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TOP 5 FILMS WORLDWIDE (31 December) (1) Avatar: Way Of The Water – $1.6 B (2) Top Gun: Maverick – $1.4 B (3) Jurassic World: Dominion – $1 B (4) Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness – $9.5 M (5) Minions: The Rise of Gru – $9.3 M. Box Office Mojo
1.The Fabelmans 2. All Quiet On The Western Front 3.Avatar: The Way Of The Water 4. My Policeman 5. Blonde 6. Good Luck To You, Leo Grande 7. Triangle of Sadness 8. Belfast 9. C’mon C’mon 10.The Menu
11. Top Gun: Maverick 12. Operation Mincemeat 13. Dog 14. Nightmare Alley 15. Eiffel 16. The Black Phone 17. The Survivor 18. Where The Crawdads Sing 19. Gaia 20.Redeeming Love
Action Thriller / Adventure
Everything Everywhere All At Once is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action-adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman who can’t seem to finish her taxes; two bank robbers steal an ambulance occupied by a paramedic and a patient in critical condition in Ambulance; the people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening world powers as they mourn the death of King T’Challa in The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; an unlucky assassin is on a collision course with lethal adversaries on the world’s fastest train in Bullet Train; a former Green Beret finds himself being hunted by the people who employed him in The Contractor; Detective James Knight’s past collides with his future in Detective Knight: Rogue; Detective James Knight gets caught up in the middle of a jailbreak, led by a violent fanatic named The Christmas Bomber and his Santa Claus disciples in Detective Knight: Redemption; Miami’s top mob enforcer discovers his femme fatale boss has branched out into cyber-sex trafficking in The Enforcer; Feuding brothers King Wenceslas of Czech and King Sigismund of Hungary battle for control of the empty throne in Medieval; an expert assassin refuses to complete a job that violates his code in Memory; a skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans in Prey; the God of Thunder embarks on a journey, unlike anything he’s ever faced — one of self-discovery in Thor: God Of Thunder; one of the Navy’s top aviators pushes the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him in Top Gun: Maverick; Street-smart Nathan Drake is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan to recover a fortune in Uncharted.
RECOMMENDED ACTION FILMS: Medieval, Top Gun: Maverick, Uncharted
Animation
In the vibrant British animated film The Amazing Maurice a talking cat and his educated rodents turn chaos into harmony; daring outlaw Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll; a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws attempts their most challenging con yet—becoming model citizens in The Bad Guys; a young hero born half chicken and half hare embarks on an epic and initiatory quest in Chickenhare And The Hampster Of Darkness; Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis in DC League of Super-Pets; a young swordsman dreams of joining the legendary Muskehounds in Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds; in Fireheart, sixteen-year-old Georgia Nolan dreams of being the world’s first-ever female firefighter; experience the origin story of a Space Ranger in Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear; a legendary dog trainer believes he can transform Marmaduke from an undisciplined, but lovable Great Dane, into the next winner of the World Dog Championship; Minions: The Rise Of Gru is the origin story of how the world’s greatest supervillain first met his iconic Minions; in My Sweet Monster, a rebellious princess runs away from the royal palace and falls into the hands of the monstrous forest bandit Bogey and turns his life upside down; Hank, a loveable dog with a head full of dreams about becoming a samurai, sets off in search of his destiny in Hank: Paws Of Fury; when the manic Dr Robotnik returns to Earth with a new ally, Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic and his new friend Tails is all that stands in their way in Sonic The Hedgehog 2; the legendary Clades are a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission in Strange World; Tad’s biggest dream is to be accepted by his archaeology colleagues, but his accident-prone nature gets in his way in Tad, the lost explorer, and the Emerald Tablet; a confident, dorky 13-year-old is torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence in Turning Red
RECOMMENDED ANIMATION FILMS: The Amazing Maurice, Puss in Boots
Comedy
The Estate is a deliciously dark comedy female-centric comedy about sisters who try to get back in the good graces of their estranged aunt before she passes to inherit her fortune; Not Okay is a dark comedy about one woman’s misguided attempt to become the Internet’s next trending personality; a fashion model celebrity couple join an eventful cruise for the super-rich in the satirical Triangle Of Sadness; after 11 years, the Jackass crew is back for their final crusade in Jackass Forever; a reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with her cover model gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a cutthroat jungle adventure in The Lost City; a young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises in the satirical The Menu; with a career built for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor must take on the role of a lifetime: Nick Cage in the action-comedy The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent
RECOMMENDED COMEDIES: The Estate, Triangle Of Sadness, The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent
Crime
After escaping a Michigan prison, a charming career criminal assumes a new identity in Canada and goes on to rob a record 59 banks and jewelry stores while being hunted by a police task force in Bandit; Gotham City’s vigilante detective brings justice to the abuse of power and corruption in The Batman; a former hacker with a checkered past tries desperately to rebuild his life in Hot Seat;
Drama
The Fabelmans is a masterful cinematic memory of the forces, and family, that shaped Spielberg’s life and career; C’mon C’mon is an ode to the relationship between adults and children; once a promising painter herself, In the summer of 1969 nine-year-old Buddy knows exactly who he is and where he belongs in Belfast; a brooding FBI fixer gets involved in a government conspiracy in the action-drama Blacklight; two former Army Rangers are paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime in Dog; the mystery of the Dowager Countess’ newly inherited villa is resolved in Downton Abbey: A New Era; an elderly gentleman travels the length of the United Kingdom to scatter his late wife’s ashes in The Last Bus;
Emily imagines the transformative, exhilarating, and uplifting journey to womanhood of a rebel and a misfit, one of the world’s most famous, enigmatic, and provocative writers; Lamborghini – The Man Behind The Legend tells the story of genius auto inventor Ferruccio Lamborghini; Pinocchio is a live-action retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy
RECOMMENDED DRAMAS: The Fabelmans, C’mon C’mon, Belfast, Dog
Family
A young boy discovers a caged tiger in the woods near his home in The Tiger Rising
Foreign / World Cinema
All Quiet On The Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I; Laal Singh Chaddha is a life-affirming story chronicling the extraordinary life of an ordinary man who changes the world through simple kindness, who wants nothing but to bring happiness to the people he loves, and through that modest mission alters the course of Indian history; a young woman takes it upon herself to become a symbol for the fight against the injustices imposed on prostitutes in Gangubai Kathiawadi; Feuding brothers King Wenceslas of Czech and King Sigismund of Hungary battle for control of the empty throne in Medieval.
RECOMMENDED WORLD CINEMA: All Quiet On The Western Front
Gay-Themed
On streaming platforms: Three young people embark on an emotional journey My Policeman and find themselves entangled in a love triangle, as Patrick and Tom’s secret love affair clashes with the closeted policeman’s commitment to Marion; a gang of gay buddies bicker and banter over potential romantic entanglements in Fire Island; two men with commitment problems attempt a relationship in Bros, the film Spoiler Alert follows the final 11-month period of Manhattan photographer Kit Cowan’s life, from his diagnosis with terminal cancer to his death, through the eyes of Michael Ausiello, his partner of 14 years, and later spouse, Benediction tells the story of Siegfried Sassoon, a British poet and decorated W.W.I combat veteran who was sent to a psychiatric facility for his anti-war stance during W.W.I, had love affairs with several men during the 1920s, married, had a son, and after his conversion to Catholicism continued to be plagued by his memories, and, following a drunken encounter, two equally attached men from a cash strapped and divided gay rugby club unwittingly sleepwalk into an adulterous affair but must conceal their growing feelings or risk destroying the club they love in In From The Side.
Series: The Ignorant Angels is a not-to-be-missed Italian original series by filmmaker Ferzan Ozpetek. When Massimo, Antonia’s husband, is killed in an accident, she discovers that her husband was having an affair with a young man, Michele, teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love in the series Heartstopper, a newly single gay man in Manhattan navigates the dating scene for the first time in 17 years after getting abruptly dumped by his long-term partner in Uncoupled, set in Barcelona, the plot of Smiley revolves around the love story between a bartender and architect who meet upon a misdirected voicemail.
RECOMMENDED GAY THEMED FILMS / SERIES: My Policeman, The Ignorant Angels
Horror
The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a spine-chilling climax in Halloween Ends; a woman staying at an Airbnb discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems in Barbarian; a father and his two teenage daughters find themselves hunted by a massive rogue lion intent in Beast; a shy but clever 13-year-old boy is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement in The Black Phone; Sister Ann finds herself in a battle for the soul of a young girl in The Devil’s Light; a girl with extraordinary pyrokinetic powers fights to protect her family and herself from sinister forces that seek to capture and control her in Firestarter; a woman uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history in The Invitation; a woman retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside where simmering dread soon becomes a fully formed nightmare, inhabited by her darkest memories and fears in Men; dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble in Morbius; an African woman hopes her new job as a nanny will help bring her young son to the United States but a violent presence begins to invade both her dreams and reality in Nanny; in Nope, a man and his sister discover something sinister in the skies above their California horse ranch, while the owner of a nearby theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon; a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers in Scream; after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain in Smile; in X, six ambitious young Texans—two strippers, a Vietnam veteran, a serial-entrepreneur producer, an upstart film director, and his seemingly quiet, doe-eyed girlfriend—hit the road bound for a secluded ranch where they plan to shoot their magnum opus.
On the streaming platform: In Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, Craig, a young boy, befriends the elderly billionaire John Harrigan. Craig then gives him a mobile phone. However, when the man dies, Craig discovers that he can communicate with his friend from the grave.
RECOMMENDED HORROR FILMS: Halloween Ends, The Black Phone, Men, X, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone
Musical
Cyrano boldly re-imagines a timeless tale of wit, courage, and love, in Dear Evan Hansen a high school senior with Social Anxiety disorder is on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance following the suicide of a fellow classmate; a boy befriends a singing crocodile in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile; Elvis’s story is seen through the lens of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker in Elvis
Mystery
In Death On The Nile Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short; in Last Looks a disgraced ex-cop seeks solace by moving to the woods, but his quiet life comes to an end when a private eye recruits him to investigate a murder; in Where the Crawdads Sing an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect when a young man is found dead in the marshland
RECOMMENDED MYSTERY FILM: Where the Crawdads Sing
Origin Stories
Minions: The Rise Of Gru is the origin story of how the world’s greatest supervillain first met his iconic Minions; experience the origin story of a Space Ranger in Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear
Romance
Eiffel is a fictionalized romance and endearing reimagining of Gustave Eiffel’ fervent passion, which grounded the creation and building of the Eiffel Tower; The Survivor is based on the true story of Harry Haft who is driven by his love of a woman to survive the unimaginable horrors of the German concentration camps; one of the Navy’s top aviators pushes the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him in Top Gun: Maverick; two exes find themselves on a shared mission to stop their lovestruck daughter from making the same mistake they once made in Ticket To Paradise; a lonely Academic, on a trip to Istanbul, discovers a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom in Three Thousand Years Of Longing a young couple’s relationship clashes with the harsh realities of the California Gold Rush of 1850 in Redeeming Love; a senior in high school boy experiences the highs and lows of his first love with a girl as they navigate their pending departure to college in First Love; in Game Of Love Vivien and Roy are in love and eager to explore their future together; Licorice Pizza is the story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973; Marry Me questions if two people from vastly different worlds can bridge the gulf between them and build a place where they both belong; a maid living in post-World War I England secretly plans to meet with the man she loves before he leaves to marry another woman in Mothering Sunday; in Where the Crawdads Sing an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect when a young man is found dead in the marshlands
RECOMMENDED ROMANCE FILMS: Redeeming Love, Eiffel, The Survivor, Top Gun: Maverick, Licorice Pizza, Mothering Sunday, Where the Crawdads Sing
Sci-Fi / Fantasy
A man fights to save an alien moon he learns to call home in Avatar, and learns to navigate both the dangerous water world and the uncomfortable dynamics of gaining acceptance from their new community in Avatar: The Way of the Water; Doctor Strange traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness; in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Newt Scamander is on a mission that could save both the wizarding and non-magical worlds; experience the epic conclusion to the Jurassic era as two generations unite for the first time in Jurassic World Dominion; a skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans in Prey; the God of Thunder embarks on a journey, unlike anything he’s ever faced — one of self-discovery in Thor: God Of Thunder; a lonely Academic, on a trip to Istanbul, discovers a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom in Three Thousand Years Of Longing
Short Films
Marvel Studios’ I Am Groot features a collection of five original shorts stars everyone’s favourite little tree, Baby Groot, from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.
Sport
Rise is based on the triumphant real-life story about the remarkable family that produced the first trio of brothers to become NBA champions in the history of the league
Survival / Disaster
In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it; Notre-Dame on Fire is based on the Notre-Dame de Paris fire that occurred on 15 April 2019; The Survivor is based on the true story of Harry Haft who is driven by his love of a woman to survive the unimaginable horrors of the German concentration camps; two women fight to survive when they are stranded at the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower in Fall; pirates hijack the perfect destination wedding in Shotgun Wedding; a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy Lightstone family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage, the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus in Violent Night; in X, six ambitious young Texans—two strippers, a Vietnam veteran, a serial-entrepreneur producer, an upstart film director, and his seemingly quiet, doe-eyed girlfriend—hit the road bound for a secluded ranch where they plan to shoot their magnum opus
RECOMMENDED SURVIVAL / DISASTER FILMS: Moonfall, X, The Survivor
Thriller
In the audacious, twisted Don’t Worry Darling a young couple move into an idealized community in a tight-knit desert utopia; a grifter working his way up from low-ranking carnival worker to lauded psychic medium matches wits with a psychologist bent on exposing him in Nightmare Alley; a rich divorcee Chris falls in love with a mysterious woman Sky where Chris, ex-wife and his child eventually gets trapped in Shattered.
RECOMMENDED THRILLERS: Don’t Worry Darling, Nightmare Alley
War
All Quiet On The Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches; during WWII, a group of international spies must stop a terrorist organization from starting World War III in The 355; two intelligence officers use a corpse and false papers to outwit German troops in Operation Mincemeat.
RECOMMENDED WAR FILMS: All Quiet On The Western Front, Operation Mincemea
Women’s Film
Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe; a retired schoolteacher hires a young sex worker in Good Luck To You, Leo Grande; an underground collective of women during the 1960s come together to secretly provide nearly 12,000 women and girls with safe and secure abortions in Call Jane; The Good House is a multifaceted portrait of a proud, resilient woman who wouldn’t think of asking for help…and whose life won’t change until she does; The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of lifea young woman takes it upon herself to become a symbol for the fight against the injustices imposed on prostitutes in Gangubai Kathiawadi; a woman lives in the shadow of her husband’s illustrious career in The Artist’s Wife; in I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a powerful and triumphant celebration of the incomparable Whitney Houston; alone on a seaside vacation, Leda becomes consumed with a young mother and daughter as she watches them on the beach in The Lost Daughter; a seemingly ordinary British housekeeper whose dream to own a couture Christian Dior gown takes her on an extraordinary adventure to Paris in Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris; an African woman hopes her new job as a nanny will help bring her young son to the United States but a violent presence begins to invade both her dreams and reality in Nanny; Not Okay is a dark comedy about one woman’s misguided attempt to become the Internet’s next trending personality; Singleholic tells the story of a woman who moves to Mauritius to pursue her PhD after a painful breakup with her boyfriend; a skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans in Prey; New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor publish a report that exposes sexual abuse allegations against powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in She Said
RECOMMENDED WOMEN’S FILMS: Blonde, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, She Said
South African Films
When a park ranger discovers a strange man and his son living wild, she stumbles into a secret that is about to change the world in Gaia; family’s rituals are unearthed in the dystopian thriller Glasshouse; a ragtag bunch of musicians are forced to rob a bank during the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival in the hope they will save their iconic, but in-debt nightclub in the Bo Kaap in The Umbrella Men; the coming-of-age 2 Thirds of a Man explores the challenges faced by a talented but guarded teenager; four refugees become South Africa’s sommeliers in the documentary Blind Ambition; Indemnity tells the story of Theo Abrahams (Jarrid Geduld), ex-fireman suffering from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) who, unable to return to work, turns to alcohol; ageing but unbeaten, Bones tries unsuccessfully to pass on his wisdom to Mathambo, his short, tubby, incompetent, but at-heart honest and independent son in Mr. Bones 3, Son of Bones. At the same time, two unscrupulous oil diggers are trying to steal the treasures of Kuvukiland; Singleholic tells the story of a woman who moves to Mauritius to pursue her PhD after a painful breakup with her boyfriend; Sodium Day is a comedy-drama with tragic undertones that features uncanny humour and absurd, but often true-to-life scenarios, telling the story of a neglected Matric class in a dilapidated school on the Cape Flats
RECOMMENDED SOUTH AFRICAN FILMS: Gaia, Glasshouse, The Umbrella Men
TV series
Andor explores the Star Wars galaxy from a new perspective, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make.
Re-releases
For the first time, audiences will be able to experience two classic, culture-defining Steven Spielberg films—E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Jaws—on IMAX screens nationwide. Both films were released to celebrate E.T.’S 40th Anniversary and Jaws 47th Anniversary. In E.T a troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet. In Jaws, a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, forcing a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down. E.T Trailer / Jaws Trailer
National Theatre Live Screenings
HAMLET –Like the original play, which unfolds in an imprecise period in Elsinore Castle in medieval Denmark, Australian composer Brett Dean’s opera Hamlet is set in an imagined Elsinore at an indeterminate date. This production, by Neil Armfield, draws upon visual motifs of the 18th and 20th centuries to create a simultaneously modern and timeless feel for the action. Allan Clayton plays the title role. Nicholas Carter makes his Met debut conducting a remarkable ensemble, which also features soprano Brenda Rae as Ophelia, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly as Gertrude, baritone Rod Gilfry as Claudius, and bass-baritone John Relyea as the ghost of Hamlet’s father.
HENRY V – Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) plays the title role in a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power. Fresh to the throne, King Henry V launches England into a bloody war with France. Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) plays the title role in Shakespeare’s thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power. Captured live from the Donmar Warehouse in London. Fresh to the throne, King Henry V launches England into a bloody war with France. When his campaign encounters resistance, this inexperienced new ruler must prove he is fit to guide a country into war. Directed by Max Webster (Life of Pi), this exciting modern production explores what it means to be English and our relationship with Europe, asking: do we ever get the leaders we deserve?
LEOPOLDSTADT – An epic family drama telling the story of an Austrian-Jewish families experience over 50 years from the turn of the century to World War II. Written by Britain’s greatest living playwright Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) inspired by his own family history. Regarded as ‘Britain’s greatest living playwright’ (Times), Tom Stoppard’s critically acclaimed new play Leopoldstadt is a passionate drama of love, family and endurance. At the beginning of the 20th century, Leopoldstadt was the old, crowded Jewish quarter of Vienna, Austria. But Hermann Merz, a factory owner and baptised Jew now married to Catholic Gretl, has moved up in the world. We follow his family’s story across half a century, passing through the convulsions of war, revolution, impoverishment, annexation by Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. A company of 40 actors represent each generation of the family in this epic, but intimate play.
Live Ballet Screenings
SPARTACUS – Huge in scale and spectacular in effect, the Bolshoi Ballet’s Spartacus is a true tour de force, set to Aram Khachaturian’s superb score. With an incredible display of might from the four leading dancers to the entire corps de ballet and its passionate pas de deux, Spartacus is the ultimate spectacle of virtuosity and lyricism born at the Bolshoi Theatre. In Imperial Rome led by Crassus, Spartacus and his wife Phrygia are reduced to slavery and are separated by slave dealers. His love for her and his desire for freedom lead him to revolt against the Roman army with the help of the other captives. With the Bolshoi Principals, Soloists and Corps de Ballet. At Cinema Nouveau / Trailer / Read more