Hello, friends! Last year, right around this time, I wrote an article about movies to watch in theatres and in the comfort of your own home when being with your family for a full month starts to feel like just a little too much. This winter, I’ve invested $9.95 a month on MoviePass, a service which allows you to see one movie in theatre per day for a monthly price. This means, every day, if I want to, I can avoid my family for one and a half to three hours at my local cinema. What a time to be alive.
If you’re like me, the only three Christmas movies that matter are Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Elf. As such, this list is all about non-Christmas movies to check out this holiday season. Let’s get to it!
In Theatres
(Note: “limited” generally means only in big cities, primarily LA, NYC and Boston)
Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
In theaters: NOW.
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell
Okay, so this movie is currently in theatres, so I’m mostly just hoping and praying it will be showing when I finally get my butt back to Arizona. But, this film, about a town ignoring the murder of a girl, is being lauded as incredibly timely and poignant in light of the sexual assault allegations ravaging Hollywood. Frances McDormand is also a queen, so it is definitely worth your time.
Lady Bird
In theaters: NOW.
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Odeya Rush, Timothée Chalamet
This movie is also already in theaters. It is the one you kept seeing YouTube ads for. It’s a classic, yet fresh coming of age story about a girl growing up in Sacramento and her strained relationship with her mother. I’m really excited about it because it’s directed by a young female director, Greta Gerwig, which is very uncommon for movies with significant Oscar buzz.
Call Me By Your Name
In theaters: NOW.
Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg
Although this movie has been released, it’s currently limited, but hopefully, it will expand. It tells the story of a romance between a 17-year-old boy named Elio and an older man. It’s a very honest story about first love and is well-acted by a young man having a big year, Timothée Chalamet.
The Disaster Artist
In theaters: December 1st (Limited), December 8th (Wide)
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen
“You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” This is a James Franco-directed comedy about the worst movie ever made, The Room. We get both Francos in one movie. What more could we need?
The Shape of Water
In theaters: December 1st (Limited), December 15th (Wide)
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon
Guillermo del Toro is known for weird, dream-like movies and this one appears to be no different. It’s set during the Cold War and two women working in a laboratory discover classified experiment. To me, it sounds like a mixture of Stranger Things and Bridge of Spies.
I, Tonya
In theaters: December 8th (Limited), Unclear about a wide release
Starring: Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Sebastian Stan
All I gotta say is ALLISON. JANNEY. Go support my favorite Kenyon alum! She might win a damn Oscar this year! Go see her be Margot Robbie’s mom!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
In theaters: December 15th
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill
It’s freakin’ Star Wars. And, those Porgs are ridiculously cute.
The Post
In theaters: December 22nd (Limited), Unclear about a wide release
Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson
We are getting Meryl Streep (the queen), Tom Hanks (the perfect angel king) and Sarah Paulson (the queen of American Horror Story) in ONE MOVIE directed by Steven SPIELBERG. We should be lucky. We should support. We hope and pray it’s good because how could it not be, but also it’s been being edited for like ten months and that scares me??? See it anyway. Support Meryl. And Tom. He’s one of the good ones.
Molly’s Game
In theaters: December 25 (Limited), January 5 (Wide)
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
This movie kind of seems like the female-led version of Catch Me If You Can. It also Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut. Want to wet your whistle on some Sorkin before this movie comes out? Then watch The West Wing on Netflix, starring MY FAVORITE KENYON ALUM Allison Janney.
Phantom Thread
In theaters: December 25 (Limited), Unclear about a wide release
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Brian Gleeson
This is Daniel Day-Lewis’ last film. Last year, I dedicated an entire week of my life to just watching a bunch of his movies. It’s about a fashion designer in London, but that isn’t what is important. We all need to go a mourn/celebrate the career of the greatest living actor.
At Home
Detroit: A possible Oscar contender that has haunted me to my core since like June. It will be available on Amazon on December 12th.
Get Out: If you haven’t seen it yet, set it at the top of your priority list. Available for streaming on HBO Go.
The Big Sick: I cried and laughed so much during this movie?? Okay, I know I said this list is to avoid your family, but show this one to your parents. Available on Amazon Prime.
Stronger: Need a good cry? Need to stare at Jake Gyllenhaal for a few hours? (I know I do.) Watch this movie. Available on Amazon Prime.
The Beguiled: This movie took me on a trip. Some serious lady power. Available on Amazon and iTunes.
From here on out, the movies that follow are on Netflix!
Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond: Looking for a documentary? This one about Jim Carrey and Andy Kaufman is receiving a lot of acclaim.
Mudbound: Another Oscar contender, also directed by a woman, that was released by Netflix. I really urge you all to check this one out.
The Hateful Eight: Need some blood and swearing this Christmas season? Bring some Quentin Tarantino into your life.
Zodiac: I welcome you to an opportunity to just enjoy Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. being perfect.
Beauty and the Beast (the new one): Missed it in theaters? It got a lot of hate, but it is actually really, really fun.
Gangs of New York: DANIEL. DAY. LEWIS.
Rogue One: STAR. WARS.
Donnie Darko: Okay, I need to just stop listing every Jake Gyllenhaal movie, but this one is super surreal and has giant, terrifying rabbit named Frank.
Nightcrawler: Last Jake Gyllenhaal one I swear, but this one is literally one of my favorite movies of all time.
The Big Short: Another one of my favorite movies of all time! Hilarious and educational.
Alright, well, I hope this is enough to get you through this holiday season! And honestly, I watched quite a few of these movies with either my mom, my dad or both, so it’s also a great list for planning a family outing or snuggling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and mug of hot cocoa. Oh, and if movies aren’t your thing, just watch the first season of Riverdale. It’s perfect. Happy holidays!