New Year's Movie Guide: 'Anomalisa,' 'The Hateful Eight,' '45 Years,' and More

By Beau Behan, Film Critic:

Are you planning on going to the movies this holiday weekend? There aren’t many flicks coming out this week, but we’ve still got plenty of options thanks to the slew of Christmas releases.

Here are the 2015 Holiday Season’s newest releases:

• “45 Years”
• “Anomalisa”
• “Concussion”
• “Daddy’s Home”
• “Joy”
• “Mustang”
• “Point Break”
• “Son of Saul”
• “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
• “The Big Short”
• “The Danish Girl”
• “The Hateful Eight”
• “The Revenant”
• “Youth”

And here’s what they’re all about:

“45 Years” (Limited, Dec. 30)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 95 min, Drama, Romance

Director: Andrew Haigh

Writers: David Constantine, Andrew Haigh

Stars: Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, Dolly Wells

There is just one week until Kate Mercer’s (Charlotte Rampling) 45th wedding anniversary and the planning for the party is going well. But then a letter arrives for her husband (Tom Courtenay). The body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. By the time the party is upon them, five days later, there may not be a marriage left to celebrate. – Sundance Selects

“Anomalisa” (Limited, Dec. 30)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 90 min, Animation, Comedy, Drama

Directors: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman

Writer: Charlie Kaufman

Stars: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan

A beautifully tender and absurdly humorous dreamscape, from the brilliant minds of Charlie Kaufman (“Synecdoche,” “New York”) and Duke Johnson (“Community” episode, “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”), “Anomalisa” features the vocal cast of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan and David Thewlis and a stirring strings-based score by Carter Burwell. This stop-motion animation wonder is the darkly comedic and surreal stop-motion journey of a man’s long night of the soul. – Paramount Pictures

“Concussion” (Nationwide, Dec. 25)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

Click here to see if “Concussion” is playing at a theater near you.

PG - 13, 123 min, Drama, Sport

Director: Peter Landesman

Writers: Peter Landesman, Jeanne Marie Laskas

Stars: Will Smith, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin

Will Smith stars in “Concussion,” a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world. – Sony Pictures

“Daddy’s Home” (Nationwide, Dec. 25)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG - 13, 96 min, Comedy

Director: Sean Anders

Writers: Brian Burns, Sean Anders

Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini

“Daddy’s Home” follows a mild-mannered radio executive (Ferrell) who strives to become the best stepdad to his wife’s two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling and freeloading father (Wahlberg) arrives, forcing him to compete for the affection of the kids. –Paramount Pictures

“Joy” (Nationwide, Dec. 25)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG – 13, 124 min, Biography, Comedy, Drama

Director: David O. Russell

Writers: David O. Russell, Annie Mumolo

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper

“Joy” is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces. – Fox

“Mustang” (Limited, Dec. 25)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG - 13, 97 min, Drama

Director: Deniz Gumze Erguven

Writers: Deniz Gumze Erguven., Alice Winocour

Stars: Gunes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Elit Iscan

Early summer in a village in Northern Turkey, five free-spirited teenaged sisters splash about on the beach with their male classmates. Though their games are merely innocent fun, a neighbor passes by and reports what she considers to be illicit behavior to the girls’ family. The family overreacts, removing all “instruments of corruption,” like cell phones and computers, and essentially imprisoning the girls, subjecting them to endless lessons in housework in preparation for them to become brides. As the eldest sisters are married off, the younger ones bond together to avoid the same fate. The fierce love between them empowers them to rebel and chase a future where they can determine their own lives. – Cohen Media Group

“Point Break” (Nationwide, Dec. 25)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG - 13, 113 min, Action, Crime, Sport

Director: Ericson Core

Writers: Kurt Wimmer, Rick King

Stars: Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone

A young FBI agent infiltrates an extraordinary team of extreme sports athletes he suspects of masterminding a string of unprecedented, sophisticated corporate heists. “Point Break” is inspired by the classic 1991 hit. – Warner Bros.

“Son of Saul” (Limited, Dec. 25)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 107 min, Drama, History, Thriller

Director: Laszlo Nemes

Writers: Laszlo Nemes, Clara Royer

Stars: Geza Rohrig, Levente Molnar, Urs Rechn

In this searing drama, a concentration camp inmate tasked with burning the dead discovers the body of his young son, and must choose between participating in the clandestine uprising being planned among the prisoners, or securing a proper Jewish burial for his child. – Sony Pictures Classics

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (Nationwide, Dec. 18)

WATCH the above spoiler-free movie review to learn more about the “Star Wars” franchise and Episode VII.

PG - 13, 135 min, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Director: J.J. Abrams

Writers: Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams

Stars: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac

A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas and set thirty years after “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi – Disney

“The Big Short” (Nationwide, Dec. 23)

WATCH the above movie review and learn more about why moviegoers should not bet against “The Big Short.”

R, 130 min, Drama

Director: Adam McKay

Writers: Adam McKay (screenplay), Michael Lewis (book)

Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt

Based on the nonfiction bestseller by Michael Lewis, “The Big Short” is a satirical account of the 2008 market meltdown.

Directed by Adam McKay (“Anchorman,” “Step Brothers”), the movie stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt as four businessmen who foresaw the catastrophic devastation of the American housing market of 2008.

“The Danish Girl” (Nationwide, Dec. 25)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 120 min, Biography, Drama

Director: Tom Hooper

Writers: David Ebershoff (novel), Lucinda Coxon (screenplay)

Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard

The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. – Focus Pictures

“The Hateful Eight” (Nationwide, Dec. 31)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 182 min, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Writer: Quentin Tarantino,

Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell, Channing Tatum

Set in a Wyoming landscape, the passengers – bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) – race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the way, they try to find a shelter during a blizzard, but they get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception. Will they survive? – Weinstein

“The Revenant” (Limited, Dec. 25)

WATCH the above movie review and learn more about the powerful silence of “The Revenant,” and why DiCaprio deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

R, 182 min, Action, Adventure, Drama

Director: Alejandro Gonzalez, Inarritu

Writers: Mark L. Smith, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Stars: Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson

Inspired by true events, “The Revenant” is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. – Fox

“Youth” (Nationwide, Dec. 31)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 118 min, Drama

Director: Paolo Sorrentino

Writers: Paolo Sorrentino

Stars: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz

“Youth” is about two longtime friends vacationing in the Swiss Alps. Oscar winning actor Michael Caine plays Fred, an acclaimed composer and conductor, brings along his daughter (Rachel Weisz) and best friend Mick (Harvey Keitel), a renowned filmmaker. While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career. The two men reflect on their past, each finding that some of the most important experiences can come later in life. – Fox Searchlight