It took 35 years, but Eddie Murphy came back to host “Saturday Night Live.”
The last time Murphy hosted the show, it was Dec. 15, 1984, just a few months after this one-time wunderkind (who joined “S.N.L.” when he was 19 years old) quit the program to focus on his flourishing film career. In the sketches that aired that night, he revisited several of his beloved characters, including Buckwheat, Gumby and Mr. Robinson.
Tonight, in an episode that also featured the musical guest Lizzo, Murphy returned to those characters once again. But first, in an opening monologue, he updated the audience on the last several years of his life and received tributes from a few surprise guests.
Taking the stage of NBC’s Studio 8H, Murphy told “S.N.L.” viewers: “This is the last episode of 2019. But if you’re black, this is the first episode since I left back in 1984.”
He then showed a photograph of himself when he was still an “S.N.L.” cast member. “Yeah, I look at least five years younger there,” Murphy said. “You know what they always say: Money don’t crack.”
Among the ways that his life has changed since then, Murphy said, is that “I have 10 kids now — 11 if you count Kevin Hart.” He added, “If you had told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail, even I would have took that bet.” Slipping into his Cosby impersonation, Murphy said, “Who is America’s Dad now?”
Tracy Morgan, a fellow “S.N.L.” alum, joined Murphy onstage and offered him praise. “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here,” Morgan told him. “Like, literally. I was conceived on the ‘Delirious’ tour bus.”
Chris Rock, who was also an “S.N.L.” cast member before becoming a stand-up superstar, said that the show’s creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels had compared him to Murphy when he joined the show.
“When I got hired, Lorne told me, ‘You’re going to be the next Eddie Murphy,” Rock said. “And then a year later he said, ‘No, you’re not.’”
Dave Chappelle, another titan of stand-up, told Murphy he had been an inspiration. “I followed your blueprint for my entire career,” Chappelle said. “I became the biggest star on television and then I quit.”
Looking over the assembled group, Chappelle said, “Right now you’re looking at half of Netflix’s budget, right here onstage.”
Morgan said: “Not me. I made all my millions on the road.”
Murphy asked, “You mean touring?”
Morgan replied, “No, I got hit by a truck.”
In the first of several segments in which Murphy reprised his former “S.N.L.” characters, he donned the sweater and sneakers of Mr. Robinson, his Mr. Rogers parody, who told viewers that his neighborhood had changed considerably since the last time they saw him.
As Murphy sang in his opening song:
I was gone for a bit, but now I’m all right.
My neighbors was all black, but now they white.
The check cashing place turned into a bank.
Elevator works and the stairs they don’t stink.
The white people came and changed everything,
But I am still your neighbor.
He also taught his audience about the word “gentrification”: “It’s like a magic trick,” Murphy said. “White people pay a lot of money and then poof, all the black people are gone.”
What started out looking like a straightforward lampoon of Fox’s reality competition series “The Masked Singer” took a turn when Chris Redd (playing the show’s host, Nick Cannon) introduced a new contestant, dressed in a giant corn-on-the-cob costume, who began crooning “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in an almost unintelligible patois.
It was, of course, Murphy, playing his version of Buckwheat, the old “Our Gang” character, who went onto sing other popular tunes including “Dine, Teal, Dawibba,” “I Chot Da Chariff” and “Tinga Nadies.”
Melissa Villaseñor, playing the panelist Nicole Scherzinger, told Murphy, “We’ve missed you these past 30 years.” He told her not to worry, saying, “Wherever I am, I’m doing o-tay.”
You know how these celebrity-laden, impression-heavy segments go, so we’ll give you a quick rundown of who played whom and what their best lines were:
Heidi Gardner as the moderator Judy Woodruff: “Just like ‘The Bachelor,’ the further we go, the less diverse it gets.”
Kate McKinnon as Elizabeth Warren: “I’m here and I am in my element. PBS is my safe word. Last debate, I gave you policy T.M.I., and now I am ready to walk it back.”
Colin Jost as Pete Buttigieg: “I’m the only person on this stage who isn’t a millionaire or billionaire. I live on my mayor’s salary plus a $20 a week allowance from my parents, and that’s only if I do my chores.”
Larry David as Bernie Sanders: “Look at me. Are you really surprised that my main concern is the temperature?” He added: “Let me tell you, no matter how hot the earth gets I will not wear shorts. I swim in corduroy.”
Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden: “Notice anything different about me? Grandpa Joe got the glow up. I was ‘Irishman’-ed. Younger? Yup. Taller? Sure. Better? Ehhh.”
Fred Armisen as Michael Bloomberg, explaining his uninvited appearance at the debate: “For $30 million, PBS is now owned by viewers like me.”
Yes, there was also an appearance by Alec Baldwin as President Trump (who said he was there “so you people will actually watch this little freak show”), and McKinnon changed costumes mid-sketch to reappear as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose Christmas gift to Trump was two articles of impeachment.
Over at the Weekend Update desk, the anchors, Colin Jost and Michael Che, made a Christmas joke swap and riffed on the latest impeachment news.
Jost:
On Wednesday, the House voted to impeach President Trump. But Nancy Pelosi refuses to send the articles to the Senate until they guarantee a fair trial. So now we’re all in this weird limbo where no one knows exactly what’s going on, there’s this cast of wild characters making fools of themselves, and everyone is thinking, “Please, God, just let this end.” So basically it’s “Cats.”
Che:
In a letter to Nancy Pelosi, Trump claimed that he has been treated worse than those accused in the Salem witch trials. You know where they set women on fire for, like, wearing pants. Well, according to Donald Trump, impeachment is, like, literally worse than that. I’m a little disappointed in Donald Trump. I knew he would snap but I thought it would be fun like Tupac in ’96. This is more sad like Britney in ’07.
In another welcome head-fake, Jost began to set up a joke about Mitch McConnell, only to be interrupted by Murphy, playing his dyspeptic version of Gumby, the venerable clay-animated character.
Murphy joined Jost and Che at the Weekend Update desk, mostly to bellow out his famous catchphrase, “I’m Gumby, damn it,” and to roast the two anchors.
“I’ve passed kidney stones with more personality than the two of you,” Murphy told them. “Face it, kid, the two of you together couldn’t Velcro my sneakers.” (Meanwhile, if you were hoping to see Murphy’s old character Velvet Jones, he turned up in a “Black Jeopardy” sketch later in the show.)
When Eddie Murphy stepped back into Studio 8H for the first time in three-and-a-half decades, he brought with him some classic characters from Mister Robinson to Velvet Jones.
Murphy’s first sketch in the Dec. 21 episode of “Saturday Night Live” was “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood.” After so many years away, he was still living in his same apartment in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood, thanks to squatter’s rights.
“I was gone for a bit, but now I’m all right. My neighbors were all black, but now they’re white. The check cashing place turned into a bank; elevator works and the stairs stink. The white people came and changed everything, but I am still your neighbor,” he sang.
He commented on other things that have changed in the time he has been away from the audience, such as 23 And Me — “because of them, 23 people said their father is me.”
Later in the episode Murphy brought back Buckwheat, who was a surprise contestants on “The Masked Singer.” Dressed in a giant corn on the cob costume, his distinctive voice was obvious, even when crooning “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.”
Beck Bennett as Robin Thicke guessed the celebrity under the mask correctly, and the other judges followed suit. Buckwheat was unmasked, to which Kate McKinnon’s Jenny McCarthy said she was freaking out because he was her idol.
Once he was unmasked, he had some more to sing, including lines from “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours,” “Feliz Navidad” and “Single Ladies.” The show put the lyrics on the screen, karaoke-style, but based on what it sounded like he was singing, not the actual lyrics are.
Bowen Yang portrayed show judge Ken Jeong, who said that as a doctor he was comfortable diagnosing Buckwheat as “100% juicy.”
Murphy’s Buckwheat said he was going to go away again but he didn’t want anyone to worry about him. Wherever he is, he said, he’s “doing o-tay.”
His Gumby made an appearance during “Weekend Update,” storming out on stage to angrily ask co-anchors and co-head writers Colin Jost and Michael Che how they were going to put on the show without him. “They know who the hell I am, I’m Gumby!” he said as he sat down.
“I should have been in every damn sketch from the top. I’m the one that made that Eddie Murphy a start. He was just a regular coon boy until I saw him,” he said.
Che did say they assumed no one would know who Gumby was.
“This is the thanks I get for saving this show from the gutter? Shame on you, Lorne Michaels. Shame on you, NBC,” Murphy’s Gumby said.
Both Jost and Che tried to get him to calm down, which drew more anger, resulting in Murphy’s Gumby calling Jost “trailer boy” and Che a “black bastard.”
“You know why you don’t come out from behind this desk? Because your jokes don’t have legs, you schmucks,” he said. “I passed kidney stones with more personality than the two of you.”
Because he’s green and children love him, Murphy’s Gumby said he was a Christmas character and said an opportunity was wasted by not using him sooner in the show. “The people want to see me!” he declared.
And finally, during a “Black Jeopardy!” sketch, Velvet Jones, introduced as “the founder of the Velvet Jones Institute of Technology, which he said meant he “showed ladies how to start their own business making up to $1500 dollars a week with my No. 1 bestseller, ‘I Want To Be A Ho,'” was one of the contestants.
Murphy’s Jones kept pimping (pun intended) his new books, almost all of which had “ho” in the title, which had the show’s host (played by Kenan Thompson) noting that “folks on the internet are going to be mad.” He was even prompted to ask if Jones had heard of #MeToo.
“Of course. You like hoes? Me, too,” he replied.
But things took a more modern turn when he was given a clue that asked what you shouldn’t do if your niece showed up to a holiday in a crop top.
“What you not going to do is judge this woman. It’s 2019, and she has every right to be sexy and to show off her beauty. She is independent, and she can make her own money. She doesn’t have to have sex with anyone,” he said. “It’s all in my new book entitled ‘How to Be an Instagram Ho’ and make $1500 a week from the comfort of your own bedroom being a strong, independent Instagram ho.”
“Saturday Night Live” airs live coast-to-coast Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC.
After taking last December off, it is “Star Wars” season once again. “The Rise of Skywalker” is here to dominate all pop culture discourse for at least a couple weeks. Maybe longer, since this will be the last new “Star Wars” movie we get until 2022. And boy, what a discourse it will be.
So far “The Rise of Skywalker” has earned the second-worst Rotten Tomatoes percentage, at 57 percent as of this writing, of the franchise, with only “The Phantom Menace” getting a worse mark. Even “Attack of the Clones” managed to get a 65-percent positive rating. Not that a Tomatometer score is necessarily a good gauge of how a film will be remembered, but it certainly works as a gauge for the how the discourse is going right now.
With the “Star Wars” films going on break for the next three years after “The Rise of Skywalker,” and given that “The Mandalorian” hasn’t really driven much in the way of fun “Star Wars” discourse outside of all those Baby Yoda memes, maybe it’s a good thing that we got a film that’s causing so much consternation. We don’t get enough chances as it is to fight with everyone we know about something that actually doesn’t really matter. So we have to make it count when the opportunity arises.
Also Read: 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Actually Makes 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Force Awakens' Worse
Given the impending hiatus for the films, it’s valid to wonder if “The Rise of Skywalker” might want to get into the post-credits scene game. Not all post-credits scenes are teases for future movies — there are plenty that simply serve as an extended epilogue. So is now the time when “Star Wars” joins this popular trend, by throwing in a bonus mid- or post-credits scene?
Unfortunately for fans hoping for any extra content during or after the credits, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” has no post-credits or mid-credits scenes. Once the credits begin, the movie has no more content for you beyond just the credits themselves. We’ve still never had a post-credits scene on any “Star Wars” movie.
Given how many people put in a lot of work to bring the film to life, it’s not the worst idea in the world to stick around in appreciation for their effort. But if you gotta go, you gotta go — and you can rest assured you aren’t missing something crucial if you head out when the credits start.
We're in the home stretch. The final quarter of the year brings with it some mega blockbusters, Oscar hopefuls and indie darlings. As part of our fall movie preview, here are the 36 movies we're most excited for in the coming months.
"It: Chapter Two" - Sept. 6 (New Line)
Andy Muschietti's first "It" film brought in $700.3 million worldwide on the back of a terrifying performance from Bill Skarsgård as the monster clown Pennywise. And the excitement of that film spurred the new film's A-list cast, including Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader as grown-up members of The Losers Club. The sequel, though, clocks in at two hours and 49 minutes.
"Hustlers" - Sept. 13 (STX Entertainment)
Look at those money moves. The impressive cast of pop star royalty behind “Hustlers,” including Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and Lizzo, helps bring some hip hop attitude and style to the true story of a group of strip club dancers who swindled their clientele of often corrupt Wall Street brokers. Lorene Scafaria’s (“Seeking a Friend For the End of the World”) film is inspired by a New Yorker magazine article by Jessica Pressler, and the finished product is like if “Ocean’s 8” met “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart also star in the film.
"Ad Astra" - Sept. 20 (20th Century Fox)
Director James Gray's sumptuous, slow-burn character dramas have always found an audience with critics and cinephiles. His latest puts him into the sci-fi realm and pairs him with a cast that includes Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland. The sweeping space scenes look impressive, but the film has been pushed back several times as a result of the Disney-Fox merger.
"Rambo: Last Blood" - Sept. 20 (Lionsgate)
Can Sylvester Stallone tap into the same nostalgia with "Rambo: Last Blood" that he did with the "Creed" movies? The early looks at "Last Blood" have been hyper-violent and show Stallone in something of a "Home Alone" scenario as he fights off waves of intruders to his property looking to exact revenge from his past.
"Downton Abbey" - Sept. 20 (Focus Features)
The feature film for "Downton Abbey" takes place 18 months after the ending of the original series, which concluded on New Year's Eve 1926. Now in 1927, the family is expecting a visit from the King and Queen, and the family needs to bring back their retired butler Carson (Jim Carter) to help with the arrangements.
"Judy" - Sept. 27 (Roadside Attractions)
Renée Zellweger looks spot-on as Judy Garland in this biopic that follows the legendary star during the winter of 1968 as she arrives in London for a series of sold-out concerts. Rupert Goold directed the film that's based on a Garland stage play called "End of the Rainbow" by Peter Quilter.
"Joker" - Oct. 4 (Warner Bros.)
Todd Phillips' "Joker" still feels like something of an enigma. Rather than your typical superhero origin story, the backstory of the famed Batman villain stars Joaquin Phoenix as part of a larger character drama as he struggles with his career as a comedian and seeks acceptance in society. Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Marc Maron, Shea Whigham and Brian Tyree Henry also star in the film that nods to Martin Scorsese cult favorites like "The King of Comedy."
"Lucy in the Sky" - Oct. 4 (Fox Searchlight)
After demonstrating prolific work on "Legion" and "Fargo," Noah Hawley is making his feature debut with "Lucy in the Sky," which stars Natalie Portman as an astronaut who starts to lose touch with reality after visiting outer space. Hawley's story is loosely inspired by the criminal activity of Lisa Nowak, an astronaut who was charged with the attempted kidnapping of a U.S. Air Force captain. Jon Hamm, Dan Stevens, Zazie Beetz, Nick Offerman, Ellen Burstyn and Tig Notaro also star in the drama.
"Pain and Glory" - Oct. 4 (Sony Classics)
"Pain and Glory" might be among the most personal films for Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar and a career highlight that's earning Oscar buzz for star Antonio Banderas. Banderas stars as a film director reflecting on his life choices, flashing back to his life as a young man and his relationship with his mother, played by Penélope Cruz, who owns the film in its early moments.
"Gemini Man" - Oct. 11 (Paramount)
Will Smith is an assassin facing off against a younger version of himself in Ang Lee's thriller "Gemini Man." But the star of the film is really the advanced CGI technology in which Smith also plays the de-aged version of himself. The filmmakers accomplished the feat in a different manner than the de-aging used on Samuel L. Jackson for "Captain Marvel," crafting an entire digital character based on a Will Smith that looks just like the Fresh Prince.
"Parasite" - Oct. 11 (Neon)
"Snowpiercer" and "Okja" director Bong Joon-ho's latest film, "Parasite," is a return to his native Korean language and a tantalizing drama that plays on the class divide between rich and poor. A poor family of conmen pose as expert tutors and servants and swindle their way into cushy jobs with an eccentric and gullible rich family. But the film naturally has a devilish twist that helped win him the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" - Oct. 18 (Disney)
In a strong year for Disney's live-action remakes, "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" goes beyond the original "Sleeping Beauty" story as Angelina Jolie returns for a new take on the villain. In the film directed by Joachim Rønning, Maleficent starts a battle after forbidding Aurora (Elle Fanning) from marrying a young prince. This time, Maleficent's war effort is helped by another race of dark, winged beasts led by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
"Zombieland: Double Tap" - Oct. 18 (Sony)
Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin and director Ruben Fleischer are back in for more screwball gun-slinging and zombie attacks in a sequel to the 2009 comedy "Zombieland." The cast, particularly Stone, has exploded in stardom since the original's release, so a sequel now seems like a no-brainer. The trailers suggest they're willing to toy with more surprise cameos and wordplay along the way.
"Jojo Rabbit" - Oct. 18 (Fox Searchlight)
In between "Thor" movies, Taika Waititi's new comedy is an "anti-hate satire" in which Waititi plays a cartoonish version of Adolf Hitler who exists as an imaginary friend in the mind of a little German boy during World War II. It's an absurd premise, and the film's first teaser is a colorful romp featuring Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen and Stephen Merchant.
"The Lighthouse" - Oct. 18 (A24)
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe are unshaven, unkempt and unhinged lighthouse keepers living at the tail end of the 19th century. Their performances anchor an insane psychodrama from director Robert Eggers, making his follow-up to the horror film "The Witch." And it's all shot in an anxiety inducing black and white and old-fashioned, nearly-square aspect ratio.
"Motherless Brooklyn" - Nov. 1 (Warner Bros.)
For his first directorial effort in nearly two decades, actor Edward Norton adapts and also stars in the acclaimed Jonathan Lethem novel. Relocating the neo-noir narrative to the 1950s in New York City, he plays a private detective with Tourette's Syndrome who finds himself ensnared in a citywide conspiracy at the hands of a master builder played by Alec Baldwin. The film also features a score by Daniel Pemberton, orchestration by Wynton Marsalis and an original song by Thom Yorke.
"Terminator: Dark Fate" - Nov. 1 (Paramount)
There have been several "Terminator" sequels since James Cameron's classic "T2: Judgment Day," but "Dark Fate" is the first one that brings Cameron back into the fold and aims to complete the story established in the original films. It's not just Arnold Schwarzenegger who's back, but also the original Sarah and John Connor, Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong, who are fighting the war for humanity. "Deadpool" director Tim Miller should be more than equipped to make this an action spectacle.
"Harriet" - Nov. 1 (Focus Features)
Cynthia Erivo stars as legendary freedom fighter Harriet Tubman in this biopic from director Kasi Lemmons ("Eve's Bayou"). The historical drama also stars Janelle Monáe, Joe Alwyn and Leslie Odom Jr.
"The Irishman" - Nov. 1 (Netflix)
Martin Scorsese's eagerly awaited "The Irishman" will get a limited theatrical release in November just ahead of its streaming debut on Netflix. It's a massive gangster throwback to Scorsese's heyday of "Goodfellas" and "Casino," bringing back Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and even Joe Pesci out of retirement. It even pairs Al Pacino with Scorsese for what is incredibly the first time. But much of the film hinges on de-aging technology that makes De Niro and Pacino look decades younger in a saga about the man who claims he killed union boss Jimmy Hoffa.
"Marriage Story" - Nov. 6 (Netflix)
Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story," starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, launched ahead of its Venice Film Festival premiere with two hers-and-his teaser trailers. The film looks at divorce through two separate perspectives and the love story that leads up to the deteriorating relationship.
"Doctor Sleep" - Nov. 8 (Warner Bros.)
The second Stephen King sequel this fall, "Doctor Sleep" is the follow-up to "The Shining" and stars Ewan McGregor as an adult Danny Torrance. He now comes face to face with a young girl with more incredible "shine" powers than he's ever seen. The horror film from Mike Flanagan has a hard R rating and strongly evokes Stanley Kubrick's horror classic.
"Charlie's Angels" - Nov. 15 (Sony)
Can a reboot of a 2000s action franchise based on a 1970s spy TV show work? If you have the colorful direction and story of Elizabeth Banks and a whole lot of "wigs, toys, clothes" and exploding peppermints, it just might. Kristen Stewart looks like she's having a ball alongside Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska. And the glitzy single from the dream team of Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey to go along with the film is a nice touch.
"Ford v. Ferrari" - Nov. 15 (Fox)
The American muscle and A-list talent on display in James Mangold's "Ford v. Ferrari" is the kind of slick biopic that doesn't get made often enough. Christian Bale and Matt Damon lead the cast of the story of how Ford enlisted a top car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and hot-shot driver Ken Miles (Bale) to beat Ferrari in the legendary 24 hour Le Mans race in 1966.
"A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" - Nov. 22 (Sony)
How do you make a movie about one of the nicest guys ever enter the entertainment business? Get the nicest guy in Hollywood. It's almost magical seeing Tom Hanks step into the shoes (and cardigan) of Fred Rogers for "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," which filmed on some of the original sets where "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" was produced for so many years. "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" director Marielle Heller focuses on a moment in Rogers' life where he managed to warm the heart of a cynical journalist writing a profile of the legendary children's host.
"Frozen 2" - Nov. 22 (Disney)
It's been six years since "Frozen" became a modern Disney classic and a new merchandising empire. So there's a lot riding on "Frozen II," which goes beyond the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and finds Elsa leaving the kingdom of Arendelle to discover the source of her enormous power. The first trailer looked inspiring, but the question is whether the film can deliver another soaring anthem on par with the original's Oscar-winning "Let it Go."
"Dark Waters" - Nov. 22 (Focus Features)
From director Todd Haynes ("Carol"), Mark Ruffalo stars in this environmental drama inspired by the true story of an attorney who took on the massive chemical company DuPont after connecting it to a series of unexplained deaths. It's based on a New York Times Magazine article called “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare,” and it also co-stars Anne Hathaway, Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper and Bill Pullman.
"Knives Out" - Nov. 27 (Lionsgate)
After conquering galaxies with "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," Rian Johnson took on this star-studded murder mystery as his ambitious pet project. Daniel Craig stars as a detective with a rich Southern drawl who investigates a wealthy, eccentric and backstabbing family for the murder of the family's patriarch. The twisty, comedic film that also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon, Katherine Langford, Lakieth Stanfield and Christopher Plummer.
"Queen & Slim" - Nov. 27 (Universal)
"Queen & Slim" is more than the story of the "black Bonnie & Clyde." Director Melina Matsoukas's debut film, with a script by Lena Waithe, is a timely American odyssey about a mismatched couple who see the country and all its colors. The two are on the run for the killing of a police officer during a traffic stop gone wrong. But it also is meant to be a universal story of being black in America as seen through the eyes of stars Daniel Kaluuya and newcomer Jodie Turner-Smith.
"The Aeronauts" - Dec. 6 (Amazon)
Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones go sky high in the visually impressive period drama from Tom Harper. Set in 1862, the film pairs a sheepish scientist (Redmayne) and a wealthy widow (Jones) as they attempt to soar to unprecedented heights in a hot air balloon. The film boasts some stunning aerial cinematography and also includes supporting performances from Himesh Patel and Tom Courtenay.
"Jumanji: The Next Level" - Dec. 13 (Sony)
"Jumanji: The Next Level" mixes up the fun of the last film by having the video game avatars played by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan jumble the human counterparts they're portraying. The twist allows the original cast to return without rehashing the same jokes and performances. And this time they're joined by Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and Awkwafina as they brave an arid desert and snowy mountain in the world's most dangerous game.
"A Hidden Life" - Dec. 13 (Fox Searchlight)
At its premiere in Cannes, "A Hidden Life" earned Terrence Malick his best reviews since 2011's "The Tree of Life." The World War II-era drama is just as spiritual and freeform as all his recent movies. But this one is based on the true story of an Austrian farmer named Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), a conscientious objector who refused to fight for the Nazis. The nearly three-hour saga chronicles his love story with his wife, played by Valerie Pachner.
"Cats" - Dec. 20 (Universal)
The trailer for "Cats" broke the internet when it was released, with online viewers launching countless memes and parodies at the sight of digital cats with the faces and bodies of Taylor Swift, James Corden, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen and Judi Dench. Love it or hate it, Tom Hooper's big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage hit has created enormous buzz, and we're purring at the chance to finally see it.
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" - Dec. 20 (Disney)
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" marks the conclusion to the Skywalker saga and perhaps the set-up for what fans can expect from future big-screen trilogies from both the "Game of Thrones" showrunners and Rian Johnson. J.J. Abrams, back on board after directing "The Force Awakens," has already revealed that Emperor Palpatine is still threatening the galaxy. And he's teased that there's "more to the story" of Rey's parentage than Kylo Ren previously let on.
"Bombshell" - Dec. 20 (Lionsgate)
Director Jay Roach's look at the downfall of Fox News' Roger Ailes is told from the perspective of the women who accused him of sexual harassment. Margot Robbie stars as a fictional news producer at the cable news giant, while Charlize Theron plays Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman is Gretchen Carlson and John Lithgow is Ailes. The script is by "The Big Short" writer Charles Randolph.
"Little Women" - Dec. 25 (Sony)
There have been numerous film adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel, but the cast that director Greta Gerwig has assembled for her follow-up to "Lady Bird" is like the "Avengers" of awards season. Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep star in the story that's been updated to play on new gender norms, with a modern sensibility.
"1917" - Dec. 25 (Universal)
Not unlike "Dunkirk" from two years ago, "1917" tells the story of a heroic British military effort against the worst odds, but now the action has been relocated to World War I. Director Sam Mendes has assembled a cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden, Colin Firth, Andrew Scott and George MacKay for this tense war epic.
J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker soared to $90 million at the Friday box office, putting the tentpole on course for a domestic debut in the $190 million range.
Not even The Force is immune to some sequel fatigue, despite the latest Star Wars pic being billed as a finale to the Skywalker saga. Two years ago, Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi — which divided fans — opened to $220 million domestically, preceded by a then-record $248 million for Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
Nevertheless, $190 million would be a huge number, as well as repping the third-best December launch of all time behind Force Awakens and Last Jedi. Friday's haul, which included $40 million in Thursday previews, is likewise high up on the list of all-time biggest first days for any time of the year, or No. 6, according to Comscore.
Movies hitting the big screen just before Christmas can enjoy unusually strong multiples during the final two weeks of the year, putting less pressure on the opening number.
Potential challenges facing Skywalker include mixed reviews and a B+ CinemaScore. It's the first Star Wars pic made by Lucasfilm and Disney not to earn an A from audiences. Exit scores on PostTrak are more promising.
Elsewhere, Universal and Working Title's Christmas event movie Cats is looking at a disappointing fourth-place finish behind holdovers Jumanji: The Next Level and Frozen 2 with a projected $8 million weekend, behind expectations.
On Friday, Cats took in an estimated $2.6 million after landing a dismal C+ CinemaScore from moviegoers and getting banished to the litter box by critics.
Directed by Tom Hooper, the PG pic hopes to make ground in the coming days as families become available. (Two years ago, The Greatest Showman bowed to $8.8 million over Christmas on its way to grossing $174.3 million domestically.) Cats cost $100 million to make after tax rebates and incentives. That doesn't include marketing costs.
Lionsgate's Bombshell is likewise coming in behind expectations in its nationwide expansion, albeit by a slimmer margin. The Fox News drama rounded out the top five Friday with an estimated $1.8 million for a projected weekend gross of $5.5 million-$6 million.
Of the three movies, Bombshell — an awards contender — boasts the best Rotten Tomatoes score (65 percent), followed by 57 percent for Star Wars and a mere 19 percent for Cats.
There’s no doubt that Princess Diana would be big on social media. The “people’s princess” had millions of followers before social media was even invented. Before we had selfies, she was one of the most photographed people in the world.
So it’s safe to say Instagram would have been her thing. Before social media, Princess Diana was already using photographs very strategically. She knew her power as a public figure, and she tried to bring awareness to various causes through photography.
She was pictured holding hands with a man suffering from AIDS, during an epidemic of the disease. The public didn’t know a lot about how HIV and AIDS were transmitted. By being photographed simply holding hands with someone with the disease, Princess Diana educated the public without a word.
Princess Diana was brilliant in her ability to use her image for the greater good. She never had the chance to try out social media, but her children have. And they’re using social media platforms to carry on her legacy.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, made an Instagram account earlier this year. A lot of thought went into the Sussex Royal account. The couple was very careful about their color scheme, and all pictures are uniformly formatted with white borders.
Duchess Meghan apparently even studied Instagram algorithms. It’s not because they wanted to maximize likes on their selfies. They use their page almost exclusively for promoting charitable causes.
Every month they post about a new cause. And usually, pictures of the duke and duchess are taken at charitable events or other meetings to promote social causes.
One royal expert says it’s exactly what Princess Diana would have done on social media. According to the expert: “Diana would be so proud of what Harry and Meghan are doing with their platform at the moment – being creative with it, thinking outside the box, doing things differently.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may use Instagram to promote causes, but they’re not putting all their eggs in the social media basket.
The duchess also promoted various activists on her Vogue cover in September. The issue was highly publicized, and she undoubtedly brought a lot of awareness to some important causes.
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry also took a trip to Africa this fall. The journey was highly publicized. Even people who don’t follow the royal couple on social media likely heard about the trip, and what they were doing there.
They retraced some of Princess Diana’s steps while there. Prince Harry was photographed walking across the same former minefield in Angola as his mother. The princess visited in the 1990s.
Markle and Prince Harry are often favorably compared to Princess Diana, but her other son is doing his part to further her legacy as well. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, also have an Instagram.
The Kensington Royal account also does its part to promote charities. Most recently, Duchess Kate was photographed during an event for the Family Action charity, and the pictures were posted on social media.
The older royal couple has more royal duties than Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, so naturally, their social media focuses more on the formal aspect of being a royal. It’s still important to note that they are very charitable and try to bring awareness to good causes when they can.
They may not have the same knack for public promotion as Princess Diana did or the freedom as Prince Harry, but Princess Diana clearly left her older son with an impressive sense of duty to the greater good.
