If you've ever even driven past a theater on Christmas weekend, you know it's a huge one for movie fans and studios. But if the road to a big-money blockbuster is a little too well-worn for you, these recommendations from Up To Date's indie, foreign and documentary Film Critics might be just the ticket. In the woods of silver-screen entertainment, these off-beat features are the path less traveled by, and it can make all the difference.
Cynthia Haines
Darkest Hour, PG-13
- With the fate of western Europe in the balance, newly-appointed Prime Minister Winston Churchill, played by Gary Oldman, must decide whether to negotiate with the Third Reich or unite his countrymen and take up arms.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, R
- Frances McDormand shines in Martin McDonagh's fourth full-length film about an anguished mother who makes a 15-foot-tall statement to her local law enforcement about their inability to find her daughter's killer.
The Shape of Water, R
- Guillermo del Toro's dark romance-fantasy follows the relationship night-shift janitor Elisa Esposito, played by Sally Hawkins, forges with a strange creature housed in the secret government lab where she works.
Steve Walker
Lady Bird, R
- This sublime, tart comedy, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, features flawless performances from Laurie Metcalf as a stressed-out mom and Saoirse Ronan as a bohemian high school senior circa 2002 wishing she was anywhere but Sacramento.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, R
- In Martin McDonagh's twisted black comedy, Frances McDormand piercingly plays a grieving mother who turns her despair into outrage at the local police who haven't solved her daughter's murder.
The Disaster Artist, R
- James Franco directs and stars in this tongue-in-cheek recreation of the making of The Room, a movie which has achieved cult status for being, in the opinion of many, the best worst movie ever made.