This past year has been tough for independent movie theaters nationwide. There was a sizable difference in the quantity of blockbuster films released, as well as several delays in releasing many smaller films, all due to the ripple effect of the 2023 Writers and Actors Strike. (The mantra across the industry has been “Survive to 25.”) That’s not to say there haven’t been some amazing films from both these pools of filmmaking, including I Saw the TV Glow, Challengers, Dune Part Two, Good One, and Anora, but the mass majority of audiences have definitely been denied the usual flourish of annual releases. That comes to an end this December, as the final release of awards-buzzy films get wider theatrical releases or drop over the holiday season for movie goers to finally get a peek at these long-anticipated features.
As 2024 wraps up, there’s no shortage of new films to enjoy, as well as a few classic favorites, being screened in your area. Here are six movie to see this December at Hudson Valley independent cinemas.
Flow
In a year filled with gigantic animated films, including Moana 2, Transformers One, The Wild Robot, and Inside Out 2, one small independent movie is rumored to be the big frontrunner for “Best Animated Film” of 2024 across all major awards shows: Gints Zilbalodis’s Flow. Flow is a sumptuous fantasy adventure, in the vein of some of the best animated films of the ’80s and ’90s. It follows a Cat, a solitary feline who embarks on a journey after a giant flood devastates his home, leading him to join other animals of different species on a lifeboat. While the story and progressive nature of the film (which is without dialog) is being heavily lauded, the biggest achievement of the film is most certainly the style of animation being used, which combines state-of-the-art technology used in films such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the Spider-Verse franchise, with a more functional and flat design, creating a look that is wholly unique yet recognizable. A devastatingly beautiful experience to have with friends and family, Flow is a movie made to be seen on the silver screen.
Flow starts December 6 at Upstate Films Starr Cinema and December 20 at The Moviehouse.
The Holiday
This season, there’s no shortage of movies filled with holiday cheer, complete with candy canes, sleigh bells, and carolers, but Nancy Meyers’s 2006 masterpiece of seasonal filmmaking, The Holiday, stands tall above so many. The all star cast of Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law, propels this traditional romantic comedy into the stratosphere with galactic levels of charm. The movie is filled with just as much funny bone as it has heart. It tells the tale of two women—a movie trailer editor in LA (Diaz) and a journalist in Surrey (Winslet)—who trade homes for two weeks during the Holiday season. Both have “meet-cutes” with two local heartthrobs, leading them to ponder potential love, as well as acceptance of their pasts. The movie has too many great moments (such as the iconic “Mr. Napkin Head”), making it difficult to narrow down the list of my favorites, but a major strength of The Holiday is its relationship to the movie industry, with such characters as the aforementioned trailer editor, a blacklisted screenwriter in his twilight years (played by Eli Wallach), and an over enthusiastic film scorer (Jack Black monologuing at a video rental store is *chef’s kiss*)—all cherries on top as far as I’m concerned.
The Holiday screens December 12 at Jacob Burns Film Center.
Union w/ Amazon Organizers
Documentary film is a tricky genre to pull off. While they are a relatively easily funded venture for filmmakers, more often than not, many documentaries can feel tiresome, repetitive, and, at worst, redundant in a world where information on practically every topic is in our pockets. Stephen Maing and Brett Story’s Union, which was released earlier this year in festivals, is not one of those documentaries. The film documents the lead-up to one of the most revered moments in organized labor in the past decade: the unionizing of Amazon employees at a Staten Island warehouse. The film’s approach to showing the trials and roadblocks that Amazon has placed around its employees to secure control and obedience is rawly captured in some footage that was shot by the employees themselves, giving an inside look into an environment that is rarely shown on screen. This event is even more special with the inclusion of Amazon Labor Union organizers Brima Sylla and Kathleen “Kat” Cole, who will be present for a talkback following the screening.
Union screens December 12 at Upstate Films Starr Cinema.
The Birdcage
The holidays are a time for families, both new and old, to come together in harmony, celebration and love. No movie better expresses that familial bond than Mike Nichols’s 1996 cult classic, The Birdcage, where a young man who is engaged to the daughter of a conservative Republican Senator must navigate the minefield of emotions with his gay parents when the time comes for the in-laws to meet. Anchored by truly knockout performances from Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, and Dianne Wiest, The Birdcage is that special kind of movie that gets better and better (no matter how much worse the world may seem to get), and that’s something we should all be thankful for this holiday season. This screening is also being copresented by the awesome folks over at Queer Outdoor Adventures, who are dedicated to creating safe and inclusive experiences for LGBTQ+ individuals who crave community.
The Birdcage screens December 21 at Story Screen Cinema.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Everyone has their favorite holiday films to watch every year. Whether it be generational classics like A Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life, or more genre specific tales like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, there’s a seemingly endless offering of whatever might make one person cozy up with a familiar flick to get into the seasonal spirit. Possibly one of the best and most family-friendly of all of these is Brian Henson’s 1992 adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, which is a great holiday story made all the better by the inclusion of everyone’s favorite band of felt friends, The Muppets. The Muppet Christmas Carol captures everything that is so special and timeless about the original work from 1843, with an eye for comedy that the Henson Company had become so well known for, and musical numbers by Paul Williams and Miles Goodman that are as earworm-catchy as they are entertaining. All of this would be enough to make it a staple in any household come December, but it truly is Michael Caine’s performance as the old miser himself, Ebenezer Scrooge, that pulls this entire circus act together to form something completely emotional and heartwarming. Caine had said in the past that he had treated all the Muppet players as real performers, which led to the success of his own onscreen performance while being surrounded by goofy characters, mind-blowing animatronics, and special effects. It’s a film that has that certain type of magic that must be in every great Christmas movie.
The Muppet Christmas Carol screens December 22 at The Rosendale Theatre.
Babygirl
The erotic thriller was at one time, especially in the late ’80s and early ’90s, one of the more provocative and successful subgenres of Hollywood’s releases, with stars like Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, and Richard Gere creating solid foundations for their onscreen personas with such films. While we have certainly had a few here and there over the past couple decades, including the Fifty Shades trilogy, Gone Girl, and this year’s fantastic Love Lies Bleeding, there’s nothing quite like a bonafide “movie star” entering the genre, joined by a fresh up-and-coming talent, both onscreen and behind the camera. Director Halina Reijn crafts her new film, Babygirl, alongside the superpower that is Nicole Kidman and the raw energy of Harris Dickinson bringing a story of modern romance into the controlling world of lust and power. The movie follows an immensely powerful CEO (Kidman) who becomes embroiled in an affair with a young intern (Dickinson), quickly realizing that she may be in over her head as her husband (an amazing performance by Antonio Banderas) and coworkers begin to suspect the entanglement might be what is affecting her everyday behavior. Reijn’s previous film, 2022’s Bodies Bodies Bodies, was a deliciously entertaining spin on murder mysteries with a Gen-Z twist, and she brings that same lens to Babygirl, creating a dynamic between its two leads that always keeps the audience guessing as to who exactly is in control. As the tagline for the film reads, “This Christmas, get exactly what you want.”
Babygirl starts December 25 at Upstate Films Starr Cinema and Story Screen Cinema.
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