—Compiled by Butch Maier
Music
LATE NOVEMBER
Musicians of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra
See them: Nov. 20 with conductor Benjamin Rous and historian/narrator Clay Jenkinson
Site: Harrison Opera House, Norfolk, vafest.org
Style: Classical
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis
See the show: Nov. 21
Site: Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach, sandlercenter.org
Style: Neoclassical new age
Lindsey Stirling
See her: Nov. 27
Site: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, chartwayarena.com
Style: Snow Waltz Holiday Tour with violin, dance, aerial acrobatics
DECEMBER
Sabaton
See them: Dec. 5
Site: The Dome by Rutter Mills, Virginia Beach, thedomebyruttermills.com
Style: Power metal and heavy metal. With Pop Evil, Wings of Steel.
GWAR
See them: Dec. 12
Site: The NorVa, Norfolk, thenorva.com
Style: Thrash metal, heavy metal, and hardcore punk. With Midnight, Mac Sabbath, X-Cops.
Marion Meadows
See him: Dec. 12
Site: Attucks Theatre, Norfolk, sevenvenues.com/events/venue/attucks-theatre
Style: Contemporary jazz. With Brian Simpson, Althea Rene.
Sean Heely’s Celtic Christmas
See the show: Dec. 13
Site: Harrison Opera House, Norfolk, vafest.org
Style: Celtic, holiday
Vienna Boys Choir
See them: Dec. 15-16
Sites: Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach (Dec. 15), St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg (Dec. 16), vafest.org
Style: Classical
Jim Brickman
See him: Dec. 16
Site: Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach, sandlercenter.org
Style: Pop and new age
Movies
December
Behemoth!
See it: Dec. 4
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Will Arnett
Story: A famous cellist from a family of musicians who returns to Los Angeles to start a career as a music composer for movies.
Above the Below
See it: Dec. 4
Starring: Idris Elba, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Caitlin FitzGerald
Story: Three astronauts survive a destructive re-entry to Earth and find that they are cut off from the world.
Violent Night 2
See it: Dec. 4
Starring: David Harbour, Kristen Bell, Jared Harris, Joe Pantoliano
Story: Stranded in a crumbling New Jersey mall, cut off from the North Pole, Santa is trapped dishing out violent justice to a ruthless crime lord and his henchmen.
Flavia
See it: Dec. 4
Starring: Molly Belle Wright, Martin Freeman, Hannah New
Story: An 11-year-old amateur sleuth must investigate a murder at her old manor-house home when her father comes under suspicion of the crime.
The Gallerist
See it: Dec. 4
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Charlie XCX, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis
Story: A gallerist, driven by desperation, hatches a scheme to sell a dead guy at Art Basel Miami.
Tender Loving Care
See it: Dec. 4
Starring: Abhinav Singh, Alice Bailey Johnson, Marion Bailey
Story: Amy, a government child protection worker, moves back with her upbeat best friend Rosie, a social services officer facing daily anger and resentment.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
85th anniversary rerelease
See it: Dec. 6
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre
Story: A San Francisco private detective is swept up in the hunt for a priceless 16th century statuette after his partner is murdered in a seemingly ordinary tailing job.
Clarissa
See it: Dec. 11
Starring: India Amarteifio, Ayo Edebiri, David Oyelowo
Story: A Lagos society wife prepares for a party while reflecting on her youth and the choices that led her to marry a respected man instead of her poet boyfriend.
The Debut
See it: Dec. 11
Starring: Julianna Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Jesse Eisenberg
Story: When an unassuming housewife is unexpectedly cast in a community theater production, she loses herself in the role under the spell of a strong-willed director.
Ink
See it: Dec. 11
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, Claire Foy
Story: In 1969, as rising media tycoon acquires the daily newspaper The Sun, his partnership with editor Larry Lamb turns the paper into Britain’s most influential tabloid.
Zero A.D.: The Birth of Christ
See it: Dec. 11
Starring: Deva Cassel, Sam Worthington, Ben Mendelsohn
Story: A star rises over Bethlehem as Christ is born. But when Herod orders the slaughter of the innocents, Mary and Joseph must protect the child promised to save the world.
Avengers: Doomsday
See it: Dec. 18
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Pedro Pascal, Chris Hemsworth
Story: Heroes from three different worlds must unite when they’re thrust together to confront a catastrophic danger that could destroy everything they know.
It’s a Wonderful Life
80th Anniversary rerelease
See it: Dec. 18
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed,
Lionel Barrymore
Story: An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman see the value of his own life.
La Gradiva
See it: Dec. 18
Starring: Colas Quignard, Suzanne Gerin, Mitia Capellier-Audat
Story: High school students on a school trip to discover the ruins of Pompeii are seized by a sense of vertigo and allow themselves to be overwhelmed by desire and anger, until they surrender completely.
The Angry Birds Movie 3
See it: Dec. 23
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Lily James, Keke Palmer
Story: Red faces his greatest challenge yet, which is being a dad—and also saving the world.
Artificial
See it: Dec. 25
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Monica Barbaro, Cooper Hoffman, Chris O’Dowd
Story: Follows the confusing firing and rehiring cycle of Sam Altman at OpenAI, where the board gained control of the company and removed him, and Altman still returned.
Jumanji: Open World
See it: Dec. 25
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black
Story: The players have escaped the ever-changing jungles of Jumanji, but this time the game breaks free of its console, unleashing chaos into our world.
Mr. Irrelevant
See it: Dec. 25
Starring: David Corenswet, Michael Shannon, Isabel May
Story: The heartfelt story of the inspiring, enduring impact John Tuggle had on his team and teammates after being drafted by the New York Giants.
Werwulf
See it: Dec. 25
Starring: Jack Morris, Willem Defoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Story: A tale of devotion, damnation, and the devil within.
Sources: imdb.com, firstshowing.net, boxofficemojo.com
wide release Dec. 18. PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES
One To Watch
Dune: Part Three
See it: Dec. 14 (IMAX only), Dec. 18
(wide release)
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh,
Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem
Story: Emperor Paul Atreides faces the fallout from his ascent to power as political plots and a galaxy-wide holy war endanger the future only he can see.
