I thought this would be a cinch to wrap up, but the theaters are not slowing down over the next two weeks. The Main is screening a little Bi Gan retrospective before the Chinese director's latest, Resurrection, opens next week. And let me put in a special word for Alexander Dovzhenko's gorgeous 1930 silent film Earth, screening at the Trylon with accompaniment from PRGRPHS.
Special Screenings
Tuesday, December 23
Batman Returns (1992)
Alamo Drafthouse
Where’d he go? $10.99. 4 p.m. More info here.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Alamo Drafthouse
All I want for Christmas is Tom Cruise being confused and humiliated and haunted by cuck fantasies for almost three hours. $13.99. 7:15 p.m. More info here.
The Polar Express (2004)
AMC Southdale 16
This train is makin' its final run for 2025. $7. Noon. Wednesday 9:40 p.m. Thursday, Monday 10:15 a.m. More info here.
Die Hard (1988)
Parkway Theater
Never heard of it. $9/$12. Trivia at 7:30 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Wednesday, December 24
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Alamo Drafthouse/Emagine Willow Creek
A pesky angel refuses to let a miserable man die. Alamo: $10.99. Noon. More info here. Emagine: 2 p.m. More info here.
Elf (2003)
AMC Southdale 16
Last call for Elf, y’all. $7. 9:15 a.m. & noon. Friday 9:30 a.m. More info here.
The Grinch (2018)
AMC Southdale 16
And for The Grinch. $7. Thursday-Monday 9:10 a.m. More info here.
Love Actually (2003)
AMC Southdale 16
And for Love Actually. $7. 3:15 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. More info here.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
AMC Southdale 16
And, yes, for Christmas vacation. Also Saturday. $7. 9:30 a.m. More info here.
Thursday, December 25
Violent Night (2022)
Trylon
Sorry, but every time I see David Harbour now I just hear Lily Allen singing "Pussy palace, pussy palace." $8. 7 p.m. More info here.
Friday, December 26
Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter (1984)
Main Cinema
A Film Society holiday tradition. Friday through Sunday, also Wednesday. $8. 4 p.m. More info here.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Trylon
Things never end well for Nicholson in his ’70s movies, do they? $8. 7 p.m. Saturday 9 p.m. Sunday 3 p.m. More info here.
Taking Off (1971)
Trylon
A couple learns to loosen up while searching for their runaway daughter. $8. 9:30 p.m. Saturday 7 p.m. Sunday 5:30 p.m. More info here.
British Arrows Awards
Walker Art Center
The Walker’s annual holiday showcase of British commercials concludes. Through Sunday; also Wednesday, December 31, through Sunday, January 4. $15/$18. Find showtimes and more info here.
Saturday, December 27
Safe (1995)
Alamo Drafthouse
Carol White would totally be MAHA. $10.99 4 p.m. More info here.
Kailil Blues (2015)
Main Cinema
In Bi Gan’s debut feature, a man sets off to find the child his brother abandoned. Preceded by the short film A Short Story (2022). $11. 1 p.m. Monday 7 p.m. More info here.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Mia
Apparently Tim Burton didn't want Tom Cruise for the role because the actor wanted to know how Edward peed. A valid question! 2 p.m. More info here.
Home Alone (1990)
Parkway Theater
If you root for this kid, you’re a cop. $5-$10. 1 p.m. More info here.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Parkway Theater
Would you people keep it down? I’m trying to watch the movie! $10/$15. More info here.
Sunday, December 28
The Apartment (1960)
Alamo Drafthouse
Jack Lemmon’s career in business is threatened when he notices that a woman is also a person. $10.99. 4 p.m. More info here.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018)
Main Cinema
China’s biggest arthouse hit of all time. $11. 6:45. Tuesday 7 p.m. More info here.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Roxy’s Cabaret
More like "Roxy's Horror," amirite? Free. 7 p.m. More info here.
Total Recall (1990)
Trylon
Verhoeven gleefully desecrates Philip K. Dick. $8. 7:30 p.m. Monday-Tuesday 7 & 9:15 p.m. More info here.
Monday, December 29
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Alamo Drafthouse
RIP Rob Reiner. $13.99. 7 p.m. More info here.
Don't Torture a Duckling (1972)
Emagine Willow Creek
End the year with giallo. $9. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
La La Land (2016)
Heights Theater
More like blah blah bland. $15. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
Tuesday, December 30
The Plague (2025)
Alamo Drafthouse
Advance screening of a new horror flick about a tween hazing ritual. Looks unsettling. $7. 7:15 p.m. More info here.
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Alamo Drafthouse
Robert Mitchum has “Night” tattooed across the knuckles of one hand, and “Hunter” on the other. $10.99. 4 p.m. More info here.
Lupin the IIIRD: The Movie - The Immortal Bloodline (2025)
Emagine Willow Creek
If you say so. $13. 7 p.m. More info here.
Love Actually (2003)
Parkway Theater
I lied above—you have one last chance to see this. $9/$12. Music from Colin Bracewell at 7 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Wednesday, December 31
Stranger Things: The Finale (2025)
Emagine Willow Creek/Main Cinema
The ’80s are finally over. Emagine: $6.61. 7 & 10 p.m. Thursday 1 & 4:30 p.m. More info here. Main: Purchase $10 concession voucher to reserve a seat. 7 p.m. Thursday 1, 4, & 7 p.m. More info here.
Cult Film Collective Secret 16mm
Trylon
End 2025 with a rare Xmas crime movie. $10. 7 p.m. More info here.
Thursday, January 1
Holiday Inn (1942)
Heights Theater
Note: The original unedited 1942 theatrical version. $16. 1 p.m. More info here.
Friday, January 2
Evil Dead II (1987)
Alamo Drafthouse
Sam Raimi made a good movie and then for the sequel he just made a better version of it. $13.99. 9 p.m. More info here.
Scream It Off Screen
Parkway Theater
Scream the new year in right. 8 p.m. $18/$25. More info here.
Earth (1930)
Trylon
You wouldn’t believe that a silent film about Ukrainian peasants getting a tractor would be this exciting. Live accompaniment by PRGRPHS. $12. Friday-Saturday 7 p.m. Sunday 3 & 5 p.m. More info here.
Saturday, January 3
Twin Peaks Episodes 1-3 (1990)
Alamo Drafthouse
Watch TV on the big screen. Sold out. 11 a.m. More info here.
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Alamo Drafthouse
Rip Torn alert. $10.99. 3:30 p.m. More info here.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Emagine Willow Creek
The movie that made PG-13 “necessary.” Also Sunday & Wednesday. $10.60. 3:30 & 6:30 p.m. More info here.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Main Cinema
What a way to start the year. $11. 10 p.m. More info here.
Meandering Scars (2025)
Trylon
A woman climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair. Sold out. 4 p.m. More info here.
Sunday, January 4
Army of Darkness (1993)
Alamo Drafthouse
Bruce Campbell is trapped in the past! $10.99. 3 p.m. More info here.
Real Genius (1985)
Alamo Drafthouse
RIP Val. Noon. $10.99. More info here.
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
Grandview 1&2
The movie that invented cheerleaders being gay. Also Thursday. $14.44. 9:15 p.m. More info here.
Casablanca (1942)
Parkway Theater
Claude Raines steals Humphrey Bogart from Ingrid Bergman. $15/$20. Music from the Larry McDonough Quartet at 7 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. $15/$20. More info here.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Roxy’s Cabaret
So many Malkoviches! Free. 7 p.m. More info here.
8 1/2 (1963)
Trylon
Getting a lot of Jay Kelly vibes from this. $8. Sunday-Tuesday 7 p.m. More info here.
Monday, January 5
Twilight (2008)
Alamo Drafthouse
$22. 6 p.m. More info here.
Tuesday, January 6
Dead Man’s Wire (2025)
Alamo Drafthouse
Advance screening of the latest from Gus Van Sant, inspired by an actual 1977 kidnapping. $13.99. 8 p.m. More info here.
Tenebre (1982)
Alamo Drafthouse
A novelist hunts a serial killer who may be inspired by his novels. $10.99. 8 p.m. More info here.
Wednesday, January 7
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Alamo Drafthouse
$10.99. 4 p.m. More info here.
Metropolitan (1990)
Main Cinema
Director Whit Stillman will attend this screening of his debut. $15. 7 p.m. More info here.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Lagoon Cinema
At heart, Stanley Kubrick was a people person. $11. 7 p.m. More info here.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Parkway Theater
Minnesota mentioned. $9/$12. Music from Leslie Vincent at 7 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Tape Freaks
Trylon
Once again, it’s… Sold out. $5. More info here.
Thursday, January 8
Labyrinth (1986)
AMC Southdale 16/Emagine Willow Creek/Marcus West End
Jennifer Connelly’s adventures in babysitting. Noon. Prices and more info here.
Sinners (2024)
Capri Theater
Where’d they find that other guy who looks just like Michael B. Jordan? $5. 7 p.m. More info here.
The Natural (1984)
Emagine Willow Creek
Robert Redford plays ball. $12. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
The Last Days of Disco (1998)
Trylon
Whit Stillman’s mini-tour of Minneapolis continues. $15. 4 & 7 p.m. More info here.
Opening
Follow the links for showtimes.
Anaconda—opens December 24
A low-budget remake of Anaconda goes wrong.
Ge Zhi Town—opens December 25
A family flees into the mountains during a war.
Kidz Bop Live: The Concert Movie—opens January 2
Marty Supreme—opens December 24
Timothée Chalamet is the Bob Dylan of ping pong.
Resurrection—opens January 2
The new Bi Gan film looks totally mind-bending.
Song Sung Blue—opens December 24
A holiday crowdpleaser, looks like.
Ongoing in Local Theaters
Follow the links for showtimes.
Akhanda 2—ends December 23
Dust Bunny—ends December 23
Hamnet
There’s no reason this should work. Hamlet isn’t “about” the death of Shakespeare’s only son, and even if the play was his way of processing that calamity, what’s that to us? But while I feared the biographical fallacy would run amok through (cursed phrase incoming) Chloé Zhao’s first film since Eternals—movies have a tedious habit of treating works of art as riddles we decode to understand an artist’s life—Hamnet honors the complexity of human creativity. It helps that the central figure isn’t Shakespeare (Paul Mescal, here to make the girlies weep once more), but his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley), a “forest witch” (as the villagers say) who takes to motherhood intensely, with a protectiveness born out of her visions of dark foreboding. With the aid of DP Łukasz Żal’s muddy tones and chiaroscuro interiors, and an allusive yet plainspoken script co-written with Maggie O'Farrell (author of the novel that serves as source material), Zhao creates a credible Elizabethan world, and Buckley’s performance, ranging from the subtle flickers of a smile to wracked howls of grief, is all-encompassing. The final segment—the premiere of Hamlet itself—is the emotional equivalent of juggling chainsaws, yet Buckley’s commitment anchors a conceit that could as easily elicit snickers as sniffles. In her expression we watch as the stuff of life—mourning, family drama, the unworthiness we feel in the face of personal tragedy—is subsumed into something greater than its components. A
The Housemaid
Sydney Sweeney is Millie, an ex-con living out of her car who miraculously lands a job as a live-in maid for the wealthy Winchester family. Amanda Seyfried is Nora, the too-perfect wife. Brandon Sklenar is Andrew, a kind Barry Lyndon buff who’s built like an underwear model. There’s also a daughter who looks like she sees dead people. No sooner does Millie sign on than Nora becomes unpredictably moody and vicious. Mysteries abound! Does Nora have an ulterior motive for hiring a hottie with a killer rack? Why does Andrew stick around with his cuckoo wife? Just what is the deal with that dead-eyed kid? If Sydney Sweeney can act, why does she deliver every line in the same flat zoomer mutter, as though she’s just getting the words out of the way? Seyfried has a ball throughout, and Sweeney does wake up for the finale, but trash shouldn’t be this impressed with itself, and the twist—you knew there was one—is undermined by an extended period of explanatory voiceover. Cartoonish about class, which is fine, and about domestic abuse, which is less so, and overall just not enough fun. Next time you think, “They don’t make movies like that anymore,” be careful what you wish for: This is what happens when they try. C+
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair—ends December 23
La Grazia—ends December 25
Merrily We Roll Along—ends January 1
Peter Hujar’s Day—ends December 25
Predator: Badlands—ends December 23
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier may be the kindest great director of his generation and its most gently devastating—a sort of Scandinavian Ozu. In his latest, Stellan Skarsgård is Gustav Borg, a once-heralded filmmaker who hasn’t worked in 15 years. Gustav was also, you won’t be surprised to learn, a terrible father who abandoned his wife and his two daughters, Nora (Renate Reinsve), who resents his absence, and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), who seems to have made her peace. Gustav returns on the day of their mother’s funeral and offers Nora a part in his new film, which reckons with their family’s dark past. When she rejects his offer, he instead casts Hollywood star Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning), who gradually realizes she’s wrong for the part. All this could be the stuff of high drama or broad comedy, but Trier generally keeps both extremes at a low simmer. Reinsve, as the daughter reluctantly recognizing herself in her father, is no less an incarnation of millennial neurosis here than in The Worst Person in the World, while Skarsgård exercises his charm and authority lightly but firmly, regret battling stubbornness in his every action. At the center of the film is the Borg home, a creaky old storehouse of memories that allows Trier to exercise his easy way with chronology. The film slips into the past then fast-forwards, creating the sense that the past is always just beyond our reach, even while we’re firmly stuck in the present. A
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
In the latest of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out whodunnits, Daniel Craig’s swampy-voiced Benoit Blanc largely cedes the spotlight to Josh O’Connor’s Father Jud, an idealistic young priest caught in a battle of wills with the charismatic Monsignor Jefferson Witt (Josh Brolin). When Witt is murdered mysteriously, everyone in the parish is a suspect, including Father Jud himself. Dead Man is heavier in tone than past installments, and its characters don’t get to flaunt their quirks as memorably. And here’s something you may never hear me say again: A Catholic really should have approved this script before they started filming. Not to censor any of the naughty bits, but to explain to Johnson how the Catholic hierarchy works. When a film strives to take spiritual dilemmas seriously, and often succeeds at it, the institutional differences with Evangelical or even mainline Protestant churches are crucial to pin down. Still, O’Connor, who’s really gunning for “best actor under 40” honors these days, almost pulls it off, and there’s a special pleasure in a performance that holds its own in a flawed setting. B
