Still screening in Bay Area theaters

“All the Money in the World”:

The 1973kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, the 16-year-old grandson of billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, is told with solid style and suspense in Ridley Scott’s drama. And the screenplay by David Scarpa mines a rich vein of substance — in the form of philosophical musings about the power and nature of money, both to corrupt and sustain, in this otherwise borderline B-movie. Michelle Williams plays the boy’s distraught mother, Mark Wahlberg the elder Getty’s negotiator with the kidnappers, Christopher Plummer the billionaire and Charlie Plummer (no relation) the kidnap victim. ★★★ (Michael O’Sullivan, The Washington Post) R, 2:12

“A Bad Moms Christmas”:

Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn starred in the first “Bad Moms” comedy last year, playing mothers who let loose with some alcohol while letting go of their aspirations to be perfect moms. They’re back in this holiday comedy — joined by Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines and Susan Sarandon playing the moms’ moms. Undoubtedly the plight of mothers who look for relief fromthe crushing weight of their traditional gender roles at the bottom of a chardonnay bottle need some deft storytellers to shine a light on their predicament. But co-writers/co-directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (the masterminds behind the “Hangover” movies) are not those storytellers. The women in the film are cartoonish and campy, and female viewers deserve better. ★ (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) R, 1:44 “Call Me by Your Name”: This almost sinfully enjoyable movie from writerdirector Luca Guadagnino evokes the pleasures of art, music, food, natural beauty and sexual awakening, while observing and obeying the natural rhythms of the languid 1980s Italian summer in which it is set. The screenplay (by James Ivory) revolves around the 17-yearold son (Timothée Chalamet) of an archaeology professor (Michael Stuhlbarg) and an older American student (Armie Hammer) who has come for a few weeks to serve as the professor’s research assistant. At first the teenage Elio seems barely aware of the presence of the 24-year-old American, Oliver. But soon the two young men are gravitating toward one another as friends, and eventually more, in a tale about the longing, desire and self-definition recognizable in practically every summer romance in any place, at any time. This spellbinding film gains even more heft and meaning in its final transcendent moments. ★★★ (Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post) R, 2:12

“Coco”: With its 19th feature, Pixar takes a step forward in diversity to focus on a Mexican family in a tale about the importance of pursuing your dreams, even when the rest of your clan doesn’t share them. The animation is first-rate — even eye movements and wisps of hair seem genuine. But when the central character — 12-year-old Miguel— ventures into the magical realm of the afterlife to learn about music from his great-great-granddad, the animation becomes truly awesome. Even so, the film’s best moments are the wise, loving exchanges between Miguel and his ancestors, as our tear ducts attest. ★★★

(Randy Myers, Bay Area News Group correspondent) PG, 1:49

“Daddy’s Home 2”: This surreal sequel to the 2015 hit skates on the comic personas of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, the returning original dads. New this time are their fathers — John Lithgow as a chatty, retired postman with cookies in his pocket, and Mel Gibson as a macho, womanizing astronaut who wants to give his grandkids guns for Christmas. At times, the humor is deliriously silly, at other moments way off the mark. ★★  (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) PG-13, 1:40

“Darkest Hour”: Gary Oldman’s grab-for-the-gusto portrayal of a wildly eccentric Winston Churchill in 1940, during his first two months as Britain’s prime minister, becomes increasingly convincing the more we see of it, and his delivery of the PM’s celebrated speeches is mesmerizing. Kristin Scott Thomas gives a regal performance as the only person who can keep Churchill in line, his wife Clementine. Director Joe Wright’s overhead shots, elaborate tracking sequences, chiaroscuro lighting and deft camera movement ensure there are no dull moments in a story whose outcome we know from the beginning. ★★★ (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) PG-13, 2:05 “The Disaster Artist”: The 2003Bay Area-set, Los Angeles-shot film “The Room” — starring aspiring actor-model Greg Sestero and passionate wannabe star Tommy Wiseau — was a contender for worst movie ever made, before becoming a midnight cult hit. The new film is director James Franco’s playful, rowdy account of how this memorable clunker was made, with James Franco playing Wiseau and Dave Franco playing Sestero. Since Sestero and Wiseau’s friendship survived the tribulations of making “The Room, “The Disaster Artist” is not only wickedly funny but heartwarming, too. ★★★ (Randy Myers, Bay Area News Group correspondent) R, 1:44

“Downsizing”: Weird and wonderful, this flight of fancy from Alexander Payne balances whimsy, screwball comedy, social satire and a meditation on the foibles and highest aspirations of human nature. Set in the future, 10years after Scandinavian researchers have perfected a method of “cellular reduction” that can safely shrink human beings to less than the size of Barbie dolls, an occupational therapist in Nebraska (Matt Damon) and his wife (Kristen Wiig) explore the advantages of “tiny living” at an all-small development called Leisure Land, where even modest means can bankroll a lifestyle of Mc Mansionesque luxury and safety. But “Downsizing” is not played for broad “Honey, I Shrunk Matt Damon” laughs. Damon serves as a capable guide who falls in with a sybaritic neighbor (ChristophWaltz), a South Asian domestic worker (Hong Chau) and eventually a polyglot cast of characters who are just as chaotic, tragic and inspiring as their full-size counterparts. “Downsizing” touches on climate change, the widening wealth disparity and terrorism, but celebrates the healing action that makes the planet worth fighting for. ★★★★ (Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post) R, 2:15 “The Florida Project”: In a heartwarming, heartwrenching tale of childhood poverty set at a cut-rate extended-stay motel near Walt Disney World, young Moonee lives a charmed life of freedom, friends and devilish fun under the watchful eye of the manager (Willem Dafoe), while her single mom resells inexpensive perfume outside a nearby resort hotel. Director Sean Baker (“Tangerine”), co-writer Chris Bergoch and their wonderful young actors get this slice of childhood just right, while illuminating the lives of people for whom one missed payment would spell disaster. ★★★★ (Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press) R, 1:55 “The Greatest Showman”: Though it features a character named P.T. Barnum, this film is in no way a factual account of the life of the celebrated 19th-century circus founder and huckster. If fact, you’ll have to completely set aside any unsavory stories you may have heard about the real-life Barnum, because this one is played by Hugh Jackman, and resistance is futile. Directed by first-timer Michael Gracey, the musical never aspires to be anything more than a heaping helping of PG-rated cheese — something the whole family can partake of. For themost part, it meets that low bar, though you’ll have to suspend disbelief at every turn. ★★ (Stephanie Merry, The Washington Post) PG, 1:45

“I, Tonya”: This dramatic comedy revisits — with verve, intelligence, scathing humor andmore than a touch of sadness — the bi----

zarre attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan by goons associated with the camp of Kerrigan rival Tonya Harding at the 1994Winter Olympics in Norway. “I, Tonya” is funny when it wants to be, poignantwhen it needs to be and surprisingly effective in harnessing deeper themes to a character who might otherwise be dismissed as a laughingstock. In Margot Robbie’s performance as Harding, the actress disappears beneath a veneer of tough-girl makeup and crunchy hairspray, but Robbie finds and shows us the broken pieces of Tonya’s damaged soul with a kind of fierce vulnerability that makes her sympathetic and at times heartbreaking. But it is Allison Janney as Tonya’s profane harridan of a mother who steals every scene she’s in. ★★★ (Michael O’Sullivan, The Washington Post) R, 2:00 “Jumanji: Welcome to the

Jungle”: More than two decades after RobinWilliams conquered Jumanji, that pesky board game has been resurrected with Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black starring. The newfilmis a very sweet and generally entertaining bodyswap fantasy with some nice messages about being, and believing in, yourself. ★★ (Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press) PG-13, 1:59

“Lady Bird”: Focusing on a year (2002) in the life of high school senior Christine McPherson (aka Lady Bird), Greta Gerwig’s lovingly composed film bursts with wit, humanity, joy and truth. Young Lady Bird craves a sophistication that she finds totally lacking in her hometown of Sacramento, and can’t quite put into words or actions beyond a vague desire to go to an East Coast college. She doesn’t know that kind of dissatisfaction has plagued every 17-yearold, whowould rather die than admit that everything might be OK. Playing the title character, Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan adds another stunning performance to her resume. Laurie Metcalf distinguishes herself as Christine’s mother, a hard-working nurse, and so does Beanie Feldstein playing the girl’s best friend. ★★★★ (Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press) R, 1:33

“The Shape of Water”: As a kid, you may have had a nagging question about “Creature from the Black Lagoon”: What did the Gill Man want with the girl? But ultimately monster movies are less about the monster or the girl than about virtue and the brave people who step up to save her from harm. Guillermo del Toro’s film turns all that on its head, giving us a role-reversal romance in the ColdWar ’60s, rather than a rape-revenge metaphor. An unlikely princess named Elisa (Sally Hawkins, playing a mute cleaning woman at a military-industrial facility in Baltimore) embarks on an interspecies romance with an endangered humanoid frog (Doug Jones, playing a sea creature captured in the Amazon and brought in by the feds). A scientist (Michael Stuhlbarg) wants to study him, while a military man (Michael Shannon) wants to torture and kill him. As the romance comes to fruition, the silent smiles and sly eyes of the princess speak louder than words. Ultimately it’s the military man who seems to be the monster. Elisa’s neighbor is beautifully played by Richard Jenkins, as is her co-worker, friend and translator by Octavia Spencer. ★★★ (Rafer Guzmán, Newsday) R, 2:04 “The Star”: A brave donkey, voiced by Steven Yeun, and his animal friends become unsung heroes of the first Christmas. The movie is sincerely Christian in its outlook, while also a slapstick animal toon. It’s a mix that works only intermittently as it mines every opportunity for goofy animal humor. ★★ (Jane Horwitz, The Washington Post) PG, 1:26 “StarWars: The Last Jedi”: If the recent “Star Wars” reboot movies have been enjoyable but unexceptional, this one is not just a planet-hopping odyssey. “Jedi” gambles on moments of heart-pounding daring and raw emotion, and it wins big. It’s almost as thrilling and memorable as “The Empire Strikes Back.” Writer-director Rian Johnson aspires to the heady idiosyncrasy and emotional truth that animated the original. You may see some things coming, such as the chance to say a tearful goodbye to Princess Leia (the late Carrie Fisher in her swan song). But for the most part, you never know where the next jump in hyperspace is going to land you, and that’s flat-out exhilarating. ★★★★ (Karen D’Souza, Bay Area News Group) PG-13, 2:02 “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”: Director Martin McDonagh’s stinging black comedy taps into the human thirst for revenge with an unpredictable narrative about the way a mother’s quest to avenge the murder of her daughter upends a town and prompts a showdown worthy of the Old West. Frances McDormand is wonderful as the hard-shelled mom, Mildred; Woody Harrelson plays Police Chief Willoughby, and Sam Rockwell is his mess of a deputy, Dixon. Like a Cirque du Soleil tightrope artist, McDonagh audaciously balances the impossibly harrowing with the laugh-out-loud funny. ★★★★ (Randy Myers, Bay Area News Group correspondent) R, 1:55

FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES Woody Harrelson and Frances McDormand in a scene from “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”