember, Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas made a movie about a feuding couple called “The War of the Roses” in 1989. This reboot stars UK powerhouse stars Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. Andy Sandburg and Kate McKinnon play their friends

“The Toxic Avenger” (August 29) The 1984 film of the same name inspired three film sequels, a stage musical, a comic book series from Marvel Comics, a video game, and an animated television series. And now there is another version of the story about a downtrodden janitor who is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident and becomes a crime-fighting superhero. The cast includes Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Taylour Paige, Jacob Tremblay, and Jane Levy.

SUPERHEROES

“Superman” (July 11) David Corenswet plays the superhero from Krypton, Nicholas Hoult is his archenemy Lex Luthor, and “Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan is reporter/girlfriend Lois Lane. Plus: Krypto the super-dog!

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (July 25) Fingers crossed that they get it right this time. The casting is promising: The very busy Pedro Pascal as stretchy Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as invisible Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as fiery Johnny Storm, and inside the scaly orange suit is “The Bear’s” Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. Julia Garner is Silver Surfer. Note: it’s set in the 1960s, but in the teaser at the end of present-day “Thunderbolts*” they’re still going strong.

BOOKS TO MOVIES

“The Life of Chuck” (June 6) A Stephen King story about an ordinary man with a terminal illness who becomes suddenly famous as the world may be ending stars Tom Hiddleston, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mark Hamill, and Karen Gillan.

“Highest to Lowest” (August 22) Ed McBain’s crime novel King’s Ransom is adapted for the screen by Spike Lee, with Denzel Washington as a wealthy music producer, Jeffrey Wright as his chauffeur and father of a kidnapped son. Music stars A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice are also in the cast. While you wait, check out an earlier film based on this book, Akira Kurosawa’s thriller “High and Low.”

“The Thursday Murder Club” (August 28) Take an international best-seller about retired crime solvers, add a dream cast (Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie) and the director of “Harry Potter” movies and “The Help.” I can’t wait.

NEW CHARACTERS, NEW STORIES

“Bad Shabbos” (May 23) Things go poorly when a man brings his girlfriend to meet his family.

“I Don’t Understand You” (June 6) In a darkly wicked comedy, Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells play a couple on vacation in Italy.

“The Phoenician Scheme” (May 30) The latest from Wes Anderson is sure to have exquisitely intricate settings, an all-star cast, and some weird twists and cryptic comments that fans will have a lot of fun trying to explain. The cast includes Benicio del Toro, Tom Hanks, Michael Cera, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

“Deep Cover” (June 12) I love this idea — improv actors hired to go undercover. And I love the cast — Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed (“Ted Lasso”), Paddy Considine. The trailer is a hoot.

“Materialists” (June 13) Dakota Johnson plays a matchmaker to the rich and famous who has to decide between a man who is rich and famous (Pedro Pascal) and her not-rich, not-famous ex (Chris Evans). Hmmm, how’s that going to go?

“Elio” (June 20) The latest from Pixar and it looks like one of their best — a story about two kids who feel alone, one from planet Earth and one from outer space who happens to be the son of the alien who plans to attack us.

“Everything’s Going to be Great” (June 20) Allison Janney and Bryan Cranston are theater people. One of their sons is, too. The other one, not so much.

“Bride Hard” (June 20) Yes, it’s supposed to remind you of “Die Hard.” Rebel Wilson plays a bridesmaid who is also….a spy, the kind who does MMA-style fighting. The bride is played by her “Pitch Perfect” co-star Anna Camp.

“F1” (June 27) Brad Pitt and check-out-his-Met-Gala-look Damson Idris play drivers in a story set in the world of Formula One, directed by “Top Gun: Maverick’s” Joseph Kosinski.

“Sorry, Baby” (June 27) This festival favorite is an impressive debut written and directed by its star, Eva Victor and produced by “Moonlight’s” Barry Jenkins. Victor plays a graduate student who experiences a traumatic sexual assault. But the story is told with humor and resilience and with wonderful moments with the character’s best friend, played by Naomi Ackie, a sandwich shop owner, played by John Carroll Lynch, and with an actual baby.

“Eddington” (July 18) Always-provocative director Ari Aster takes on the sensitive subject of COVID-19, with stars Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, and Micheal Ward.

“Oh, Hi” (July 25) This festival favorite as a first-rate cast of up-and-coming stars, including Molly Gordon (who co-wrote), Logan Lerman, and Geraldine Viswanathan, with the always-welcome Polly Draper and David Cross.

“My Mother’s Wedding” (August 8) Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, and Emily Beecham play the daughters who have some feelings about attending their mother’s third wedding. Mom is played by director Kristin Scott Thomas.

“Honey Don’t” (August 22) Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers brings back Margaret Qualley for the second in the lesbian trilogy. It does not count as a series because these are all new characters. Qualley plays a detective investigating a murder that could involve a local preacher, played by Chris Evans.

Related Tags:

Trailers, Previews, and Clips

Coming to Theaters in December 2023

Posted on December 1, 2023 at 1:00 am

December is a time for families and celebrating and time off from school and work. It is also a time that the movie studios like to release films they hope will win Oscars and other awards. So there will be great movies in theaters and on streaming for families to share over the holidays. Here’s some of what they can look forward to.

Already in theaters: Disney’s “Wish” and Dreamworks’ “Trolls Band Together” are already in theaters and both are sure to delight children and their parents. And for mature teens and adults, “The Holdovers,” one of the best films of the year, is the story of the most disliked teacher at a posh boys’ boarding school in 1970, and the students he is stuck with over the Christmas holidays because they cannot go home. Watch for Paul Giamatti and Da-Vine Joy Randolph to get some awards in a few months. Every performance in this movie is a gem.

December 1

Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce — Queen Bey’s concert film.

Candy Cane Lane — A comedy/horror film with Eddie Murphy as a man who sells his soul to have the best decorated house in the neighborhood.

How the Gringo Stole Christmas — George Lopez stars in this “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”-style farce.

December 7

“Waitress” — The Broadway musical version of the beloved indie about the pregnant pie-maker will be in theaters for just five days.

December 8

The Boy and the Heron — The latest from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli is a dreamy and sometimes nightmarish story of a boy mourning the loss of his mother who travels to an enchanted land.

Leave the World Behind — Oscar-winners Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali star in a story about two couples stuck together as it seems the world may be ending.

December 15

Wonka — The people behind the “Paddington” films have made another endearing treat with this origin story of the world’s greatest candy-maker.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget — Finally, a sequel to the Aardman classic from the “Wallace & Gromit” studio.

American Fiction — Percival Everett’s satiric novel, Erasure, about a Black professor whose savage parody of “ghetto” literature, was written more than 20 years ago but this pointed, hilarious, and brilliantly acted film is sure to be one of the most talked-about of the year.

December 20

Maestro — Bradley Cooper wrote, directed, and stars as composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein, one of the central cultural figures of the 20th century. This film focuses on his loving but often fraught relationship with his wife, played by Carey Mulligan.

December 22

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom — Marvel’s underwater superhero is back.

Anyone But You — Two people smarting from recent break-ups pretend to be a couple to make their exes jealous. I can’t imagine what happens next. Festival audiences loved the chemistry between Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney.

All of Us Strangers — Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal are sizzling as a couple tentatively exploring a relationship as Scott’s character finds a way to return to the house he grew up in, where his parents, killed before he turned 12, seem to be still there waiting for him.

The Iron Claw — Zac Efron and “The Bear’s” Jeremy Allen White star in the story of one of professional wrestling’s most cherished and tragic families.

December 25

The Color Purple — The Alice Walker book and Stephen Spielberg movie turned Broadway musical is now a movie musical with knockout performances by Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and American Idol’s Fantasia.

The Boys in the Boat — George Clooney directed this fact-based story of an American rowing team in the 1936 Olympics, held in Berlin as Hitler was trying to show the world the superiority of the German athletes.

Freud’s Last Session — Anthony Hopkins plays the pioneering psychoanalyst and atheist and Matthew Goode plays “Narnia” author and Christian C.S. Lewis.

Ferrarri — Our year of movies about the origin stories of consumer products (including Air Jordans, Blackberry, Beanie Babies, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos) concludes with Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari.

DC Area — Join Me for a Free Screening of the Family Film “The Railway Children” on September 19 2022!

Posted on September 13, 2022 at 6:47 pm

If you’re in the Washington DC area, you can join me for a free screening of the family film “The Railway Children,” loosely based on the classic book by beloved children’s author E. Nesbit. Three evacuee children are sent by their mother to the rural English countryside to escape the bombings during WWII. A dangerous adventure ensues when they discover injured US soldier Abe, hiding out in the railyard.

RSVP here before Friday September 16, 2022. Hope to see you there!

Trailer: The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales

Posted on August 23, 2022 at 9:19 am

If full-time workers are below the poverty line, then the welfare recipient is the corporation. I’m looking forward to this film from Abigail Disney about the way the company that creates magic for its audience treats its employees like the stepmother treated Cinderella.

Related Tags:

Trailers, Previews, and Clips