Holiday Movies 2024: Here’s what to watch in the cinemas this Christmas season

“It is truly remarkable how embracing her character and learning to trust in oneself has fostered such personal growth and emotional restoration. Through this process, I’ve gained greater self-confidence and developed a deeper sense of understanding and empowerment. It’s a beautiful experience–I believe we all found healing through these characters and one another. This story is especially significant now, at a time when everything is reduced to headlines or selectively quoted soundbites. It advocates for truth, humanity, and the complexities of being misunderstood. It illustrates that a person can be both good and wicked. We all carry elements of these women within us; we can all recognise aspects of ourselves in them,” she adds.

Cynthia Erivo, for her part, also put in months of training for her role, so that she can harness the power needed for belting out Elphaba’s lyrics. She often found joy in the work, saying, “I hope that this joy keeps growing. I hope we find something to spark joy in every day. This was a long process, and I knew that it would get hard sometimes. But I knew, even on those days, that we would find something that makes us love and reconnect to what brought us here.”

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Gladiator II has been a topic of discussion ever since the original film’s success upon its release in 2000, according to director Ridley Scott. “The popularity of Gladiator just kept growing,” he explains. “The film remained in the public’s consciousness. I knew we should consider a sequel, but it took years to figure out what the story would be.”

Producer Michael Pruss, who has been working alongside Scott for more than a decade, adds: “The world of the Roman Empire and the unforgettable characters of Gladiator were so brilliantly crafted. Recreating that on an even grander scale for the sequel was essential. We wanted to capture that same powerful motivation for revenge, but with something fresh, modern, and unique. It took longer than anyone anticipated, but great ideas and human drama take time to develop. Hopefully, the results here will speak for themselves.”

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Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night offers a retelling of the birth of Jesus, seen through the eyes of Mary and Joseph. This beautifully crafted film weaves together the stories of The Messengers and The Shepherd, presented in a newly remastered feature just in time for the festive season.

The film also includes a live video message from The Chosen creator and director, Dallas Jenkins, who encourages viewers to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Alongside this, there are captivating musical performances from renowned artists, including the legendary Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo. Other performances include The Feast Worship, which adds a distinctively Filipino flavour to the celebration.

Kraven the Hunter is the visceral, action-packed origin story of how and why one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared. 

Set 183 years before the events of the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim chronicles the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. When Wulf, a cunning and merciless Dunlending lord seeking revenge for his father’s death, launches a sudden attack, Helm and his people are forced to make a bold stand within the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg–a formidable fortress that will later become known as Helm’s Deep. As the situation grows ever more dire, Helm’s daughter, Héra, must summon the strength to lead the resistance against an enemy intent on their complete annihilation.

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