A quick recap: long blue people mostly good, human people mostly not good. Humans from Earth want the resources of the blue people’s planet. The blue people (Na’vi) want to keep it peaceful and pristine. And sometimes the blue people fight with each other. And it takes 3 hours and 15 minutes.

You don’t need to remember every detail of the earlier films; if you have a vague recollection that you liked them, you will be fine because, like its predecessors, the visuals are stunning, the action is dynamic, the story is thin, and the dialogue is painfully basic, just barely enough to let you know who you’re supposed to root for. Cameron, who has said that he makes movies to finance his ocean adventures, loves water, and the water in this movie is simply gorgeous. The long blue people are, too. They all look like supermodels crossed with Mr. Fantastic. So if you did enjoy the earlier films, you will enjoy this one, too.

Next to the visual splendor, the other reason to watch the film is the villain. James Cameron emphasizes that the technique is not motion capture, but performance capture. Every actor playing one of the blue creatures performs every minute on screen, each one’s face covered with dots to guide the CGI. So, all credit to Oona Chaplin, the grand-daughter of Charlie Chaplin and great granddaughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill, for playing Varang, a ruthless bandit queen with magnetically sinuous menace. And with a head like a frilled-neck lizard. She wants to destroy the peaceful community where the hero of the first movie, human turned Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is settled with his wife, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and children, sons Neteyam (killed in the second film) and Lo’ak and a daughter called Tuk. They also adopted Kiri, mysteriously born from a human in an avatar body (the laws of biology as we know it don’t apply here), and they care for a loyal and limber human teenager called Spider (Jack Champion), the son of one of Jake’s most important foes, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang).

Like Jake, Spider is completely at home in the world of the Na’vi, though he has to use a mask to enable him to breathe on the planet. He has no relationship with his biological father. Both of those elements will change over the course of the film, as Jake, Neytiri, and their family have to find a way to defend their community, even after Varang forms an alliance with Quaritch, meaning access to guns.

As this movie begins, Lo’ak and Neteyam are swimming together, at least in a dream of repeated goodbyes. Lo’ak is still suffering from survivor guilt and has a strained relationship with Jake beyond the typical teenage push for independence. Everyone in the family feels guilt along with grief.

There are some powerful emotional themes but they are explored in a not very powerful way. The issue of an outsider giving more powerful weapons to shift the balance of a conflict was explored with more insight in its episodes about the prime directive. Before the next one comes out, maybe they could spend some of the zillion dollar budget on dialogue better than “All this time and you still don’t get it. The world is much deeper than you imagine.” This film is less deep than it imagines. But very beautiful.

Parents should know that this film has extended peril and violence, including arrows, knives, guns, and explosives. Characters are injured and killed. There is a lot of intense family drama, with issues of biological and adoptive families. The military-industrial complex from Earth is represented by rapacious, murderous business employees and soldiers. Scientists are more compassionate. There is a non-explicit sexual situation and some sensual touching.

Family discussion: What are the options for a community being attacked by enemies with vastly superior weapons? What makes Spider feel accepted and what makes him feel like an outsider?

If you like this, try: the previous “Avatar” movies

I love the Christmas classic movies and watch as many as I can every year, including at least a couple of versions of “A Christmas Carol” and Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in “White Christmas.”  But there are many great Christmas films that don’t get mentioned as often and I like to remind families that these are worth making time for as well.

1.  The Nativity Story  This sincere and respectful story is a good way to remember that Christmas is about more than presents and parties.  “Whale Rider’s” Keisha Castle-Hughes has a shy but dignified and resolute air and she glows believably as the very young woman who is selected as the mother of Jesus. And “Drive’s” Oliver Isaac effectively conveys tenderness, doubt, courage, and transcendence as Joseph.

2. A Christmas Memory Truman Capote’s bittersweet memory of his childhood Christmas making fruitcakes with his elderly cousin, the only relative who cared about him is beautifully filmed with the magnificent Geraldine Page and Capote himself reading the narration.

3. Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas The California Raisins guys put together this Christmas special, with the highlight the funniest-ever performance of “Carol of the Bells.”

4. Come to the Stable Loretta Young and Celeste Holm are French nuns trying to raise money to build a hospital.  Their faith and goodness transforms those they meet.

5. Little Women “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents” is the first line of this classic novel based on the loving if sometimes tumultuous family of author Louisa May Alcott.  The movie opens with an important Christmas lesson about the joy of giving.

6. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Based on the classic book, this stars Loretta Swit as the mother of six rambunctious kids who insist on playing roles in the church pageant.

7. This Christmas I love this movie about a family with five adult children who return home to celebrate Christmas with their mother and youngest brother.  The outstanding cast includes Regina King, Idris Elba, Loretta Devine, and Chris Brown.  Be sure to watch through the credits to see a great dance number.

8. Desk Set Before Google, companies had human beings to track down information. Katherine Hepburn plays the head of the all-female research department for a television network and Spencer Tracy is the engineer who is installing the company’s first computer, which takes up a whole wall and uses punch cards and vacuum tubes. Sparks fly — and not just in the equipment.

9. Die Hard Bruce Willis plays a cop visiting his estranged wife at her office Christmas party when the building is taken over by bad guys led by Alan Rickman in this action-movie classic.

10. The Polar Express Tom Hanks stars in this animated story based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg about a magical train ride to the North Pole.

11. Home Alone This comedy smash hit stars Macauley Culkin as a little boy who is accidentally left home when his family goes away for the holidays and has to take care of himself and guard the house from a couple of inept thieves.  The slapstick is a bit over the top but the message of Christmas is surprisingly touching.

12. Annie The story of the plucky orphan from the comic pages became one of the biggest Broadway musicals of all time and one of its highlights is Christmas with Daddy Warbucks. There are several versions, all great family movies.

13. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story “Colorful” is not a colorful enough word to describe a fantasy movie musical so maximalist that even the title is overstuffed. “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” packs a lot into the movie’s title, including two character names and the dual ideas of something cute and something a little more heartwarming, with a touch of the spiritual. The setting is a fantasy Dickensian steampunk, and there are musical numbers and magical toys and a great cast including Phylicia Rashad, Forest Whitaker, and Keegan-Michael Key.

The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association awards — with “Sinners” setting a record with 10 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Below — the nominees, with the winners in all caps.

2025 WAFCA Awards
Film
SINNERS
One Battle After Another
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value

Director
RYAN COOGLER – Sinners
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Actor
MICHAEL B. JORDAN – Sinners
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon

Actress
JESSIE BUCKLEY – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Cynthia Erivo – WIcked

Supporting Actor
BENECIO DEL TORO – One Battle After Another
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein

Supporting Actress
Amy Madigan – Weapons
TEYANA TAYLOR – One Battle After Another
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Ariana Grande – Wicked

Youth Performance
MILES CATON – Sinners
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl
Mason Thames – How to Train Your Dragon

Voice Performance
Jason Bateman – Zootopia 2
ARDEN CHO – KPop Demon Hunters
Ginnifer Goodwin – Zootopia 2
Ke Huy Quan – Zootopia 2
Yonas Kibreab – Elio

Performance Capture
ZOE SALDANA – Avatar: Fire and Ash
Oona Chaplin – Avatar: Fire and Ash
Stephen Lang – Avatar: Fire and Ash
Sigourney Weaver – Avatar: Fire and Ash
Sam Worthington – Avatar: Fire and Ash

Ensemble
SINNERS
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Wake Up Dead Man
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Hamnet

Original Screenplay
SINNERS
It Was Just an Accident
Sentimental Value
Weapons
Marty Supreme

Adapted Screenplay
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Train Dreams
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet

Animated
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
Zootopia 2
Elio
Arco
Little Amélie or the Character of the Rain

Production Design
SINNERS
Frankenstein
Wicked: For Good
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Hamnet

Cinematography
SINNERS
Train Dreams
One Battle After Another
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme

 
Editing
SINNERS – tie
One Battle After Another
F1: THE MOVIE – tie
Marty Supreme
Hamnet

Score
SINNERS
One Battle After Another
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
Hamnet

Joe Barber Award for Portrayal of Washington, DC
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE
Captain America: Brave New World
Thunderbolts
Nuremberg
Anniversary

 
Stunts
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
One Battle After Another
F1: The Movie
Sinners
Superman

Documentary
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
Come See Me in the Good Light
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Librarians
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

Foreign Language Film
It Was Just an Accident
The Secret Agent
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
No Other Choice
Left-Handed Girl

The holiday season always brings great movies, some destined for Oscar recognition, some for generations to enjoy together, some to make you laugh, and some to make you cry. There are sequels, big-budget extravaganzas, and even a few promising little indies. The ones I am most looking forward to include:

Zootopia 2 (November 26) Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are now partners tracking down a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia. And the sloth is back, too!

Eternity (November 26) If the legendary wit Noel Coward did a remake of Albert Brooks’ after-life fantasy “Defending Your Life,” it might look like this, with Elizabeth Olson as an elderly woman who arrives in heaven to find both of her husbands waiting for her: the one she married when they were young who was killed in the Korean War (Callum Turner), and the man she was later married to for more than 60 years (Miles Teller).

Hamnet (November 26) Jessie Buckley gives one of the most thrilling performances of the year as a woman married to an aspiring playwright named William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal). Based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, which itself was based on the true story of the death of Shakespeare’s young son.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (November 26) The third in the murder mystery series featuring master detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is another all-star treat, this time set in a church in upstate New York, with Josh O’Conner, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, and Thomas Hayden Church.

Merrily We Roll Along (December 5) First it was a legendary flop by powerhouse duo George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. They were known for comedy but they experimented with a serious play told in reverse order, taking a trio of characters from middle age back to their early 20s. Then Stephen Sondheim decided to make it into a musical, where it flopped so badly there is a whole documentary about it, called “The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened.” Then it was remounted on Broadway with Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Krystal Joy Brown, where it finally was a huge hit and won Tonys for the two male actors. This is a film of that play.

Jay Kelly George Clooney stars as the title character, a huge movie star en route to a festival in Italy where he will receive a lifetime achievement award. He is accompanied by his manager (Adam Sandler) and publicist (Laura Dern) and tries to reconcile with his older daughter (Riley Keogh) and connect to his younger daughter (Grace Edwards), who would rather travel with her friends. This film, from writer/director Noah Baumbach, is one of my favorite of the year.

Dust Bunny (December 5) An eight-year-old girl asks her hitman neighbor for help in killing the monster under her bed that she thinks ate her family. Rogerbert.com’s Brian Tellerico calls it “playfully twisted.” Note: it is about a child but it is not for children: Rated R.

Merv Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox play a separated couple who still share love — and custody — of their dog, Merv. When the dog’s vet tells them their pet is depressed because they are not together, they join forces to take him on a vacation.

Ella McCay (December 12) This is one I’m especially looking forward to because it is from James L. Brooks, the writer/director of “Terms of Endearment” and “Broadcast News.” Emma Mackey plays a young politician who unexpectedly becomes governor of New York. the cast includes Albert Brooks, Julie Kavner, Woody Harrelson, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Goodbye, June (December 12) Adult siblings who do not get along gather to be with their dying mother. Kate Winslet directed, based on a screenplay by her son. She also stars along with Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren, Stephen Merchant, and “Ted Lasso’s” Jeremy Swift.

Avatar: Fire and Ash (December 19) Writer/director James Cameron gives us another chapter in the saga of Pandora, again starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang, with Oona Chaplin as the new villain.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (December 19) The residents of Bikini Bottom are back, this time with Mark Hamill providing the voice for the Flying Dutchman, who needs the world’s most innocent soul to break his curse. Who could that be?

Anaconda (December 25) Paul Rudd and Jack Black play bros who decide to remake their favorite movie, the cheesy 1997 film Anaconda. When their fake snake fails, of course they decide to get a real one. What could go wrong?

Marty Supreme (December 25) Timothée Chalamet (with a mustache) and Gwyneth Paltrow (as a movie star) appear in a film about a ping pong champion. Viewers at a recent surprise screening loved it. From the AP’s Jack Coyle: “A madcap ode to strivers. A great New York movie.”

Song Sung Blue (December 25) A documentary about a real life Neil Diamond tribute duo inspired this feature film starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

“Rental Family” written and directed by a Japanese woman who goes by the mononym Hikiri, is one of the most heartwarming and humane films of the year, with wise and touching insights into the connections that make life meaningful and the fear of being hurt that holds us back from trusting each other. It is a festival favorite, with audience awards that include a narrative feature award at the Middleburg Film Festival.

Brendan Fraser plays Phillip, an American actor who is adrift in Japan, still living there years after his most popular role in a toothpaste commercial. His most recent role was a tree. He lives in a tiny apartment, eating take-out dinner and looking at the neighbors in the high rise across the street, “Rear Window”-style and has occasional encounters with a sex worker, to have some semblance of human contact.

His agent calls him with an offer. All he knows about the part he is to play is “sad American.” He discovers that it is not the kind of performance he is used to. He is a fake mourner at a fake funeral the fake corpse has purchased to see if the affection and respect he might get after his death is enough to make him want to continue to live.

In the US, if someone is having suicidal thoughts, we would expect them to see a psychotherapist or other counselor. But in Japan, where cognitive therapy and other psychological resources are not as accepted or available, an alternative has served the same purpose: “rental” family members to do what their customers wish they could get from the people in their lives. It’s not as different as we might think, especially in the emerging opportunities of parasocial and AI “relationships.”

Just as a therapist can sometimes be a stand-in for characters who create conflicts in the life of a patient, the rental family can be a way of accessing the support or even the conversations that a struggling person wishes for.

At first, Phillip turns down an offer to join a rental family company. But the money is good and it is kind of an acting job. His first “role” is fiancé to a young woman who needs a Caucasian man from North America she will call Brian to go through a wedding ceremony with her so she does not have to tell her parents the real reason she is moving to Canada. Then he has to pretend to be the father of a young girl who needs both parents to apply to a special school.

Each of his jobs begins to open up a part of him that he did not realize he had closed off. The sympathetic sex worker (who makes a delightful surprise appearance in another context later on), is only half teasing when she tells him they have the same job, paid intimacy. Phillip cannot help first being interested, then concerned, then invested, and then committed to the people he is being paid by. This is ideal casting for Fraser, uncomfortably large among the much smaller Japanese, his deep, expressive eyes showing us the way he slips from closely observing for “yes, and” improv-style purposes to finding depths of compassion and connection. His scenes with the little girl are endearingly natural, and the look on his face when the initially hostile and wary child falls asleep with her head on his shoulder is infinitely moving. This is a lovely tribute to the people who pretend to be part of someone’s family and an even lovelier one to the people who take the risk of letting themselves truly connect.

Parents should know that this film includes a sad death, some strong language, a non-explicit sexual situation with a sex worker, drinking, and smoking.

Family discussion: Which job was the most difficult for Phillip and why? What do people get from renting someone to be their family or friend?

If you like this, try: the Japanese film “Departures” and “Local Hero”