By John Corrado

New releases for the week of December 8th, 2023.

Theatrical Releases:

The Boy and the Heron (Wide Release): Following its North American premiere as the opening night film at TIFF, this latest from Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki is now opening in theatres. The plot centres around Mahito, a 12-year-old boy whose mother is killed during the war, who gets drawn into a fantastical world by a talking grey heron. It’s an enchanting, gorgeously animated fantasy about life and death, brought to the screen with stunning hand-drawn animation and a sweeping musical score by Joe Hisaishi. An entertaining, beguiling, and moving work of art from Studio Ghibli. The release includes both the original Japanese version with subtitles, and an English dub. (Full Review)

Eileen (Limited Release): This sophomore feature from director William Oldroyd (Lady MacBeth) is a solid and suspenseful little psychological thriller, that builds a chilly sense of atmosphere. Set during a snowy Massachusetts Christmas the early 1960s, the film follows lonely young prison secretary Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) as she befriends the new psychiatrist Rebecca (Anne Hathaway). This is a twisty, darkly entertaining period film, grounded by strong performances from McKenzie and Hathaway, with Marin Ireland leaving her mark in a small but mighty supporting role. (Full Review)

More Releases: The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (Limited), Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Limited), Five Breakups and a Romance (Limited), Waitress: The Musical (Limited), Christmas With The Chosen: Holy Night (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (Disney+): This third animated flick based on Jeff Kinney’s popular book series finds middle schooler Greg Heffley (voiced by Wesley Kimmel) stuck at home with his overbearing family during a major snowstorm in the week leading up to Christmas. Greg is trying to be good to get a new video game console for Christmas, but feels watched by a creepy old homemade elf on a shelf, and is worried about being arrested for accidentally damaging a snow plow with his friend Rowley (Spencer Howell). The somewhat crude CG animation is done in the style of the book illustrations, which fits the characters. At about an hour, this really feels like the sort of animated Christmas special that I would have watched on TV in the afternoon as a kid, which it seems like is what they were going for. It should satisfy kids who like the series.

More Releases: Leave the World Behind (Netflix), NAGA (Netflix), My Life With the Walter Boys (Netflix), We Live Here: The Midwest (Disney+)