I Am Santa Claus follows the lives of for-hire mall Santas for an entire year as they whittle away time during the off season, make preparations for the main holiday drag and then face letdown come December 26.

Daniel Woolhouse, aka Deptford Goth, gained something of a cult following for his 2011 debut Life After Defo. Its slow, contemplative production added emphasis to lyrics of heartache and family issues, all the while sounding somehow thoroughly expansive despite the intimate nature of Woolhouse’s vocals.

Pop music, almost by definition, is watered down. Music for the masses means accessibility is king, marked by obvious on-ramps, broad-based topics, and a sunny-side-up disposition. Pop music as escapism. Of course, this is less about set-in-stone rules and more about this reviewer’s half century-long observance of Top 40 radio fare.

Open Windows, Nacho Vigalondo’s English-language debut, is somewhere between a found footage film and a 21st century update of Rear Window.

A touching chronicle of Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde’s 30-year marriage, through fame and disability.

If you are (like I was) largely unfamiliar with the delightful indie pop band Belle and Sebastian, perhaps the film and its soundtrack, God Help the Girl, is the perfect introduction.

The season finale began in this week’s Doctor Who, and if part two next week can keep up with “Dark Water’s” spectacular setup, then we are in for a big finish.

The first riff on Black Moon Spell (on the title track, no less) is proof that Kyle Thomas (aka King Tuff) is gunning for a space among the guitar heroes.

Shohei Imamura’s unflinching serial killer film was ahead the curve when it arrived in 1979.