From Avatar to Amadeus: Your complete entertainment guide for next week | culture

Exit: cinema

Avatar: Fire and Ashes
Out now
James Cameron comes with a case of the Christmas blues, so to speak, as the director’s record-breaking epic returns once again to the planet Pandora for more internal conflict and respect for the splendor of the natural world, presented in dazzling motion-capture glory.

Silent night, deadly night
Out now
Actor Rohan Campbell graduates from Michael Myers wannabe in the somewhat terrible Halloween Ends, to main bogeyman Billy Chapman in the final installment of the Silent Night series, Deadly Night (2nd remake, 7th film overall, Truth Lovers). According to franchise lore, he witnessed the murder of his parents at the hands of Santa when he was five years old, and the rest is gruesome history.

Fackham Hall
Out now
Jimmy Carr turns his hand to screenwriting with this spoof of Downton Abbey-type movies. Since the actual Downton Abbey films already play as parodies of Downton Abbey type films, there may not be much to add, but the cast including Thomasin McKenzie, Katherine Waterston, Damian Lewis and Anna Maxwell Martin are here to give their best.

Silent Sherlock: Three classic cases
Out now
Who is the actor who has played Sherlock Holmes the most times on the big screen? It’s a wonderful trivia story, and the answer is Elle Norwood, who portrayed the great detective in 45 two-reels. See three of them – A Scandal in Bohemia, The Golden Spectacle, and The Final Trouble – in this restored collection. Catherine Bray

Checkout: Gigs

Future heads
Sunderland, 20 December; London, December 22
What better way to get into the festive spirit than to spend two nights with Sunderland, the team of the future. It’s perfect timing really, as they’ve just released a 10-track collection of original songs and festive favourites, including an a cappella version of Wonderful Christmastime. Michael Cragg

Solomon’s knot
Wigmore Hall, London, December 22
Every December it seems that British concert halls are set aside very early for Christmas. Only Wigmore Hall seems immune to the trend, and this year it is closed for just three days during the holidays. The highlight leading up to the break is the final appearance of the resident band in the hall; The Solomon’s Knot Singers give a distinctly off-season performance of Handel’s oratorio, Israel in Egypt. Andrew Clements

Nick Costley-White
Vortex Jazz Club, London, 21 December
The award-winning British guitarist hosts a regular concert at Vortex, and his understanding of the jazz tradition and deep love of Latin American music make him the ideal outgoing host. Exciting drummer Gus Kayser and a variety of cutting-edge young trumpeters help him stir the pot. John Fordham

Mickey Perini Trio
Glasgow, December 20; Newcastle upon Tyne, 21 December
Since releasing his debut album Tripla in April, singer and former Lush guitarist Mikey Perignyi has spent most of the year on tour. Along with bassist Oliver Shearer and guitarist KJ “Moose” MacKillop, they wrap things up with two more opportunities to stare at your shoes to the tune of their own brand of pop. MC

Checkout: art

Self and attitudes
Modern One, Edinburgh, until 25 January
Portraits are pictures of individuals. But what is an individual or “self”? Contemporary artists since Cézanne have been asking this philosophical question, and if you need to awaken your mind amidst seasonal merriment, here are some provocative and whimsical musings by Gillian Wearing, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, and more.

show time!
Charles Dickens Museum, London, until 18 January
There’s no place more Christmassy than Charles Dickens’ home, where you can see how Scrooge’s creator celebrated life. This exhibition explores his timeless appetite for acting out his novels, from 1837 when his characters first appeared on stage to Oliver! And of course, The Muppets’ Christmas Carol.

Powder and attendance
Holborn Museum, Bath, until 4 May
Fanciful frills and romantic imagination abound in this look at the delicate art of the 18th-century pastel portrait. Working in the pastels gave intimate images befitting the highly civilized, but also sentimental, era of the Enlightenment and French Revolution. Anna Tonelli, William Hoare and others capture the sensual manifestations.

Sufi life and art
British Museum, London, until 26 July
The Sufi traditions of Sufi culture have produced some of the most exciting art and music in the Islamic world. This exhibition ranges from a portrait of a dervish holding a trumpet and supplicating bowl to paintings of saints and ascetics, reed flutes and modern abstract art with a Sufi touch. Jonathan Jones

Checkout: platform

Christmas carol
Leeds Theatre, until 17 January
Director Amy Leach’s new version of Dickens’s classic novel is set in the wool industry and promises to be fun and community-focused. Reece Dinsdale plays Scrooge alongside an assortment of young actors, musicians, dancers, and even a few dancing trinkets. Miriam Gillinson

Christmas day
Almeida Theatre, London, until 8 January
Sam Grabiner’s brilliant play was staged entirely in a public men’s restroom. His latest offering – festive fare with a bite – unfolds in an abandoned building where a Jewish family gathers on Christmas Day. The cast includes Nigel Lindsay and Bel Powley. mg

A night with the stars
Moth Club, London, 20 December
Their demented comedy sketches have made comedians Paddy Young and Ed Knight two of the funniest people on Instagram. Now experience their goofy idiocy in the flesh with this Christmas edition of their brilliant live show, featuring bandmate Dan Tiernan and other guests. Rachel Aroesti

Nutcracker
Leeds Grand Theater until 4 January
David Nixon stepped down as Northern Ballet’s artistic director in 2021 – and was succeeded by former Royal Ballet dancer Federico Bonelli – but the company still retains many of his ballets, including the classic Christmassy Nutcracker with all the favorite festive ingredients. Lindsey Winship