Ten films to watch in December

Unbroken Angelina Jolie's second film as director is released in December, just as she has announced her intention to retire from acting. Unbroken tells the true story of US soldier Louis Zamperini, who spent 47 days drifting on a raft after his plane was shot down over the Pacific during World War Two. The former distance runner - who met Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Olympics - was eventually captured by the Japanese and held as a prisoner of war in Japan for more than two years. With a screenplay co-written by the Coen brothers and adapted from a bestselling book by Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit), the epic drama stars Jack O'Connell ('71) as Zamperini, who died in July aged 97. Released 25 December in Spain and the US and 26 December in Ireland. (Universal Pictures) Into The Woods The Disney adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning musical is a Grimm fairy tales mash up, with Johnny Depp as the wolf, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella and Meryl Streep as the witch. Offering a subversive take on the classic stories, it was an unexpected choice for the studio: Kendrick has said she "was surprised to see Disney do it because it takes their classic tales and skewers them... It's sort of like when you see The Simpsons make fun of Fox." Released 24 December in South Korea, 25 December in the US and 29 December in Russia. (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Wild In one of this Oscar season's many road movies, Reese Witherspoon plays a former heroin addict who hikes the 1,100 m (1,770 km) of the Pacific Crest Trail. Adapted from Cheryl Strayed's bestselling 2012 memoir, Wild is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club) with a script by Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity). Battling physical hardship and personal demons, Witherspoon holds her own against the majestic landscapes, from the Mojave desert to the mountains of Oregon: her performance has been tipped for a best actress nomination at the Academy Awards. Released 5 December in the US and 15 January in Brazil and Germany. (PR) To read more