Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn co-star in “Four Christmases,” one of the first films coming out of the gate for the holiday season. The film opened nationally last week

It’s only fitting that the crop of winter movie releases heats up just as the temperature descends in Kansas. All the more reason to sit inside a cozy theater while the season dishes out a frigid dystopia.

The cinematic stretch from Thanksgiving through Christmas offers a healthy combination of holiday blockbusters and Oscar bait. Here are some highlights.

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“Four Christmases”

A married couple (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) from two divorced families is obliged to attend a quartet of Yuletide gatherings. Seth Gordon, director of the brilliant documentary “The King of Kong,” switches his game this time to modern comedy.

“Fanboys”

Set before the name George Lucas became synonymous with bad dialogue and terrible plotting, a group of friends plan a cross-country trip to steal an unreleased print of “The Phantom Menace” so a dying pal can see it. Film mogul Harvey Weinstein agreed to release director Kyle Newman’s cut of the flick only after real-life fanboys launched a “Stop Darth Weinstein” campaign.

Australia

Sexy Australians Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star in a pre-World War II drama that finds the pair driving 2,000 head of cattle across the merciless Outback as the Japanese start their bombing campaign. Kidman gets to reteam with “Moulin Rouge” director Baz Luhrmann, but reportedly no singing is involved.

Dec. 5

Frost/Nixon

America’s second-least beloved president earns a new movie about his Watergate-logged appearance on David Frost’s TV show in 1977. Ron Howard only agreed to direct if actors Frank Langella and Michael Sheen reprised the roles they created onstage.

Punisher: War Zone

Thomas Jane reputedly declined to resurrect his Frank Castle character because he didn’t like the script. But this latest Marvel Comics adaptation follows the Punisher (Ray Stevenson from HBO’s “Rome”) as he combats underworld criminals in New York, including the scarred boss Jigsaw (Dominic West) — no relation to that “Saw” guy.

Dec. 12

Nothing Like the Holidays

Originally named “Humbolt Park” after a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago, the comedy-drama has been given a more generic seasonal title. An impressive Hispanic cast (John Leguizamo, Jay Hernandez, Vanessa Ferlito and Alfred Molina) rounds out this tale of the tensions that arise when the Rodriguez family gathers to celebrate Christmas.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Keanu Reeves is certainly a peculiar choice to take over Michael Rennie’s role in a remake of one of the best sci-fi films of the 1950s. When an alien (Reeves) and his indestructible sidekick land on Earth, he delivers a simple message: Shape up … or else.

Dec. 19

Yes Man

A man challenges himself to say “yes” to everyone and everything — and no, he’s not running for office. Jim Carrey makes a comfortable return to his comedic roots in “Yes Man,” although it’s hard to overlook how oddly reminiscent the plot is to his own previous “Liar, Liar.”

The Tale of Despereaux

Finally, an upcoming animated flick where the trailers look more funny than creepy. Matthew Broderick gives voice to the anthropomorphic mouse Despereaux, who joins an unhappy rat (Dustin Hoffman) and a princess (Emma Watson) in a tale of bravery and redemption.

Dec. 25

The Spirit

One of the original comic book heroes gets a modern updating from “Sin City” creator Frank Miller. While no one is expecting “Dark Knight”-sized box office, the atmosphere is sure Gotham-esque. Gabriel Macht plays a cop who returns from the dead to fight crime, facing off against The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson).

Marley & Me

John Grogan’s best seller about a cute-but-difficult yellow lab named Marley is given the big-screen treatment. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston play the pup’s newlywed owners who learn life lessons from the naughty and neurotic pet. And no one knows naughty and neurotic quite like Wilson.

Dec. 26

Valkyrie

In what is certainly one of the most fascinating stories of World War II, German army colonel Claus von Stauffenberg organizes a group of fellow commanders in a risky attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Tom Cruise, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the maverick Nazi, stars as the colonel. Bryan Singer steers away from his regular superhero fodder (Superman, X-Men) to handle this dramatic thriller.