Matrix, Money Heist, Witcher: 15 streaming and cinema highlights for December
The Witcher, West Side Story and The Matrix all get new runs in December.
Ridley Scott directs an impressive cast that includes Jodie Comer, Matt Damon and Adam Driver in a historical drama set in 14th-century France. Reviews were positive, even if an initial theatrical release didn't attract too many punters.
The high-octane Spanish drama, aka La Casa de Papel, returns for a final volume of five episodes. Still stuck inside the bank, will all the gang get out alive, not least as they also have a hostage revolt to deal with.
Perhaps it's a stretch to spin this as the black Sex And The City, but the new comedy series about group of stylish gal-pals will inevitably draw comparisons. The young friends include an anthropology professor, a queer dating-app creator, and a fashion designer.
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino has impressed in the past with foreign-language Oscar winner La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty), and in this film returns to his Naples hometown in the 1980s. Reports of a possible legal case by Maradona for the use of his image in the film were cut short by the death of the soccer star.
Geralt of Rivia rides again in the second season of a show that really splits opinions. Yay-sayers are already excited at the prospect of their hero bringing Princess Cirilla to his childhood home of Kaer Morhen for safe-keeping.
Another season of the series that rolled out the cliches last year on the culture clashes that ensue when a young American woman moves the French capital. A bit like the city itself, some thought it was awful, but plenty more were seduced.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence provide some starry heft in a film about a professor and his student who have trouble convincing people that a comet could collide with Earth, thus wiping out life on the planet. Insert own climate change analogy here.
Just in case you haven't had enough of Star Wars, this latest spin-off follows the bounty hunter you may have seen in The Mandalorian. The seven episodes will drop weekly.
James Nesbitt and Eddie Izzard are among the stars of this eight-part crime thriller that's part of the 14-book adaptation deal author Harlan Coben signed with the streaming service.
Olivia Colman is the main star of Maggie Gyllenhaal's debut as a film director, but Irish eyes will be on the lookout for our own Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. The tale of a woman who becomes obsessed with a mother and daughter she encounters won lavish praise after its premiere in Venice earlier this year.
In the wake of lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s death just last week, the West Side Story remake has taken on extra poignancy. Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, West Side Story tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City, inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This reimagined version of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort as Tony and Rachel Zegler as María, and includes Rita Moreno, who starred as Mariá’s confidante Anita in the 1961 film, as Valentina who owns the corner store in which Tony works.
Marvel fans have been waiting for this one for a long time. In the previous film, Spider-Man's identity was revealed to the world, opening up a load of problems for our friendly neighborhood web-slinger. Now unmasked, Peter Parker is at the centre of a media storm and wants everything to go back to the way they were when he was anonymous, so he turns to Doctor Strange for help - but everything becomes more dangerous as the multiverse rips open and Peter comes face-to-face with villains from other universes, and he learns he’s not the only Spider-Man. Expect lots of cameos.
One of the most beloved Christmas movies is back on the big screen at the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork city. Join Kermit, Miss Piggy and co help old miser Scrooge (Michael Caine) see the error of his ways as he is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. Kermit the Frog plays Scrooge’s long-suffering but ever-hopeful employee Bob Cratchit, with Miss Piggy starring as Cratchit’s wife. The more upbeat retelling of the Charles Dickens classic tale is a perfect watch for adults and children alike.
The long-awaited fourth film in the groundbreaking Matrix franchise arrives just in time for Christmas and reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss after almost 20 years in their iconic roles as Neo and Trinity, who journey back to the Matrix. Not much is known about the plot of Resurrections, but cast member Jessica Henwick says star Reeves can “do no wrong”. “He is the beating heart of the film and he can do no wrong. So, I think fans are really gonna enjoy that. Carrie-Anne has a really interesting role in this film and I think a lot of people are gonna be happy with her work. That's really what I'm excited to see,” she told Collider.
This is the perfect movie for your St Stephen’s Day cinema trip. The third installment in the Kingsman film series stars Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson and Gemma Arterton and it reveals the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency, as seen in the earlier Kingsman films. The latest installment follows one man and his protégé’s race against time to stop history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds from starting a war to wipe out millions. Expect lots of clever quips, flashy action sequences and a chuckle or two along the way.
