This will be my last (and, uh, only second) recommendations column of the year, and it’s coming at an awkward time. It’s almost Christmas, that most wondrous and holy holiday, so not much new TV is being released while plenty of movies are, some on December 19, others on December 25. To that end, I will be recommending things to watch for not just this coming weekend, but for all of next week, too. My next Friday column (arriving on Boxing Day) will be a little different, but then I’ll be back to regular viewing guides in the new year, when there will be more things to point you toward. Okay? Okay. 

Battle of the Boy Movies 

I’ve already written about Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? and Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, so give that post a read and try to guess which one of those two I’d recommend you see over the holiday. Hint: it’s the one featuring a tall, blonde, Oscar-winning actress who is the scion of a Hollywood dynasty. Oh wait—that describes both movies. Oh well! Guess you’ll have to read to find out. 

I suppose Avatar: Fire and Ash might fall under this category, too. It is mostly populated by men, though the new villain is a lady alien named Varang, so perhaps that balances the scales some. Truth is, I don’t know if I can recommend it or not. If you’re predisposed to see Avatar movies, you’re probably going to see this anyway. But if you’re on the fence, just know that Fire and Ash is a 3-hour-and-17-minute-long movie that is kind of a retread of the Avatar before it, and the worst actor in the franchise is sort of the centerpiece figure of the whole thing. But it is also big and blue and whooshing and it might be the one movie that the whole family can agree on. (Or not! See below.) Especially if grandma has a thing for loincloths.