{"id":2164173,"date":"2025-11-18T11:05:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T11:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2164173"},"modified":"2025-11-18T11:05:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T11:05:04","slug":"holiday-preview-2025-the-12-movies-were-most-looking-forward-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/holiday-preview-2025-the-12-movies-were-most-looking-forward-to\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday preview 2025: The 12 movies we’re most looking forward to"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/span> <\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be an awards season without a few last-minute gifts under the tree, set to sweep the table clear. This year, those include everything from Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet\u2019s cosmic ping-pong epic \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d to a new \u201cAvatar\u201d sequel from James Cameron, whom we\u2019ve learned to never count out on Oscar night. We\u2019re also looking forward to the kind of dumb counterprogramming that Christmas miracles are built on. A new \u201cAnaconda\u201d awaits, a prospect that can\u2019t be ignored. Leave room in your movie diet for candy that\u2019s semi-bad for you. One can\u2019t feast on tearjerkers alone.<\/p>\n

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\"2025 <\/picture> <\/span> <\/div>\n

The only guide you need for holiday entertainment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

\u2018Hamnet\u2019 (Nov. 26)<\/h2>\n
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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in the movie \u201cHamnet.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Focus Features)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Since its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, Chlo\u00e9 Zhao<\/a>\u2019s aching story of love and loss has won audience awards at festivals around the world: London, San Diego, Toronto, Spain. If Telluride had such a prize, it would have won there too as it left moviegoers openly weeping as they waited in line for the restrooms afterward. Perhaps the prospect of this kind of emotional devastation gives you pause. Would it help if I told you that the first part of the movie, detailing the courtship of a young Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) in love, is primal and electric? And that Jessie Buckley, playing the Bard\u2019s future wife, is so extraordinary that she\u2019ll go on to win more honors than the movie itself? Just go see it. There\u2019s no better place to cry than in the darkness of a movie theater. \u2014 Glenn Whipp<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018The Secret Agent\u2019 (Nov. 26)<\/h2>\n
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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Wagner Moura in the movie \u201cThe Secret Agent.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Victor Juca)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

This Brazilian import by director Kleber Mendon\u00e7a Filho killed us at Cannes<\/a>. It\u2019s the kind of zippy, immersive crime thriller that reminds you of the international lingua franca that Scorsese all but invented with \u201cGoodfellas.\u201d As the country\u2019s \u201970s-era military dictatorship wreaks havoc, decent people privately put up a complex resistance over years. The real reason you need to see this one is Wagner Moura, who you may have noticed in \u201cCivil War\u201d<\/a> and Netflix\u2019s \u201cNarcos,\u201d but who here makes a persuasive bid to join the highest echelon of leading men: furious, impassioned and haunted by a backstory conveyed with a minimum of means. \u2014 Joshua Rothkopf<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Five Nights at Freddy\u2019s 2\u2019 (Dec. 5)<\/h2>\n
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\"Two <\/picture>\n
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A scene from the movie \u201cFive Nights at Freddy\u2019s 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Universal Pictures and Blumhouse)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

More rampaging animatronic puppets? Yes, please. If you think we\u2019re kidding, slow your roll: The first one, which we didn\u2019t hate<\/a>, understood the ominous, moldering potential of a kiddie restaurant gone to seed. And with a cast that includes Josh Hutcherson, Mckenna Grace and a mini-\u201cScream\u201d reunion in Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich, the horror faithful should line up for a second helping of trauma. Breathe in this factoid for a second: The first \u201cFreddy\u201d is far and away Blumhouse\u2019s highest-grossing movie, more than \u201cGet Out\u201d or \u201cM3GAN,\u201d by $120 million. People like this franchise. You could too. \u2014 Joshua Rothkopf<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair\u2019 (Dec. 5)<\/h2>\n
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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Uma Thurman in the movie \u201cKill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Lionsgate)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

The recent craze for revivals and re-releases has spurred something many fans have long clamored to see: Quentin Tarantino\u2019s complete \u201cKill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.\u201d While the film was broken up into two<\/a> parts<\/a> for its original release, this new assembly combines the two versions (with a few tweaks) to fully convey the wild genre mash-up of Tarantino\u2019s original vision. In its tale of a woman fighting her way through a list of people who wronged her on the way to the man who betrayed her, \u201cThe Whole Bloody Affair\u201d makes Uma Thurman\u2019s performance even more impressive as she slashes her way toward revenge, redemption and an unlikely grace. \u2014 Mark Olsen<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Ella McCay\u2019 (Dec. 12)<\/h2>\n
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Woody Harrelson, Emma Mackey and Jamie Lee Curtis in the movie \u201cElla McCay.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Claire Folger \/ 20th Century Studios)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

James L. Brooks is one of Hollywood\u2019s great humanists \u2014 and Lord knows we need those more than ever. Fifteen years since releasing his previous film \u201cHow Do You Know,\u201d the \u201cBroadcast News\u201d and \u201cTerms of Endearment\u201d<\/a> writer-director returns with a political comedy set in the Obama era about an idealistic lieutenant governor (Emma Mackey) thrust into the power seat when her mentor, played by Albert Brooks, heads to Washington. With a stacked cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Rebecca Hall and Kumail Nanjiani, \u201cElla McCay\u201d promises to deliver what this filmmaker does best: funny, clear-eyed storytelling about the quiet heroism of trying (and sometimes failing) to do the right thing. \u2014 Josh Rottenberg<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Avatar: Fire and Ash\u2019 (Dec. 19)<\/h2>\n
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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Oona Chaplin as Varang in the movie \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash.\u201d<\/p>\n

(20th Century Studios)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

After 2009\u2019s \u201cAvatar\u201d reprogrammed the blockbuster<\/a>, James Cameron showed no signs of coming up for air. Second sequel \u201cFire and Ash\u201d plunges Jake and Neytiri into fresh conflict as their family faces down a ruthless Na\u2019vi clan known as the Ash People. With Sam Worthington, Zo\u00eb Salda\u00f1a, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet returning, this third installment promises a darker, more emotional turn and another leap in visual ambition. And with two more sequels already in the works, Cameron seems determined to outlast not just his critics, but possibly civilization itself. \u2014 Josh Rottenberg<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018The Housemaid\u2019 (Dec. 19)<\/h2>\n
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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Amanda Seyfried in the movie \u201cThe Housemaid.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Lionsgate)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Paul Feig\u2019s flair for crowd-pleasers about catty women has been tilting from comedy to thriller ever since the cult success of 2018\u2019s \u201cA Simple Favor.\u201d<\/a> He\u2019s a good pick to direct this adaptation of Freida McFadden\u2019s dark and pleasingly pulpy bestseller about a maid who moves into a family\u2019s posh home and makes a major mess. All eyes will be on Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried playing, respectively, a damaged servant and her new boss, but I\u2019m curious to get a longer look at the star potential of Brandon Sklenar (\u201cIt Ends With Us,\u201d<\/a> \u201cDrop\u201d<\/a>), who is emerging as a leading man. \u2014 Amy Nicholson<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Is This Thing On?\u2019 (Dec. 19)<\/h2>\n
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\"Two <\/picture>\n
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Will Arnett and Laura Dern in the movie \u201cIs This Thing On?\u201d<\/p>\n

(Jason McDonald \/ Searchlight Pictures)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Bradley Cooper\u2019s two previous efforts as director \u2014 \u201cA Star Is Born\u201d<\/a> and \u201cMaestro\u201d<\/a> \u2014 had the air of purposeful masterworks, looking to make bold, sweeping statements about life and art. For his latest film, \u201cIs This Thing On?,\u201d there\u2019s the feeling of a step-back, an attempt to make something smaller, simpler and looser while no less emotionally committed. Will Arnett shows previously unexplored dramatic depths as a man who, in the free-fall of an impending divorce, undertakes stand-up comedy as a therapeutic release. The result is a tender, bittersweet ballad to anyone who feels they may not be fully over yet, especially when indications say otherwise. \u2014 Mark Olsen<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Anaconda\u2019 (Dec. 25)<\/h2>\n
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\"Four <\/picture>\n
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Thandiwe Newton, Jack Black, Paul Rudd and Steve Zahn in the movie \u201cAnaconda.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Matt Grace \/ Columbia Pictures)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Even if you have fond memories of the ultra-silly 1997 original<\/a> and the four official sequels it shed, it\u2019s a fair bet you don\u2019t remember any plot details. Nor do you need to. Big snake. People getting chomped. That\u2019s it. To go a step further, this meta-comedy reboot will almost certainly be a lot smarter than what\u2019s come before. Two middle-aged friends \u2014 Paul Rudd and Jack Black (recapturing his gleam-in-the-eye mania from \u201cSchool of Rock\u201d) \u2014 decide to remake their favorite guilty \u201990s pleasure as a no-budget indie flick. After their snake handler\u2019s docile specimen has an onset mishap, the real thing slithers into view. \u2014 Joshua Rothkopf<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Marty Supreme\u2019 (Dec. 25)<\/h2>\n
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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet in the movie \u201cMarty Supreme.\u201d<\/p>\n

(A24)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet learned guitar to play Bob Dylan in last year\u2019s \u201cA Complete Unknown.\u201d<\/a> That\u2019s impressive, but I\u2019m more eager to see his pingpong skills in Josh Safdie\u2019s biopic loosely based on 1958 men\u2019s singles table tennis champion Marty \u201cThe Needle\u201d Reisman, who flipped the script on Theodore Roosevelt by speaking loudly with a very small paddle. The buzz is that Chalamet has been coached by former American Olympian Wei Wang and that \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d might be the all-too-rare Oscar contender that\u2019s game to take a big swing. As a bonus, it\u2019s got one of my favorite rising starlets, Odessa A\u2019zion. \u2014 Amy Nicholson<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018No Other Choice\u2019 (Dec. 25)<\/h2>\n
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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Lee Byung-hun in the movie \u201cNo Other Choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Jaehyuk Lee \/ Neon)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

A longtime passion project for filmmaker Park Chan-wook, this adaptation of a 1997 Donald Westlake novel somehow feels up-to-the-minute timely. Dedicated Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun<\/a>), a veteran employee at a paper company, loses his job following a corporate buyout and struggles to find work that will provide for his family. Out of desperation, he plans to kill off any competitors for a promising new job he\u2019s interviewing for. In part thanks to the lead performance by \u201cSquid Game\u201d star Lee, there is a warmth and charm to go along with Park\u2019s exacting craft and formalism in this vicious satire of the zero-sum mindset of current economies. \u2014 Mark Olsen<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018The Testament of Ann Lee\u2019 (Dec. 25)<\/h2>\n
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\"Two <\/picture>\n
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Amanda Seyfried and Lewis Pullman in the movie \u201cThe Testament of Ann Lee.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Searchlight Pictures)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

This is a genuinely strange movie, but that\u2019s the vibe you want from a film that tackles the life of the founder of the Shakers religious sect, doing so in the form of a musical, complete with songs (more like chants) and dances that pulsate with whirling-dervish fervor. Amanda Seyfried gives it her all playing the title character, the real-life leader of a movement devoted to gender equality and sexual abstinence. It\u2019s directed by Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote it with her partner Brady Corbet, making this something of a supplement to \u201cThe Brutalist\u201d<\/a> (including both films\u2019 Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg<\/a>). You\u2019ll learn a lot about the Shakers and maybe not enough about Ann Lee beyond her zealotry. But the herky-jerky song-and-dance sequences are wild, a potent reminder that America has long been the land of the free and the home of the rave. \u2014 Glenn Whipp<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.latimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It wouldn\u2019t be an awards season without a few last-minute gifts under the tree, set to sweep the table clear. This year, those include everything from Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet\u2019s cosmic ping-pong epic \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d to a new \u201cAvatar\u201d sequel from James Cameron, whom we\u2019ve learned to never count out on Oscar night. We\u2019re also looking forward […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2164174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2164173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Holiday-preview-2025-The-12-movies-were-most-looking-forward.com2F1b2Fdc2F2656f6c1455aaed376fae773.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2164173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2164173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2164173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2164175,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2164173\/revisions\/2164175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2164174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2164173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2164173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2164173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}