Film Listings, 12/19/19 – 12/26/19 

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All theater listings are as of Friday, Dec. 20.

BLACK CHRISTMAS

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Rent it

Where's it showing? Park

Sophia Takal (Green, Always Shine) directs this mystery-horror film about a group of female students stalked over their Christmas break. As they're picked off one by one, they eventually join forces to turn the table on the murderer. The film stars Imogen Poots and Cary Elwes.

Its feminist ideas are laudable, but its stick-it-to-the-man concept feels like a missed opportunity. On the other hand, if you're looking for an over-the-top diversion, watching these gung-ho heroines claim their power is kind of fun. (92 min.)

—Glen Starkey

BOMBSHELL

What's it rated? R

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Stadium 10

New

Co-producer and director Jay Roach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Meet the Parents) helms this drama based on the true story of several women at Fox News who set out to expose CEO Roger Ailes (played by John Lithgow) for sexual harassment. The cast includes Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Kate McKinnon, and Allison Janney. (108 min.)

—Caleb Wiseblood

CATS

What's it rated? PG

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

New

Tom Hooper (The King's Speech, Les Miserables, The Danish Girl) directs this adaptation of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, based on the poetry collection, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, by T.S. Elliot. Over the course of a single night, a tribe of cats called the Jellicles make what is known as "the Jellicle choice" and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer. (120 min.)

—Caleb

CHARLIE'S ANGELS

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Matinee

Where's it showing? Sunset Drive-In

Pick

Writer-director Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect 2) takes on the classic TV series (1976-1981) about a trio of crime-fighting women—Sabina Wilson (Kristen Stewart), Elena Houghlin (Naomi Scott), and Jane Kano (Ella Balinska)—who this time around must save humankind from a dangerous new technology.

Banks is up to the task and delivers an earnest and upbeat new installation with three winning leads who are giving it their all. The film clearly has respect for its source material but stops short of retrograde homage, instead injecting some freshness into the characters, who are a lot of fun, especially Stewart's Sabina. It also adds some feminist elements that help it transcend its "jiggle TV" origins, and as a simple action film, it does the job. (118 min.)

—Glen

DARK WATERS

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? The Palm

Pick

Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine, I'm Not There) directs this historical legal thriller about corporate defense attorney Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) who takes on an environmental lawsuit against DuPont, which he links to a number of deaths and illnesses caused by its pollution and practices.

If you're short on corporate outrage, this is the film for you. It's a stark reminder of how toothless the Environmental Protection Agency is, how corporations essentially own the government, and how corporations are not people! They might be run by people, but they're soulless money-generating entities devoid of morality.

As the film starts, stolid, stoic attorney Robert Bilott has just made partner at Taft, a law firm that specializes in defending chemical companies. The firm would love to land DuPont as a client, but instead, a couple of farmers show up from Bilott's hometown claiming something connected to a DuPont landfill is killing their cows. Long story short, Bilott takes their case and is soon suing DuPont, much to the chagrin of his boss, Tom Terp (Tim Robbins), who reluctantly agrees to allow him to work the case but to be "surgical"—in and out as quickly as possible. Instead, Bilott has embarked on a case that will drag out decades and put his job, family, and health on the line.

Unlike, say, a John Grisham potboiler, what Dark Waters depicts is the tedious grind of law practice, the painstaking work of scouring files, looking for the needle in the haystack that will prick the corporate balloon and hold it accountable for its wanton greed. If you're expecting courtroom theatrics, there's very little of that. Instead, this is the story of an unlikely hero whose tenacity, steadfastness, and deeply held morals made him into DuPont's worst nightmare—a man who couldn't be bought, scared off, or worn out.

It's pretty infuriating that big corporations get away with this stuff. At one point the EPA fines DuPont. I don't remember the exact amount, but it was millions of dollars ... which added up to three days worth of DuPont's profit from their poisonous Teflon coating. Multi-million-dollar fines mean nothing to multi-billion-dollar companies. It's pocket change. How can we expect corporations to protect the public trust if it's cheaper to poison us and pay a token fine for it?

Ruffalo and Hathaway are terrific together. They have a natural chemistry and embrace their characters wholeheartedly. Sarah is a devout Catholic who wants her sons to be just as devout. She's both subservient toward and committed to her husband, but when she sees him falling into what seems like an obsessive conspiracy theory, she's forced to assert herself.

Ruffalo plays Robert like a nondescript frump, a kind of hangdog everyman. He only seems to come alive when he's holding DuPont's executives accountable. I loved it when these corporate titans were forced to confront the results of their bottomline decision making—the kids with birth defects, the line workers with cancer, the dead.

I also have to give kudos to Bill Camp, who stars as farmer Wilbur Tennant. Camp is one of those character actors who can disappear into a role. Joker, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), The Killing of a Sacred Dear—he's been in a ton of amazing movies, but you don't remember him because he becomes his character. Here he's hidden behind bushy eyebrows and a gruff rust-belt voice.

This is a gripping film and a sad indictment of the government institutions that are supposed to protect us but too often don't. (126 min.)

—Glen

DIE HARD

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? The Fremont Theater (Saturday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m.)

New/Pick

A company holiday party inside of a Los Angeles high-rise is interrupted by a group of terrorists, led by the devilish Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who hold its attendees hostage. But the band of baddies are soon plucked off one-by-one by NYPD detective John McClane (Bruce Willis)—visiting his estranged wife who works for the company—who sneaks around the skyscraper and attempts to thwart Gruber's plans. (132 min.)

—Caleb

FROZEN II

What's it rated? PG

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

Pick

Co-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (Frozen, 2013) return to helm this animated sequel about Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idena Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), and Sven the reindeer as they leave Arendelle and travel to an enchanted forest, where they hope to discover the origins of Elsa's power. This worthy sequel is a charmer filled with eye-popping animation, catchy songs, and a sweet story about how sometimes change is good even though it's scary; friendship and protecting your friends from danger; and the power of love. (103 min.)

—Glen

HONEY BOY

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Matinee

Where's it showing? The Palm (ends Monday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m.)

Pick

Alama Har'el (11/8/16, LoveTrue) steps out of her documentary genre of choice to collaborate with Shia LaBeouf in creating an autobiography of sorts, Honey Boy, a fictionalized depiction of his time as a childhood actor under the thumb of an abusive father and his time in rehab.

LaBeouf wrote the film's screenplay, based on his life experiences, during his time in court-ordered rehab—he was arrested for assaulting an officer in the state of Georgia and receiving another DUI. In the rehabilitation center, LaBeouf was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. In order to work through his mental health condition, he had to write down his past, which included growing up with his father.

The film, similar to LaBeouf's life, is vulnerable, harsh, and shocking as it depicts how much he was pushed to the edge as a child. However he also sincerely highlights the struggles that his father was dealing with at the time, being a war veteran, former clown, former alcoholic, and convicted sex-offender. The struggling reconciliation with his father through cinema is breathtaking but slightly flawed.

Eleven-year-old Otis (Noah Jupe) skips his childhood entirely to keep his fractured family financially afloat, with his earnings as a child actor. He lives with his father, James Lort (Shia LaBeouf)—who isn't much of a father figure—in a motel room. James isn't emotionally present for his son because he has unmanaged pain, anger, and resentment that he constantly takes out on the boy.

What little relationship they have is a shared joy for entertainment, as James is a former clown which is something he can't stop talking about, but that also becomes a burden for both individuals.

Otis' mother isn't in the picture, but calls every once in a while, and has him in a Big Brothers Big Sisters program to give Otis some guidance—which only angers James.

Their life is chaotic, but Otis longs for the affection of his father by holding his hand or leaning his head on James' back on their motorcycle ride home from the studio. James immediately stops all these small gestures of affection—he resents the fact that he's not as famous as his son and his conviction that that makes him unemployable.

In one scene, Otis says to his father, "You wouldn't be here if I didn't pay for you."

Since the films' release, LaBeouf has been very candid about the moments in his life that led him to creating the screenplay of Honey Boy. He explains it as a love letter to his father, and it comes off as just that. There is a lot of emotion that Otis goes through and many failed attempts to communicate it. Jupe does an amazing job giving his character as much raw energy as he does.

It's amazing to see LaBeouf portray his father on screen, and it's apparent that he's still healing and working out his feelings of his upbringing through his acting. I appreciate the meaning behind the film and the actors' passion on screen. However the end felt as abrupt as the start of the film—with that said, I would recommend seeing LaBeouf's performance on the big screen. (95 min.)

—Karen Garcia

JOJO RABBIT

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? The Palm (ends Monday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m.)

Pick

Writer-director Tailka Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows) helms this adaptation of Christine Leunens' satirical novel about a young boy (Roman Griffin Davis) in Hitler's (Waititi) army who discovers his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home. Hilarious and heartbreaking—Waititi seems to have copied a page out of Wes Anderson's (The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom) director's handbook, creating a colorful, comical, absurdist world and a look at one young fanatic's coming-of-age story. (108 min.)

—Glen

JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Matinee

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Fair Oaks, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In

Pick

Jake Kasdan (Orange County, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) directs this next installment in the Jumanji franchise, with returning stars Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse, Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone, Jack Black as Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon, and Kevin Hart as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar. This time the gang returns to the world of Jumanji to rescue one of their own and must brave an arid desert and snowy mountain as they attempt to survive the deadly video game.

Jumanji: The Next Level basically carries over the same charm of its predecessor—most of which comes from its cast. Jungle antics aside, who wouldn't want to watch Black, Hart, Gillan, and The Rock hangout together regardless of the setting? Their chemistry shines through once again and gets a boost from newcomer Awkwafina as a mysterious new avatar—Ming Fleetfoot, a lock picking burglar with a strong weakness to pollen (harkening back to Finbar's absurd, explosive aversion to cake in the previous installment).

But also inherent to its predecessor, a lot of this sequel's humor comes from watching the lead actors—the cast of video game avatars—perform as their respective players in the real world. This brings us to two more additions to the cast: Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, who both steal the show more than once as a duo of elderly frenemies who accidentally get sucked into the game with its returning players, all of whom are college students—Spencer (Alex Wolff), Martha (Morgan Turner), Bethany (Madison Iseman), and Anthony (Ser'Darius Blain).

The film opens with Spencer returning home from school for the holidays to stay with his mother (Marin Hinkle) and cranky but well-meaning grandfather, Eddie (DeVito). It isn't long before Spencer is tempted to wander into the garage and brush off a particular video game system of intrigue. Upstairs, Milo (Glover), an estranged friend of Eddie's, is knocking at the door for an impromptu visit. What ensues next is simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (or possibly the right place at the right time).

Little do old-timers Eddie and Milo know, they're about to become trapped inside of a video game with a group of young adults. It's not the contrast in age that makes the team's following adventures a joy to watch. The draw-in for me is simply the notion that we're watching The Rock attempt to do a Danny DeVito impression. Try to imagine all of DeVito's best dialogue and eccentric mannerisms from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as channeled through The Rock.

On a weird, semi-serious note though, Jumanji: The Next Level touches upon themes of mortality and eternal youth. Both Eddie and Milo revel in their new bodies and frequently question whether or not they should return to the real world at all. But their revelry lends itself to the humor as well, obviously. Eddie particularly seems to enjoy obliterating wave after wave of enemy characters as they approach, yelling phrases like "you want a piece of me" and "come on ya bastards" (keeping it PG-13, but DeVito-heavy nonetheless). (123 min.)

—Caleb

KNIVES OUT

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Stadium 10

Pick

Writer-director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi) helms this whodunit about Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who's investigating the death of renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). Did he commit suicide, or was he murdered by one of his eccentric family members?

Knives Out starts with a classic Agatha Christie whodunit set-up: Wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey invites his extended—and deeply dysfunctional—family to his remote estate to celebrate his 85th birthday, but he's discovered dead the next morning by his housekeeper, Fran (Edi Patterson). Da-dun-dun!

Police Lieutenant Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield) is summoned to investigate, along with dapper and astute detective Benoit Blanc, who begins to question the various family members and staff, all of whom have deep dark secrets and hidden motives. Viewers quickly become armchair detectives as we work alongside Blanc to discover the culprit in our midst!

Who could it be? Son Walt Thrombey (Michael Shannon), who runs his father's lucrative publishing empire; or Walt's Nazi son Jacob Thrombey (Jaeden Martell); or wife, Donna Thrombey (Riki Lindhome)? Or Harlan's daughter, Linda Drysdale (Jamie Lee Curtis), who parlayed her father's million-dollar loan into a house-of-cards real estate empire? Or maybe it's Linda's husband, Richard Drysdale (Don Johnson), who's under his wife's thumb? Or their lazy son, Ransom Drysdale (Chris Evans), who's at risk of being cut off from his grandfather's good graces? Or Harlan's daughter-in-law, Joni Thrombey (Toni Collette), the widow of his deceased son; or her daughter, Meg Thrombey (Katherine Langford), whose tuition to an elite university is at risk? At the center of it all is Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), Harlan's nurse and friend.

Despite the large ensemble cast, keeping track of who's who is never a problem in Johnson's slick screenplay. He's a terrific director, and his 2005 high school film noir crime drama, Brick, remains a favorite, as does his 2012 sci-fi thriller Looper. Knives Out is an excellent addition to Johnson's impressive oeuvre. We think we know what's going on, but as the story plays out, we discover layers upon layers of intrigue.

There's also a bit of commentary on contemporary politics, some centered on Marta, who the Thrombeys know comes from somewhere south of the U.S. but where: Paraguay? Ecuador? Nicaragua? Honduras? They like to pretend they're high-minded, but it's clear they think of Marta as "the help." When things grow more complicated, Marta's undocumented mother becomes a pawn in the family's game to secure Harlan's fortune. It's also comical that they all consider themselves "self-made," though without Harlan's largesse, they'd have nothing.

Each actor delivers deft and engaging performances, but Craig and de Armas really stand out. Craig's southern drawl transcends affectation, and de Armas, a Cuban, is supremely likable as the sweet-natured Marta. The interaction between them is devilishly fun, especially when they trade barbs. They both have well-set moral compasses, which put them at odds with those around them.

Evans is clearly having a lot of fun as the irreverent scion of the family, driving around in his classic BMW and living in his stylish modernist house. Unlike the rest of his family, he's not interested in putting on airs of morality. He likes money and doesn't want to work for it.

Speaking of houses, Harlan's gothic mansion is a character in its own right, with its hidden entrances and odd furnishing—macabre sculptures, dark corners, and of course the signature throne backed by a semi-circle of knives. The film skirts abject campiness but keeps the proceedings just serious enough to stop from falling into farce. It's a heck of a lot of fun and proof that murder mysteries need not fall out of favor as outdated. Knives Out pays homage to its forebears while creating a fresh and contemporary take on an old genre. (130 min.)

—Glen

THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

What's it rated? G

Where's it showing? The Fremont Theater (Saturday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m.)

New/Pick

Director Brian Henson helms this family holiday musical, which follows the Muppets as they perform their own rendition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Kermit the Frog plays Bob Cratchit, the overworked clerk of the iconically stingy Ebenezer Scrooge, perfectly embodied by Michael Caine in this iteration. Scrooge learns the error of his self-serving ways as he's visited by three Christmas spirits—past, present, and future. (89 min.)

—Caleb

PARASITE

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? The Palm

Pick

South Korean director Bong Joon Ho plays with genre and societal commentary in this dark comedy thriller about a penniless family's unsavory but satisfying infiltration into a wealthy family's household. We're all capable of being both the heroes and antagonists of our own stories from time to time—able to make healthy and rational decisions in some situations while at the same time perfectly adept at self-destruction in others. And in one way or another, we're all parasites too. That's the running theme in Parasite, the most recent foreign-language film brought to us by director Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, The Host), which centers on Ki-taek Kim (Song Kang Ho) and his destitute family's scrappy struggle for easy money. (132 min.)

—Kasey Bubnash

RICHARD JEWELL

What's it rated? R

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

See Split Screen.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

What's it rated? PG-13

Where's it showing? Bay, Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

New

J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Super 8, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) returns to the Star Wars franchise for the anticipated conclusion of its current trilogy. One year after the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, surviving members of the Resistance—including Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac)—face off against the dreaded First Order, led by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), once again. (142 min.)

—Caleb

WAVES

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? The Palm (ends Thursday, Dec. 19, at 4:15 p.m.)

Pick

Making his third feature-length film, Trey Edward Shults (It Comes At Night, Krisha) directs Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Tyler, a promising athletic teen from Florida who makes one mistake, shattering the complexities of his family.

This film is far from your average family melodrama that focuses on a single protagonist. Just as you feel the highs and turbulent lows of being a teenager on the verge of adulthood through Tyler's perspective, a tragic incident completely shifts the story to his almost forgotten sister, Emily (Taylor Russell). Similar to a novel, Waves feels like one story and halfway through seamlessly feels like another story entirely.

Through the effects of a 360-degree camera lens and close-up shots on the wrestling mat, we're introduced to Tyler—a high school teenager with a promising future through athletics, a girlfriend, and supportive family. The scenes feel energetic and fast, but things start to wind down when Tyler goes home.

He has a caring stepmother; an overbearing father, Ronald (Sterling K. Brown); and a quiet sister, Emily. Tyler and his father are close but their relationship borders on abuse as Ronald pushes his son to be what he feels is the best African American man he can be—because there isn't room in this world to be African American and average. This is one of the few scenes that touch on racism.

A nudging pain in Tyler's shoulder turns out to be severe muscle damage that could possibly be the end of his career. As Tyler grapples with his fate, he learns that his girlfriend, Alexis (Alexa Demie), is pregnant and wants to keep the baby.

Under pressure, Tyler begins popping pain pills, drinking, and angrily projecting his feelings onto others. His young life is spiraling, and Shults directs the camera in a way that the audience feels like they're going through the emotions right alongside Tyler. A moment of weakness and anger dramatically changes everything for not only Tyler but his family.

That's about as much as I can say without giving away too much of the film. At this point, the scenes don't feel as energetic as the camera shifts to Emily's life that was almost nonexistent before. It also points to a now fractured family that is trying to hold itself together.

Waves embodies the fragility of a family going through the ebb and flow of life. Harrison and Russell beautifully carry the weight of emotion without being overly dramatic in a story that feels very real. (135 min.) Δ

—Karen

New Times movie reviews were compiled by Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood this week. Contact him at [email protected].