Richard Jewell (2019)

December 26, 2019

When security guard Richard Jewell spots and alerts authorities to a bomb at the Atlanta Olympic Games, he becomes the target of a media and FBI investigation desperate to find a culprit.

MV5BMzY0Zjc4Y2YtNDM4Mi00NmRmLTg4Y2UtYmEyMTU0MmY3ZmM1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjQ2MjQ5NzM@._V1_.jpg — Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

**Directed by: Nasiga Oshima**
**Starring: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano**
**Rated: R**
**Running Time: 2 h 3 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Themes, Characters, Acting, Soundtrack**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing**

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

December 25, 2019

A British officer tries to bridge a cultural divide in a Japanese POW camp.

o 1.jpg — Overcomer (2019)

**Directed By: Alex Kendrick**
**Starring: Alex Kendrick, Shari Rigby, Aryn Wright-Thompson**
**Rated: PG**
**Run Time: 1h 59m**
**TMM Score: 2 Stars**
**Strengths: Main Story Beats**
**Weakness: Heavy Handedness**

Overcomer (2019)

December 24, 2019

A High School Basketball coach at a struggling private Christian high school is forced to coach the Cross Country team as well as adjust his understanding of success, meaning, and faith.

The Ninth Configuration (1980)

December 23, 2019

An isolated institution in the Pacific Northwest tries a controversial experimental treatment on its primarily Vietnam veteran population.

ros 1.jpg — Star Wars: Episode IX - Rise of Skywalker (2019)

**Directed By: J.J. Abrams**
**Starring: Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Ian McDiarmid**
**Rated: PG-13**
**Run Time: 2h 21m**
**TMM Score: 3 Stars**
**Strengths: Humor, Broad Story Strokes**
**Weakness: CGI, Scene Execution, Predictability**

Star Wars: Episode IX - Rise of Skywalker (2019)

December 20, 2019

With Emperor Palpatine’s presence now looming, Kylo Ren is hunting him down in a power mad frenzy, Rey is drawn to attempting to save Ren, and the entire resistance must band together to defeat an ancient foe, one last time.

MV5BMzBlMTJlNGMtOWQ5Zi00NzUzLTljNGUtYmUwYzI3NDFhMzlmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI3NDAyNg@@._V1_.jpg — Synonyms (2019)

**Directed by: Navid Lapid**
**Starring: Tom Mercier, Quentin Dolmaire, Louise Chevillotte**
**Rated: NR (Suggested R for Strong Graphic Nudity and Sexual Content, and for Language)**
**Running Time: 2 h 3 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Directing, Writing, Story, Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: Mild Pacing Issues**

Synonyms (2019)

December 20, 2019

A young Israeli man flees to Paris to begin a new life.

ro 1.jpg — Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

**Directed By: Gareth Edwards**
**Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn,**
**Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen**
**Rated: PG-13**
**Run Time: 2h 13m**
**TMM Score: 3 Stars**
**Strengths: Broad Story Strokes, Climax**
**Weakness: Muddled Plot, Main Characters**

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

December 20, 2019

Jyn Erso has been living and surviving aimlessly since The Empire killed her mother and captured her father to help build the Death Star. When the rebellion asks her to join an effort to steal plans for the doomsday weapon

MV5BYmY3NGJlYTItYmQ4OS00ZTEwLWIzODItMjMzNWU2MDE0NjZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzQzMDA3MTI@._V1_.jpg — Doctor Sleep (2019)

**Directed by: Mike Flanagan**
**Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Emily Alyn Lind, Alex Essoe, Jacob Tremblay, Danny Lloyd**
**Rated: R for Disturbing Violent Content, Some Bloody Images, Language, Nudity and Drug Use**
**Running Time: 2 h 32 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Melding of Kubrick and King’s Worlds, Story, Acting, Ingenuity**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing (Particularly in First Act), Length**

Doctor Sleep (2019)

December 20, 2019

Years after the events of “The Shining”, Dan Torrance fights to protect a girl who possesses the same psychic ability as him.

fa 1.jpg — Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

**Directed By: J.J. Abrams**
Starring: Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Max von Sydow, Peter Mayhew, Gwendoline Christie
**Rated: PG-13**
**Run Time: 2h 18m**
**TMM Score: 5 Stars**
**Strengths: Feels Like Star Wars**
**Weakness: Some Characterizations**

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

December 19, 2019

When an abandoned young woman and a runaway storm trooper befriend a droid which contains a map to Luke Skywalker’s hiding place, they are thrown into the midst of a galactic conflict between good and evil.

MV5BOWZlMjFiYzgtMTUzNC00Y2IzLTk1NTMtZmNhMTczNTk0ODk1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyODkwOQ@@._V1_.jpg — Star Wars: Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983)

Directed by: Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams
Rated: PG for Sci Fi Action Violence
Running Time: 2h 16m
TMM Score: 4.5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Satisfying Conclusion, VFX, Characters
WEAKNESSES: Story not as Strong as Predecessor

Star Wars: Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983)

December 18, 2019

The epic conclusion of the original Star Wars trilogy…

MV5BYmU1NDRjNDgtMzhiMi00NjZmLTg5NGItZDNiZjU5NTU4OTE0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzkwMjQ5NzM@._V1_.jpg — Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Directed by: Irvin Kershner
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fischer, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams
Rated: PG for Sci-Fi Action Violence
Running Time: 2h 7m
TMM Score: 5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Expanding Universe, Characters, Story, Twist
WEAKNESSES: -

Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

December 18, 2019

The saga continues for Luke Skywalker…

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

December 17, 2019

A Farmhand from a backwater planet is caught in the crossfire of an intergalactic battle between dark and light when he receives a distress call from a captured princess and decides to help.

MV5BNTc4MTc3NTQ5OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTg0NjI4NA@@._V1_.jpg — Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

**Directed by: George Lucas**
**Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Jimmy Smits, Christopher Lee**
**Rated: PG-13 for Sci-Fi Violence and Some Intense Images**
**Running Time: 2 h 20 m**
**TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Darker Entry, Some Action, Production Design**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing, Battle Fatigue, Acting, Ubiquitous CGI, Dialogue, Cheesy Moments**

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

December 17, 2019

Three years after the start of the clone wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin find themselves lured into a plot that may offset the balance of the force, and set the Sith up for rule.

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

December 17, 2019

Once again, people are sucked into the world of Jumanji, and they must fight to escape.

MV5BMDAzM2M0Y2UtZjRmZi00MzVlLTg4MjEtOTE3NzU5ZDVlMTU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDUyOTg3Njg@._V1_.jpg — Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

**Directed by: George Lucas**
**Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Lee, Samuel L Jackson, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Rose Byrne**
**Rated: PG for Sustained Sequences of Sci-Fi Action/Violence**
**Running Time: 2 h 22 m**
**TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Some Action, Ewan McGregor, Production Design, World Building**
**WEAKNESSES: Dialogue, Ubiquitous CGI, Hayden Christensen**

Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

December 16, 2019

Ten years after their initial meeting, Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala begin a forbidden romance, while Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates an assassination attempt on Amidala’s life.

MV5BYTRhNjcwNWQtMGJmMi00NmQyLWE2YzItODVmMTdjNWI0ZDA2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyODkwOQ@@._V1_.jpg — Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

**Directed by: George Lucas**
**Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Keira Knightley, Ian McDiarmid, Frank Oz, Terence Stamp, Ahmed Best, Warwick Davis, Samuel L. Jackson**
**Rated: PG**
**Running Time: 2 h 16 m**
**TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Ideas, World Building, Production Design, Action, Darth Maul, John Williams’ Score**
**WEAKNESSES: Dialogue, Cinematography, Pacing, Plot Holes, Acting, Jar Jar Binks**

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

December 16, 2019

Two Jedi caught up in a violent trade dispute between the Federation and Naboo discover a boy that may bring balance to the force.

MV5BN2Y0NWRkNWItZWEwNi00MDNlLWJmZDYtNTkwYzI5Nzg4MjVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxODk2OTU@._V1_.jpg — The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

**Directed by: Brian Henson**
**Starring: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Steve Whitmire**
**Rated: G**
**Running Time: 1 h 25 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: This Movie Is Perfect**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

December 13, 2019

A retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic novel featuring the Muppets.

hb 1.jpg — Honey Boy (2019)

**Directed By: Alma Har’el**
**Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe, Byron Bowers, Laura San Giacomo, FKA Twigs, Natasha Lyonne, Martin Starr**
**Rated: R**
**Run Time: 1h 34m**
**TMM Score: 3 Stars**
**Strengths: Personal Meaning**
**Weakness: Certain Connections are Weak**

Honey Boy (2019)

December 12, 2019

A child actor struggles with his relationship with his father and the pressures that fame, money, and a dad who hasn’t figured out his own life yet can bring to a child before he is ready to cope.

MV5BNzJlYmZhNTMtMWM2Yy00MDZiLWJlOGMtMTRkOTEzYmZlZWQ5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,656,1000_AL_.jpg — Marriage Story (2019)

**Directed by: Noah Baumbach**
**Starring: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Wallace Shawn**
**Rated: R for Language Throughout and Some Sexual References**
**Running Time: 2 h 16 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Acting, Themes**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Marriage Story (2019)

December 12, 2019

A married couple learns how to live with each other as they come to terms with their divorce and what that means for the future of their child.

MV5BZGI3ZGNkOGItNWU3ZS00NDIyLTljZjEtZTk5NzkxMjYwMjEzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,675,1000_AL_.jpg — The Report (2019)

**Directed by: Scott Z. Burns**
**Starring: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Corey Stoll, Maura Tierney, Michael C Hall, Tim Blake Nelson**
**Rated: R for Some Scenes of Inhumane Treatment and Torture, and Language**
**Running Time: 1 h 59 m**
**TMM Score: 3.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Story, Acting, Themes**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing, Length**

The Report (2019)

December 11, 2019

A senate staffer is tasked to lead an investigation into the CIA’s ‘Enhanced Interrogation Techniques.”

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