Welcome to a very special holiday edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything. Christmas is the biggest day of the year for moviegoing, and there's a wealth of new options in theaters as well as recent options newly available at home. My name is Brett Arnold, film critic and host of Roger & Me, a weekly Siskel & Ebert-style movie review show, and I'm here to guide you through it all.

It's all about following your dreams this week, as those themes are prevalent in all three big new theatrical releases out now: Marty Supreme, Song Sung Blue and Anaconda.

At home, you can rent or buy the Bruce Springsteen biopic or the Five Nights at Freddy's sequel.

And on streaming services you're already paying for, expect an embarrassment of riches, including a new must-see documentary on Netflix called Cover-Up, plus Bugonia hitting Peacock.

Read on, because there's more, and there's always something for everyone!

• What to watch in theaters

• Movies newly available to rent or buy

• Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have

🎥 What to watch in theaters

My recommendation: Marty Supreme

Why you should see it: The Safdie brothers may have split up this year — Benny's The Smashing Machine starring the Rock came out earlier in the year — but Marty Supreme proves that the secret sauce fueling the duo's energy all along must be collaborator/editor Ronald Bronstein. This film from a solo Josh Safdie slots perfectly in with Uncut Gems and Good Time as a sort of trilogy capper on the type of self-absorbed character that the brothers love to have at the center of their films.

In 1950s New York, Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness. Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty, a Ping-Pong player who knows he's the best at it and won't let anything stand in the way of him realizing that dream on the grandest stage possible.

Marty Supreme is essentially a one-man show that also boasts a remarkable ensemble surrounding that character. It's the most Mab Libs-ian supporting cast ever assembled: Gwyneth Paltrow's first role in six years, and relative newcomer/daughter-of-Pamela-Adlon Odessa A'zion are the most notable, alongside billionaire investor and Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary, rapper Tyler, the Creator, magician Penn Jillette, legendary New York filmmaker Abel Ferrara and even The Nanny star and former SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher!

Josh Safdie's affinity for stacking his movies with non-actors alongside real ones feels like it pays off big here; the craziest part is that they're all unbelievably good — especially O'Leary, who has quite a big part, and Paltrow, who is absolutely sensational playing a '50s-era movie star. There's also a meta quality to the marketing campaign and the way Chalamet has carried himself in public the past year that makes you wonder if he's imitating the character, or if the character was written as a reflection of its star. When he won an award for playing Bob Dylan and earnestly admitted he wanted to be "one of the greats," did he mean that, or was he emulating Marty? Or was Marty written for Chalamet because this is how he is? It's an interesting question!

The filmmaking itself feels like another star right alongside Chalamet, as the constantly-in-motion camera, incredibly loud and anachronistic '80s synth-pop score and frantic editing synthesize into something akin to a rollercoaster ride. If you dug the other Safdie-Bronstein films Uncut Gems and Good Time, you'll love this one. If you found those stressful and unappealing, you might feel similarly about this one, though the sports angle and the small differences in the character do make Marty Supreme feel a bit more mainstream and less off-putting.

Marty Supreme is an exhilarating, electric movie about the pursuit of greatness and the type of person that it takes to achieve it.

What other critics are saying: It's getting Oscar buzz! David Fear at Rolling Stone writes, "You have to be a hustler to make movies like this in the age of AI and IP, even ones with genuine movie stars in them. It’s in Safdie’s DNA as much as Marty’s. Both end up champions in their own way, and we’re the ones who end up winning." As the Daily Beast's Nick Schager eloquently put it, it's a "150-minute-long heart attack of a film in which its protagonist, repeatedly and dangerously, crashes out and is narrowly revived."

How to watch: Marty Supreme is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Get tickets

Bonus recommendation: Song Sung Blue

Why you should see it: Song Sung Blue isn't actually a Neil Diamond biopic, thankfully, and instead is a much more interesting film based on a true story, which has already been depicted in a documentary of the same name. In the film, 2 down-on-their-luck performers (Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman!) form a Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams.

As someone who loves both karaoke and movies about people pursuing their dreams — even as they adjust to the realities of those dreams — I was quite taken with this film, which manages to combine those ideas into one. It coasts a bit on the power of Neil Diamond's musical catalogue, and fans of his will be delighted by the star-studded renditions, as well as its celebration of working-class musicians instead of the wildly rich ones.

It’s very effective, even with the absolutely insane tonal shifts that are so outrageous and unexpected that they simply have to be based on a real story. Kate Hudson is great here and is earning tons of praise this awards season; Jackman is good too, though his performance feels much more stagey, which makes sense, as he just finished a run on Broadway.

I really appreciated how much Song Sung Blue respects Neil Diamond as an artist, and takes issue with the fact that he’ll forever be the “Sweet Caroline” guy to many people. They’re gonna open with "Soolaimon," and you’re gonna like it!

What other critics are saying: The response is mixed! AP's Mark Kennedy cheekily writes that it "hits all the wrong notes," though Variety's Owen Gleiberman dug it, writing, "Hudson’s anguished performance holds it together. This is let-it-rip acting with the fussiness burned off."

How to watch: Song Sung Blue is now in theaters nationwide.

Get tickets

Bonus recommendation: Anaconda

Why you should see it: This crowd-pleasing, self-aware meta reboot of Anaconda, the 1997 film that became a cable-TV classic, is more a satire of the idea of a reboot than an actual earnest one. It stars Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Thandiwe Newton, and Steve Zahn, and it coasts almost entirely on charm.

Four childhood friends: Doug, Griff, Kenny, and Claire, seeking to recapture their youth, travel to the Amazon to film an amateur remake of the 1997 film Anaconda. Their project unravels when a real giant anaconda emerges, turning the light-hearted shoot into a perilous fight to stay alive

It's just silly and clever enough to recommend: a light satire about Hollywood’s current obsession with reboots and how they all have to be “about something” now, with deep and impactful themes like intergenerational trauma. There's an earnestness to the characters and the treatment of the pursuit of their dreams that's sweet and relatable, with great messaging about the importance of going for it and following your dreams instead of settling for a "B/B+" life tangentially related to the thing you really want to do. It's unexpectedly charming in this way.

It works so well as a comedy, you'll forgive how boring and tame the giant-CGI action sequences are. Damn near every kill is an unsatisfying cutaway, which is disappointing in a monster movie, but I guess par for the course for this PG-13 franchise.

How to watch: Anaconda is now in theaters nationwide.

Get tickets

But that's not all ...

• The Testament of Ann Lee: Amanda Seyfried is a revelation in this striking musical about the Shakers. She plays Ann Lee, the founding leader of the movement, who was proclaimed the female Christ by her followers. The film, based on real events, depicts her establishment of a utopian society and the Shakers' worship through song and dance. It's a low-budget film that has the look and feel of a mega-budget production, with the same impressive quality that defines The Brutalist, the last film director Mona Fastvold worked on (although her husband, Brady Corbet, directed that one). The film does a great job of helping the viewer understand how a movement like the Shakers could arise and the key role sexual repression played in it. It's fascinating and gorgeous to behold. Get tickets. 

• Is This Thing On?: The third film from director Bradley Cooper is this low-key dramedy about stand-up comedy and divorce. Facing middle age and a divorce from his wife Tess (Laura Dern), Alex (Will Arnett) finds new purpose in the New York comedy scene. Arnett, a comic actor, is terrific in a dramatic role, but there's a phoniness to the depiction of stand-up comedy that makes it hard to get behind, not to mention the fact that none of the material is funny. It also feels like Dern's character gets shortchanged. Ultimately, it's got good performances — including a funny turn from Cooper himself as a character named "Balls" — but it doesn't add up to much. Get tickets.

💸 Movies newly available to rent or buy

My recommendation: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

Why you should see it: A new musician biopic is here, this time about Bruce Springsteen. Rather than attempt to depict his entire storied career, the film focuses on a particularly dark period in the singer-songwriter's discography: the creation of his stripped-down 1982 masterwork, Nebraska.

Jeremy Allen White stars as the Boss, and his emotional arc in the film is actually quite similar to his famous TV character on The Bear. Both men are constantly running away from their problems rather than facing them, and they both have tragic family backstories.

White doesn't exactly disappear into the role, which may be a "he's a beloved TV actor we all know" problem more than a performance one. He's still quite impressive considering he actually sings here, and I found myself wondering if it was Springsteen himself. Though it's one of those performances that feels more like an elongated impersonation than a total embodiment, White does nail the impression.

Nobody is prepared for how much of the movie is sound engineers turning knobs and futzing with the soundboard, trying to replicate the lo-fi vibes of Springsteen's cassette tape recording of the album, which he made in the bedroom of a rental house in Colts Neck, N.J. Over and over, Springsteen hears it, freaks out and declares that the songs need to sound worse.

These fights between Springsteen and the record execs — largely via his manager Jon Landau, played by Jeremy Strong — over the marketability and commercial value of the record are a joy to behold, as the singer remains steadfast that the songs must retain the melancholy of the original cassette.

I also appreciated the focus on the influence that popular media had on him at the time, including how watching Terrence Malick's Badlands led to his fascination with the Starkweather killings, which in turn inspired Nebraska. As a child, he would skip school to watch Charles Laughton's classic film The Night of the Hunter with his dad. These sequences get at the importance of art to help us channel and understand our own emotions and internal struggles; the films help Springsteen understand the darkness within him, despite all his success.

While the movie's structure attempts to distance itself from biopic tropes, it still relies on them. For example, there's a composite character as a love interest (Odessa Young, who is great here) rather than portraying Springsteen's real-life romances and generally simplifying his struggles with depression. From the film, you'd think Springsteen's relationship with his father is the driving force behind it all, but it's much more complicated. Still, he deserves credit for showing his breakdown.

I was impressed by where the movie ends up: an earnest call to arms for the men of Springsteen's generation to seek therapy. It almost feels like a public service announcement, which may turn some people off, but I found it moving. If this movie gets a single Boomer to go to therapy and/or stop avoiding their problems, it's a win!

Also, the music is undeniably brilliant, so if you're the type that tears up at "I'm On Fire" or "Atlantic City," it will likely work for you.

What other critics are saying: Reviews are split right down the middle. Rolling Stone's David Fear sums it up nicely: "Despite the movie’s flaws, what [director Scott] Cooper has given audiences here is way more compelling than a live-action greatest-hits compilation." Nick Schager at the Daily Beast, though, isn't a fan, writing that it's "like a greatest-hits package of genre clichés."

How to watch: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is now available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video and other VOD platforms.

Rent or buy

But that's not all...

• Sentimental Value: Tons of Oscar buzz surround the latest film from Danish-Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, which stars Elle Fanning, Renate Reinvse and Stellan Skarsgård, though I found it to be the weakest of Trier's films, which include The Worst Person in the World and Oslo, August 31st. Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. It's all rather pedestrian and manufactured; I felt every ounce of its attempts for Oscar gold. It should pack an emotional gut punch — it's one of many movies this year about the power of art and how people use it to reflect their problems they're afraid to actually engage with in real life — but it's so familiar and drawn-out that it just didn't land for me. Your mileage may vary, as it's been heralded as the best of the year by many. Rent or buy.

• Fackham Hall: If this year's remake of The Naked Gun had you wishing for a full-on resurgence of spoof and parody films, Fackham Hall is here to answer your prayers. Go ahead and say the title out loud if you want to understand the type of humor the movie's after. It's a very specific yet entirely broad comedy taking aim at traditional period dramas such as Downton Abbey. It's dumb in all the right ways! Rent or buy.

• Five Nights at Freddy's 2: This sequel to the wildly successful but also critically maligned Five Nights at Freddy's is as inert as the original. It's an adaptation of a video game whose mechanics simply don't translate particularly well to the screen, and both films are deadly in terms of backstory. Sadly, it's even worse in terms of scares and nearly devoid of laughs despite some cheap attempts. This series is decidedly not for me or my generation, but it's hard to imagine what fans of the property will get out of this one, which feels like it's constantly teasing you with what must be Easter eggs for insiders and planting seeds for future movies. Rent or buy.

📺 Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have

My recommendation: Cover-Up

Why you should watch it: This documentary about journalist Seymour Hersh is both a terrific profile of the man and a great primer on what real journalism and speaking truth to power truly look like.

Seymour Hersh has been at the front lines of political journalism in the U.S. ever since he broke the horrific story of the My Lai massacre in 1969. His breakthrough reportage has brought to the public's attention many of the most damning constitutional wrongdoings and cover-ups.

It's a great examination of the work that goes into reporting and the power structures that do their best to keep it from becoming public (and, if and when it does, shift to denial and obfuscation). If Richard Nixon is badmouthing you to Henry Kissinger on the Nixon tapes, you're doing something right as a journalist. Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus's film addresses the big questions about how reporting works, as well as the minutiae, such as sourcing and whether single sources can be trusted.

By the time Cover-Up shows Hersh — now 88, manning a Substack and doing reporting on Gaza today that has striking parallels to his work on Vietnam — the profundity and despair of it all hit at once.

What other critics are saying: Not a bad review in sight! Deadline's Matthew Carey calls it "riveting" and an "insightful portrait." Katarina Docalovich at Jezebel writes that the film is "a vital reminder that demanding a better world is possible, straight from the people who have done the critical work required to confront America’s darkest forces."

How to watch: Cover-Up is streaming on Netflix starting Dec. 26.

Watch on Netflix

My bonus recommendation: Bugonia

Why you should see it: The feel-bad movie of the season is here! Yorgos Lanthimos, director of Poor Things and The Favourite, returns with his latest collaboration with Emma Stone. It may be their finest work yet, though it may not leave you in the best headspace.

In the film, which is a remake of sorts of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, two conspiracy-obsessed men (Jesse Plemons and newcomer Aidan Delbis) kidnap the CEO of a major company (Emma Stone) when they become convinced that she's an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

All the performances are top-notch: Stone continues her unbelievable run, and Plemons finally gets to stretch his legs in a leading role and makes the absolute most of it. He's so effective in the role, you might find yourself empathizing with a nutjob or asking yourself whether he's actually onto something.

The film balances tone impressively, making you laugh uproariously one minute and inducing absolute dread the next. It's a film about our post-truth world, or a look at a society whose inhabitants can't even agree on basic realities. The script from Will Tracy (The Menu) does a terrific job at mining social commentary without being heavy-handed and shows how conspiracies often stem from a very real and painful place.

It builds to a third act that feels inevitable and then takes it a step further with a stunningly audacious montage at the end that put tears in my eyes. It poses the question, is humankind worth saving? You may not like the answer.

What other critics are saying: It's getting great reviews! Amy Nicholson at the Los Angeles Times astutely calls it "a hilarious movie with no hope for the future of humanity. What optimism there is lies only in the title, an ancient Greek word for the science of transforming dead cows into hives, of turning death into life." Rolling Stone's David Fear writes, "You’re never sure which truth is out there, exactly, in Lanthimos’s caustic, chilling and occasionally chuckle-inducing poke in the eye. You just acknowledge that no one seems to find one we can all agree on."

How to watch: Bugonia is streams on Peacock starting Dec. 26.

Watch on Peacock

But that's not all ...

• Goodbye June: This family affair is Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet's directorial debut, with a screenplay written by her 22-year-old son. It's about four siblings whose lives change when their ailing mother (Helen Mirren) takes a turn for the worse over the Christmas season. The siblings are Winslet herself, Toni Colette, Johnny Flynn and Andrea Riseborough, and the father is played by legendary Timothy Spall. It's not as strong as Netflix's very similar and terrific His Three Daughters, but it's quietly affecting in its own way. If you've ever dealt with an aging parent or a sick relative, you'll see a lot of truth here in this very human drama. Now streaming on Netflix.

• The Life of Chuck: This isn't your average Stephen King adaptation. The gimmick of the story is that it follows an ordinary man's life but in reverse order, from Act Three to Act One. In the process, we learn about his life, as well as the one he didn't live but might have enjoyed more. It may sound corny, but by the time Act Two hits, I was fully in the palm of the movie's hand and openly weeping, both in a sad way and in a revelatory, beautiful, life-affirming way. Now streaming on Hulu.

• Eden: The latest star-studded film from prolific filmmaker Ron Howard is unlike anything the actor-turned-director has made before. It stars Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, Ana de Armas and Vanessa Kirby, and if I hadn't known going in that Howard directed it, I never would've guessed, which is an exciting thing to say about a director in his 70s — he can still surprise us! A populist crowd-pleaser this is not. Eden is inspired by the wild true story of a group of disillusioned outsiders in the late 1930s who abandon post-World War I Europe in search of a new beginning. Settling on a remote, uninhabited island, their utopian dream quickly unravels as they discover that the greatest threat isn’t the brutal climate or deadly wildlife, but one another. Now streaming on Netflix.

• Die My Love: Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson star in the latest film from Lynne Ramsay, who hasn't made a feature since 2017's You Were Never Really Here. The performances are great, but it's far from something with mainstream appeal, so much so that it earned a rare "D+" on CinemaScore. Now streaming on Mubi.

That's all for this week — we'll see you next week at the movies!

Looking for more recs? Find your next watch on the Yahoo 100, our daily updating list of the most popular movies of the year.