December is the final month of the 2014 movie year and it is another exciting one for all film fans as there are a whole host of great movies on the horizon over the next few weeks.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
As well as huge blockbusters, there are also comedy, animation and hard-hitting biopic drama to enjoy, a number of big named stars and great directors are going to hit the big screen.
There are a whole host of movies that we are really excited about, and we take a look at some of the films that cannot be missed this December.
- Black Sea - released 5th December
I am a big fan of director Kevin Macdonald with the likes of Into The Void, State of Play and The Last King of Scotland already under his belt so far in his career. December will see him return to the director's chair with his new adventure/thriller Black Sea.
Black Sea sees Macdonald team up with Jude Law for the first time, as the actor takes on the central role of Captain Robinson and leads a fantastic cast that includes Scott McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Jodie Whittaker, Grigoriy Dobrygin and Tobais Menzies.
Black Sea centres on a rogue submarine captain (Law) who, after being laid off from a salvage company, pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumoured to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea.
As greed and desperation take control on board their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival.
Black Sea promises to be the most claustrophobic action/thriller of the autumn and I cannot wait to see what Macdonald delivers with his latest film project.
- Men, Women & Children - released 5th December
Jason Reitman is another director to watch out for this December, as he is back with Men, Women & Children, his second film of 2014: this comes hot off the heels of Labor Day at the beginning of the year.
Reitman has been behind movies such as Juno, Up and Away and Young Adult in recent years, and it is always exciting to see him back in the director's chair. Men, Women & Children is a big screen adaptation of the book by Chad Kultgen and sees Reitman bring together another terrific cast.
This cast is a real mix of established stars as well as up and coming talent as Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Ansel Elgort, Kaitlyn Dever, J.K. Simmons, and Rosemarie DeWitt are all on board.
Men, Women & Children follows a group of high school teenagers and their parents attempt to navigate the many ways the Internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.
Men, Women & Children is a movie that has played on the festival circuit over the autumn, and is a film that looks set to explore some interesting themes and ideas.
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - released 12th December
If there is one movie that I absolutely cannot wait to see this December, then it is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which will be the final time that we will visit Middle Earth with Peter Jackson.
The Battle of the Five Armies is the third and final instalment of The Hobbit trilogy and promises to be the biggest and most epic instalment yet as all of our favourite characters return and are battling to survive. Men, Elves, and Dwarves must unite or be destroyed as Sauron's dark force descends on the Lonely Mountain and darkness threatens to cover all if they do not stand and fight together. Bilbo Baggins finds himself in the middle of a war, while Thorin Oakenshield is succumbing to dragon-sickness and is willing to sacrifice friendship and honour to find the Arkenstone.
Martin Freeman is back as Bilbo, while Richard Armitage, Ian McKellan, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, and Evangeline Lilly are just some of the great names that are set to star.
The Hobbit has been another terrific series of movies of Peter Jackson in recent years, and it is sad to see this franchise come to a close. The Lord of the Rings remains one of my favourite franchises over a decade on, and The Battle of the Five Armies looks set to bring The Hobbit to a close with a bang.
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb - released 19th December
Night at the Museum is another franchise that is returning this December as Larry Daly and co are back on the big screen in their biggest adventure to date. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is the third film in the successful series and comes fives years after the success of Battle of the Smithsonian.
Shawn Levy is once again in the director's chair - much like Jason Reitman, this is Levy's second movie of the year after comedy This Is Where I Leave You - as he reunites with Ben Stiller, who is back as security guard Larry.
Stiller is joined on the cast list by franchise favourites Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, and Rami Malek. But there are some new faces to watch out for as Dan Stevens, Rebel Wilson, and Ben Kingsley are also on board. Stevens will play Sir Lancelot, Wilson will play security guard Tilly, and Kingsley is set to play Merenkahre, father of Ahkmenrah.
Get ready for the wildest and most adventure-filled Night At the Museum ever as Larry (Stiller) leaves New York City for London, uniting favourite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever.
This December is going to be an exciting movie month with a whole host of great family movies on the horizon, and Night ant the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is one that is not to be missed.
- Exodus: Gods and Kings - released 26th December
We are big fans of Christian Bale here at FemaleFirst, and he is back on the big screen this month with Exodus: Gods and Kings, which is third big screen outing of 2014: he has already enjoyed success with American Hustle and Into The Furnace.
Exodus: Gods and Kings sees Bale team up with director Ridley Scott for the first time as he takes on the role of Moses in the new movie, which chronicles Moses' rise up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses.
Scott is no stranger to the sword and sandal epic with the likes of Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven already under his belt, but Exodus: Gods and Kings looks set to be one of the most adventurous movies of his terrific directing career.
Bale is not the only great name to watch out for on the cast list, as Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Paul, Indira Varma, and John Turturro are also on board - it really is one of the most impressive and talented cast lists of the month.
Exodus: Gods And Kings is the story of one man's daring courage to take on the might of an empire. Using state of the art visual effects and 3D immersion, Scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses (Bale) as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Edgerton), setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
It is always exciting when a Ridley Scott movie is on the horizon, but it looks like Exodus: Gods and Kings is going be one heck of a Boxing Day movie treat.
- Unbroken - released 26th December
Unbroken is a movie that has been whipping up a storm in recent weeks as Angelina Jolie returns to the director's chair for the second time, after she made her debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey back in 2011.
While In The Land of Blood and Honey announced her as a filmmaker, Unbroken really does look set to cement her as a directing force as the movie is tipped to be a major awards contender over the coming weeks and months. Could we see Jolie in the Best Director Oscar race come next year? I really do think that it could be a very strong possibility.
Unbroken is a biopic about Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by the Japanese during the Second World War. This is a movie about survival, strength, and redemption and it is set to be both a moving and powerful watch.
Jack O'Connell has already had a terrific year with Starred Up and '71 under his belt, but this is set to be the role of his career to date as he plays Zamperini in the film. He is joined on the cast list by Domhnall Gleeson, Jai Courtney, Garrett Hedlund, and Luke Treadaway.
Unbroken is one of the movies that I really have been looking forward to all year, and I can't wait to see how Jolie tells this true and incredible tale of survival and strength. This is definitely going to be a movie that is not to be missed.
Other great December movies to watch out for include The Grandmaster, St Vincent, Big Eyes, and Penguins of Madagascar.