Families might find themselves with a little downtime during the holidays, so you can finally make that trip to the movies you’ve been meaning to if not for work, school and whatever else keeps you busy. Your local multiplex has you covered this season with an array of big-screen options for the family, as well as a few flicks for parents only.
From “Star Wars” to round 4 with “Frozen II,” here are the movies you’ll want to check out in your local theaters this week.
First, keep in mind your local independent movie theaters like Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema in Birmingham, which is open throughout the holidays and will have an amazing slate of highly anticipated titles like “Uncut Gems” and their “12 Films of Christmas” lineup.
The Capri Theatre in Montgomery until Jan. 2, but once it reopens, look for good stuff like “The Lighthouse,” “Just Mercy” and “Parasite.”
As for the rest of us, here are the bigger titles you’ll find at just about any theater in or near your town. Check your local listings for showtimes.
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STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (PG-13)
Following “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi,” the final film (for now) will return to Rey, Finn, Poe and all other new and old characters we’ve grown to love in George Lucas’ universe. This time around, the surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga, ultimately focusing on Rey’s choice between the light and the dark. Will we finally get the answers we’ve wanted all along? Here’s hoping J.J. Abrams brings it home in a way on which we’re certain every fan will 100 percent agree. Look, you’ve probably already seen it, or you didn’t want to bother with the long lines during its first week and waited until Christmas Day when the whole family could go. Either way, “Rise of Skywalker” is on the agenda. Rotten Tomatoes: 58%
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CATS (PG)
From director Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech,” “Les Miserables”), this is an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famed musical and could figure into the Oscar discussion by year’s end, at least based on the pedigree attached. For those unfamiliar with the story: 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 and come back to a new life. It stars James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellan, Rebel Wilson and Taylor Swift, plus it features Francesca Hayward in her film debut. Let’s just say it looks…interesting. Critics have been tough on it, but word is that if you like the Broadway play, you’ll like the movie. Rotten Tomatoes: 20%
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LITTLE WOMEN (PG)
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War in “Lady Bird” writer/director Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel. It stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and Laura Dern. Critics love it, and with that all-star cast, expect it to shine with Oscar nominations. Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
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UNCUT GEMS (R)
If you find childcare, check out this bonkers thriller set in the diamond district of New York City from the Safdie Brothers flick. It follows a jewelry store owner and dealer to the rich and famous, as he must find a way to pay his debts when his merchandise is taken from one of his top sellers and girlfriend. Stars Adam Sandler, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox and Eric Bogosian. Could Sandler score an Oscar nomination?
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BOMBSHELL (R)
Certain to make a splash this winter, this film centers around the stories of various female Fox News personnel and their altercations with founder Roger Ailes, who resigned as chairman and CEO of the network in July 2016 following sexual harrassment allegations. Ailes died in 2018. Directed by Jay Roach (”Meet the Parents,” “Recount”), it stars Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson and Margot Robbie as associate producer (a composite character based on more than one real person). Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
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SPIES IN DISGUISE (PG)
When the world’s best spy is turned into a pigeon, he must rely on his nerdy tech officer to save the world. Will Smith and Tom Holland star in this animated adventure flick the kids might enjoy. Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
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JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (PG-13)
A team of friends return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own but discover that nothing is as they expect, as they brave parts unknown to escape the world’s most dangerous game. Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan all return. Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
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RICHARD JEWELL (R)
At age 89, Clint Eastwood can’t stop working. After 2018′s true-story thriller “The Mule,” the Oscar-winning director returns just a year later with another film based on a real-life event, “Richard Jewell.” Paul Walter Hauser plays Jewell, an American security guard who saved thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and was vilified when he was falsely reported as a terrorist. This also stars Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde. Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
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FROZEN II (G)
Our kids waited six long years for a “Frozen” sequel, and their wish came during Thanksgiving. But there’s still time to see it a third and/or fourth time. The Oscar-winning Disney adventure continues as Ana, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, Sven and new characters wander into the fairy tale. Three years after the events of the first film, when Elsa hears a strange sound from the north calling her, she and the whole group embark on a new journey beyond their homeland of Arendelle to discover the origin of her magical powers and save their kingdom. Do you know all the lyrics to “Into the Unknown” yet, parents?
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