December Movie Preview

Chris Rock's Top Five leads the season of holiday films.

Selma and Top Five - Two awards season contenders will come to theaters this month: Selma, a historical drama based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, and Top Five, a comedy written and directed by Chris Rock. Selma will hit theaters on Christmas day, while Top Five will begin showing on December 5.(Photos: Paramount Pictures)

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Selma and Top Five: December's Hottest Flicks - The last month of the year is always big for films.  The deadline for award season and cashing in on family-friendly films. December 2014 is no exception. Top Five and Selma are all the must see movies of the holiday season. Here's a peek at the best multiplex gifts playing at a movie theater near you. (Photos: Paramount Pictures)

Dying of the Light: December 5 - Nicolas Cage is back in another action thriller.  This time out, he plays a veteran CIA agent ordered to retire, but when his nemesis resurfaces he goes rogue to eliminate his longtime enemy. If not a critics darling, count this one as yet another crowd pleaser. (Photo: Lionsgate)

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Dying of the Light: December 5 - Nicolas Cage is back in another action thriller.  This time out, he plays a veteran CIA agent ordered to retire, but when his nemesis resurfaces he goes rogue to eliminate his longtime enemy. If not a critics darling, count this one as yet another crowd pleaser. (Photo: Lionsgate)

Life Partners: December 5 - Gabourey Sidibe stars in this comedy about gal pals who's longest relationship have been with each other. But when one of them gets involved with a nerdy newcomer it shifts the dynamic of their girlpower connection. Judging from the lack of color in the movie's poster, let's hope Sidibe will have lots to do in her black BFF role!  (Photo: Haven Entertainment)

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Life Partners: December 5 - Gabourey Sidibe stars in this comedy about gal pals who's longest relationship have been with each other. But when one of them gets involved with a nerdy newcomer it shifts the dynamic of their girlpower connection. Judging from the lack of color in the movie's poster, let's hope Sidibe will have lots to do in her black BFF role! (Photo: Haven Entertainment)

Poker Night: December 5 - This twisted thriller features a young detective caught in a sadistic game of cat-and-mouse. The PI is kidnapped and tormented by a masked serial killer and must survive using his poker night wisdom. Giancarlo Esposito, who's made appearing as villian an artform lately on the small screen, also stars in the film.  (Photo: Wingman Productions)

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Poker Night: December 5 - This twisted thriller features a young detective caught in a sadistic game of cat-and-mouse. The PI is kidnapped and tormented by a masked serial killer and must survive using his poker night wisdom. Giancarlo Esposito, who's made appearing as villian an artform lately on the small screen, also stars in the film. (Photo: Wingman Productions)

Top Five: December 12 - Written and directed by Chris Rock, he stars in this hip-hop inspired, political, racial, romantic all-star comedy romp. Rock plays a comedian-turned-film star whose encounter with a journalist (Rosario Dawson) forces him to re-examine the importance and responsibility of being famous today. Top Five's A-list star studded cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Hart, Sherri Shepherd, JB Smoove and many more.  (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

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Top Five: December 12 - Written and directed by Chris Rock, he stars in this hip-hop inspired, political, racial, romantic all-star comedy romp. Rock plays a comedian-turned-film star whose encounter with a journalist (Rosario Dawson) forces him to re-examine the importance and responsibility of being famous today. Top Five's A-list star studded cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Hart, Sherri Shepherd, JB Smoove and many more. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

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Exodus: Gods and Kings - Ridley Scott's biblical epic has angered many with its seemingly racist casting choices: all the "gods and kings" are played by white actors, while the "slaves, thieves and lower-class citizens" are played by actors of color. Scott's response to the controversy, claiming that he couldn't get financing with a more diverse cast, reeks of an old Hollywood mentality that has no place in the 21st century. (Photo: Twentieth Century Fox)

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Exodus: Gods and Kings: December 12 - After the failure that was Noah, Hollywood is still digging in the treasure trove of Biblical stories for cinematic inspiration. Here, Ridley Scott directs and takes on the story of Moses (Christian Bale) rising up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses on the eve of the deadly plagues. The film also stars John Turturro, Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley.(Photo: Twentieth Century Fox)

Inherent Vice: December 12 - Paul Thomas Anderson helms this dark, dramatic tale which stars real-life wife Maya Rudolph, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, and Michael K. Williams. The story: a PI's ex wife comes to him for help when she uncovers her billionaire boyfriend's wife is attempting to throw the rich mogul into a looney bin. Should he help? Set in the 60s, this trippy ride, part noir and part psychedlic romp is 100% pure groovy  as audiences uncover the answer.  (Photo: Warner Bros Pictures)

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Inherent Vice: December 12 - Paul Thomas Anderson helms this dark, dramatic tale which stars real-life wife Maya Rudolph, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, and Michael K. Williams. The story: a PI's ex wife comes to him for help when she uncovers her billionaire boyfriend's wife is attempting to throw the rich mogul into a looney bin. Should he help? Set in the 60s, this trippy ride, part noir and part psychedlic romp is 100% pure groovy  as audiences uncover the answer. (Photo: Warner Bros Pictures)

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: December 17 - The third in a trilogy of films based on the popular masterpiece The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, this movie is the epic conclusion of the adventures of Bilbo, Thorin, and the Company of Dwarves. Here, Bilbo and co. are in a war to prevent a kingdom of treasure from destroying Middle-Earth. Consider this flick a guarantee hit amongst fanboys and fangirls alike.  (Photo: MGM/Warner Bros Pictures)

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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: December 17 - The third in a trilogy of films based on the popular masterpiece The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, this movie is the epic conclusion of the adventures of Bilbo, Thorin, and the Company of Dwarves. Here, Bilbo and co. are in a war to prevent a kingdom of treasure from destroying Middle-Earth. Consider this flick a guarantee hit amongst fanboys and fangirls alike. (Photo: MGM/Warner Bros Pictures)

Annie: December 19 - For the first time in the nearly 90-year old franchise, Annie is finally in living, bold and African-American color. In this multicultural reboot, produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jay-Z, Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) is a happy foster kid circa 2014 looking for her birth family. But with the help of mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) [replacing the original story's Daddy Warbucks], she soon learns how to form a self-made clan of her own. Annie also stars Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Cameron Diaz. (Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment)

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Annie: December 19 - For the first time in the nearly 90-year old franchise, Annie is finally in living, bold and African-American color. In this multicultural reboot, produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jay-Z, Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) is a happy foster kid circa 2014 looking for her birth family. But with the help of mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) [replacing the original story's Daddy Warbucks], she soon learns how to form a self-made clan of her own. Annie also stars Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Cameron Diaz. (Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment)

The Gambler: December 19 - In the third remake of the 1974 classic, Mark Wahlberg is banking that this is the role that will make him an Oscar contender, again. In it, Wahlberg portrays an English professor and high-stakes gambler who borrows from a gangster (Michael K. Williams) and offers his life as collateral. Things get even dicier when he must navigate a dysfuntional relationship with his weathly mother (Jessica Lange) and budding romance with a student.  (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

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The Gambler: December 19 - In the third remake of the 1974 classic, Mark Wahlberg is banking that this is the role that will make him an Oscar contender, again. In it, Wahlberg portrays an English professor and high-stakes gambler who borrows from a gangster (Michael K. Williams) and offers his life as collateral. Things get even dicier when he must navigate a dysfuntional relationship with his weathly mother (Jessica Lange) and budding romance with a student. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

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Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb: December 19 - Ben Stiller returns in the third installment of this action adventure comedy that finds his character scanning the globe, and uniting favorite and new characters. His ultimate quest? Save the magic of the night before it's forever gone for good. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb also marks one of the final film performances of the late Robin Williams.  (Photo: Twentieth Century Fox)

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Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb: December 19 - Ben Stiller returns in the third installment of this action adventure comedy that finds his character scanning the globe, and uniting favorite and new characters. His ultimate quest? Save the magic of the night before it's forever gone for good. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb also marks one of the final film performances of the late Robin Williams. (Photo: Twentieth Century Fox)

Movies That Should Have Been Hacked - Hollywood experienced a historic first these past few weeks when a cyber-terrorist attack allegedly from North Korea managed to derail a film release (Seth Rogen and James Franco's The Interview, which shows the comedy duo taking out North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, was initially pulled from theaters and then released on limited screens). While the incident arguably posed a dangerous precedent when it comes to dealing with foreign enemies, there are a few films that nobody would mind if hackers spared us from. Here are the movies that actually deserved to be hacked.  (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

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The Interview: December 25 - A long-awaited movie whose controversy far proceeded it: James Franco and Seth Rogan star as a reporter and producer of a popular celebrity tabloid show. When the duo prepare to travel to Pyongyang to interview North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, they get recruited by the CIA to assassinate Jong-un. As you can imagine, North Korea doesn't find this Hollywood spin on their leader the least bit funny. (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

Photo By Photo: Columbia Pictures

Selma: December 25 - Look for this on screen retelling of Martin Luther King Jr.'s sojourn from Selma to Montgomery for equal voting rights to be a major contender this Oscar season. Directed by Ava DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as King,  Cuba Gooding Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Carmen Ejogo and Common, this kinectic energy and powerful performances of this epic film elevates King to superhero status as it presents this bold, historical tale for a whole new generation. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

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Selma: December 25 - Look for this on screen retelling of Martin Luther King Jr.'s sojourn from Selma to Montgomery for equal voting rights to be a major contender this Oscar season. Directed by Ava DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as King,  Cuba Gooding Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Carmen Ejogo and Common, this kinectic energy and powerful performances of this epic film elevates King to superhero status as it presents this bold, historical tale for a whole new generation. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)