Despite the pandemic’s impact on Hollywood this year, there are some movies coming out over the Christmas-New Year break. While it might not be the bumper blockbuster season of old, there are still some flicks worth a view.
THE WITCHES
Reimagining Roald Dahl’s beloved story for a modern audience, Robert Zemeckis’s visually innovative film tells the darkly humorous and heart-warming tale of a young orphaned boy who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis.
As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks him away to a seaside resort.
Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe-undercover-to carry out her nefarious plans.
Zemeckis is joined by a world-class team of filmmakers, including Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Kenya Barris.
The cast includes powerhouse performances from Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth and Chris Rock, with newcomer Jahzir Kadeen Bruno as the brave young hero.
‘The Witches’ is out now
THE CROODS A NEW AGE
The Croods need a new place to live. So, the first prehistoric family sets off into the world in search of a safer place to call home.
When they discover an idyllic walled-in paradise that meets all their needs, they think their problems are solved … except for one thing. Another family already lives there: the Bettermans.
The Bettermans (emphasis on the “better”)—with their elaborate tree house, amazing inventions and irrigated acres of fresh produce—are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder.
When they take the Croods in as the world’s first houseguests, it isn’t long before tensions escalate between the cave family and the modern family.
Just when all seems lost, a new threat will propel both families on an epic adventure outside the safety of the wall, one that will force them to embrace their differences, draw strength from each other and forge a future together.
‘The Croods: A New Age’ is out now
MAYA AND THE BEE 3: THE GOLDEN ORB
When Maya and Willy bust out of winter lock down early they are catapulted headfirst into a top-secret mission!
Entrusted with the care of a sacred orb, Maya and Willy team up with their old pals, Arnie and Barney, to deliver it to its new home atop the mysterious Bonsai Peak.
But when their “orb” hatches, Maya and Willy come face to face with their biggest responsibility yet – a smooshy, squishy little princess!
This adventure is a LOT more than they bargained for as they must work together to take on bounty hunters and traverse treacherous terrain to return the lost princess to her mountain colony, only to find it hanging in the balance of a turf war.
Willy discovers a side of himself that he never expected as he becomes protective of the tiny princess.
But to save her and her colony, Maya and Willy must convince the battling insect tribes to work together in order to survive a hungry bird attack!
‘Maya and the Bee 3: The Golden Orb’ is out Thursday January 7
DRAGON RIDER
Firedrake is a young silver dragon, who has had enough of constantly having to hide in a wooded valley.
He wants to show the older generations of dragons that he is a real dragon. When humans are about to destroy his family’s very last refuge, Firedrake secretly sets off on an adventurous journey with forest brownie, Sorrel.
He wants to find the “Rim of Heaven”, the dragons’ mysterious haven. On their quest Firedrake and Sorrel encounter Ben, an orphan and stray, who claims to be a dragon rider.
While Ben and Firedrake make friends quickly, Sorrel becomes increasingly distrustful and tries to get rid of the orphan at every opportunity.
But the unlikely trio have to learn to pull together, because they are being hunted by Nettlebrand, an evil, dragon-eating monster was created by an alchemist with the aim of tracking down and destroying every dragon on Earth.
‘Dragon Rider’ is out Thursday January 7
DREAMBUILDERS
Minna’s life is turned upside down when her dad’s new fiancée Helena and her daughter Jenny move in.
Her new stepsister Jenny turns out to be horrible and Minna is frustrated. She wants her gone! One night, Minna discovers a world behind her dreams in which the dreambuilders create our dreams on theatre stages and finds out how to manipulate Jenny’s dreams.
But interfering with people’s dreams has dire consequences and when Minna goes too far one night, Jenny can’t wake up any more.
Minna must enter the dream world one final time to face the dreams she has created in order to save Jenny and her new family.
‘Dreambuilders’ is out Thursday December 31
THE DRY
Federal Agent Aaron Falk returns to his home town after an absence of over twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife and child before taking his own life – a victim of the madness that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought.
When Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the crime, he opens up an old wound – the death of 17- year-old Ellie Deacon.
Falk begins to suspect these two crimes, separated by decades, are connected. As he struggles to prove not only Luke’s innocence but also his own, Falk finds himself pitted against the prejudice towards him and and pent-up rage of a terrified community.
‘The Dry’ is Out Now
