U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-31
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Cast: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Dagmara Dominczyk, Paul Mescal, Jack Farthing
Uses tone, location, and a string of expert performances to leave an impression, even if the story itself is unremarkable.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-22
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Action
Director: Lana Wachowski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Yaha Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Jada Pinkett Smith, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Christina Ricci, Lambert Wilson
For fans of the series, it’s a betrayal that deserves to be ignored and forgotten as soon as possible.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-24
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Comedy/Science Fiction
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Scott Mescudi, Ariana Grande, Ron Perlman, Timothee Chalamet, Tyler Perry, Mark Rylance, Jonah Hill, Rob Morgan, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Melanie Lynskey
With this star-studded cast, the classification of a “missed opportunity” doesn’t do it justice; it feels closer to a tragedy.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-25
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Drugs)
Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, John Michael Higgins, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Christine Ebersole, Maya Rudolph, Skyler Gisondo
Sweet and romantic with plenty of offbeat quirks and unexpected beats while never becoming saccharine or artificial.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-22
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Djimon Hounsou, Harris Dickinson, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Rhys Ifans
The problem with "The King’s Man" isn’t that it’s a bad film (it isn’t) but an unnecessary one.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-22
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Animated/Musical
Director: Garth Jennings
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Scarlett Johansson, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Bono
The triumphant ending almost makes up for an otherwise uninvolving and derivative story.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-17
MPAA Rating: "R" (Sexual Content, Profanity, Disturbing Themes)
Genre: Drama
Director: Lauren Hadaway
Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Amy Forsyth, Dilone, Jonathan Cherry, Kate Drummond
The escapism on offer here isn’t of a light and airy nature but instead provides insight into the darker, obsessive aspects of the human experience.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-17
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina, Thomas Haden Church, Rhys Ifans, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Benedict Wong, J.K. Simmons, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire
The supercharged CGI effects are fine and the battles are eye-popping, but the character interactions make "No Way Home" work.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-17
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Drama/Musical
Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn, Bashir Salahuddin
A handsome looking period piece with too many mediocre songs and a major downer of an ending.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-17
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Richard Jenkins, Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, David Strathairn, Ron Perlman, Holt McCallany
The end result is unsettling and reminiscent of what Hitchcock might have done with this premise.