The final weekend of the year generally sees a handful of new wide releases, almost always from Christmas Day openings (films very rarely go wide after Christmas until the new year), and a lot of potential Oscar offerings, as films crowd to get in theaters before the December 31 deadline. Enjoy this bonanza, because once the calendar turns to January, the quantity and quality of new releases tends to take a nosedive.
*-4 day grosses
**-5 day grosses
One Year Ago--December 27, 2019:
#1 Movie:
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker--$72.4 million
New Wide Releases:
Little Women--4/$16.8 million/$108.1 million/28/95%/91--Opening 25 years to the day since the last major theatrical version of Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic, Greta Gerwig's version eschews the linear storytelling of previous versions, instead choosing to jump back and forth in time as it tells the story of Jo (Saoirse Ronan), and her quest to be taken seriously as an author as well as her relationship with her other sisters (Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen). Little Women adaptions tend to attract all-star casts, and this one is no exception, with Laura Dern (on her way to winning an Oscar for Gerwig's partner Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story) and Bob Odenkirk as the girls' parents, Meryl Street as the girls' aunt, Timothee Chalamet as Laurie, Tracy Letts as an editor, Louis Garrel as a professor who likes Jo, and Chris Cooper as Chalamet's grandfather. Critics were highly impressed with the film, and audiences made it a surprise hit. The film would get six Oscar nominations, including Picture, Actress for Ronan, Supporting Actress for Pugh, Adapted Screenplay, and Score, and would win for Costumes.
Director: Greta Gerwig
Spies in Disguise--5/$13.4 million/$66.8 million/43/76%/54--In what would turn out to be the final film released from Blue Sky Studio, this animated action comedy starred Will Smith as a superspy who finds himself being suspected of being a double agent. Barely escaping from headquarters, he's forced to team with young inventor Tom Holland, and for reasons too silly to discuss here, ends up turned into a pigeon, which proves to be a surprisingly good disguise to go globetrotting in while Smith tries to figure out who set him up. Rashida Jones played the investigator who suspects Smith, Reba McEntire is the agency head, Rachel Brosnahan played Holland's mother, Karen Gillan and DJ Khaled played other spies, and Ben Mendelsohn played an old nemesis of Smith's. Despite solid reviews and the presence of Smith and Holland, audiences rejected these spies (it opened below the 6-week-old Frozen II), which helps explain why Blue Sky is no more.
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
New Limited Releases:
1917--$159.2 million/17/89%/78--Two British soldiers (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) are ordered to undertake an extremely dangerous mission to hand-deliver orders calling off a likely doomed attack in this World War I thriller. While the storyline itself was fine and exciting, what caught critics' attention was director Sam Mendes's decision to shoot the film in such a way that the entire film seemed like it was two lengthy, continuous shots. Colin Firth played the general who ordered the pair to deliver the message, Benedict Cumberbatch played the intended recipient, and Mark Strong played another officer. Critics were mostly very positive about the film, and it became a somewhat unexpected blockbuster when it went wide in January, fueled by earning ten Oscar nominations, including Picture, Director for Mendes, Original Screenplay, Makeup, Production Design, Score, and Sound Editing. It would win three, for Cinematography, Visual Effects, and Sound Mixing.
Director: Sam Mendes
Just Mercy--$36 million/71/85%/68--A graduate of Harvard Law (Michael B. Jordan) moves to Alabama to help poor, wrongly convicted prisoners. One of his first cases is that of Jamie Foxx, who had been convicted of murdering a white woman and was sentenced to death, despite having an airtight alibi for the time of the crime. Jordan, along with partner Brie Larson, work against the systematic racism to try to beat the odds and free Foxx from prison. Tim Blake Nelson played the career criminal who fingered Foxx for the crime, Rafe Spall played the young D.A. uninterested in re-opening the case, and O'Shea Jackson, Jr. played Foxx's cellmate. Despite strong reviews, the film was passed over by nearly all the year-end awards.
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Expanding:
Uncut Gems--7/$9.6 million
Five Years Ago--December 25, 2015:
#1 Movie:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens--$149.2 million
New Wide Releases:
Daddy's Home--2/$38.7 million/$150.4 million/22/30%/42--Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg apparently enjoyed working together five years earlier on The Other Guys, since they reteamed for this broad comedy in which Ferrell is married to Wahlberg's ex Linda Cardellini and is acting as her kids' stepdad when Wahlberg comes back into their lives, determined to show up Ferrell. Thomas Haden Church played Ferrell's boss, Bobby Cannavale played a fertility doctor, Hannibal Burris played Ferrell's best friend, and John Cena and Kobe Bryant have cameos. Critics were dismissive of the film, but it became a holiday hit. It would be followed by a sequel in 2017.
Director: Sean Anders
Joy--3/$17 million/$56.5 million/52/60%/56--After critical and commercial blockbusters Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, the Jennifer Lawrence/Bradley Cooper/Robert De Niro/David O. Russell trilogy came to an end with this disappointing biopic of Joy Mangano, a woman with financial issues and a complicated home life who finds success when she invents a self-wringing mop. Cooper played a QVC exec, De Niro Lawrence's father, Edgar Ramirez her ex-husband who still lives with her, Diane Ladd as Lawrence's grandmother, Virginia Madsen as Lawrence's soap opera-obsessed mother, Isabella Rossellini as De Niro's girlfriend who finances Lawrence's initial order, with Melissa Rivers playing her mother Joan, and real-life soap stars Donna Mills and Susan Lucci as the stars of Madsen's favorite show. Despite the talent and the critical hosannas that had greeted the quartet's last two movies, critics were largely disappointed in this one, and it underperformed at the box office. Lawrence was still able to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Director: David O. Russell
Concussion--7/$10.5 million/$34.5 million/75/59%/55--Not even Will Smith could get people to see this docudrama about the dangerous effects that football has had on the brains of former NFL players. Smith played Dr. Bennet Omalu, who is one of the first doctors to discover a link between the game, head injuries, and erratic behavior later in life, spent years trying to get the NFL to take his research seriously, even as multiple former players were dying at relatively young ages. Alec Baldwin and Albert Brooks played doctors working with Smith, David Morse played a football player whose brain damage led to his death, Gugu Mbatha-Raw played Smith's wife, Luke Wilson played NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and Arliss Howard, Mike O'Malley, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Stephen Moyer, and Paul Reiser played supporting roles. Critics were underwhelmed by it, with a lot of criticism that the film soft-pedaled its message to appease the NFL.
Director: Peter Landesman
Point Break--8/$9.8 million/$28.8 million/85/11%/34--This utterly pointless remake of the well-remembered 1991 thriller substitutes Luke Bracey in for Keanu Reeves as a former extreme sports athlete-turned-FBI agent who is sent undercover to take down a gang of extreme athletes who are committing heists. There he meets Patrick Swayze replacement Edgar Ramirez (in his second film of the weekend) and infiltrates his gang. Ray Winstone and Delroy Lindo played senior FBI agents, and Teresa Palmer played Bracey's love interest. Critics couldn't really figure out why this story needed to be remade, and audiences largely avoided it in favor of other holiday offerings.
Director: Ericson Cole
The Hateful Eight--10/$4.6 million/$54.1 million/54/74%/68--In Quentin Tarantino's bloody western thriller, 8 travelers are stranded by a blizzard at a stagecoach stop oddly abandoned by its owner. It doesn't take long to realize that not everyone there is on the up and up, as at least some of the men are there to rescue fugitive criminal Jennifer Jason Leigh, who is due to be hanged. Among the suspects are Kurt Russell as the bounty hunter who captured Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson as a rival bounty hunter, Walton Groggins as a new sheriff (maybe), Demain Bichir as the guy who has taken over the stop (maybe), Tim Roth as the town's new executioner (maybe), Michael Madson as a cowboy (maybe) and Bruce Dern as a former Confederate general. Also in the cast are Tarantino regulars James Parks and Zoe Bell, along with 70s/80s TV actor Lee Horsley. While the film (which was shown in its initial engagements in 70mm, the first film in years to be released in that format) received solid reviews, many critics considered it a step down from Tarantino's previous films Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds. It still earned three Oscar nominations: Supporting Actress for Leigh and Cinematography, and the Score, one of the last by legendary composer Ennio Morricone, would win.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
New Limited Releases:
The Revenant--$183.6 million/13/78%/76--The weekend's other bloody, snowy western, which ended up being a far bigger hit than Tarantino's, starred once and future Tarantino star Leonardo DiCaprio as a trapper and guide who, after being left for dead after a bear attack, has to make it back to the nearest fort, miles and miles away, despite his injuries and hostile Native Americans in the area. Tom Hardy played another trapper who attempted to kill DiCaprio, Domhnall Gleeson played the leader of the expedition, Will Poulter as another trapper, and Lukas Haas as a hostile. Even though the film was brutal, it still became a huge hit upon its wide release in January. It would receive 12 Oscar nominations, the most that year, including Picture, Supporting Actor for Hardy (who also starred in Mad Max: Fury Road, the second-most nominated film that year), Editing, Costumes, Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, and Production Design. It would win three, Best Actor for DiCaprio, Director for Alejandro G. Inarritu (his second consecutive Best Director win, after winning for Birdman), and Cinematography.
Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu
45 Years--$4.3 million/153/97%/94--On the eve of their 45th wedding anniversary, British couple Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay learn that the body of Courtenay's long-ago girlfriend, who had been killed in a hiking accident a half-century earlier, had been discovered. This revelation threatens to unravel the party and maybe even the marriage. Critics raved about the drama and the two leads, which helped the film become an art house success. Rampling would be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars.
Director: Andrew Haigh
Expanding:
The Big Short--6/$10.5 million
Ten Years Ago--December 24, 2010:
New Wide Releases:
Little Fockers--1/$30.8 million/$148.4 million/16/9%/27--The third, and so far, final entry in the Fockers franchise has Robert De Niro once again bullying son-in-law Ben Stiller, this time because De Niro becomes convinced that Stiller is cheating on wife Teri Polo with drug rep Jessica Alba. Hijinks ensure. The film boasted a truly impressive cast, including Blythe Danner as Polo's mother and De Niro's wife, Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman as Stiller's parents, Laura Dern as a school principal, Kevin Hart as Stiller's fellow male nurse, director Tom McCarthy as Stiller's former brother-in-law, Harvey Keitel as a contractor, Jordan Peele as an EMT, Nick Kroll as a doctor, and Owen Wilson as Polo's old boyfriend. Despite that cast, the film received nearly unanimous pans. It did well enough box-office wise, but still finished below the first two movies.
Director: Paul Weitz
True Grit--2/$24.8 million/$171.2 million/13/95%/80--The Coen Brothers, whose films are generally more admired than seen, had their first and, to date, only massive blockbuster in this remake of John Wayne's 1969 western about a drunken, one-eyed marshal (Jeff Bridges) who is hired by a teenage girl (Hailee Steinfeld) to track down the man (Josh Brolin) who murdered her father. They're joined in their search by a Texas Ranger (Matt Damon) who has his own reasons for wanting to capture Brolin. Barry Pepper played the leader of Brolin's gang, and Domhnall Gleason played another outlaw. Like with most Coen movies, critics were wild for it, and it made almost exactly as much as Bridges other big holiday movie, the much more expensive Tron: Legacy. The film would receive 10 Oscar nominations, for Picture, Bridges for Actor, Steinfeld for Supporting Actress, the Coens for Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costumes, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Art Direction, though it would come up empty on Oscar night.
Director: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Gulliver's Travels--8/$6.3 million/$42.8 million/74/20%/33--Jonathan Swift's 1726 satirical classic is refashioned into a vehicle for Jack Black in its latest adaption, set in the modern day. In this version, Gulliver is a travel writer whose trip to the Bermuda Triangle ends with him stumbling onto the island of Lilliput, inhabited by a race of tiny humans. There, he finds himself drawn both into the battle between the island and their equally tiny rivals on another island and into the romance between a commoner (Jason Segal) and the princess (Emily Blunt), much to the chagrin of a general (Chris O'Dowd) who is also interested in her. Billy Connelly played the country's king, Amanda Peet played Gulliver's boss, James Corden played the king's secretary, and T.J. Miller played Gulliver's co-worker. Despite a solid cast, critics were unimpressed, and with plenty of other options, audiences largely ignored it.
Director: Rob Letterman
New Limited Releases:
The Illusionist--$2.2 million/169/90%/82--Based on a script by legendary French comedian Jacques Tati, this animated film from Sylvain Chomet follows a fading stage magician in the 1950s and his relationship with a young woman who idolizes him. Like Tati's films, and, for that matter, Chomet's own The Triplets of Belleville, there is minimal dialogue. Critics were entranced, and the film was nominated for Animated Feature at the Oscars.
Director: Sylvain Chomet
Country Strong--$20.2 million/116/22%/45--Gwyneth Paltrow, whose career had been struggling outside of Iron Man movies, attempted a comeback with this melodrama, playing an alcoholic country star attempting a comeback tour with her husband (Tim McGraw), her boyfriend (Garrett Hedlund) and an up-and-coming singer (Leighton Meester). Paltrow got solid reviews, but the film itself was largely dismissed by critics, and it ended up being ignored by audiences when it went wide in January. Its Song "Coming Home" did get an Oscar nomination, though.
Director: Shana Feste
December 31, 2010:
#1 Movie:
Little Fockers--$25.8 million
New Limited Releases:
Blue Valentine--$9.7 million/133/87%/81--The early days of the relationship between a medical student (Michelle Williams) and a high school dropout (Ryan Gosling) are contrasted with their marriage five years later, which is falling apart due to his drinking and money problems. This drama ran into controversary when it was given an NC-17 rating due to a relatively mild sex scene. On appeal, it got an R before its release. The two leads and critical acclaim helped to make the film an art house success. Williams would be Oscar nominated for Actress.
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Another Year--$3.2 million/162/93%/80--This comedy-drama from Mike Leigh, which, like most of his film, is largely improvised during rehearsals, shows four days over the course of a year (one per season) involving a happily married couple (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen who, like most of the cast, have worked with Leigh before), most of which involve their relationship with Sheen's deeply unhappy friend (Leslie Manville). Imelda Staunton, who starred in Leigh's Vera Drake six years earlier, had a cameo as an insomniac at the clinic where Sheen works. Like most of Leigh's films, this earned across-the-board raves from critics. The Original Screenplay was Oscar-nominated.
Director: Mike Leigh
Biutiful--$5.1 million/156 (2011)/66%/58--In one of the grimmer movies from Alejandro Inarritu (whose movies tend to be grim anyway), Javiar Bardem stars as a man dying of cancer who is wracked with guilt over the fate of some of the illegal immigrants he had tried to help and worry over the fate of his kids, since almost no one he knows can be trusted to take care of them. Bardem got praise, and the film got good reviews, but was criticized in some circles for being too much of a depressing slog. It would be nominated for two Oscars, Bardem for Actor and Foreign Language Film for Mexico (even though it was set and shot in Spain, and starred a Spanish actor).
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
The Way Back--$2.7 million/176 (2011)/74%/66--Peter Weir directed this film about a group of prisoners in Siberia during World War II, including Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, and Colin Ferrell, who escape from the gulag and head on a 4,000 mile south, across the USSR, Mongolia, and China, to reach then-British-controlled India. Mark Strong played another prisoner, and Saoirse Ronan played an orphan girl that joined the group. The film was well-received but little seen, though it did get an Oscar nomination for Makeup.
Director: Peter Weir
Expanding:
The King's Speech--10/$7.8 million
Fifteen Years Ago--December 30, 2005:
#1 Movie:
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--$25.7 million
New Limited Releases:
Match Point--$23.2 million/106/77%/72--Woody Allen, who had suffered from several flops in a row and was unable to find financing in the United States, accepted British funding on the condition that he film his new movie in London. The result was his most acclaimed film since Sweet and Lowdown in 1999, and his most successful box office-wise since Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986. A former tennis player (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), married into a wealthy family, begins an affair with the ex-girlfriend (Scarlett Johansson) of his brother-in-law (Matthew Goode). When she becomes pregnant and demands that he leave his wife (Emily Mortimer) for her, he takes extreme action. Brian Cox played Meyers's father-in-law, and Ewen Bremner played a police officer. Even though the plot bore similarities to Allen's 1989 drama Crimes and Misdemeanors, critics still approved, and Allen's Original Screenplay would get an Oscar nomination.
Director: Woody Allen
The Matador--$12.6 million/137/75%/65--In Mexico City, businessman Greg Kinnear meets Pierce Bronson at the hotel bar, and ends up going to a bullfight with him, where he learns that Bronson is a professional hitman, though one who is becoming increasingly unstable, which leads to Kinnear becoming much more involved than he ever thought. Hope Davis played Kinnear's wife, Adam Scott his colleague, and Dylan Baker and Phillip Baker Hall played Bronson's handlers.
Director: Richard Shepard
Twenty Years Ago--December 29, 2000:
#1 Movie:
Cast Away--$31 million
New Wide Releases:
All the Pretty Horses--10/$3.5 million/$15.4 million/112/32%/55--Billy Bob Thornton's first directorial effort since Sling Blade four years earlier was this poorly received adaption of Cormac McCarthy's novel about a Texas cowboy (Matt Damon) in the 1940s who, while working in Mexico, falls for the daughter (Penelope Cruz) of his employer (Ruben Blades). Needless to say, this does not sit well with her family. Henry Thomas played Damon's fellow cowboy, Robert Patrick played Damon's father, Sam Shepard played the family attorney, Bruce Dern played a judge, and Lucas Black played a troubled kid that Damon and Thomas befriend. Billy Bob Thornton's original cut was three hours, but producer Harvey Weinstein ordered it cut to just under two. The full three-hour cut does appear to exist, but has been kept out of circulation due to rights issues.
Director: Billy Bob Thornton
New Limited Releases:
Malena--$3.5 million/161/54%/54--This Italian drama starred Monica Bellucci as the titular Malena, an widow in a small Sicilian town during World War II who becomes the object of fascination and desire for a teenage boy (Giuseppe Sulfaro), but the object of scorn and ridicule for the other women of the town, who worry that her beauty will lure away their husbands. Even though Bellucci had appeared in other movies that had gotten American distribution (most notably Bram Stoker's Dracula), this was considered her breakout role. Like All the Pretty Horses, Harvey Weinstein cut this one before its American release, as the U.S. version runs 16 minutes shorter than the Italian version. Despite the mixed critical response, it would be nominated for two Oscars, for Cinematography and Score.
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Traffic--$124.1 million/15/93%/86--Steven Soderbergh's drama about the futility of the war on drugs follows three parallel storylines, one involving a cop in Tijuana (Benicio Del Toro) recruited to work for a Mexican general (Tomas Milian) trying to wipe out a drug cartel, only to discover his ties to a rival cartel, another involving an American judge (Michael Douglas) who is appointed the government's drug czar, who learns that his teenage daughter (Erika Christensen) has become an addict herself, and the third about the wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones, who had just married Douglas a month before the film opened, though they do not share any scenes) of a San Diego drug lord (Steven Bauer) who, after his arrest, decides to take over his business dealings. Amy Irving played Douglas's wife, Topher Grace played Christensen's addict boyfriend, James Brolin played Douglas's predecessor as drug czar, Albert Finney (who had co-starred in Soderbergh's other 2000 film, Erin Brockovich) played the White House Chief of Staff, Dennis Quaid played Bauer's business partner, Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman played DEA agents who take down Bauer, Miguel Ferrer played an informant, Benjamin Bratt (who, at the time, was the boyfriend of Erin Brockovich star Julia Roberts) played the head of a cartel, Viola Davis played a social worker, John Slattery played a district attorney, Salma Hayek has a cameo as the mistress of a drug kingpin, and real life U.S. Senators Don Nickles, Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, Orrin Hatch, and Chuck Grassley appeared as themselves, as did former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld. Critics raved about the film and it became a surprise blockbuster, almost grossing exactly as much as Erin Brockovich had made. The film would earn five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and would win four, Supporting Actor for Del Toro, Director for Soderbergh (who beat himself, as he was also nominated for Erin Brockovich), Adapted Screenplay, and Editing.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Thirteen Days--$34.6 million/73/83%/67--In October 1962, the U.S. learned that the Soviet Union had started placing ballistic missiles in Cuba, threatening the United States. With the military pressing for an invasion of the island, John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood), his brother, attorney general Robert F. Kennedy (Steven Culp), and trusted advisor Kenneth O'Donnell (Kevin Costner) have to figure out a way out of the crisis without sparking World War III. Dylan Baker played Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and Jon Foster made his film debut playing Costner's son. Critics liked this docudrama about the Cuban Missile Crisis, but in a year crowded with high quality movies (and Chocolat), this one ended up getting squeezed out of end-of-year awards.
Director: Roger Donaldson
Shadow of the Vampire--$8.3 million/139/82%/71--In this alternative history drama, John Malkovich played director F.W. Murnau, who, in 1921, filmed the legendary vampire thriller Nosferatu, starring German actor Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe), who, in this version at least, is an actual vampire, who is happy to star in the movie in exchange for the occasional crew member to eat. Cary Elwes played the film's cinematographer, Eddie Izzard played one of the actors, Udo Kier played the costume designer, and Catherine McCormack played the female lead. While the film was in color and had sound, director E. Elias Merhige used some techniques of silent film to convey the time period. The film received favorable notices and would earn two Oscar nominations, Supporting Actor for Dafoe and Makeup
Director: E. Elias Merhige
Vatel--$0.05 million/326/31%/44--This poorly received costume drama, which cost far more than it took in, starred Gerard Depardieu as the title character, the head of household for a prince (Julian Glover) who wants to make a big impression on King Louis XIV (Julian Sands) by putting on an epic, three-day party, of which Depardieu is in charge. Complications arise when he finds himself falling for the king's mistress (Uma Thurman). Among the party guests were Tim Roth, Timothy Spall, and Richard Griffiths. The Art Direction would be Oscar nominated.
Director: Roland Joffe
Twenty-Five Years Ago--December 29, 1995:
#1 Movie:
Toy Story--$19.4 million*
New Limited Releases:
Four Rooms--$4.3 million/151/13%/NA--Four hot, talented directors--Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino--assembled a talented cast for this dud of an anthology film. All four of the film's segments star Tim Roth as a hapless bellboy putting up with the various wacky events happening in the titular rooms on New Year's Eve. Anders's segment, "The Missing Ingredient" involves a coven of witches (including Madonna, Ione Skye, Lili Taylor, Alicia Witt, and Valeria Golino) who need one final thing for their ritual to succeed. Rockwell's, "The Wrong Man" has Roth sucked into a kinky sex game between David Proval and Jennifer Beals. Rodriguez's, "The Misbehaviors" as Roth stuck babysitting Antonio Banderes's awful children, and Tarantino's, "The Man From Hollywood" has Roth roped into a violent bet between Tarantino and Paul Calderon. Also appearing are Bruce Willis, Kathy Griffin, Salma Hayek, and Marisa Tomei. Critics savaged it, and audiences ignored it.
Director: Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino
12 Monkeys--$57.1 million/31/89%/74--40 years after a virus wipes out most of humanity, a prisoner (Bruce Willis) is sent back to the 1990s to locate the source of the plague. There, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeline Stowe) who wants to commit him and a mental patient (Brad Pitt) who belongs to a radical environmental group and might be responsible for unleashing the virus. David Morse played a scientist, Jon Seda played Willis's cell mate, Christopher Meloni played a cop, Frank Gorshan played another psychiatrist, and Christopher Plummer played Pitt's father. Critics gave strong reviews to the sci-fi thriller, and audiences made it a moderate hit when it went wide in January. It remains the highest-grossing film directed by Terry Gilliam. It would earn two Oscar nominations, Supporting Actor for Pitt and Costume Design.
Director: Terry Gilliam
Dead Man Walking--$39.4 million/42/95%/80--Based on a true story, this drama starred Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun who agrees to be the spiritual advisor for a prisoner on Death Row (Sean Penn) who murdered two teenagers. As his execution date approaches, she attempts to get Penn to feel remorse for his crimes and also try to bring closure to the families of the murdered children. Among the large supporting cast was Robert Prosky as Penn's attorney, Raymond J. Berry, R. Lee Ermey, and Celia Watson as the parents of the victims, Lois Smith as Sarandon's mother, Margo Martindale as another nun, Jack Black as Penn's brother, Sarandon's daughter Eve Amurri as Helen as a child, and Peter Sarsgaard, in his film debut, as one of the victims. Critics raved about the film, which earned 4 Oscar nominations, including Actor for Penn, Director for Tim Robbins (Sarandon's partner at the time), Song for Bruce Springsteen's "Dead Man Walking", and Sarandon would win Best Actress.
Director: Tim Robbins
Richard III--$2.7 million/174/94%/NA--Five years before Magneto and six years before Gandalf, Ian McKellen was still little-known in the U.S. when he played the title role in this adaption of Shakespeare's historical drama, set in an alternate 1930's England, as Richard schemes his way to the throne. Annette Bening played the queen, Robert Downey Jr. played her brother, Jim Broadbent played an ally of Richard, Kristin Scott Thomas played the widow of the Prince of Wales, Maggie Smith played Richard's mother, Nigel Hawthorne played Richard's brother, Jim Carter played the Prime Minister, and Dominic West made his film debut as another contender to the throne. While this made slightly less money than competing Shakespeare adaption Othello, it was able to earn two Oscar nominations (two more than Othello got), for Art Direction and Costumes.
Director: Richard Loncraine
Restoration--$4 million/156/71%/66--It was a busy weekend for Robert Downey Jr., who had the starring role in a second drama about British royalty. Taking place about a century and a half after when the events of Richard III actually happened (or, more accurately, when the characters in Richard III really lived), Downey played a doctor who comes in favor of the king (Sam Neill) but makes the mistake of falling for his wife (Polly Walker), the king's mistress. Meg Ryan played another woman Downey was interested in, Hugh Grant played an artist, Ian McDiarmid played a Quaker who runs a hospital, David Thewlis played Downey's friend, and Ian McKellen had a small role as Downey's steward (for which Downey would return the favor by appearing in a relatively small role in Richard III, which filmed after this). This film would be nominated for the same two Oscars Richard III was nominated for, Art Direction and Costumes, and would win both.
Director: Michael Hoffman
Mr. Holland's Opus--$82.6 million/14/75%/59--Richard Dreyfuss played the title role, a wannabe composer who takes what he thinks will be a temporary job as a high school music teacher, only to realize 30 years later that teaching, and not composing, was his life's mission. Glenn Headly played his wife, Jay Thomas the football coach, Olympia Dukakis the school principal, William H. Macy the assistant principal, Jean Louisa Kelly, Alicia Witt, Terrence Howard, and Damon Whitaker as students, and Joanna Gleason and Forest Whitaker as now-grown former students. The film got decent reviews, but became a surprise smash when it went wide in January, eventually making nearly as much as 1995's other tribute to teaching, Dangerous Minds. Dreyfuss would earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Director: Stephen Herek
Thirty Years Ago--December 28, 1990:
#1 Movie:
Home Alone--$25.2 million**
New Wide Releases:
The Godfather, Part III--2/$19.6 million**/$66.7 million/17/68%/60--16 years after The Godfather Part II, Francis Ford Coppola returned to the saga that put him on the filmmaking map, wrapping up the tragedy of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who, in the late 70s, is finally attempting to go legit by investing in the Vatican's real estate company, but discovers that, even working for the church doesn't leave him clean. Diane Keaton played his now ex-wife, and Coppola's sister, Talia Shire, as Pacino's sister, are the only other major actors to return from the previous films. Newcomers include Andy Garcia as Sonny's hotheaded illegitimate son, Joe Mantegna as a rival mob boss, Eli Wallach as a seeming ally of the Corleones, George Hamilton as the family's lawyer, Bridget Fonda as a journalist, and Coppola's daughter, Sofia Coppola, as Pacino's daughter. The younger Coppola's casting proved controversial, as her performance was widely panned. Other than a few further scattered appearances, she left acting behind to follow in her father's footsteps, becoming a highly acclaimed, Oscar-nominated director in her own right. The film received mixed reviews, with even the critics who liked it complaining it wasn't on the level of the first two films. Nevertheless, it still earned 7 Oscar nominations, for Picture, Supporting Actor for Garcia, Director for Coppola, Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing, and Song for "Promise Me You'll Remember". In 2020, Coppola released a reedited version titled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
New Limited Releases:
Alice--$7.3 million/110/75%/67--Sadly, not Woody Allen's take on the 70s sitcom, but instead a bit of Manhattan-based magical realism as the titular character (Mia Farrow), a shallow housewife married to a rich husband (William Hurt), has back pains that lead her to a doctor (Keye Luke, in his final film) whose magical herbs allow her to discover just who she wants to be. As usual with an Allen movie, there's an all-star cast, including Blythe Danner as Farrow's sister, Joe Mantenga as a saxophone player who catches Farrow's eye, Judy Davis as his ex-husband, Alec Baldwin as Farrow's ex-boyfriend, Bernadette Peters as a muse, Gwen Verdon as Farrow's mother, and appearances by June Squibb, Julie Kavner, Holland Taylor, Cybill Shepard, and Elle Macpherson. Critics were somewhat mixed on it, but it earned Allen his then-customary Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay.
Director: Woody Allen
Thirty-Five Years Ago--December 27, 1985:
#1 Movie:
Rocky IV--$10.8 million
New Limited Releases:
Murphy's Romance--$30.9 million/29/73%/NA--Given that Sally Field, who reunites with her Norma Rae director Martin Ritt, is the only person on the film's poster, you'd be forgiven for thinking that she played Murphy. Actually James Garner played Murphy, a pharmacist in a small Arizona town who befriends recent divorcee Field. While both are interested, the age difference between them and the fact that Field was still living with her ex-husband (Brian Kerwin) makes romance impossible. Musician Carole King appeared in the movie in a rare acting role, as well as writing the film's score (her only one) and contributed a song as well. The film was liked by critics and became a moderate hit when it opened wide in January. It would be nominated for two Oscars, Garner for Best Actor, and the Cinematography.
Director: Martin Ritt
Forty Years Ago--December 26, 1980:
New Wide Releases:
First Family--$15.2 million/48/20%/NA--Buck Henry recruited an all-star comic cast for his second (and final) directorial effort, a political satire starring Bob Newhart as the hapless, unpopular President of the United State, Madeline Kahn as the lush First Lady, Gilda Radner as his perpetually horny daughter, Rip Torn as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Harvey Korman as the UN Ambassador, Austin Pendleton as a translator, and Fred Willard as a presidential aide. Unfortunately, the plot, which dealt with the government's attempt to negotiate with an African nation whose leader (John Hancock) is much smarter than the American government boobs, was widely considered toothless and the film itself largely unfunny. It wasn't a complete bomb, but with numerous other comedy choices in theaters, moviegoers elected to go elsewhere.
Director: Buck Henry
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