SCREEN DREAMS
Studios gift top-draw films for the holiday
Christmas is a time for family — and films. The holiday remains one of the most populous weeks for new movie debuts, with studios dropping some of their mostanticipated titles in our cinematic stockings. Here’s a look at what Yule (heh, heh) be able to see on the screen (all in theaters only unless noted otherwise).
“American Underdog”: Zachary Levi plays Kurt Warner, the grocery store stockboy who becomes an NFL MVP, Super Bowl champ and Hall of Fame quarterback. Rated PG.
“Don’t Look Up”: After a two-week run in theaters, this sci-fi satire starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, as scientists who discover an extinctionsized comet headed toward Earth, lands on Netflix. The ensemble includes Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, Ariana Grande, Tyler Perry, Gina Gershon, Chris Evans, Matthew Perry, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Rylance, Ron Perlman, and Kid Cudi — with Meryl Streep as the President of the United States. Rated R.
“The King’s Man”: The third film in the Kingsman spy series is a prequel to its two predecessors, starring Ralph Fiennes as the Man in question. Rated R.
“Licorice Pizza”: Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed this coming-of-age story about a young couple in California’s San Fernando Valley circa 1973.
“The Matrix Resurrections”: The longawaited fourth film in the sci-fi franchise follows Keanu Reeves’ Neo and most of the original cast after peace between man and machine was ostensibly achieved 18 years ago. Rated R, it’s also streaming on HBO Max — along with the first three films.
“Red Rocket”: Simon Rex is a breakout as a hapless adult entertainer who returns to his Texas hometown to hustle his way back to success. Rated R.
“Sing 2”: The animated animal gang is back five years later, with several new voices — U2’s Bono, Halsey, Pharrell Williams — joining the crew. Rated PG.
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”: Joel Coen puts his spin on the Shakespeare classic, with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand doing both bards’ bidding. Rated R. Also premieres Jan. 14 on Apple TV+.