✹ WEEKLY FILM RUNDOWN: December 15-21

Jerod Ra'Del Hollyfield -

The latest releases and special screenings hitting Music City this week. For a list of new and upcoming films, check out our 2023 Movie Guide.

Poor Things Frankenstein gets turned on its head with Willem Dafoe as a version of the good doctor in the latest from Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite; The Lobster). Emma Stone stars as a reanimated corpse who makes a debauched journey across Europe marked with ruthless satire and gut-punch dark humor. The last of the season’s major award contenders that could prove one of the year’s best. Now playing at the Belcourt. Opening wide on 12/22. 

Wonka The world wasn’t exactly clamoring for a Willy Wonka prequel, but armed with some new songs, the director of Paddington, a populist undercurrent, and an off-the-wall Timothée Chalamet, it’s a holiday must-see. Now playing in theaters. In 4D Smell-O-Vision at Regal Opry Mills 20.

Holiday Classics at The Belcourt  Celebrate all December long with The Belcourt’s latest curated collection of seasonal flicks. In addition to its signature revival of It’s a Wonderful Life Christmas week, there’s no shortage of holiday hits and unorthodox entries from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Die Hard to Gremlins and Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush. This weekend brings the criminally underseen screwball comedy Remember The Night about a petty thief (Barbara Stanwyck) romancing the lawyer (Fred MacMurray) who bails her out. Todd Haynes’s stone-cold masterpiece Carol plays all day Monday. 

Christmas with The Chosen: O Holy Night Angel Studios has combined and re-edited two episodes of its crowdfunded series about Christ’s life for a special big-screen affair. 

Fireworks/Shamarikh Two Italian teens nurture their romance against the backdrop of AIDS and the World Cup. Now playing at AMC Thoroughbred 20. 

The Latest in Bolly/Tolly/Kolly/Lollywood and Other Special Presentations of Asian and Middle Eastern Imports.

Joruga Husharugaa (Telugu) The newest from Tollywood finds a young man choosing between the family business and the love of his life as he pays off a debt to his father.  Now playing at Regal Hollywood 27.

Pindam (Telugu) A six-year-old with a speech impediment becomes the devil’s new vessel. Now playing at Regal Hollywood 27.

Endless Journey  (Mandarin) Fresh from a stint in jail, a disgraced cop risks everything to solve his last case and take down the corrupt powers that be. Now playing at Regal Hollywood 27.

The Invisible Guest (Mandarin) When the police find her boyfriend dead in a locked room, a woman fights to clear her name. Now playing at Regal Hollywood 27.