T he odd thing about this holiday movie season is it actually includes some holiday movies.

Understand, this is not a given. In recent years, the holiday season has been mostly a mix of wannabe blockbusters and awards-hungry prestige productions.

But this year there are actually some titles — “Arthur Christmas,” which opened Wednesday, “New Year’s Eve” (Dec. 9) and the alreadyin theaters “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” — that deal directly with the season.

Beyond that, there are a slew of family-friendly films that feel holiday appropriate, from “The Muppets,” which also opened Wednesday to “Happy Feet 2,” which enters its second week in theaters, to “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” (Dec. 16).

Indeed, two of Hollywood’s premier directors have family films on the schedule: Steven Spielberg with “The Adventures of Tintin” (Dec. 21) and Martin Scorsese with “Hugo,” which opened Wednesday.

Fear not, though, between now and the new year there also will be vampires (“Breaking Dawn: Part 1,” sucking up millions at the box office since opening on Nov. 18), action heroes (“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” on Dec. 16) and Oscar hopefuls aplenty.

As holiday seasons go, this one has gifts for everyone. But the 10 most intriguing films due for delivery are:

1. “The Descendants:” Considered by many to be this year’s Oscar frontrunner, with a sure nomination for star George Clooney, this film, which opened Wednesday, follows the travails of a real estate mogul in Hawaii whose life is unraveling as his wife lies in a coma. Directed by Alexander Payne (“Sideways”) with his patented oblique comic-absur- dist touch. Rated R

2. “Hugo:” Martin Scorsese delivers his first family film, the story of a boy (Asa Butterfield) who lives in a train station and teams up with a girl (Chloe Moretz) to solve a mystery. Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley and Jude Law are also along for the ride. Rated PG

3. “Arthur Christmas:” The folks at Britain’s Aardman animation studios (“Wallace & Gromit,” “Chicken Run”) are right up there with Pixar when it comes to quality, and this examination of just how Santa manages to get gifts to homes all around the world in one night looks like can’t-miss holiday fun. Rated PG

4. “The Muppets:” One has to relish the return of the Muppets after a toolong absence. A plethora of cameos surround all the classic characters and Jason Segel and Amy Adams as they strive to save the Muppet Theater by having — what else? — a Muppet Telethon. Rated PG

5. “Young Adult” (Dec. 16): “Juno” director and writer Ivan Reitman and Diablo Cody reunite for this story of an author of young adult books (Charlize Theron) who returns to her small-town roots to try to win back her already married high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson).

Theron and Patton Oswalt, who plays a fellow former student, have Oscar buzz going on. Rated R

6. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Dec. 21): Director David Fincher’s adaptation of the hugely successful novel, this time starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, might be the rare blockbuster that also scores during awards season. All eyes will be on unknown Mara as she tackles the role of damaged goth-punk computer hacker Lisbeth Salander — can she pull it off ? Not yet rated

7. “We Bought a Zoo” (Dec. 23): Matt Damon stars as a single dad who decides to buy a run-down zoo and revive it. Based on a true story and directed by Cameron Crowe, whose once sky-high career (“Jerry Maguire,” “Almost Famous”) could use some serious reviving. With Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church. Not yet rated

8. “War Horse” (Dec. 25): This is Steven Spielberg’s entry into the Oscar race, an epic that follows the life of a horse as its peaceful upbringing is disturbed by the onset of World War I. The story follows the horse as it encounters various people on the battlefield and elsewhere. With a bevy of prestigious British actors, including Emily Watson and David Thewlis. Rated PG-13

9. “The Artist” (Dec. 25): Another major Oscar contender, this delightfully different movie — silent and shot in black-and-white — follows a dashing silent-film star (Jean Dujardin) whose career is ruined when talkies arrive. Honoring film history at the same time it exults in silent conventions of comedy and tragedy, it’s a must for movie lovers. Rated PG-13

10. “The Darkest Hour” (Dec. 25): OK, let’s blow some stuff up on Jesus’ birthday. At least that seems to be the thinking behind opening the movie on Christmas Day. A group of young Americans find themselves in Moscow when aliens attack. Yowza! The sizzling ensemble includes Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor and Joel Kinnaman. Rated PG-13

Happy holidays!

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.