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.”