Following this Thanksgiving bounty of films, December will offer a mix of surefire Oscar contenders (“Fences,” “La La Land”) and popcorn flicks (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Assassin’s Creed”). Some of the Oscar faves opening in bigger markets will hit Pittsburgh in January.
Nov. 25
“The Eagle Huntress”: Documentary about a 13-year-old Kazakh girl who trains to become the first female in 12 generations of her family to become an eagle hunter.
Dec. 2
“Man Down”: Shia LaBeouf plays a U.S. Marine who returns home from Afghanistan to a post-apocalyptic America and goes in search of his estranged wife and son.
Dec. 9
“Office Christmas Party”: Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman (“Horrible Bosses”) team up in this ensemble comedy about co-workers hoping to close a sale and save their jobs by throwing an epic party.
“Manchester by the Sea”: The latest drama from writer-director Kenneth Lonergan (“Margaret”) explores the relationship between a man who is haunted by his past (Casey Affleck) and his newly fatherless teenage nephew (Lucas Hedges).
“Nocturnal Animals”: Tom Ford directs Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon in this story of an art gallery owner who feels threatened by her ex-husband’s violent revenge novel.
“Miss Sloane”: Jessica Chastain plays a ruthless Washington, D.C., lobbyist who takes on the most powerful opponent of her career and finds that winning might take on too high of a price.
Dec. 16
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”: “Star Wars” prequel stars Felicity Jones as a Rebel who must steal the plans to the Death Star. With Diego Luna and Forest Whitaker.
“Collateral Beauty”: Will Smith plays a New York ad executive who copes with a tragedy by writing letters to the entities Time, Love and Death. With Edward Norton and Kate Winslet.
“The Space Between Us”: Interplanetary adventure about a teenage boy raised on Mars who visits Earth to find a girl he met online. With Asa Butterfield and Carla Gugino.
Dec. 21
“Passengers”: Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are two passengers on board a spaceship transporting them to a new life on another planet. The trip takes a deadly turn when their hibernation pods mysteriously wake them 90 years before they reach their destination.
“Assassin’s Creed”: Action adventure based on the popular video game — about dueling secret societies — stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons and Charlotte Rampling.
“Sing”: Animated feature about animals taking part in the world’s greatest singing competition to save a once-grand theater. With Matthew McConaughey, Seth MacFarlane, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson.
Dec. 23
“Why Him?”: Bryan Cranston plays an overprotective father who visits his daughter (Zoey Deutch) at Stanford University only to encounter her socially awkward billionaire boyfriend played by James Franco.
Dec. 25
“Fences”: Denzel Washington and Viola Davis have already won Tony Awards for the 2010 Broadway revival of this August Wilson domestic drama. Now Mr. Washington is bringing it to the screen as director-star in this potential Oscar contender filmed in Pittsburgh.
“La La Land”: Damien Chazelle’s musical, with nods to vintage Hollywood fare, follows the romance between a struggling actress (Emma Stone) and a jazz purist (Ryan Gosling).
“Gold”: Matthew McConaughey plays a prospector who draws the attention of the FBI and the Indonesian military after finding an enormous amount of gold in the jungles of Indonesia. Based on a true story.
Coming in January:
Jan. 6: “Underworld: Blood Wars,” “A Monster Calls,” “Hidden Figures,” “Silence.”
Jan. 13: “Live By Night,” “Patriot’s Day,” “Monster Trucks,” “The Bye Bye Man,” “Sleepless,” “Elle.”
First Published: November 23, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
