December in Film

December wraps up the 2013 film season with arguably the most intriguing slate of films of the year. Here are my thoughts on the crop of releases on the docket for December.

Films I want to see:
9.The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (12/13) : The first Hobbit film bored me to tears, but I'm too much of a fan of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy to write this series off after the first film. This installment allegedly has much more action than the first one, which will hopefully make me a lot less inclined to take a nap during this than the previous film.

8.The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (12/25): The concept and Ben Stiller's track record as a director is enough to get me to overlook the overly artsy vibe the trailers give off.

7.47 Ronin (12/25):  It looks completely ridiculous,  it's going to be a huge box office bomb, and yes I'm going to see it anyways. If you're a B-movie connoisseur like myself, a film where Keanu Reeves is playing a samurai just demands to be seen.

6.Grudge Match (12/25):Speaking of movies that need to be seen to believe... A film where Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone play retired boxers who get in the ring to fight each other 30 years after their last bout. Throw in the fact that their handlers are played by Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin respectively only adds to the potential comedy value of this film.

5.Out of the Furnace (12/6): Early buzz has been very good and the cast including Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck and Willem Dafoe is very talented.

4.Inside Llewyn Davis (12/6 limited,12/20 wide):I'm not a fan of folk music and the trailers haven't really done much for me, but the Cohen Brothers at the helm are enough for me to cancel out both of those deterrents.

3.The Wolf of Wall Street (12/25):Martin Scorcese doing a satirical film starring Leonardo DeCaprio, Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey about a group of corrupt stock brokers in the 90's and their life of excess? Sign me up.

2.American Hustle (12/18): Director David O. Russell is on a hot streak of late with The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook, which are two of my favorite films of the past few years. American Hustle has all the potential to be another triumph for Russell as he reteams with four of the actors (Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence) who were key factors in why his last two films were so special and adding other talented actors like Jeremy Renner and Louis C.K. to the fold. My anticipation has been building since the release of the striking teaser trailer came out in August and I really hope this film is as amazing as it sounds on-paper

1.Anchorman: The Legend Continues (12/18): I never though I'd see the day where this film was actually produced. Anchorman is one of my favorite comedies of all-time so my excitement level for this is absolutely through the roof. The trailers have been hysterical and the new cast additions including Kristin Wiig, James Marsden and Harrison Ford should only add to the wackiness. I'm not expecting it to be as good as the first one, but I have no doubt that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay will craft a quality sequel to the film that put them on the map.

Films I'm not sure on:
Saving Mr. Banks (12/13 limited, 12/20 wide): There is a lot of talent involved with this film, but the story of how Mary Poppins was created doesn't really seem that intriguing to me.

Films I have zero interest in:
Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas (12/13): Good to know Larry the Cable Guy is still getting work, you're doing a great public service Tyler Perry.

Walking with Dinosaurs (12/20): The effects are certainly impressive, I'm just not really the target audience for this.

Believe (12/25):Another Justin Bieber documentary, no thanks.