2014 has seen a number of heavyweight blockbusters raking in the expected box office cash, but also receiving widespread critical acclaim (Guardians Of The Galaxy and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes being perfect examples). Add this to the fact that it has also been a banner year for independent cinema, with a number of innovative and enthralling smaller films like Boyhood making quite a splash, and it becomes clear that it has been a very strong year for film buffs of all tastes. And there's still one month to go. December has become an increasingly important month for film studios in recent years, with many of the larger budgeted films seeing their releases over Christmas; last year's holiday period gave us the animated smash hit Frozen, and previous years have seen franchises like Sherlock Holmes and The Hobbit stake a regular spot in the winter schedule. And that's saying nothing of a certain minor hit named Avatar. The release slate for this coming December features a number of intriguing options for all manner of film fans. The following are eight of the biggest releases, from animated comedies to mega-budget Biblical epics, it's going to be one hell of a month.
