Wicked Credit: Courtesy of Universal

new in theaters

GET AWAY: A desolate Swedish island turns out not to be the perfect spot for a family vacay in this horror comedy written by and starring Nick Frost and directed by Steffen Haars. (86 min, R. Savoy)

KRAVEN THE HUNTER: The Marvel Comics supervillain (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) gets an origin story focused on his relationship to his estranged crime lord dad (Russell Crowe). J.C. Chandor (All Is Lost) directed. (127 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Paramount)

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM: In this animated fantasy set nearly 200 years before Peter Jackson’s trilogy, the king of Rohan (voice of Brian Cox) must defend his land. With Gaia Wise and Miranda Otto; Kenji Kamiyama directed. (134 min, PG-13. Essex, Majestic)

currently playing

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER ★★★ Six siblings known for making trouble take over the local church’s festivities in this comedy from director Dallas Jenkins, starring Lauren Graham and Judy Greer. (99 min, PG. Capitol)

BONHOEFFER: PASTOR. SPY. ASSASSIN: A Lutheran minister (Jonas Dassler) joins a plot to assassinate Hitler in this historical thriller directed by Todd Komarnicki. (132 min, PG-13. Capitol)

CONCLAVE ★★★★ A conspiracy interferes with the selection of a new pope in this thriller starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, directed by Edward Berger. (120 min, PG. Catamount, Star)

FLOW ★★★★★ This Latvian animation, recipient of many festival awards, follows the fate of a cat who must team up with other animals to survive a natural disaster. Gints Zilbalodis directed. (84 min, PG. Savoy; reviewed 12/11)

GLADIATOR II ★★★ Ridley Scott directed the sequel to his 2000 epic of ancient Rome, in which Maximus’ son (Paul Mescal) is forced to fight for his life just like Dad. With Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Connie Nielsen. (148 min, R. Bijou, Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Playhouse, Stowe)

HERE ★★ The latest from director Robert Zemeckis follows the events on a single plot of land as time passes and different people make it a home. Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Paul Bettany star. (104 min, PG-13. Star)

MOANA 2 ★★★ The islander heroine (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) must form her own crew and sail unknown seas to break a curse in the sequel to the animated Disney hit, also starring Dwayne Johnson and Alan Tudyk. (100 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Paramount, Star, Stowe, Welden)

PUSHPA: THE RULE — PART 2: A former laborer must defend his sandalwood smuggling empire in this Telugu-language action drama directed by Sukumar. (201 min, NR. Majestic)

A REAL PAIN ★★★★1/2 Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and stars with Kieran Culkin in this comedy-drama about two estranged cousins exploring their family history in Poland. (90 min, R. Savoy; reviewed 12/4)

RED ONE ★1/2 The North Pole’s head of security (Dwayne Johnson) joins forces with a bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to rescue a kidnapped Santa Claus in this action comedy. (123 min, PG-13. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Star)

SOLO LEVELING: REAWAKENING: The South Korean web novel, webtoon and anime continues in animated movie form, directed by Shunsuke Nakashige. (121 min, NR. Essex)

SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT ★★★★1/2 Johan Grimonprez’s documentary explores how two activist musicians crashed the United Nations Security Council during the Cold War. (150 min, NR. Savoy)

STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF KITTIES: The Trailer Park Boys return in the latest movie based on the cult Canadian series. (111 min, R. Essex [Sat & Sun only])

WICKED ★★★1/2 Gregory Maguire’s subversive take on The Wizard of Oz becomes a musical becomes a movie starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Jon M. Chu directed. (160 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Star, Stowe; reviewed 11/27)

Y2K ★★1/2 It wasn’t the end of the world — except maybe for the characters in this high school horror-comedy set at the turn of the millennium, directed by Kyle Mooney. Jaeden Martell and Rachel Zegler star. (93 min, R. Essex, Majestic)

older films and special screenings

ELF (Savoy, Sun only)

FAR OUT: LIFE ON AND AFTER THE COMMUNE (Savoy, Fri & Sat only)

THE GRINCH (Welden, Mon only)

JET LAG (Catamount, Wed 11 only)

WHITE CHRISTMAS 70TH ANNIVERSARY (Essex, Sun & Mon only)

WONKA (Welden, Thu only)

open theaters

(* = upcoming schedule for theater was not available at press time)

This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.

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Margot Harrison is a consulting editor and film critic at Seven Days. Her film reviews appear every week in the paper and online. In 2024, she won the Jim Ridley Award for arts criticism from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. Her book reviews...