This season, Santa Claus, by way of Hollywood, has stuffed movie lovers’ stockings with four nifty gifts: “Nosferatu,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Babygirl” and “The Fire Inside.”
Here’s a power ranking, with the best on top, for holiday-week filmgoers:
- “Nosferatu”: Acclaimed filmmaker Robert Eggers raises the production stakes with his Gothic-to-the-extreme rendering of Bram Stoker’s Dracula legend. His elaborate take is a seductive feast for the senses and a must-watch on the big screen. “It” actor Bill Skarsgård (he freaked us out as the evil Pennywise the clown) is in creep-out mode again as Count Orlok, a menace to everyone in Transylvania. He lures handsome newlywed Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) to his rat-infested digs under the pretense of buying a creepy slab of real estate in 1838 Germany. The deal gets sealed, but not before bloodsucking goes down while, in the background, Orlok toys around with Thomas’ melancholic bride Ellen (Lily Rose-Depp). Ellen all but clings to Thomas; she knows a dark force is coming for her since she’s been secretly, horrifically bonded to the count for some time. While it’s a familiar tale for many, it’s never been told with such visual and period detail gusto. “Nosferatu” is mesmerizing, a work of astonishing technical polish and vision. I’ve seen it twice and will see it many more times. It’s just that good. (Opens Dec. 25 in theaters, rated R)
- “The Fire Inside”: Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight” and the just-released “Mufasa: The Lion King”) wrote the knockout screenplay for this outstanding inspirational sports biopic based on the life and phenomenal boxing career of Claressa Shields. Ryan Destiny is on fire as the Flint, Mich. athlete who set Olympic records, overcoming sexist critics who called her a girl in a man’s sport. Director Rachel Morrison’s film punches above its own weight. The rousing story describes Shields’ steely resolve to become the best at her sport and addresses what happened after she reached that pinnacle: She found out that being a Black female athlete from a meager background meant getting passed over for endorsements. Add Brian Tyree Henry’s endearing performance as Claressa’s supportive but tough coach Jason Crutchfield, and you have one of the biggest underdog surprises hitting the ring not just at Christmas, but in all of 2024. (In theaters, rated PG-13)
- “A Complete Unknown”: Pity any actor who portrays an icon like Bob Dylan. When it was announced that heartthrob Timothée Chalamet landed the juicy part of the legendary songwriter, people shared forceful opinions about the star of “Call Me By Your Name” becoming the musician; most thought it was a terrible move. Simmer down, everyone. Chalamet is good, channeling Dylan’s creative prickly spirit in an impressive way while not doing a rote impression. Overall, James Mangold’s recounting of a formative four-year period in Dylan’s life (beginning in 1961 New York and ending at the clamorous 1965 Newport Folk Festival where he brought electric to non-electric proceedings) is compelling, but too long. High points include performances from Monica Barbaro as equally iconic musician Joan Baez (who lives in Woodside), and Edward Norton as the stick-to-tradition folk music force Pete Seeger. The best scenes feature Seeger, Baez (the 1963 Monterey Folk Festival is briefly re-created) and Dylan, while others, including Dylan’s romance with artist Suze Rotolo (the film’s character is named Sylvie Russo, and she’s played by Elle Fanning) don’t really jell in the way that screenwriters Mangold and Jay Cocks think they do. “A Complete Unknown” might not be a complete success, but when it sticks to the music and Dylan’s craftsmanship, it sounds the right chord. (Opens Dec. 25, rated R)
- “Babygirl”: If you need to add a little kink to the holidays, look no further than Halina Reijn’s sexual awakening drama about Romy, a CEO (Nicole Kidman tapping into her “Eyes Wide Shut” side) playing out her desires with a very composed and confident new intern (Harris Dickinson of “The Iron Claw”). “Babygirl” attempts to be bold, and is sexy enough, but it’s not always sure of itself nor what it wants to accomplish until too late in the game. The domineering sex acts depicted don’t really illustrate, as the filmmaker likely intended, that Romy’s inability to let go and discover the joy and playfulness of sex are a generational issue and a product of sexist views about what powerful women should be. “Babygirl” raises such potent topics but doesn’t explore them with sufficient depth. Yet Antonio Banderas earns props as Romy’s theater director husband. (Opens Dec. 25, rated R)
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