Man Down

Director Dito Montiel

Genre Drama | Thriller

Cast Kate Mara, Jai Courtney, Shia LaBeouf, Gary Oldman

Rating R

Release Date December 2nd, 2016

“In a post-apocalyptic America, former U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer searches desperately for the whereabouts of his son, accompanied by his best friend and a survivor.”

Directed by Dito Montiel (Fighting, Empire State), Man Down is a post-apocalyptic drama starring Kate Mara, Jai Courtney, Shia LaBeouf, and Gary Oldman. Check out the official teaser trailer below.

The Eyes of My Mother

Director Nicolas Pesce

Genre Drama | Horror

Cast Diana Agostini, Olivia Bond, Will Brill, Joey Curtis-Green

Rating R

Release Date December 2nd, 2016

“A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life.”

Written and directed by newcomer Nicolas Pesce, The Eyes of My Mother looks to be a twisted and deeply horrifying film. The trailers reminded me somewhat of the under the radar horror Goodnight Mommy in the sense that it was uniquely disturbing but very effective. You will notice the film is in black and white but I think that may actually be a good thing. Check out the official trailers below. 

Pet

Director Carles Torrens

Genre Horror | Thriller

Cast Jennette McCurdy, Ksenia Solo, Dominic Monaghan, and Nathan Parsons

Rating R

Release Date December 2nd, 2016

“A psychological thriller about a man who bumps into an old flame and subsequently becomes obsessed with her, leading him to hold her captive underneath the animal shelter where he works. But what will the victim have in store for her captor?”

Directed by Carles Torrens, Pet is a horror thriller starring Jennette McCurdy, Ksenia Solo, Dominic Monaghan, and Nathan Parsons. Check out the trailer below.

SiREN

Director Gregg Bishop

Genre Horror

Cast Hannah Fierman, Chase Williamson, Justin Welborn, Michael Aaron Milligan

Rating Unrated

Release Date December 2nd, 2016

“A bachelor party becomes a savage fight for survival when the groomsmen unwittingly unleash a fabled predator upon the festivities. A feature adaptation of the segment “Amateur Night” from the 2012 horror anthology “V/H/S.””

Directed by Gregg Bishop (V/H/S Viral), SiREN is based on the segment "Amateur Night" from the horror film V/H/S (2012) which was highly regarded by horror fans. The trailer as well as the lack of experience with the director has me on the fence. I do hope it is good! Check out the official trailer below.

A Girl Like Grace

Director Ty Hodges

Genre Drama

Cast Meagan Good, Raven-Symoné, Garcelle Beauvais, Ryan Destiny

Rating Unrated

Release Date December 2nd, 2016

“Raised by a single mother, a bullied 17 year-old girl seeks guidance from her best friend and the girl’s older sister.”

From actor/director Ty Hodges, A Girl Like Grace is a powerful drama touching on some very serious issues plaguing our society to this day. The film stars Meagan Good (Think Like A Man), Raven-Symoné (The View, Doctor Doolittle), Garcelle Beauvais (Wild Wild West, Flight), and Ryan Destiny. Check out the official trailer below.

Moana

Director Ron Clements, John Musker

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Dwayne Johnson, Auli'l Cravalho, Alan Tudyk, Phillipa Soo

Rating PG

Release Date November 23rd, 2016

“A young woman uses her navigational talents to set sail for a fabled island. Joining her on the adventure is her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui.”

“The main character will be Moana Waialiki, a sea voyaging enthusiast, and the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators. When her family needs her help, she sets off on an epic journey. The film will also include demi-gods and spirits taken from real mythology.”

Check out the official teaser trailer below.

Check out the brand new trailer from the 2016 Olympics TV Spot below.

Allied

Director Robert Zemeckis

Genre Action | Drama | Romance

Cast Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Daniel Betts

Rating Unrated

Release Date November 23rd, 2016

“In 1942, an intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.”

From director Robert Zemeckis (Flight, The Walk), Allied is an action drama with plenty of romance to satisfy Brad Pitt fans. The film stars Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, and Daniel Betts. Check out the official trailer below.

Miss Sloane

Director John Madden

Genre Drama | Thriller

Cast Jessica Chastian, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark Strong

Rating R

Release Date November 25th, 2016

“A story of a brilliant and ruthless lobbyist who is notorious for her unparalleled talent and her desire to win at all costs, even when it puts her own career at risk.”

“The story of a brilliant but ruthless lobbyist (Jessica Chastain) who is notorious for her unparalleled talent and her desire to win at all costs, even when it puts her own career at risk. The thriller pulls back the curtain on how Capitol Hill games are played and won as Sloane faces off against the most influential powers in D.C.”

Bad Santa 2

Director Mark Waters

Genre Comedy

Cast Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Christina Hendricks

Rating R

Release Date November 23rd, 2016

“Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie teams up once again with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve.”

Billy Bob Thornton is back in Bad Santa 2!! Mean Girls director Mark Waters jumps on board for the sequel (odd right?!), the rest of the cast includes Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, and Christina Hendricks. Check out the official trailer below.

Need something a bit raunchier? Check out the official Red Band trailer below.

Lion

Director Garth Davis

Genre Drama

Cast Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, David Wenham.

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 23rd, 2016

“A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.”

Directed by Garth Davis, Lion is a powerful drama with a stellar cast including Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, and David Wenham. Check out the official trailer below.

Rules Don't Apply

Director Warren Beatty

Genre Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast Steve Tom, Paul Sorvino, Peter Mackenzie, Ivar Brogger

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 23rd, 2016

“An unconventional love story of an aspiring actress, her determined driver, and the eccentric billionaire who they work for.”

“An aspiring young actress (Lily Collins) and her ambitious young driver (Alden Ehrenreich) struggle hopefully with the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty) for whom they work. It’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen, songwriter, and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey (Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his 7th grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious Methodist. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes’ #1 rule: no employee is allowed to have any relationship whatsoever with a contract actress. Hughes’ behavior intersects with Marla and Frank in very separate and unexpected ways, and as they are drawn deeper into his bizarre world, their values are challenged and their lives are changed.”

Evolution

Director Lucile Hadzihalilovic

Genre Horror | Mystery

Cast Max Brebant, Roxane Duran,  Julie-Marie Parmentier, Mathieu Goldfeld

Rating Unrated

Release Date November 25th, 2016

“The only residents of young Nicholas’s seaside town are women and boys. When he sees a dead body in the ocean one day, he begins to question his existence and surroundings. Why must he, and all the other boys, be hospitalised?”

“Nicolas is a boy living on a remote island set in the future, or another planet - or is it a dream? His village consists of white-painted houses located above the sea with a volcanic rock and black sand coastline, populated by young women and boys all of a similar age to Nicolas. Whilst swimming, Nicolas makes a discovery in the ocean, which is shrugged off my his mother, who, like all the women in the town has tied-back hair, is pale and wears a simple thin beige dress. Nicolas is curious, thinks that he is being lied to and starts to explore his environment, witnessing some unsettling scenes. He then finds himself taken to a hospital-like building where he along, with the others, undergoes a series of medical procedures by the women, dressed as nurses. He is befriended by one nurse, who becomes instrumental in the film’s denouement. The film is not easy to categorise; it is not only enigmatic but beautifully filmed with deeply poetic imagery. It reflects the fear of the unknown, ...”

Kill Command

Director Steven Gomez

Genre Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

Cast Vanessa Kirby, David Ajala, Mike Noble, Bentley Kalu

Rating Unrated

Release Date November 25th, 2016

“Set in a near future, technology-reliant society that pits man against killing machines.”

“Set in a near future, technology-reliant society is creating killing machines. Against this backdrop an elite army unit is helicoptered in to a remote, off-the-grid island training facility, to test the capabilities of the latest prototypes. They set up positions and make short work of the AI targets in the killing field. However, overnight their sentry goes missing, and when they find the corpse the next day they find themselves in the killing field and the tables have turned. The marines fight to survive on an island is overrun by an enemy intelligence far beyond their predecessors, which learns from their every move.”

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Director David Yates

Genre Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Cast Ezra Miller, Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Ron Perlman

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 18th, 2016

“The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.”

Directed by David Yates, who also directed the last 4 Harry Potter Films, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is said to be an extension of the wizard world and not necessarily a sequel or a prequel for that matter. The is the first film in the Harry Potter universe not based on a novel and it will be the screenwriting debut for J.K. Rowling. It will release in theaters everywhere on November 18th, 2016. Check out the trailer below.

Check out the official Comic-Con trailer below.

Bleed for This

Director Ben Younger

Genre Biography | Drama | Sport

Cast Miles Teller, Katey Sagal, Aaron Eckhart, Ciarán Hinds

Rating R

Release Date November 18th, 2016

“The inspirational story of World Champion Boxer Vinny Pazienza who, after a near fatal car crash, which left him not knowing if he’d ever walk again, made one of sport’s most incredible comebacks.”

Directed by Ben Younger, Bleed for This stars Miles Teller, Katey Sagal, Aaron Eckhart, and Ciarán Hinds. Check out the official trailer below.

The Edge of Seventeen

Director Kelly Fremon

Genre Comedy

Cast Hailee Steinfeld, Blake Jenner, Haley Lu Richardson, Woody Harrelson

Rating R

Release Date November 18th, 2016

“High-school life gets even more unbearable for Nadine when her best friend, Krista, starts dating her older brother.”

“Everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness when her all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until the unexpected friendship of a thoughtful boy (Hayden Szeto) gives her a glimmer of hope that things just might not be so terrible after all.”

A Street Cat Named Bob

Director Roger Spottiswoode

Genre Biography | Comedy | Drama

Cast Bob The Cat, Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt

Rating Unrated

Release Date November 18th, 2016

“Based on the international best selling book. The true feel good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat.”

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies, Turner & Hooch), A Street Cat Named Bob is based on the internationally best-selling book of the same name, written by James Bowen and Garry Jenkins. The film stars Bob The Cat, Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, and Joanne Froggatt. It is receiving a limited release and will more than likely be available On-Demand. Check out the official trailer below.

Arrival

Director Denis Villeneuve

Genre Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Cast Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 11th, 2016

“A linguist is recruited by the military to assist in translating alien communications.”

“When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team - lead by expert linguist Louise Banks - are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers - and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.”

Shut In

Director Farren Blackburn

Genre Drama | Thriller

Cast Naomi Watts, Charlie Heaton, Jacom Tremblay, Oliver Platt

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 11th, 2016

“A heart-pounding thriller about a widowed child psychologist who lives in an isolated existence in rural New England. Caught in a deadly winter storm, she must find a way to rescue a young boy before he disappears forever.”

Directed by Farren Blackburn, Shut In is a thriller starring Naomi Watts, Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), Jacom Tremblay (Room), and Oliver Platt ( Love & Other Drugs, X-Men: First Class). Check out the official trailer below.

The Monster

Director Bryan Bertino

Genre Horror

Cast Zoe Kazan, Ella Ballentine, Aaron Douglas, and Christine Ebadi

Rating R

Release Date November 11th, 2016 (Limited)

“A mother and daughter must confront a terrifying monster when they break down on a deserted road.”

From director Bryan Bertino (The Strangers), The Monster looks to be an under the radar horror gem complete with quality acting, chilling atmosphere, and a strong yet simple script. The trailer has me pretty excited and I will be keeping an eye out for a release at a local art house theater or VOD. Check out the official trailer for yourself below.