THIS WEEK:
Daddy's Home 2 Apparently, we're going to be getting one of these every two years now. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are back as the formerly squabbling step- and biological dads, respectively, now settled into a co-parenting truce. So where's the comedic tension going to come from this time? The arrival of their own fathers, played by John Lithgow and Mel Gibson. Hey, a healthy old-fart factor always keeps these franchises fresh, right? Just ask Streisand! (PG-13)
Murder on the Orient Express Kenneth Branagh directed and stars in the latest adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic, most famously brought to the screen in 1974 with a cast that included John Gielgud, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave and Ingrid Bergman. But this one's no slouch when it comes to pedigreed thespianic talent either, with Branagh bringing along the likes of Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi to enact Christie's tale of homicide on the rails. There are also roles for Johnny Depp and Josh Gad, so audiences in Mississippi don't have to wonder if they're watching Got-damn Doctor Who or something. (PG-13)
Also Playing: A Bad Moms Christmas And apparently, we're going to be getting one of these every year now. Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn are back as the rebellious mama bears who in 2016 went up against their picture-perfect counterparts. So where's the comedic tension going to come from this time? The arrival of their own mothers, played by Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski and Cheryl Hines. Hey, a healthy old-fart factor always keeps these franchises fresh, right? Just ask Mel Gibson! (Dear reader: I promise my son did not use cut and paste in writing this blurb. Signed, Schneider's Mother.) (R)
LBJ And this is why the movie business is still great: If you do a good enough job playing the publisher of Hustler magazine, 21 years later, you get to play the author of the Civil Rights Act. Woody Harrelson is Lyndon Baines Johnson in this dramatization of the executive arm-twisting that brought about one of the landmark pieces of legislation of the 1960s. Even liberal-minded outlets like the Village Voice have accused the picture of veering too far into hagiography, but with Rob Reiner in the director's chair, it isn't exactly like no one could see that coming. But seriously – Woody Harrelson? (R)
Let There Be Light There was a moment when I felt sorry for Kevin Sorbo; I mean, the guy was molested by Versace, for God's sake. But that moment was over as soon as he booked theaters for Let There Be Light, in which he directed himself as an atheist who changes his tune after a near-death experience. Worse, this bit of rationalist-bashing was executive-produced by unofficial White House Press Secretary Sean Hannity, who even secured a little screen time for himself in the process. Hannity and Sorbo? Now there's a show I'd watch. In five-minute clips. On Mediaite. (PG-13)
Most Beautiful Island Spanish TV star Ana Asensio won the Grand Jury Prize at South by Southwest for her debut as a writer and director, a suspenseful portrait of an undocumented immigrant who becomes a pawn in a sick game played by society's elite. Don't tell me: She takes a job at Papa John's. (NR)
