Avatar: Fire & Ash

Aledo Opera House, Aledo IL

Blue Grass Drive-in, Blue Grass IA

Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAXDavenport IA

FilmScene, Iowa City IA

The Last Picture House, Davenport IA

Marcus Sycamore CinemaIowa City IA

Putnam Museum & Science Center, Davenport IA

VIP CinemasMoline IL

Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, Delmar IA

(Hyperlinked titles take you to Reader reviews; IMDb hyperlinks take you to the films’ Internet Movie Database pages or other sites with film information.)

***

Anaconda (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: opens Thursday, December 25) - IMDb listing.

Angel's Egg (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.

Arctic: Our Frozen Planet (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.

Avatar: Fire & Ash (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris (not rated; VIP Cinemas: Sunday, December 19, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

A Christmas Story (PG; The Last Picture House) - IMDb listing.

David (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

Dhurandhar (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - IMDb listing.

Die Hard (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: 25th Anniversary (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - Ideally, the film should have been a mere 30-ish minutes long - it could have been a wickedly entertaining, though insanely expensive, short film for TV. IMDb listing.

Elephants: Giants of the Desert (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.

Elf (PG; The Last Picture House, Aledo Opera House)  - Will Ferrell is so likable here that he overrides everything embarrassing about the material.- IMDb listing.

Ella McCay (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Quite possibly the strangest movie of 2025, one suggesting that not only has James L. Brooks not made a film in 15 years, but perhaps hasn't seen a film in 15 years. IMDb listing.

Five Night's at Freddy's 2 (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - You know those 24-hour play festivals at which participants are given a rough idea for a concept and have exactly one day to secure a cast, write the script, and rehearse the thing before it debuts for audiences? That's the experience of this horror-comedy sequel. IMDb listing.

Gremlins (PG; The Last Picture House) - IMDb listing.

Hamnet (PG-13; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - Although the film is anchored by a ferocious Jessie Buckley and a frequently moving Paul Mescal, it might be impossible, after seeing director/co-writer Chloé Zhao's historical fiction, to reflect on the movie without the face of its titular portrayer coming instantly to mind. IMDb listing.

Home Alone (PG; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.

The Housemaid (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

It's a Wonderful Life (PG; VIP Cinemas, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Aledo Opera House) - IMDb listing.

Little Amelie or the Character of Rain (PG; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.

Marty Supreme (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: opens Thursday, December 25) - IMDb listing.

Mission Santa: Yo Yo to the Rescue (not rated; VIP Cinemas) - IMDb listing.

A Muppet Christmas Carol (G; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (PG-13; The Last Picture House, Aledo Opera House) - IMDb listing.

Now You See Mee: Now You Don't (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - I on't want to critique Fleischer's threequel so much as slap the shit out of it.  IMDb listing.

Nuremberg (PG-13; VIP Cinemas) - A stodgy, clichéd, two-and-a-half-hour historical drama lacking even a dollop of filmmaking excitement, and a work that essentially tells two stories yet, maddeningly, picks the wrong one to focus on. IMDb listing.

The Polar Express (G; The Last Picture House, Putnam Museum & Science Center, Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, Marcus Sycamore Cinema, Aledo Opera House) - After a blessed quiet opening 15 minutes, the that follow are a grating blend of the hyperactive and the maudlin, and any sweetness inherent in the Chris Van Allsburg children's book the movie is based on is totally lost. IMDb listing.

Predator: Badlands (PG-13; VIP Cinemas) - I had an utterly spectacular time at director Dan Trachtenberg's sci-fi thriller that's also, brace yourselves, a thoroughly winning buddy comedy. IMDb listing.

The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas: Sunday, December 21, and Monday, December 22) - FathomEntertainment.com.

Sentimental Value (R; FilmScene on the Ped Mall) - A gorgeously acted, smartly written and directed family-angst tearjerker that never succeeded in choking me up. IMDb listing.

Song Sung Blue (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: opens Thursday, December 25) - IMDb listing.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (PG; FilmScene on the Ped Mall) - While Rian Johnson's third Benoit Blanc movire remains fun, it's mildly underwhelming fun – like that three-minute roller-coaster ride you realize wasn't worth the half-hour you waited in line for it. IMDb listing.

White Christmas (not rated; The Last Picture House) - IMDb listing.

Wicked: For Good (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, FilmScene on the Ped Mall, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Ariana Grande's delivers a thoroughly stunning performance, and the only way it might've appeared better is if the movie came anywhere close to matching her. IMDb listing.

Wild Rescue (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.

Zootopia 2 (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema)) - Disney's sequel is almost as great as 2016's original Zootopia, which makes it almost one of the sharpest, wittiest, funniest comedies of its decade. IMDb listing.

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