New films beneath our Christmas tree

TINA Fey (left) and Amy Poehler in “Sisters”

What new productions are filmmakers gifting us with this month, to make the Christmas season truly merry and bright? It turns out that some 50 new movies are trotted out each December for viewers’ much-hoped-for celebration on the global film scene.

But, for purposes of manageable focus, we have chosen the 10 most promising prospects for your consideration—“Sisters,” “Daddy’s Home,” “Joy,” “45 Years,” “Extraction,” “In the Heart of the Sea,” “Macbeth,” “Life,” “The Lady in the Van”—and of course, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

We put “Sisters” at the top of our viewing list primarily because it stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, whose past TV-film outings have been reliably fun-filled.

In their latest costarrer, they play strikingly different siblings—Tina is “loose and childish,” while Amy is “uptight and divorced.” They throw one last party in the home where they were born and grew up, which their parents have decided to sell—and the comic fun flies fast and furious!

In “Daddy’s Home,” Will Ferrell plays a mild-mannered executive who tries to be the best stepfather to his wife’s two children. But, their real dad Mark Wahlberg arrives and forces him to compete for the kids’ affection.

“Joy” is about a struggling single mom (Jennifer Lawrence) who invents a “miraculous” product that transforms and complicates her life completely. Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper also star.

In “45 Years,” Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtney play a married couple about to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, when they unexpectedly get a letter that contains “life-changing” news.

In “Extraction,” starring Bruce Willis and Gina Carano, a former CIA operative (Willis) is kidnapped by a group of terrorists. When his son learns that there are no plans for his rescue, he mounts his own mission to save his dad.

“In the Heart of the Sea” is about the sinking of a whaling ship in 1820, which inspired the tale of “Moby-Dick.” Leads include Chris Hemsworth and Benjamin Walker.

“The Lady in the Van” is eminently viewable because it top-bills Maggie Smith. In the film, Dominic Cooper plays a man who forms an unexpected bond with a transient (Smith) who lives in a car that’s parked on his driveway.

The latest screen version of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” stars Michael Fassbender in the title role, with Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth.

“Life,” starring Robert Pattinson and Peter Lucas, is about a photographer from Life magazine who’s assigned to shoot pictures of James Dean—and arrives at insights into the gifted but troubled young star.

Finally, the “Force Awakens”: It’s been over 30 years since viewers last saw Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), but filmmaker JJ Abrams is keeping his plotting cards for the 2015 update close to his chest—however, he promises that the mystery and long wait will be worth it!