Holiday season is great for all the obvious reasons, but one of my favorite perks of this time of the year is the plethora of new movies (with tons of Oscar buzz) that floor our theaters. Below you’ll find the definitive guide to which movies are actually worth watching during Thanksgiving or winter break, from blockbuster hits to indie gems.
Loving Vincent
I’m not exaggerating when I say that this independent Polish-British film was the best movie I’ve seen in years. Directors Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman have managed to create the first ever oil painted feature-length film. Every single one of the film’s 65,000 frames was painted to emulate the style of the late Vincent Van Gogh, and they are joined together to become an animated dreamland of brushstrokes and colors inspired by the classic painter.
Lady Bird
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a movie with as much hype as Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. The film is Gerwig’s solo screenwriting and directorial debut, and The New York Times film critic A. O. Scott even called it a perfect movie. It’s a coming-of-age film about your typical high school anxieties executed in a completely atypical fashion, which makes you want to keep watching and keep rooting for the characters from start to finish.
Murder On the Orient Express
What could be better than Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Penelope Cruz, and other top notch stars coming together for one of literature’s most exciting murder mysteries? Agatha Christie’s classic novel becomes one of the season’s most exciting films that will undoubtedly make all the hairs on the back of your neck stand.
The Florida Project
There is so much fresh talent in Sean Baker’s heartwarming new film, The Florida Project. Set just outside of Orlando near Disney World, the film is all about the nuances of childhood, as well as how they influence the adults in charge. It’s full of color and life, with tremendous energy coming from the three leads, Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, and Brooklynn Pierce.
Ferdinand
Some of us will never get tired of a good ole’ children’s animated movie. This December, everyone’s favorite childhood bedtime story, The Story of Ferdinand, is being turned into a huge blockbuster. Kate McKinnon and Gina Rodriguez are both starring in voice roles for the film, which pretty much guarantees that it’ll be a huge hit. This is going to be the perfect movie to escape to when your Thanksgiving dinner family arguments become a little too intense, and you just need a break.
[Feature Image by Unsplash]