By Hans Pedersen, January 2016 Issue.
Sisters
In theaters Dec. 18 | R | 118 minutes
Crackshot comedy team Tina Fey and Amy Poehler star in this film about two estranged adult sisters who are ordered by their parents to return home to clean out their old bedroom before the house is sold. In the latest from the comedic duo with the Midas touch, the sisters decide to throw a final blowout house party for their old friends, and wind up learning that, as adults, you never can truly go back home again. Directed by Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect), this laugh fest co-stars James Brolin, John Leguizamo John Cena and Maya Rudolph as the sisters’ old rival, Brinda.
The Hateful Eight
In theaters Jan. 8 | R | 182 minutes
Quentin Tarantino’s latest project, set in Wyoming several years after the Civil War, launches with a rocky stagecoach ride heading toward Red Rock. Behold the hateful eight: bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell), his fugitive, Daisy (Jennifer Jason Leigh), former union soldier Maj. Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and Sheriff Chris Mannix. Stuck in a stopover called Minnie’s Haberdashery, they find proprietor Bob (Demian Bichir), Red Rock’s hangman Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) and confederate Gen. Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern). Channing Tatum and Zoe Bell co-star.
Carol
In theaters Dec. 25 | R | 118 minutes
Who can resist the lovely Oscar-winning Cate Blanchett and actress Rooney Mara as secret lovers from two different worlds in 1950s New York City? In this much-anticipated dramatic romance from director Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven), a young department store worker Therese (Mara) falls in love with middle-aged Carol (Blanchett), who’s caught in a loveless marriage during a rigid, less-tolerant era. As their feelings for one another intensify, Carol’s husband (Kyle Chandler) questions whether she’s fit to be a mother. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s groundbreaking 1952 novel “The Price of Salt,” the movie is partly based on a true encounter.
Anomalisa
In theaters Jan. 15 | R | 90 minutes
A man’s social isolation is the theme of this quirky movie that’s receiving widespread praise as a heartfelt film that was made, incredibly, with stop-motion animation. Described in advanced screenings as transcendent and honest, the movie was penned by brilliant screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich). David Thewlis voices the part of Michael Stone, a broken man who lives in the shadows, and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lisa, the woman who’s hoping she can put him together again. This breakthrough creative work will reportedly resonate with anyone who has struggled with depression.
