‘Manchester’ is getting some of the best reviews of the year.

“Manchester by the Sea” and other new releases

‘Manchester by the Sea’

Sadness pulls into port for “Manchester by the Sea,” the Kenneth Lonergan drama getting plenty of awards-season attention.

Casey Affleck plays a lonely and alone janitor in Boston who, when his older brother dies, discovers he’s been named sole guardian of his teenage nephew (Lucas Hedges) and must move back to his hometown, where the sorrow that came between him and his wife (Michelle Williams) still lies.

“Manchester” is getting some of the best reviews of the year, and was named best film of the year by the National Board of Review, which also gave the movie awards for best actor (Affleck) and best male breakthrough performance (Hedges). Arizona Republic critic Bill Goodykoontz gave the movie 5 stars (out of 5), calling it “a masterpiece in a minor key.”

“Manchester by the Sea” is rated R for pervasive language and some sexual content. It runs for 137 minutes.

‘Nocturnal Animals’

Fashion designer turned filmmaker Tom Ford’s directorial debut was 2009’s “A Single Man,” a coolly stylish drama with Colin Firth as a man having trouble coping after his boyfriend dies. Seven years later, in Ford’s second movie, “Nocturnal Animals,” people don’t have it much easier.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays a writer who sends his ex-wife (Amy Adams) a manuscript of his new novel, which is dedicated to her. The novel — about a man (also Gyllenhaal) out for justice, with help from a detective played by Michael Shannon, after his wife and child are kidnapped in the wilds of Texas — becomes a story within the story.

The movie is getting solid reviews, with raves for Ford’s visual sense and Adams’ performance. “‘Nocturnal Animals’ is at its core about making hard decisions and living through the inevitable consequences, though told with some serious artistic flash,” USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt wrote in his 3star review.

“Nocturnal Animals” is rated R for violence, nudity and language. It runs for 117 minutes.

‘Miss Sloane’

One of Washington’s toughest lobbyists quits her firm to join the opposition to take on gun manufacturers. Or does she?

In “Miss Sloane,” Jessica Chastain plays the title beltway battler, whose ruthless style puts her in the lead, and makes her a big, big target. Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Waterston, Alison Pill, Jake Lacey and John Lithgow co-star in something that’s becoming rare: a bigscreen political thriller.

Directed by John Madden (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Shakespeare in Love”), “Miss Sloane” is getting mostly solid reviews, with Chastain getting the bulk of the kudos. “Chastain crafts a tour de force portrait of a character whose relentless professional dedication and apartness from others makes her something of a sister to Chastain’s similarly obsessed character in ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ ” Hollywood Reporter critic Todd McCarthy wrote. “Miss Sloane” is rated R for language and some sexuality. It runs for 132 minutes.

‘Office Christmas Party’

So, your parent company is going to shut down your office unless you can win one last big account.

Naturally, you throw the office Christmas bash to end all office Christmas bashes.

In “Office Christmas Party,” T.J. Miller and Jason Bateman play the guys trying to save their jobs and their Chicago office, with Jennifer Aniston as the meanie shutting them down on Christmas Eve. Courtney B. Vance is the guy whose business they hope to land by showing him the best time ever.

Kate McKinnon and Olivia Munn also co-star in the overthe-top comedy. “Office Christmas Party” is rated R for pervasive crude sexual content and language, drug use and nudity. It runs for 105 minutes.

‘The Bounce Back’

In “The Bounce Back,” Shemar Moore plays a bestselling relationship expert who meets his match, in more ways than one, when his clash with a therapist (Nadine Velazquez) who thinks he’s a con artist goes viral.

Bill Bellamy and Nadja Alaya, making her big-screen debut as Moore’s daughter, co-star.

“The Bounce Back” is rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and brief drug use. It runs for 104 minutes.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS AND AMAZON STUDIOS Casey Affleck stars in “Manchester by the Sea,” Kenneth Lonergan’s New England portrait of grief. The movie won four awards, including best film, from the National Board of Review.

FOCUS FEATURES Amy Adams stars in Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals.”

DREAMWORKS PICTURES T.J. Miller and Jason Bateman throw a holiday party to end all holiday parties (and maybe save their company) in “Office Christmas Party.”

EUROPACORP Jessica Chastain plays a win-at-all-costs lobbyist who takes on the gun industry in “Miss Sloane.”

THE BOUNCE BACK Shemar Moore stars in “The Bounce Back.”