Keiron Self approaches the final curtain of 2022 with five new film releases you might want to go see this December, from the creepy to the absurd to the blockbuster-y. Previews of all these films can also be found in the December/January issue of Buzz, available to read online now.

VIOLENT NIGHT

Ever wanted a film where Santa goes Die Hard? Now you’ve got it. David Harbour plays the man in the red suit who dispatches justice to those who are naughty and saves those who are nice in Violent Night, an action comedy destined to jingle some bells. A group of mercenaries, led by John Leguizamo, break into the estate of a super-rich family on Christmas Eve and try and crack their safe. Santa and his reindeer land, about to spread Christmas cheer, but instead he finds himself beating the crap out of various people, taking goons out with Christmas decorations and saving the nice girl at the heart of it all. This looks to be ludicrous and tonally odd, with ultraviolent festive fisticuffs sitting alongside traditional seasonal mainstays, but should be a lot of fun, like a really hardcore Bad Santa. And if you don’t fancy it, just watch a Christmas film instead, like Die Hard.

Dir: Tommy Wirkola (15, 106 mins)

Violent Night opens Fri 2 Dec

THE SILENT TWINS

The true-life tale of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twins of West Indian descent who grew up in Haverfordwest in the 1970s. Played by Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrence, they are isolated and alone, resorting to a fantasy world recreated in the film by stopmotion animation sequences. Their complicit silence irritates family members, and when they indulge in criminal acts they are sent to notorious psychiatric hospital Broadmoor. Here, they encounter Jodhi May’s Marjorie Wallace – upon whose book The Silent Twins is based, and who tries to find justice for these misunderstood individuals, victims of implicit racism and a lack of empathy and understanding. The central performances of Wright and Lawrence will apparently linger in a stark drama with moments of magic realism. Prepare for a wondrous but melancholic and quietly heartbreaking account of lives upturned and misunderstood.

Dir: Agnieszka Smoczynska (15, 113 mins)

The Silent Twins opens Fri 9 Dec

AVATAR: WAY OF WATER

The blue-skinned CGI Na’vi are back in a belated sequel to Avatar, the blockbuster smash of 2009. Director James Cameron has spent years on this and a proposed further three sequels, expanding the universe of the peoples of Pandora. The original was an eco-thriller with a strong environmental message amongst the groundbreaking computer-generated mayhem, with man exploiting the natural resources of other planets in search of precious resource Unobtanium (still can’t believe they got away with that name). Way Of Water continues the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neyteri (Zoe Saldana) who now have a family together – this, though, explores the ocean world of Pandora more than its rainforests, allowing Cameron a new visual playground of multicoloured creatures to play with. Promising a bigger world with greater character depth and emotional resonance, let’s hope this sequel is another deep dive into a box office tsunami, rather than a disappointing bellyflop.

Dir: James Cameron (12A, 190 mins)

Avatar: Way Of Water opens Fri 16 Dec

I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY

A biopic of the supremely gifted Whitney Houston, a pop diva who suffered a tragic end, this tracks her career from her obscure gospel singing beginnings to global stardom. Written by Anthony MacCarten, the scribe behind Bohemian Rhapsody, you can probably expect more of the same – a glossy breeze through her life with all the hits in place. Naomi Ackie takes on the role of Houston – and has the pipes and moves to match – whilst Stanley Tucci is on hand as manager Clive Davis, as the singer battles against the perception of her as a black artist and against her controlling parents, Clarke Peters and Tamara Tunie, who want her to stay on-brand. Ultimately, this leads her to Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders) and a disastrous marriage, but how much the film will deal with her tragedy remains to be seen. Her voice is worthy of celebration, regardless. All together… I will always love yooooooooooouuuuuuuuuu!

Dir: Kasi Lemmons (12A, 120 mins)

I Wanna Dance With Somebody opens Mon 26 Dec

CORSAGE

A fictional reimagining of a year in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, a trendsetting monarch who, with Emperor Franz Joseph, presided over Austria before being assassinated in 1898. Corsage follows her in her 40th year as she attempts to subtly escape the gilded cage she finds herself trapped within. Vicky Krieps, excellent in Phantom Thread, takes the central role of the Empress, or Sissi as she was known. Patronised by the court and badmouthed now that she’s no longer deemed attractive at 40, Sissi starts to strike back at the court that wants to contain her, with gripping, feisty and amusing results. Another awards-baiting performance at its heart, with period detail aplenty and some cheeky anachronisms, Corsage has echoes of another princess from recent years who wanted to escape her claustrophobic role.

Dir: Marie Kreutzer (15, 113 mins)

Corsage opens Fri 30 Dec

words KEIRON SELF