A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2022 - Episode XII

The final month of the year has arrived, and 2022 is possibly saving the best for last. Here now are the notable theatrical releases for the packed month of December…

 

 

 

EMANCIPATION – Will Smith runs back into the spotlight, this time playing a runaway slave in 1863. Ben Foster co-stars, and Antoine Fuqua (THE EQUALIZER), directs. 

 

 

EMPIRE OF LIGHT – Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (1917, SKYFALL), helms this love story taking place around an English movie theatre in the 1980’s. It stars Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, and Michael Ward. 

 

 

THE WHALE – Brendan Fraser (THE MUMMY), returns to big-time cinema by playing a severely overweight man trying to re-connect with his daughter. Darren Aronofsky (BLACK SWAN), directs. 

 

 

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER – James Cameron returns with his long-overdue sequel to his 2009 Oscar-winner and all-time box office champion, AVATAR. Set a decade after the events of the first film, THE WAY OF WATER follows the Sully family as they face a new threat to their planet. It stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, and Stephen Lang. 

 

 

BABYLON – Oscar-darling director Damien Chazelle (LA LA LAND, FIRST MAN, WHIPLASH), brings us this comedy-drama taking place in 1920’s Hollywood. The ensemble cast includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tobey Maguire, Samara Weaving, Olivia Wilde, Katherine Waterston, Flea, and Eric Roberts. 

 

 

I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY – Naomi Ackie plays the late great singer Whitney Houston in this biopic. Stanley Tucci co-stars, and it is directed by Kasi Lemmons (HARRIET). 

 

 

A MAN CALLED OTTO – Tom Hanks takes a shot at playing a grumpy old man in this dark comedy about a widowed man looking to commit suicide, only to have his efforts interrupted by new neighbors. Marc Forster (MONSTER’S BALL, FINDING NEVERLAND), directs. 

 

 

THE PALE BLUE EYE – Scott Cooper (CRAZY HEART), directs this gothic mystery about a veteran detective investigating murders at the U.S. Military Academy in 1830. The cast includes Christian Bale, Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones, Timothy Spall, and Robert Duvall.

 

 

PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH – This spin-off to the long-dormant SHREK franchise has Antonio Banderas reprising his role as the swashbuckling Puss-in-Boots. The voiceover cast includes Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh, and Olivia Colman. 

 

 

VIOLENT NIGHT – David Harbour (TV’s STRANGER THINGS), plays Santa Claus as he battles mercenaries who attacked the estate of a wealthy family. 

 

 

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the first month of 2023.