Holiday movie season is here. So much to see, but will they be shiny presents or lumps of coal? To each elf their own!

BY LAURA D.C. KOLNOSKI

JUST MERCY
JANUARY 10 (RATED PG-13)
The dramatic tale of actual Harvard lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) who named his Alabama practice the Equal Justice Initiative, tasked with defending disadvantaged and wrongly condemned clients. One of his earliest cases was that of convicted murderer Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), which began in 1987 and lasted for years. The fi lm, which also stars Brie Larson, is based on Stevenson’s book of the same name and was shot partly in Montgomery, Alabama.

LITTLE WOMEN
DECEMBER 25 (RATED PG)
Greta Gerwig directs this latest version of the Louisa May Alcott novel about the lives of the March sisters in the late 1800s. Emma Watson plays Meg, Saoirse Ronan is Jo, Meryl Streep is Aunt March, and Laura Dern takes the role of Marmee. Timothee Chalamet plays Theodore Laurence, while Bob Odenkirk is Mr. March. Production was a reunion for Ronan, Chalamet, and Gerwig, all of whom collaborated on Gerwig’s feature fi lm directorial debut, Lady Bird.

DOLITTLE
JANUARY 17 (UNRATED)
Reports of extensive and costly reshoots have swirled around this live-action/CGI remake of the 1967 original, starring Rex Harrison as the kindly doctor who can speak to animals. The sweeping human and voice cast includes five Oscar winners and three nominees, including Robert Downey Jr., Tom Holland, Michael Sheen, Rami Malek, Octavia Spencer, Emma Thompson, Marion Cotillard, Ralph Fiennes, and Antonio Banderas!

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
OCTOBER 18 (UNRATED)
After months of both plausible and outlandish theories, fans can fi nally see what actually happens in this alleged finale of the galactic saga that began in 1977. Disney honcho Bob Iger’s just-published memoir revealed that George Lucas was less than thrilled that his ideas for the space series’s future were usurped by others with their own ideas, with plot clues emanating from a trailer released on October 21, Carrie Fisher’s (Princess Leia) birthday. Questions to be answered: Who are Rey’s real parents? Will Kylo Ren turn good guy? Will Han Solo return as a Force ghost even though he’s not a Jedi? (We vote yes; he earned it). How will Leia’s end be handled? And will we see farm boy-turned Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker, one last time? We’re appealing to The Force not to be disappointed.

CATS
DECEMBER 20 (UNRATED)
A stellar cast led by Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, Taylor Swift as Bombalunna, James Cordon as Bustopher Jones, and Sir Ian McKellen as Gus the Theatre Cat headline this fi lm adaptation of the long-running seven-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on poet T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” Also in the cast: Dame Judi Dench, Jason Derulo (making his fi lm debut as Rum Tum Tugger), Rebel Wilson, and Idris Elba. Director Tom Hooper helmed the fi lm version of Les Miserables as well as The King’s Speech, while the choreography was created by Hamilton’s Andy Blankenbuehier. Webber wrote new tunes for the film, which employs CGI animation as well as makeup wizardry.

SPIES IN DISGUISE
DECEMBER 25 (RATED PG)
Will Smith, Tom Holland, Rashida Jones, Karen Gillan, Reba McEntire, Rachel Brosnahan, Masi Oka, and DJ Khaled all lent their voices to this family adventure from Blue Sky Studios and the creators of Ice Age and Rio. The story involves Smith’s suave super spy, Lance Sterling, teaming with a young, enthusiastic scientist in an odd-couple match-up replete with high-tech gadgets and unexpected transformations. This is Blue Sky’s first film released as a division of Walt Disney Studios. Also with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, and Imelda Staunton.

JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL
DECEMBER 13 (UNRATED)
The premise: “The gang is back but the game has changed.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas, and Karen Gillan enter the game of Jumanji and undertake a rescue mission that leads them into new locales and challenging environments complicated by unexpected character twists. Joining the fast-paced and life-threatening derring-do are Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Awkwafina, Colin Hanks, and Nick Jonas.