Friday’s openings: The plots thicken

Pictured: Amy Adams in “Nocturnal Animals”

As the weather gets colder, Oscar season starts heating up, and studios begin dropping their heavy hitters into theaters at a relentless pace. This week’s major releases feature a couple titles you’ll likely be hearing more about as the next Academy Awards ceremony approaches.

At the AMC:

“The Eagle Huntress”: This G-rated nature documentary tracks a 13-year-old Mongolian girl’s intentions to become the first female eagle hunter in her family. Narrated by Daisy Ridley.

“Miss Sloane”: Jessica Chastain plays a ruthless D.C. lobbyist who finds her personal and corporate interests shifting after she aligns herself with gun control activists.

“Nocturnal Animals”: A novelist (Jake Gyllenhaal) explores his own troubled marriage in his latest book, which his ex-wife (Amy Adams) takes as a personal threat. Fashion designer Tom Ford’s second film as director, following 2009’s excellent “A Single Man.”

“Office Christmas Party”: An all-star cast of comic ringers (Jason Bateman, Kate McKinnon, T.J. Miller and, uh, Courtney B. Vance) behave badly for our amusement when a well-meaning holiday party hurtles out of control.

At the Magic Lantern:

“The Handmaiden”: A plan to defraud an heiress in 1930s Korea doesn’t go as expected in this twisty, kinky epic from South Korean director Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy,” “Stoker”). Recommended for adults only.

The Lantern is also picking up Barry Jenkins’ gorgeous “Moonlight,” which was just awarded best picture by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, following a two week run at AMC.

Below: The trailer for “The Handmaiden.”