Awards season is in full swing for the movie industry. The Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes already announced their nominations with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcing its Oscar nominations on Jan. 22. So here are some films for your consideration this holiday season so you can be ready to vote this awards season for what you think is best.
The studios often wait till the end of the year to release their Oscar hopefuls — they fear voters have short term memories and will forget anything from early in the year — so some big mainstream films will be hitting cinemas this month. Plus Digital Gym Cinema hosts an FYC - For Your Consideration series rounding up some of the foreign and indie hopefuls.
My recommendations for what to see in cinemas this holiday season are:
"Marty Supreme:" opening Christmas day and serving up an unexpectedly tense, dark, and wildly dynamic film about ping pong in the 1950s.
"Sentimental Value:" opening Friday at Digital Gym Cinema and exploring the dysfunctional relationship of a filmmaker father to his actress daughter. Everything "Jay Kelly" wanted to be and more.
"Reflection in a Dead Diamond:" streaming on Shudder and paying gorgeous homage to the bold and bloody giallo cinema of Italy, this is an intoxicating film for anyone who loves movies. I know this will never get Oscar attention but it deserves to.
Also, shoutouts to the streaming documentaries about iconic actresses: "Tura!" about the force of nature that was Tura Satana, and "My Mom Jayne" about Jayne Mansfield and directed by her actress daughter Mariska Hargitay.
Recommendations from Moviewallas' Yazdi Pithavala:
"The Secret Agent:" opening at Digital Gym Cinema on Jan. 9. Pithavala said, "During the militaristic and authoritarian regime of 1970s Brazil, a scientist has to go undercover to escape government retribution. The film is a deep dive into 1970s Brazil."
"It Was Just an Accident:" streaming on multiple platforms including YouTube. Pithavala said, "It asks a fascinating question: for those who have been tortured and imprisoned by an authoritarian government, what is their moral responsibility — and allowances granted — if they were to run into who they think is their torturer after leaving prison. It plays so well with your expectations as it doles out information piecemeal that changes your alliances with characters as the film progresses."
"Twinless:" streaming on multiple platforms including Fandango at Home. Pithavala said, "At first a deceptive film that leads you to initially believe that it will be a light-hearted two hander. But the film emerged as probably having the best script of any film I saw in 2025." I second that!
And we give lumps of coal to these films that we hope you will avoid. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" and "Wicked for Good" are on my do not watch list, while Pithavala sugests steering clear of "Ella McCay."
Join us next month as we hand out our own Midday Movie Awards.
