The year is finally ending and it is time to make your top 10 list. This is everything releasing this month that should be checked out before your list is finalized!

December 1st:

Silent Night is director John Woo’s return to Hollywood. It is written by Robert Archer Lynn, and the interesting thing about the movie is that it is almost entirely wordless. It stars Joel Kinnaman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Mescudi, and Harold Torres. It is being released by Lionsgate this weekend.

Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé is a recorded version of the Renaissance World Tour. It stars Beyoncé and it is directed by her as well. It is being released by AMC Theaters Distribution, also in IMAX.

Godzilla Minus One is the most recent Godzilla film, though this one is from Toho International, a subsidiary of the Japanese Film Company that owns the Godzilla IP. It is written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. The film will be in Japanese. It stars Minami Hamabe, Sakura Ando, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Kuranosuke Sasaki, and Michael Arias. It will be sharing IMAX screens along with Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé.

Eileen will be in limited release this weekend. It is a Neon film. It is the story of a young secretary named Eileen who starts becoming obsessed with Rebecca, a new hire at her work, but their friendship becomes evil and twisted. The film stars Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, and Shea Whigham. It is directed by William Oldroyd and written by Luke Goebel.

December 7th:

Waitress will be released by Bleecker Street and Fathom Events. This is a recorded version of the Broadway musical starring Sara Bareilles, Drew Gehling, Charity Angél Dawson, Caitlin Houlahan, Dakin Matthews, Christopher Fitzgerald, Joe Tippett, and Eric Anderson. It is directed by Brett Sullivan and Jessie Nelson, and it was written by Jessie Nelson.

December 8th:

There was a rumor that The Boy and the Heron was supposed to be writer and director Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, though he has now changed his mind. It follows a young boy who heads into the world shared by the dead and the living. It will also be released in Imax by GDKIDS. The English language version of the class includes Mamoudou Athie, Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens.

Poor Things is one of the highest-rated films of the year. Yorgos Lanthimos is back as director and producer and is written by Tony McNamara. They reunite with Emma Stone in the leading role. It also stars Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Suzy Bemba, Jerrod Carmichael, Vicki Pepperdine, Margaret Qualley, Hanna Schygulla, and Kathryn Hunter. This will be in limited release by Searchlight Pictures.

Concrete Utopia is the South Korean entry for Best International Feature. It is directed by Tae-hwa Eom. It is being released by Lotte Entertainment, and it stars Park Seo-joon, Lee Byung-hun, Park Bo-young, Kim Sun-young, Park Ji-hi, Na Chul, Do-yoon Kim, and Kim Hak-sun.

Origin stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Vera Farmiga, Niecy Nash, Nick Offerman, Jon Bernthal, Audra McDonald, Connie Nielson, Blair Underwood, Finn Wittrock, Victoria Pedretti, Isha Blaaker, Donna Mills, and Emily Yancy. It is written and directed by Ava Duvernay, and it is based on a novel called Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.

Anselm was written and directed by Wim Wenders. It will be released by Janus Films. It is a documentary about Anselm Kiefer, an innovative German artist. This film was shot in 3D and in 6K resolution. It was nominated for the Golden Eye at the Cannes Film Festival, and it was a nominee for best cinematography for the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.

December 15th:

Wonka follows the story of how Willy Wonka became the legend and chocolatier he is known to be in the previous films. The film stars Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, and Olivia Colman. The film was written by Simon Farnaby and Paul King. It was also directed by Paul King, who also wrote and directed the well-loved and highly acclaimed Paddington films. This is a Warner Bros. release.

American Fiction stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David, and Sterling K. Brown. The film was written and directed by Cord Jefferson who also wrote for highly acclaimed shows like Succession, Master of None, and Watchmen. The story is based on a novel named Erasure, which follows a writer who decides to profit off “Black” entertainment, something that he has been critical of. It will be distributed by MGM.

Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire is the latest film written and directed by Zack Snyder. It stars Sofia Boutella, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, and Cary Elwes. It was also written by Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad. This science fiction film is a Netflix production, but it will be in limited release in theaters this week before dropping on Netflix on December 22nd.

The Zone of Interest is the story of Rudolf Höss, a commandant of Auschwitz, who lived next door to the camp, and his wife Hedwig as they build a life for themselves. This film won the Gran Prix at Cannes this year. It was written and directed by Jonathan Glazer and stars Christian Friedel, Sandra Huller, and Ralph Herforth. This is the UK’s submission for International Feature, and it will be in released by A24.

December 22nd:

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman. It stars Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya-Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Affleck, Dolph Lundgren, Temura Morrison, and Nicole Kidman. James Wan returns as the director and it is written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. It will be IMAX screens as well as regular screens. It is produced by Warner Bros. and should be the final film in the DCEU before James Gunn’s new DC universe is established.

The Iron Claw follows the story of the Von Reich family, one of the biggest names in professional wrestling in the 1980s. It was written and directed by Sean Durkin. The film stars Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White, Lily James, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, and Holt McCallany. This is the final A24 film of this year.

Anyone But You is a romantic comedy that has had the internet swirling. It has even been parodied by Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone. This Sony Pictures film stars Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, Gata, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, Rachel Griffiths, and Bryan Brown. This is written and directed by Will Gluck, who is known for Easy A and Friends with Benefits. It was also written by Ilana Wolpert.

Migration is an animated film directed by Benjamin Renner and written by Mike White. The film stars Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Carol Kane, Keegan-Michael Key, Kumail Nanjiani, David Mitchell, Jimmy Donaldson and Elyas M’Barek. This Universal Pictures release follows a duck family who convinces their father to go on an epic vacation.

All of Us Strangers is one of the most adored films of this year with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97%. It is a Searchlight Pictures release. It is written and directed by Andrew Haigh, and stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy. The story is about neighbors who develop a relationship with each other and Adam (Scott), starts to become drawn back to his neighborhood home where his parents who supposedly died 30 years ago still seem to be living.

Memory premiered this year at the Venice Film Festival. It stars Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Merritt Weaver, Jessica Harper, Elsie Fisher, Brooke Timber, and Josh Charles. Sarsgaard even won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance. This weekend it will be in limited release before opening wide on January 5th. This Ketchup Entertainment film was written and directed by Michel Franco.

Freud’s Last Session is the story of C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud’s meeting on the day before World War II where they argue over the existence of God and their lives. It stars Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, Jodi Balfour, Orla Brady, and Stephen Campbell Moore. It was written by Mark St. Germain and Matt Brown and directed by Brown as well. This is a Sony Pictures Classics. Film.

December 25th:

Ferrari stars Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Jack O’Connell, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, and Patrick Dempsey. It was directed by Michael Mann and adapted by Troy Kennedy Martin. Neon is distributing the film which originally premiered at the Venice Film Festival. In this film, Enzo Ferrari struggles with his marriage, his affair, and his drive to win the Mille Miglia all while bankruptcy is near.

The Color Purple is the film adaptation of the stage musical. It was also originally a film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey Aunjanue Ellis, and Colman Domingo. It is written by Marcus Gardley, directed by Blitz Bazawule, and produced by Quincy Jones, Oprah Winfrey, and. Steven Spielberg. It is a Warner Bros. release.

The Boys in the Boat stars Joel Edgerton, Chris Diamantopoulos, Callum Turner, Jack Mulhern, Luke Slattery, Sam Strike, Thomas Elms, Tom Varey, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Wil Coban, James Wolk, Hadley Robinson, and Courtney Henggeler. It was directed by George Clooney and written by Mark L. Smith. This is an MGM release.

The Teacher’s Lounge is the German submission for International Feature, and it will be in limited release this weekend. It stars Leonie Benesch, Leonard Stettnisch, Eva Löbau, Michael Klammer, and Anne-Kathrin Gummich. It is written and directed by Ilker Çatak and written by Johannes Duncker. It is being released by Sony Pictures Classics.

Re-Releases:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is returning to theaters on December 3rd. It stars Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon, Clint Howard, and Mindy Sterling. The film was directed by Ron Howard and adapted from the Dr. Suess book by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. This Christmas classic is being put back into theaters by Fathom Events.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail stars Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gillam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Connie Booth, Carol Cleveland, and Neil Innes. There was a lot of creative overlap in the film. It was directed by Terry Gillam and Terry Jones. John Cleese, Graham Chapman, and Eric Idle. It will be returning to theaters on Dec. 3 and December 6th.

A Christmas Story was written and directed by Bob Clark and also written by Leigh Brown. The film stars Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Scott Schwartz, R.D. Robb, and Zack Ward. This film from 1983 will be put back into theaters on December 10th by Fathom Events.

Streaming Releases:

Candy Cane Lane stars Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Thaddeus J. Mixon, Ken Marino, Trevante Rhodes, David Alan Grier, and Nick Offerman. It was directed by Reginald Hudlin and written by Kelly Younger. It releases on Prime Video on December 1st.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is an animated film that will be released on Disney+ on December 8th. It stars Wesley Kimmel, Spencer Howell, Erica Cerra, Chris Diamantopoulos, Hunter Dillon, and Christian Convery. It was directed by Luke Cormican and written by Jeff Kinney.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is the long-awaited sequel to 2005’s Chicken Run. This stop-motion animated film stars Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, Josie Sedgwick-Davies, Miranda Richardson, Nick Mohammad, and Peter Serafinowicz. It was directed by Sam Fell and written by Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, and Rachel Tunnard. It originally premiered at the London Film Festival, but it will be released on Netflix on December 15th.

Finestkind will be released on Paramount+ on December 15th. It was written and directed by Brian Helgeland and it stars Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, and Tommy Lee Jones. This American crime thriller follows two brothers who become involved with a Boston crime syndicate.