This week in art-house cinema: Oscar contenders and Doctor Who’s Christmas special

A pair of films featuring leading contenders for this year’s Academy Awards for acting and the annual Doctor Who Christmas special highlight specialty cinema this holiday week.

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“The Shape of Water": In the latest dark fairy tale from the mind of Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”), Sally Hawkins plays a mute cleaning woman working in a government lab who discovers an unusual test subject.

“Darkest Hour": Gary Oldman is the early Oscar frontrunner for best actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill during the early days of World War II, with the fate of Western Europe in the balance against Hitler.

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“Dr. Who: Twice Upon a Time": The Doctor Who Christmas special arrives in a cinema-exclusive event that includes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the special, in which the “Doctor meets the Doctor,” and a celebration of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and Steven Moffat as lead writer. Showing at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, and Thursday, Dec. 28, at Cinemark Tulsa.