Must-See Viewing – 10 Movies to Watch This Holiday Season

2021 has become quite the compelling film year with rich stories being mined onscreen. In addition, some of the most hotly anticipated films have proved worthy of all the hope and hype–with notable exceptions, cough, "Gucci," cough.

In my previous, "10 Upcoming Movies" piece, I wrote about some wonderful releases that are on their way to a theater and/or streaming app near you. Some are still a few weeks away ("The Lost Daughter," "Cyrano," "The Hand of God"). I include "tick, tick, BOOM" below since it was under embargo last list so I could not write much.

With most titles currently available in theatrical release or on a streaming platform (or will be soon enough,) here are the 10 films to watch this holiday season.

"Being the Ricardos"

The most glorious surprise of the year is a film none of the pundits were taking seriously or predicting as a major awards contender. I was, because: Aaron Sorkin. So, I am happy to say I felt beyond validated. "Being the Ricardos" is one of the most insightful and significant films of 2021 that boasts the best, fiercest, most committed performance of the year by Nicole Kidman as TV icon, Lucille Ball. Javier Bardem embodies Desi Arnaz magnificently.

Clever screenwriter Sorkin sets this film during one particular week of the taping of an "I Love Lucy' episode--the week Lucy is accused of being a communist – examining parallels with today's dangerous McCarthyesque climate (Twitter). Agree or disagree, it's powerful.

The supporting cast led by J.K. Simmons (fucking spot on), Nina Arianda, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, Tony Hale and Linda Lavin is superb.

Sorkin has also found his footing as a director. He's devised the perfect structure to tell this fascinating story in a non-traditional, non-linear, yet captivating manner.

Opens Dec. 10 in theaters.

"tick...tick...BOOM!"

Lin Manuel Miranda's sensational adaptation of Jonathan Larson's stage musical, "�tick...tick...BOOM!," is a celebration of the creative process and not only the best film musical of the year, but one of the best cinematic achievements of 2021 as well. The film boasts the best work of Andrew Garfield's career as the late theatre composer's alter-ego struggling to have his work noticed in the big bad bold city. He is the heart and soul of the film – it's a tour de force performance. Vanessa Hudgens, Judith Light, Mj Rodriguez and Robin De Jesus deliver great support.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

"Don't Look Up"

As a serious fan of '70s all-star disaster films ("The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno" are gems) the idea of a modern-day satiric doomsday movie with a Grand Hotel-style-Hollywood cast that also waxes about how divisive our world is had me tingling with anticipation. The results do not disappoint. A speeding comet is headed toward Earth. Two nobody astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) are trying to warn the government that mankind will cease to exist in a few months. The current U.S. presidential administration has other ideas.

Adam McKay's "Don't Look Up" is insanely hilarious and contains yet another brilliant performance by DiCaprio, proving he's the Nicholson of our time. A stellar Cate Blanchett steals all her scenes as a superficial morning talk show host. Lawrence has never been this funny. And Meryl Streep just keeps doing what Meryl Streep does, creating remarkable characters, in this case a psychotic President we love to hate.

Opens Dec. 10 in theaters and streams on Netflix Dec. 24.

"JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass"

Thirty years ago, Oliver Stone's groundbreaking film, "JFK," opened to positive reviews (because it was masterful filmmaking) but he took massive hits from the media about the veracity of the content. Nominated for 8 Oscars (winning only 2) the movie helped spearhead a new law to release documents about the Kennedy assassination.

"JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass" has Stone sifting through some of those documents that now validate most of the theories put forth in "JFK" – certainly the most important ones – that Oswald could not have possibly acted alone and that the autopsy and aftermath were steeped in a massive coverup. The doc is a truly riveting sit. Stone remains just as committed to seeking the truth as he was three decades ago. Now is that the work of a conspiracy theorist or a truth seeker?

Currently streaming on Showtime.

"Nightmare Alley"

Guillermo Del Toro is a master of style and Noir is definitely in his wheelhouse, with "Nightmare Alley," the remake of the 1947 Tyrone Power film. The first half is a carnival set up. Thank the cinema gods for Cate Blanchett because when this smooth-speaking, enigmatic creature enters in the second half, the movie comes alive and takes off. She's a Noir-queen amalgam:-part Veronica Lake, part Barbara Stanwyck, part Kathleen Turner, that she mixes and magically makes into her own semi-camp creation. Her final line is priceless, and this evocative portrait should garner her another Oscar nomination.

This is also one of Bradley Cooper's finest performances. He never tries to gain our sympathy and the final moments are astounding.

Opens Dec. 17 in theaters.

"West Side Story"

Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" is an enchanting revisit. He honors the original but also knows how to look at it from a fresh-cam perspective. The musical numbers are mostly spectacular – many smartly staged on the NYC streets of old. And this is by far the best 'Gee Officer Krupke' ever!

Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort have terrific chem. David Alvarez is a walking sack of testosterone as Nardo. Mike Faist sizzles as Riff. He envelops the screen.

Spielberg plays it mostly safe but he does take one risk in the final quarter involving Rita Moreno. It's admirable but it backfires, stealing focus from our lovers and diffusing the power of the finale. (Regardless of her ethnicity, there was nothing like Natalie Wood's passion at the end of the Wise film.) Still, it's a glorious achievement.

Opens in theaters on Dec. 10.

"Licorice Pizza"

I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza," even though, midway through, I came to realization that he's a better director (one the best working in film today) than he is writer. Don't get me wrong, he's a great writer, but he tends to allow his narrative to meander, and he doesn't always flesh out his characters (case in point, just a little more shading to Bradley Cooper's Jon Peters would have made him less of a buffoonish idiot). Regardless, this film, a love story of sorts, falls in the PTA middle somewhere in terms of enjoyment level. Cooper Hoffman (Philip Seymour's son) is a 15-year-old entrepreneur trying to romance Alana Haim, 10 years his senior. He's always positive while she seems to live in the pissed-off zone. Together, they're a bizarre delight as is the film!

"Licorice Pizza" is currently playing in theaters in limited release. Wide release on Christmas Day.

"Swan Song"

Benjamin Cleary's poetic, intelligent, "Swan Song" is a futuristic film about a dying man who makes the difficult decision to clone himself, so his family won't have to mourn his death. The film doesn't overdo the sci-fi-ness, but it feels too somber and self-important – and predictable (inevitable) at times. Occasional levity and a surprise or two would have been a boon. Still, two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali is excellent and his "Moonlight" co-star Naomie Harris (who should have won that Oscar), is truly engaging – making the watch worthwhile.

Opens Dec. 17 in theaters.

"The Tender Bar"

George Clooney seems to never fare well as director, and it's interesting how critics like to dismiss his films outright. Last year he made meditative, "Midnight Sky," which was tossed aside by journos. This year he's back with another absorbing gem, an adaptation of J.R. Moehringer's memoir that is being tagged as cliche-ridden because it falls into some literary film traps. Script flaws notwithstanding, "The Tender Bar" is a delight with great work by Tye Sheridan and Lily Rabe, and a spectacular turn by Ben Affleck, an actor I've never really loved – but kudos to him this year for amazing work in both "The Last Duel" and this. He deserves his first acting Oscar nomination.

Opens in theaters in LA & NY Dec. 17, nationwide, December 22nd and globally on Amazon Prime Video Jan. 7, 2022.

"Benedetta"

Dear God! For a campy medieval Church satire, you can't beat Paul Verhoeven's "Benedetta" So much sexual perversion and debauchery mixed with contentious miracles. Oh, and the Black Death! Verhoeven, never one to be restrained, this time seems to be channeling Ken Russell's "The Devils," in his narrative tale of a 17th-century nun chastised for her religious visions and lesbian affairs.

It may be hard to believe but Verhoeven is actually a Christian scholar of sorts, and the film is based on real events, although I don't believe a Virgin Mary dildo was part of the original story. The real Benedetta Carlini was either a charlatan or a saint or some bizarre combination. The film never decides for us. But it does paint quite the unforgettable picture. In French with English subtitles.

Currently in theaters in limited release.