By Chip Chandler — Producer
In Amarillo theaters this week: Revival screenings of Schindler's List, a family-friendlier Deadpool and more.
New in theaters
Friday
- Boy Erased: Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) stars as a young man forced by his Baptist parents (Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman) to undergo gay conversion therapy after his rapist outs him. The film, written and directed by co-star Joel Edgerton, is based on author Garrard Conley's memoir. I found it to be powerful but difficult to watch, and Hedges and Kidman shine in particular. (R for sexual content including an assault, some language and brief drug use; click here for showtimes at United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.)
Tuesday
- Once Upon a Deadpool: This year's Deadpool 2 gets re-edited into a PG-13 film, with a Princess Bride-homage framing device of the mercenary telling the story to a kidnapped Fred Savage. A portion of proceeds will benefit Fudge Cancer. (PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, crude sexual content, language, thematic elements and brief drug material; click here for showtimes at United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.; and Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive)
Special engagements
- Dec. 7: Steven Spielberg's masterpiece Schindler's List returns to theaters for at least a week for its 25th anniversary. Look for a few screenings a day at Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive.
- Dec. 8: Screen legends Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury star in the holiday musical Buttons, screening at 12:55 p.m. Dec. 8 at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
- Dec. 9 and 12: The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with a holiday screening of the beloved White Christmas at 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 9 and 12 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
- Dec. 10 and 16: Spend the holidays with the Fraggles and Emmet Otter with screenings of Jim Henson's Holiday Special at 4 and 7 p.m. Dec. 10 and 1 and 4 p.m. Dec. 16 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
- Dec. 11: The musical Allegiance, based on George Takei and family's time in World War II-era internment camps for Japanese-Americans, will screen at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
- Dec. 13 and 18: An animation master's life and career is celebrated in the documentary Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, screening at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and 18 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Upcoming
- Dec. 13: Advance tickets are available now for action-adventure film Mortal Engines and animated adventure Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.; Cinergy Amarillo, 9201 Cinergy Square; and Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive.
- Dec. 14: Advance tickets are on sale now Clint Eastwood crime drama The Mule at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
- Dec. 14: Family drama Wildlife, the directorial debut of actor Paul Dano, will open at Premiere Cinemas Westgate Mall 6, 7701 W. Interstate 40.
- Dec. 15 and 19: The Met: Live in HD series continues with Verdi's La Traviata, starring soprano Diana Damrau and tenor Juan Diego Flórez. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Dec. 15 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at Hollywood 16.
- Dec. 17: Director Peter Jackson uses restored and colorized archival footage in They Shall Not Grow Old, which explores the soldiers and events of World War I. It'll screen at 4 and 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
- Dec. 19: Advance tickets are available for family musical Mary Poppins Returns at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16, with others sure to follow.
- Dec. 20: Advance tickets are available for superhero film Aquaman and Transformers prequel Bumblebee at Amarillo Star 14, Cinergy Amarillo and Hollywood 16.
- Dec. 21: Romantic comedy Second Act and fanciful drama Welcome to Marwen are scheduled to open, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
- Dec. 25: Comedy-adventure Holmes & Watson and Dick Cheney biopic Vice are scheduled to open, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
- Jan. 2: Best-selling author Rachel Hollis' story is told in encore screenings of the inspirational documentary Made for More. It'll return at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2 and 9 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
- Jan. 12 and 16: The Met: Live in HD series continues with Adriana Lecouvreur, starring Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczata in a tragedy about an actress in love with a military hero. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Jan. 12 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at Hollywood 16.
- Jan. 13 and 14: One of the seminal Man of Steel tales comes to the screen with a double feature of The Death of Superman and Reign of the Superman. The animated films will screen at 12:55 p.m. Jan. 13 and 8 p.m. Jan. 14 at Hollywood 16.
- Jan. 17: Travel under the sea with Jean Michel Cousteau with Wonders of the Sea to enjoy footage of rarely seen sea creatures and learn about the dangers posed by climate change. The film will screen (in 3-D in some screenings) at 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
- Jan. 23: Comédie-Française will present a live-recorded production of Cyrano de Bergerac, one of the most beloved works of French theater. It'll be screened at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Listings at a glance
Click on titles for my reviews and on theaters for showtimes. (AS-14 = Amarillo Star 14; CA = Cinergy Amarillo; H-16 = Hollywood 16, WM-6 = Westgate Mall 6)
- Bohemian Rhapsody (AS-14, CA, H-16)
- Boy Erased (AS-14)
- Creed II (AS-14, CA, H-16)
- Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (AS-14, CA, H-16)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (AS-14, CA, H-16)
- The Girl in the Spider's Web (WM-6)
- Halloween (WM-6)
- The House with a Clock in Its Walls (WM-6)
- Hunter Killer (WM-6)
- Instant Family (AS-14, CA, H-16)
- Night School (WM-6)
- Nobody's Fool (WM-6)
- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (H-16)
- Once Upon a Deadpool (AS-14, H-16) (Beginning Tuesday)
- The Possession of Hannah Grace (AS-14, CA, H-16)
- Ralph Breaks the Internet (AS-14, CA, H-16)
- Robin Hood (AS-14, CA, H-16)
- Schindler's List (H-16)
- Smallfoot (WM-6)
- A Star Is Born (AS-14, H-16)
- Venom (H-16)
- Widows (AS-14, CA, H-16)
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.