You know that TV commercial in which parents, knowing the school year is about to begin, rapturously dance around a store to the strains of "It's the most wonderful time of the year ..."?

Well, for movie fans, THIS is the most wonderful time of the year, not because of the holidays but because studios release their best films now. That includes not just potential Oscar contenders but also crowd-pleasers for everyone who has vacation time to fill between Christmas and New Year's.

Let's take a look at what's coming out this week ...

"La La Land": This movie has been walking off — or should that be dancing off? — with a bevy of early-season movie awards. Starts Saturday at Mystic Luxury Cinemas.

"Fences": Denzel Washington directed and stars with Viola Davis in this adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning stage work. Don't forget: the play was developed at the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford. Starts Sunday, Dec. 25, at Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon.

"Jackie": Could Natalie Portman become a two-time Oscar winner? Her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy has already earned her frontrunner status in this year's best-actress Oscar race. Starts Wednesday, Dec. 28, at Madison Art Cinemas.

"Lion": "Slumdog Millionaire's" Dev Patel is earning raves as a man who, adopted by an Australian couple after he was found begging on the streets of Calcutta, searches for his biological family. It's based on a real story. Starts Saturday, Dec. 24, at Madison Art Cinemas, Mystic Luxury Cinemas.

"Passengers": Jennifer Lawrence. Chris Pratt. In space. Personally, I'd love to see a Lawrence-Pratt comedy, but, in the meantime, I'll settle for a little sci-fi. Started Wednesday at Niantic, Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon.

"Why Him?": Well, we know the trailers are funny; let's see how the movie holds up. Bryan Cranston does a slow burn as a father nursing a deep dislike for his daughter's beau (a kooky James Franco, as if there's any other kind of James Franco). Starts Friday at Niantic, and starts tonight at Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon.

"Sing": Why, it's singing and dancing animated animals! What more do kids need to know to make them want to run to see this flick? It's about a koala who hopes to use a singing contest to help save his theater. Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon provide voices. Started Wednesday at Niantic, Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon.

"Assassin's Creed": This is unexpected: art-house fixtures Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard star in a movie based on a video game. Started Wednesday at Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon.

Next weekend's movie offerings look promising, too, with "Hidden Figures," starring Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer as African-American women who were instrumental in NASA's early years, and Ben Affleck's version of Dennis Lehane's "Live by Night" both set to debut. Grab the popcorn and settle in.

— Kristina Dorsey