So many movies, so little time! Here are the movies coming out through the end of 2017.
Friday, November 17
Almost Friends: “Good Doctor” star Freddie Highmore plays an aimless would-be chef nursing a new crush (Odeya Rush) and dealing with the reappearance of his father (Christopher Meloni). The film will also be available on VOD.
Angelica: Strange goings-on trouble the wife (Jena Malone) of a scientist (Ed Stoppard). Mitchell Lichtenstein (“Teeth”), a son of the pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, directed this thriller set in Victorian London. The film will also be available on VOD.
The Breadwinner: From the Irish animation studio that made the charming “The Secret of Kells,” this film is set in 2001 in Afghanistan, where a girl disguises herself as a boy to assume her father’s role as the earner for the family after he’s wrongly arrested.
Cook Off!: Mockumentary about a competitive baking contest starring Melissa McCarthy and Cathryn Michon, who co-wrote and co-directs.
A Fantastic Woman: Chilean film tells the story of a transgender singer who must confront family and society after her lover suddenly dies. One-week Oscar-qualifying run.
Holy Air: Israeli director Shady Srour’s comedy about a Christian-Arab couple from Nazareth. When she gets pregnant, he decides to support his family by selling “holy air.”
I Love You, Daddy: Louis C.K.’s bittersweet comedy about a successful TV writer/producer (C.K.), who panics when his spoiled 17-year-old daughter (Chloë Grace Moretz) starts spending time with a legendary film director (John Malkovich) with a reputation for dating underage girls. (The status of this film’s release is now unclear following recent allegations involving the comedian and the announcement that its distributor would no longer be releasing the film.)
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond — Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton: (Netflix and in select theaters) In this documentary, Jim Carrey recalls his experience going deep into character as Andy Kaufman in “Man on the Moon” (1999).
Justice League: Director Zack Snyder’s third film in the DC Extended Universe (with directing assistance from Joss Whedon) has Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) banding together to recruit a team of superheroes to combat the threat of villain Steppenwolf. Jason Momoa plays Aquaman, Ezra Miller is the Flash, Ray Fisher is Cyborg, and Henry Cavill is back from the dead as Superman.
Let It Fall Los Angeles 1982-1992: In a rerelease for Oscar consideration, writer-director John Ridley’s documentary details the decade preceding the citywide violence that came with the announcement of the verdict in the Rodney King case.
The Light of the Moon: Writer-director Jessica M. Thompson’s film looks at the aftermath of the rape of a young woman. (Stephanie Beatriz).
Mudbound: (Netflix and in select theaters) Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after the war. Starring Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Jonathan Banks, Jason Clarke, Rob Morgan.
Porto: An American and a Frenchwoman reflect on a carefree night spent together in Portugal. With Anton Yelchin (in his last role) and Lucie Lucas.
Revolt: Lee Pace stars as a soldier who helps an aid worker in Africa during an extraterrestrial invasion.
Roman J. Israel, ESQ.: Legal drama directed by Dan Gilroy (“Nightcrawler”) has Denzel Washington as a liberal lawyer who discovers his law firm has been up to shady business, forcing him to take extreme action. Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo co-star.
The Star: Christian-themed animated family movie tells the story of a donkey named Bo which, along with some other animal friends, becomes a part of the first Christmas.
Sweet Virginia: A burglary-homicide rattles the residents of a small Alaska town, in particular, two women (Imogen Poots and Rosemarie DeWitt) made widows by the crime. With Jon Bernthal, Christopher Abbott.
Wonder: Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson star in this drama about a young boy (Jacob Tremblay) who struggles to overcome the stigma of being born with facial disfigurement. Stephen Chbosky (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) directs.
Wednesday, November 22
Coco: Pixar serves up this animated film about a 12-year-old aspiring musician who takes a magical journey through Mexico’s fabled Land of the Dead. Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”) directs.
Darkest Hour: Gary Oldman, who already is being touted as an Oscar favorite, stars as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the crucial period at the beginning of World War II. Joe Wright (“Atonement”) directs.
The Man Who Invented Christmas: Dan Stevens portrays Charles Dickens in this tale that recounts how the acclaimed author blended real-life inspirations with his imagination to create “A Christmas Carol” in 1843. Christopher Plummer plays Scrooge.
Friday, November 24
Call Me by Your Name: A young man living in Italy during the 1980s becomes involved romantically with an academic who has come to stay at his parents’ villa. Starring Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by James Ivory.
Eric Clapton — Life In 12 Bars: Documentary on the famed guitarist includes access to Clapton’s personal archives.
Thelma: In this thriller from Joachim Trier, a female student experiences a seizure and finds she’s attracted to a beautiful young student of the same sex; she also finds she has dangerous supernatural abilities.
Friday, December 1
24 Hours to Live: Ethan Hawke plays an assassin who is killed and then somehow revived.
The Disaster Artist: (Limited, opens wide Dec. 8) James Franco directs and stars in the true story of aspiring filmmaker and infamous Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau — an artist whose passion was as sincere as his methods were questionable. With Dave Franco and Seth Rogen.
Love Beats Rhymes: The RZA-directed film tells of an aspiring rapper who is challenged by a poetry professor to aim higher. With Azealia Banks, Jill Scott, Lucien Laviscount, Common.
Loveless: The sudden disappearance of their son shakes a divorced Moscow couple. Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev. Oscar-qualifying run.
The Other Side of Hope: A middle-aged, poker-playing Helsinki restaurateur bonds with a homeless Syrian refugee.
Slumber: Maggie Q of “Designated Survivor” plays a sleep doctor trying to protect a family from a demon.
The Tribes of Palos Verdes: Jennifer Garner, Maika Monroe and Cody Fern star in this emotional screen adaptation of Joy Nicholson’s 1997 bestselling coming-of-age novel set amid California surfers.
Wonder Wheel: The latest from Woody Allen tells the story of a young woman (Juno Temple) running from the mob who hides out with her estranged father (Jim Belushi) and his lovelorn current wife (Kate Winslet) in Coney Island in the 1950s. Justin Timberlake stars as a lifeguard.
Friday, December 8
Arthur Miller: Writer: In this documentary, director Rebecca Miller profiles her father, one of America’s greatest playwrights.
Big Sonia: Documentary on an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor.
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story: The glamorous film star of the 1930s and ’40s was more than an actress and beauty. As part of the fight against the Nazis, she helped devise a technological system that provided the underpinnings for Bluetooth and WiFi.
Bullet Head: Antonio Banderas, Adrien Brody and John Malkovich play criminals holed up in a warehouse.
Foxtrot: The parents of a young soldier reel after learning of his death. Oscar-qualifying run for Israel’s official Oscar entry. Opens in wide release March 2.
I, Tonya: A darkly comic telling of figure skater Tonya Harding’s infamous attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan. With Margot Robbie.
Just Getting Started: In this comedy from Ron Shelton (“Tin Cup”), Morgan Freeman is the freewheeling manager of a luxury Palm Springs retirement resort. Everything is cool until he butts heads with a new arrival — a charming former military man (Tommy Lee Jones) — while a regional director (Renee Russo) wants to check the books.
Naples ’44: Based on the memoir by Norman Lewis, this documentary looks at the impact of World War II on the Italian city. Benedict Cumberbatch narrates.
The Shape of Water: Director Guillermo del Toro returns with an emotional monster movie about a mute janitor (Sally Hawkins) who befriends a strange gill man (Doug Jones) trapped in the Cold War-era lab where she works. Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer co-star.
Friday, December 15
The Ballad of Lefty Brown: A Western about a man (Bill Pullman) on the trail of the men who killed his longtime friend (Peter Fonda), a newly elected senator.
Beyond Skyline: A detective embarks on a relentless pursuit to free his son from an extraterrestrial warship.
Ferdinand: A computer-animated adaptation of Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson’s children’s book about a bull who would rather smell the flowers than fight. John Cena, Kate McKinnon, and Gina Rodriguez provide voices.
Gotti: The film from Kevin Connolly follows infamous the rise of crime boss John Gotti (John Travolta) to become the “Teflon Don” of the Gambino crime family in New York City.
The Leisure Seeker: An aging Boston couple (Donald Sutherland, Helen Mirren) hit the road to escape the suffocating effects of doctors and children.
Permanent: In this 1980s-set comedy, a hair treatment goes awry for a junior-high student. With Kira McLean, Patricia Arquette and Rainn Wilson.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The great sci-fi space fantasy picks up in Episode VIII right where J.J. Abrams left off in “The Force Awakens” with Rey (Daisy Ridley) reaching the planet where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) lives in self-exile. Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) are also back for the adventure, directed by Rian Johnson (“Looper”).
Wormwood: (On Netflix and in theaters) The theatrical version of director Errol Morris’ four-hour hybrid documentary series about one man’s six-decade search to solve the mystery of his father’s death, which leads him into dark corners of American history. With Peter Sarsgaard, Molly Parker, Christian Camargo.
Wednesday, Dec. 20
The Greatest Showman: Hugh Jackman stars as P.T. Barnum in this original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of the rise of this visionary who created spectacles that became worldwide sensations. With Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya Coleman, Rebecca Ferguson.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: Something of a sequel to the 1995 Robin Williams adventure only with a new group of kids sucked into the weird world of Jumanji, this time it’s a video game that transforms them into adults played by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black.
Friday, December 22
All the Money in the World: Ridley Scott directs this harrowing true story of billionaire J. Paul Getty (originally shot with Kevin Spacey but now hurriedly by reshot with Christopher Plummer in the role) and his refusal to pay kidnappers’ ransom to free his grandson, John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer). Michelle Williams is Gail Harris, the victim’s mother, alongside Mark Wahlberg as the agent trying to help her.
Bright: (On Netflix and in theaters) David Ayer (“Suicide Squad”) directs the fantasy-action flick. It stars Will Smith and Joel Edgerton as two cops — one human and one Orc, respectively — who must outrun law enforcement, criminals and even supernatural beings to protect a magical wand. With Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry and Edgar Ramírez.
Crooked House: An Agatha Christie tale about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a wealthy patriarch. The case is investigated by spy-turned-private-detective Charles Hayward (Max Irons), who is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather’s murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets. With Glenn Close, Christina Hendricks, and Gillian Anderson.
Downsizing: Alexander Payne’s high-concept sci-fi satire has a couple (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig) who believe their lives have gotten out of hand and decide to voluntarily have themselves miniaturized so they can live large in tiny resort communities.
Father Figures: Focuses on two brothers (Ed Helms and Owen Wilson) whose eccentric mother (Glenn Close) raised them to believe their father died when they were young. When they discover this to be a lie, they set out to find him, learning more about their mother than they ever wanted to know.
Hangman: Al Pacino plays a detective chasing a murderer whose killing spree involves the game Hangman.
Happy End: From Oscar-winner Michael Haneke (“Amour”), the drama focuses on a family in Calais with the European refugee crisis as the backdrop. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Isabelle Huppert.
Hostiles: Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart) directs Christian Bale in this Western about an army captain who is assigned to accompany a dying Cheyenne chief (Wes Studi) to Montana. Along the way, they encounter danger and the sole survivor (Rosamund Pike) of a massacre.
Pitch Perfect 3: Now graduated from college, the Bellas find themselves apart and discovering there aren’t many job prospects as singers until they get the chance to reunite for an overseas USO tour. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Anna Camp are back.
The Post: (limited, goes wide Jan. 12) Formerly called “The Papers,” Steven Spielberg’s film centers on the Washington Post’s decision to publish the classified Pentagon Papers in 1971, revealing a secret history of the Vietnam War. Tom Hanks plays editor Ben Bradlee and Meryl Streep is Katherine Graham, the paper’s publisher.
Monday, December 25
Molly’s Game: Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin makes his directorial debut with this adaptation of Molly Bloom’s bestselling memoir about her time running a high-stakes underground poker ring for Wall Street and Hollywood elites. Starring Jessica Chastain as Bloom, with Idris Elba as her attorney. With Kevin Costner and Michael Cera.
Phantom Thread: Paul Thomas Anderson’s first feature since “Inherent Vice” (2014) reunites with his “There Will Be Blood” star Daniel Day-Lewis in the story of a dressmaker who tailors for the crème de la crème of London in the 1950s. With Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps.
Wednesday, December 27
In the Fade: In this revenge drama from Fatih Akin (“The Edge of Heaven”), a woman (Diane Kruger) whose husband and son were killed in a terrorist bombing finds that the German legal system is less forthcoming with justice than she would like. Kruger won the best-actress prize at Cannes.
Friday, December 29
Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool: Annette Bening channels Gloria Grahame, the glamorous, scandalous star of “In a Lonely Place,” in her twilight years in England in 1978.
