December is shaping up to be a great month at the movies — and let’s face it, there is no better place to escape from family gatherings than a darkened theater. They will never find you there. This month’s new releases include a magical realism flick about a human-to-beast transformation, an anime addition to a favorite franchise and the origin story of the world’s greatest songwriter.
‘Nightbitch’
Based on a popular 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder and directed by Marielle Heller (“Diary of a Teenage Girl,”) this dark comedy follows a stay-at-home mom (Amy Adams) who suspects she is becoming a dog. Beneath the absurdity of the premise is a depiction of how much self-sacrifice motherhood can require. So much, it turns out, the mother in question may need to break free and run wild. (Dec. 6 in theaters)
‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’
Just when you thought there could not possibly be more “Lord of the Rings” movies. This one was not directed by Peter Jackson, though, and deals in an entirely new medium for the film franchise: anime. Set 183 years before Jackson’s famous trilogy, this Kenji Kamiyama-helmed project details J.R.R. Tolkien’s War of the Rohirrim. (You might remember the Rohirrim as the stylish horse lords introduced in “The Two Towers.”) In this entry, a king of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand must defend his kingdom from invaders. (Dec. 13 in theaters)
‘A Complete Unknown’
Biopics about titans of music have seen a lot of traction this past decade (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Maestro,” “Elvis”), so it was only a matter of time before a Bob Dylan joint hit theaters. Timothée Chalamet stars as the beloved singer-songwriter in his salad days, as a 19-year-old in 1960s New York. Director James Mangold revisits a genre in which he has previously seen great acclaim: He also made “Walk the Line,” 2005’s Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix. In a somewhat surprising move, Dylan himself recently joined X and gave the movie his blessing. (Dec. 25 in theaters)
‘Babygirl’
Fans of erotic cinema that centers power dynamics — most notably “Secretary” or “50 Shades of Grey” — will be thrilled that hip studio A24 is making an entry into the canon. The seemingly fearless Nicole Kidman, who at age 57 is tackling more oddball roles than ever, stars in “Babygirl” as a powerful CEO in the throes of an affair with a much younger intern at her company. Kidman is “the boss as highly functional control freak,” said Variety, but “what she’s craving, underneath it all, is the kind of sexuality that’s going to break that control apart.” (Dec. 25 in theaters)
‘Nosferatu’
You might think you are tired of vampire movies, but Robert Eggers is about to change your mind. Known for crafting weirdo American-centered period dramas like “The Lighthouse” and “The Witch,” the director sets his sights on Europe this time — Transylvania, to be exact, where the titular vampire of the silent-era classic is stalking a young woman. “Faithful as it might seem to F.W. Murnau’s 1922 ‘Nosferatu,’ Eggers’ lush and rapturously psychosexual riff on the same material isn’t a simple remake so much as a seductive reverse shot,” said David Ehrlich at IndieWire. “It” clown-star Bill Skarsgård is up to his old freaky tricks as Nosferatu aka Count Orlok, with Lily-Rose Depp portraying his beautiful victim. (Dec. 25 in theaters)