Merry Christmas from the Movies! (CREDIT [Clockwise from Top Left]: Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features; Sabrina Lantos/Amazon MGM; A24; Macall Polay/Searchlight Pictures)

A Complete Unknown

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz, Eriko Hatsune, P.J. Byrne, Will Harrison, Charlie Tahan, Ryan Harris Brown, Eli Brown, Michael Chernus

Director: James Mangold

Running Time: 141 Minutes

Rating: R for Arrogant Artist Behavior

Release Date: December 25, 2024 (Theaters)

Nosferatu

Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney

Director: Robert Eggers

Running Time: 132 Minutes

Rating: R for Ecstatic Sex and Bloodsucking

Release Date: December 25, 2024 (Theaters)

The Fire Inside

Starring: Ryan Destiny, Brian Tyree Henry, Oluniké Adeliyi, De’Adre Aziza, Sarah Allen

Director: Rachel Morrison

Running Time: 109 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Language, Jabs, and Hooks

Release Date: December 25, 2024 (Theaters)

The cinematic landscape at Christmas is typically dominated by franchise blockbusters and family-friendly flicks, with awards hopefuls also trying to make their way into the mix. But then there are also always some oddballs of various genres for anyone who prefers a more aggro or otherwise offbeat holiday. What’s interesting about December 25 this year is that all four of the wide releases arriving alongside Santa could be categorized in the alternative section. So which one of them should be your chaser after opening up all your presents? Or should you down some nog in preparation of a double feature? Here’s my take on the polar landscape.

I’ve had a chance to unbox three of these flicks ahead of time, but the one that’s still on my to-watch list is perhaps the most intriguing: Babygirl, in which Nicole Kidman plays a CEO who hooks up with a much younger intern (Harris Dickinson). Director Halina Reijn’s last movie, Bodies Bodies Bodies, really brought the thunder, so I’m hoping that Babygirl strikes me just as hard.

Moving on to perhaps the most traditional of the selections, A Complete Unknown finds Timothée Chalamet as a young Bob Dylan from the moment he burst onto the folk music scene until the infamous chapter when he went electric. As far as music biopics go, this one is fairly traditional and a little bloated, even with the compressed time frame. But the performances are astounding and illuminating, successful as impressions but also transcending mere mimicry. Treat yourself to this one if you’re constantly replaying The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and Highway 61 Revisited.

The next selection is for my fellow horror freaks, who are always thirsting for blood this time of year. (Probably because they’re thirsting for blood all the time!) This Christmas, you can rest assured that you’ve got your own little corner of the multiplex set aside. Writer-director Robert Eggers (The VVitch, The Lighthouse, The Northman) has set his time travel coordinates to 1838 Germany for a remake of Nosferatu, the silent classic that was definitely not based on a classic vampire novel (winky-winky). If you loved Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, then you won’t recognize him as Count Orlok! And if your favorite type of scary movie protagonists are overwhelmingly horny couples beset by psychic supernatural nature, then just wait until you see what Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult get up to! Gift yourself this one if you keep the blackout curtains closed all December.

Moving on to the sports biopic on deck, The Fire Inside tracks the rise and fall and rise of Claressa Shields, one of the most decorated American boxers of all time. It’s also a bittersweet buddy comedy with Ryan Destiny as Claressa trading blows with Brian Tyree Henry as her loyal trainer Jason. The big moment arrives unusually soon, with Claressa’s gold medal victory at the 2012 Olympics happening only about an hour into the running time. But then the Barry Jenkins-penned script takes a unique turn with an N-shaped arc, as the worldwide champion is stuck back in her humble beginnings of Flint, Michigan. She’s got enough cash to get her family out of debt, but her endorsement influx is a pittance compared to both her male peers and the female athletes in the “less masculine” sports. Wrap this one up in a bow for yourself if equal pay is one of your most beloved causes.

Grades:
A Complete Unknown: 3 out of 5 Rolling Stones
Nosferatu: 4 out of 5 Plagues
The Fire Inside: 4 out of 5 Belts