✹ WEEKLY FILM RUNDOWN: December 22-January 4
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.
Ferrari Legendary director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) recreates the summer of 1957 when Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) defied tragedy, bankruptcy, and a failing marriage to become an automotive legend. With Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodly, and Patrick Dempsey. Opens everywhere on Christmas Day.
The Iron Claw The rise and tragic fall of the Von Erich pro wrestling family gets the A24 indie treatment. Zac Efron’s physical transformation has been making headlines for a year, which could make this the first film in history to merge the WWE, hipster, and Disney Channel demos. Sean Durkin made the best film of 2020 with The Nest, so expect plenty of 80s atmosphere and impeccably handled drama. Now playing in theaters.
American Fiction Jeffrey Wright stars as a struggling novelist who becomes a literary phenomenon when he taps into the black misery industry in this smart identity politics satire. Now playing at the Belcourt.
Anyone But You The Hollywood romcom makes a comeback with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell as archnemeses who pretend to be a couple while at a destination wedding in Australia. We know where this is going, but the chemistry is palpable, and the banter has yet to get old despite the trailer playing on heavy rotation these past two months. Now playing in theaters.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Yes, it’s totally unnecessary and rolls out a cumbersome climate change message, but watching Jason Mamoa and Patrick Wilson gripe at each other underwater as they try to thwart the reanimation of an undead monarch is a pleasant-enough diversion–especially in 3-D. Now playing in theaters.
The Boys in the Boat George Clooney steps behind the camera for the story of the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that rose above the Great Depression and took on the Nazis at the Berlin Olympics. By all accounts, it’s a stodgy tryhard awards contender, but at least movies like these are still getting wide releases in movie theaters. Opens everywhere on Christmas Day.
Migration The masterminds behind the Minions and the creator of The White Lotus team up for this animated family film about an anxious duck who takes his family on the vacation of their dreams against his better judgment. With the voices of Keegan-Michael Key, Kumail Nanjiani, Awkwafina, and Elizabeth Banks Now playing in theaters.
The Color Purple Alice Walker’s classic novel about the bonds of sisterhood in the Deep South, gets the big-budget musical treatment after its successful Broadway run. Even with Taraji P. Henson, H.E.R., Ciara, and Fantasia Barrino on the marquee, there’s no way it competes with Speilberg’s 1985 version. Opens everywhere on Christmas Day.
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 all Christmas week and a special Friday midnight screening of the surprisingly related The Exorcist III, 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.
The Latest in Bolly/Tolly/Kolly/Lollywood and Other Special Presentations of Asian and Middle Eastern Imports.
Salaar-Part 1 (Hindi/Kannada/Telugu) A gang leader fulfills the promise he made to a dying friend by dismantling the rival gangs in his city. Now playing at AMC Thoroughbred 20 and Regal Hollywood 27.
Dunki (Hindi) This multigeneration Bollywood musical follows four friends who embark on journeys to England and navigate preserving their roots and fulfilling their potential. Now playing at Regal Hollywood 27.