This is the week when "The Interview" was going to be released, but some hackers infiltrated Sony Pictures Entertainment's computers, made some threats and got the farce about an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by two American journalists -- starring Seth Rogen and James Franco -- canceled.

Either way, there are still plenty of other films coming out on Christmas Day (Thursday): about a Navy S.E.A.L. sniper, a painter who ran into legal troubles and rediscovered herself, a witch involved with characters from children's stories, the civil rights marches of the 1960s and a U.S. Olympian captured by the Japanese during World War II

‘American Sniper’

A U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. recounts his military career, which includes more than 150 confirmed kills.

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, and Luke Grimes

‘Big Eyes’

The drama is centered on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.

Directed by Tim Burton

Starring Christoph Waltz, Amy Adams and Krysten Ritter

‘The Interview’

Dave Skylark and his producer, Aaron Rapoport, run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show ‘Skylark Tonight.’ When they discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Skylark and Rapoport prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the two least-qualified men imaginable, to assassinate the North Korean leader.

Directed by Evan Golberg and Seth Rogen

Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco and Randall Park

‘Into the Woods’

A witch conspires to teach important lessons to various characters of popular children's stories, including "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Rapunzel." Basically, "Grimm’s Fairy Tales" get a lively retelling through Rob Marshall’s film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway hit "Into The Woods."

Directed by Rob Marshall

Starring Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick and Emily Blunt

‘Selma’

A biopic look at the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., during his time in Selma, Ala., and his relationship with President Lyndon Baines "LBJ" Johnson during the civil rights marches in the 1960s that changed the United States.

Directed by Ava DuVernay

Starring David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, and Tom Wilkinson

‘Unbroken’

A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, a U.S. Olympian runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.

Directed by Angelina Jolie

Starring Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson and Jai Courtney

Three other movies are also being released this week:

  • "Beloved Sisters." Directed  by Dominik Graf and starring Henriette Confurius, Florian Stetter, and Hannah Herzsprung, it's a romantic drama centered on the love triangle between rising poet Friedrich Schiller and two aristocratic sisters.
  • 'Leviathan." Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and starring Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkovand Aleksey Serebryakov, it is the story about a Russian coastal town where a man named Dmitri is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Dmitri and his family.
  • "Two Days." Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne and starring Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, and Pili Groyne, it is the story of Sandra, a young Belgian mother who discovers that her workmates have opted for a significant pay bonus in exchange for her dismissal. She has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job.

Source: ScreenCrush

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