The 10 movies to check out in December

December brings confusion to Australian screens: white Christmas in the cinema, white heat outside. Oscar contenders are lining up, along with seasonal films for the tackers. It can be hard to find anything grown-up.

The trend towards dark Christmas fare continues with Violent Night - in which an alcoholic Santa kicks some terrorist tush - and an Aussie horror film, Carnifex, about something very nasty in the outback. It’s a strong month for music too: documentaries on the Angels (Kickin’ Down the Door) and Ennio Morricone, as well as I Wanna Dance with Somebody, surely the last film about the life and death of Whitney Houston?

As usual, the big titles bunch up for Boxing Day or the week before, when James Cameron releases Avatar: The Way of Water. Yes, those blue Na’vi are back, battling the armies of technology. When Cameron gets in the water, other films tend to vacate the pool.

Here are 10 movies I am looking forward to this December, all unseen as yet.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.

Kompromat

Kompromat is compromising material, often false, used by the Russian security services to damage opponents. In 2017, this happened to a Frenchman in Irkutsk who was running the Alliance Francaise. Instead of going to prison, he set off to escape the country. This looks like a quality French thriller with a contemporary feel. The square-jawed Gilles Lellouche plays the Frenchman at the heart of the story. Opens December 1.

Neil Young: Harvest Time

An old man takes a look at his life. In 1970-71, Neil Young filmed the making of Harvest, which is definitely one of the GOATs. The director is Bernard Shakey, Young’s pseudonym. The old footage includes stuff shot on his ranch during recording and in Nashville. It’s only taken Young 50 years to put it all together, with a new introduction by the man himself. In cinemas December 1 and 4.

Stars at Noon

The original novel by late American writer Denis Johnson was set in Nicaragua in 1984, during the Sandinista years. French director Claire Denis has updated it to the pandemic. Either way, it’s a metaphor for hell. Margaret Qualley plays an American journalist who falls for a mysterious Brit (Joe Alwyn) who is probably a spy. This looks like classic Denis - love and trouble in exotic places. Her lush and grown-up films are generally not to be missed. Opens December 1.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical

Matilda Wormwood never really goes away, does she? Dahl’s gifted but rebellious child first appeared in book form in 1988. There have been various versions on film, radio, and the London stage ever since. This version of the hit musical has Alisha Weir as the girl and Emma Thompson (of course) as the bullying headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. The director is Matthew Warchus, artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London. Opens December 8 and streaming on Netflix from December 25.

White Noise

Any new film from Noah Baumbach is an event. This is a black comedy based on the novel by Don DeLillo, with Adam Driver and the supremely talented Greta Gerwig (Baumbach’s partner) as a couple caught up in what may well be the end of the world, at least in the small town they must now flee with their four children. Don Cheadle plays a professor. It looks very dark and very funny. Opens December 8 and streaming on Netflix from January 6.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Here it is finally, the sequel to 2009’s Avatar, only eight years behind schedule. James Cameron apparently needed to invent new techniques for underwater motion capture to realise his vision. Then he wanted to film three sequels at once, rather than one. The man does dream, you gotta say. Much of it was made in Wellington, so the film stars lots of Australian and Kiwi actors. Sam Worthington is back as Jake Sully, the former human who became part of the Na’vi. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Edie Falco and our own Brendan Cowell. Shooting took three years and cost somewhere close to $US400 million ($602 million). Unprecedented. Opens December 15.

The Pale Blue Eye

Christian Bale plays a detective investigating a series of murders at West Point, the United States Military Academy. The twist is that it’s set in 1830 and Harry Melling (Harry Potter, The Queen’s Gambit) plays Edgar Allan Poe, who helps with the detection. He was indeed a West Point student at one time, although he failed, which led to his decision to devote himself to writing. The film is based on a novel by Louis Bayard. Director Scott Cooper had a stellar cast to work with: Gillian Anderson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Timothy Spall and Robert Duvall. The style is gothic horror mystery, presumably in recognition of Poe’s contribution to both detective stories and science-fiction. Opens December 22 and streaming on Netflix from December 25.

The Banshees of Inisherin

I can’t wait for this. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson reunite with the writer-director Martin McDonagh, with made In Bruges. This one is set on a fictional island in 1923 during the Irish Civil War. Folk musician Colm (Gleeson) tells his long-time drinking buddy Padraic (Farrell) that he no longer wants to be friends. In fact, if the disappointed Padraic does not stop bothering him, Colm will cut off one of his own fingers every time he attempts to make contact. This will be funny and sad, probably more of the latter. Advance word has been very positive. Opens December 26.

The Lost King

Sally Hawkins plays Philippa Langley, an Edinburgh shop assistant who worked out where the remains of King Richard III lay buried, under a car park in Leicester. Steve Coogan plays her supportive ex-husband. It’s a true story and the best news is that Stephen Frears is at the helm. He is in his 80s, working less than he once did, but his gift for comedy and pathos will be perfect for this story. Philippa thinks she is going mad when the real King Richard keeps appearing before her to guide her. Opens December 26.

Triangle of Sadness

It’s rare that a comedy wins the Palme d’Or at Cannes. The director is the gifted Swede Ruben Ostlund, who made Force Majeure in 2014. The setting is a luxury yacht with a bunch of airhead model influencers aboard and Woody Harrelson as their drunken captain. Naturally, they trash the ship, some die and the rest end up on an island, trying to stay alive. It looks like savage satire in the era of social media: Gilligan’s Island, OMG! Opens December 26.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.

Reward your time with these TV shows

Best known for her leading roles in box office smashes like The Hunger Games, X- Men movies and Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence has returned to her austere Indie roots in Causeway, a movie about a soldier recovering from a brain injury.

It’s the Australian movie that has attracted tens of millions of global views on Netflix, critical acclaim and a little bit of controversy. Joel Egerton stars in The Stranger, an art-house film with Australian muscle.

It’s easy to forget that James Corden, famous for helming The Late Late Show and singing with celebs in his Carpool Karaoke segments, is a serious actor. In Mammals, a TV series about a chef discovering secrets about his pregnant wife, serious is just the beginning.