Why You Should Watch More Than Just 'Star Wars' This Holiday

Allow me to let you in on a little secret: there are movies other than Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening in cinemas over the coming holiday season. Given that J.J. Abrams' reboot of the beloved intergalactic saga has taken up every possible inch of marketing space around the globe, you may find that hard to believe. But it's true! There's also Star Wars… Wait, what? No, I mean you could always go see The Force Awakens… dammit! *Howls like Chewbacca*

Kidding, kidding. A great many of us are of course anticipating revisiting a galaxy far, far away, but there are plenty of other cinematic options over the weeks ahead, some offering flights of fancy and fantasy, some telling stories and stirring up emotions a little more close to home. Here's a selection:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I am required by law to mention this. But admit it, even if you're not a dyed-in-the-Wookiee Star Wars fanatic, you're at least a little curious to see how this revival plays out, aren't you? What will an older Han Solo be like? Will new characters played by the likes of Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and newcomer Daisy Ridley spark the same love and loyalty as their original saga counterparts? Will they try to smuggle Jar Jar Binks in for a cameo? (Re. that last one: they'd better not.)

The Good Dinosaur

2015 marks the first time Pixar has hit us with two of its animated movies in the same year. And The Good Dinosaur had its work cut out for it, following up Inside Out — one of the studio's most heartfelt films to date. This story of a world where dinosaurs weren't made extinct but instead evolved is definitely closer to the Cars end of the Pixar quality spectrum — that is to say, little kids will dig it but grown-ups might want to wait for the rumoured Incredible sequel if they want their Pixar fix. (However, Sanjay's Super Team, the short film that precedes Good Dinosaur, is a bit of a blast.)

Joy

There was a great Tweet the other day that speculated on how David O. Russell clearly doesn't know the actual age of his Silver Lining Playbook and American Hustle star, Jennifer Lawrence. After all, he keeps casting the 20-something Oscar winner in roles with a little more mileage on the meter than she herself actually has. Still, it seems to be working (as I said, '20-something Oscar winner'), and Joy, a family drama based on the true story of a young wife and mother's rise to business success, looks set to continue the pattern. Surrounding J-Law with the likes of Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Virginia Madsen (yay!) and Isabella Rossellini (more yay!) can only help.

The Revenant

Leonardo DiCaprio does not get raped by a bear in The Revenant. I've seen The Revenant, and anyone who thinks it looks like the bear is trying to get some of that Leo clearly doesn't know how sex operates. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's just say that Alejandro G. Inarritu's follow-up to his Oscar-winning Birdman is a starkly gorgeous and confrontingly brutal story of survival in a frozen wilderness, with a betrayed, left-for-dead DiCaprio stopping at nothing to get revenge on his nemesis, Tom Hardy. Great work by the cast (and the bear), a likely Academy Award three-peat for director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki, quite possibly the best cinematographer on earth right now.

Sisters

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey play sisters who decide to throw a big farewell bash at their family home before it goes on the market in this raucous comedy from the director of Pitch Perfect. The trailer looks… acceptable? But it's Poehler and Fey, each apparently playing against type, together onscreen, so let's be thankful for what we've got (and then go home and re-watch old episodes of 30 Rock).

Point Break

It's been over a decade since that unofficial remake of Point Break hit cinemas —  you know, The Fast And The Furious. So now it's time for the official remake (directed, coincidentally enough, by Ericson Core, cinematographer of The Fast And The Furious), which has Home & Away alumnus Luke Bracey as Johnny "I AM AN FBI AGENT" Utah, going undercover to bust a bunch of socially-aware bank robbers/extreme-sport aficionados led by Edgar Ramirez, whose cool, earthy charisma might be a good fit for this role.

Peanuts

Anyone who's read Charles Schulz's cartoons with any regularity knows they're kinda maudlin and melancholic at heart, so here's hoping this animated comedy about Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus et al doesn't sacrifice the sometimes-sad mood in favour of something too shiny and sparkly. (At the same time, don't be afraid to crack a few jokes and tug a few heartstrings, huh?) Having Paul Feig, co-creator of Freaks & Geeks and director of Bridesmaids and Spy, in the control room should help.

Carol

Todd Haynes does repressed longing and romantic confusion better than just about any other filmmaker working — you can see it in films as diverse as Velvet Goldmine and Far From Heaven. His latest film, the exquisite 1950s-era melodrama Carol, may be his finest work yet — a beautifully rendered portrait of denial and desire with unforgettable performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

The Big Short

A tale of financial malfeasance told in the language of economic gibberish… That sounds like a hoot, right? Well, advance word on The Big Short, based on actual events and brought to the screen by Anchorman's Adam McKay (a filmmaker with a quick wit and a real grudge against the 1%), is that it's funny and fierce, with a cast led by Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling investigating the corrupt origins of the global financial crisis.

The Danish Girl

The story of Danish artist and transgender pioneer Lili Elbe has attracted high-end talent for years, but a screen version of Elbe's life somehow never managed to get off the ground until Les Miserables and King's Speech director Tom Hooper and Oscar-winning Theory of Everything star Eddie Redmayne attached themselves to the project. The casting of cisgender Redmayne as Elbe has caused controversy in some circles, but his is a nuanced and sensitive performance in a tasteful, thoughtful film that takes a middle-of-the-road approach to transgender issues.

13 Hours

Big-Bang auteur Michael Bay makes a stab for credibility Black Hawk Down style with his traditionally macho, sweaty take on a true-life incident in which American military operatives defied order to do what was RIGHT, gosh darn it, by defending the US embassy in the Libyan city of Benghazi against Muslim insurgents. Bring your own red, white and blue flag to wave as Bay's boys blow shit up real good.

The Hateful Eight

Forget Santa Claus… Quentin Tarantino is coming to town! And he's bringing Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson, two of the stars of his latest film The Hateful Eight with him! Even if you don't get to see QT's widescreen western — which traps eight old west archetypes with quick tempers and quicker trigger fingers in the same snowbound saloon — with the director and stars in attendance during their Australian sojourn this January, go see the movie anyway. It's Tarantino; the guy usually delivers.