New Films: 'The Midnight Sky,' 'Wander Darkly' among the releases this week
These are some of the films being released in theaters or through streaming.
Cary Darling	December 10, 2020Updated: December 10, 2020, 12:12 am
This image released by Netflix shows Felicity Jones in a scene from "The Midnight Sky." (Philippe Antonello/Netflix via AP)
Photo: Philippe Antonello, HONS / Associated Press
Here are some of the new films being released in theaters or for streaming, rental or purchase this week.
Joe Manganiello stars in this science-fiction thriller in which a superhero from another dimension falls to Earth, where he discovers he has no powers.
Unrated. Opens Dec. 11 at Premiere Cinemas Galveston and begins streaming on various platforms.
A special forces soldier is out for a hike with her husband when they stumble across drug dealers who kill the husband and leave for her dead. She makes them regret they didn't finish the job. Ellen Holman stars.
Unrated. Begins streaming Dec. 15 on various platforms.
"The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
Documentary from director Frank Marshall chronicling the lives of the singing Gibb brothers, aka the Bee Gees.
Unrated. Airs 7 p.m. Dec. 12 on HBO; available for streaming from 7 p.m. Dec. 12 on HBO Max and from Dec. 13 on HBO On Demand.
"Farewell Amor"
Film-festival favorite and Sundance-nominated drama telling the story of an Angolan immigrant who's reunited with his wife after 17 years and finds they are now strangers.
Unrated. Opens Dec. 11 at iPic Houston.
"Funny Boy"
A Sri Lankan coming-of-age tale about a boy who discovers he's gay against the background of the political tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamils in the years leading up to the 1983 uprisings.
Unrated. Streaming on Netflix.
"Giving Voice"
Viola Davis and Denzel Washington appear in this documentary following the young people who enter the August Wilson Monologue Competition.
Rated P-13. Begins streaming Dec. 11 on Netflix.
"I'm Your Woman"
Rachel Brosnahan busts out of "Mrs. Meisel" mode in a crime thriller in which she plays a woman on the run from gangsters.
Rated R. Opens Dec. 11 at Landmark River Oaks, Houston; begins streaming Dec. 11 on Amazon Prime.
"The Midnight Sky"
George Clooney directs and stars in this post-apocalyptic story involving a scientist in the Arctic trying to warn astronauts in space not to return to Earth. Kyle Chandler, Felicity Jones and David Oyelowo co-star.
Rated PG-13. Opens Dec. 11 throughout Houston; begins streaming Dec. 23 on Netflix.
"The Never List"
Houston's Michelle Mower directs a teen film about a straight-A high school student who, after the death of her best friend, decides to do all the things on their list of things they would never do.
Rated R. Opens Dec. 11 at AMC Gulf Pointe 30, Houston; AMC First Colony 24, Sugar Land.
Three young artists try to make it in the strange world of the New York art scene. It was the grand-jury winner at the Dances with Films festival in Los Angeles.
Canadian science-fiction film about a group of friends who discover a multiverse.
Unrated. Opens Dec. 11 at Studio Movie Grill Pearland.
"Queer Japan"
A documentary looking at LBGTQ life in Japan.
Reginald Hudlin directs this sports biopic about Clemson University football player Ray-Ray McElrathbey, who secretly raised his younger brother on campus to get him away from a troubled home life.
Rated PG-13. Begins streaming Dec. 11 on Disney+.
Claimed to be the first feature made during the COVID-19 lockdown, this is a very timely science-fiction thriller set in a world in the fourth year of a lockdown as the population struggles to survive. Produced by Michael Bay, it stars K.J. Apa ("Riverdale," "The Hate U Give"), Craig Robinson, Bradley Whitford and Demi Moore.
Rated PG-13. Begins streaming Dec. 11 on various platforms.
"The Stand-In"
Drew Barrymore and T.J. Miller are featured in a comedy in which an actress trades places with her ambitious stand-in.
Rated R. Opens Dec. 11 at iPic Houston.
"Timecrafters: The Treasure of the Pirate's Cove"
Family film in which time-traveling pirates land in the present day and do battle with tech-savvy kids. Denise Richards, Eric Balfour and Malcolm McDowell star.
Unrated. Opens Dec. 12 throughout Houston.
"Wander Darkly"
Sienna Miller and Diego Luna star in a story of a couple whose relationship is in trouble after the birth of their child.
Rated R. Opens Dec. 11 at Americas Cinemas Houston; Begins streaming Dec. 11 on various platforms.
"Wild Mountain Thyme"
John Patrick Shanley ("Doubt") wrote and directed a drama about a family's land dispute starring Jon Hamm, Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan and Christopher Walken.
Rated PG-13. Opens Dec. 11 at iPic Houston; Studio Movie Grill Pearland; The Grand 14, Conroe; Premiere Cinemas, Galveston.
cary.darling@chron.com
Cary Darling
Cary Darling joined the Houston Chronicle in 2017 where he writes about arts, entertainment and pop culture, with an emphasis on film and media. Originally from Los Angeles and a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, he has been a features reporter or editor at the Orange County Register, Miami Herald, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In addition, he has freelanced for a number of publications including the Los Angeles Times and Dallas Morning News.
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