This image released by Focus Features shows Bill Camp, left, and Mark Ruffalo in a scene from "Dark Waters." (Mary Cybulski/Focus Features via AP)
Photo: Mary Cybulski / Focus Features
New in theaters
Dark Waters: Environmental thriller stars Mark Ruffalo as a Cincinnati attorney who takes a case that’s decidedly out of his lane. Rob Bilott (Ruffalo) usually defends the companies involved in Superfund cases, but this time, he decides (against his firm’s wishes) to represent a West Virginia rancher who has evidence that the local DuPont factory is poisoning his cattle. Turns out the case is far more wide-ranging than he anticipated. Todd Haynes’ film boasts a great 92 Tomatometer score.
Knives Out: As the first frame of the trailer suggests (Daniel Craig in front of a display of about a bazillion daggers), this is a cutting-edge drama in the Agatha Christie mold. Apparently everyone in this monstrous extended family wanted famed crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) dead, and it’s up to Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc to figure out who slit his throat on his 85th birthday. The Thrombey mansion is practically a character in itself, with lots of secret passageways and antique figurines. The co-stars (and suspects) include Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon and Don Johnson. From director Rian Johnson, whose credits range from “Looper” to “The Last Jedi,” this one has earned a 97 Tomatometer score since it played at Toronto in September.
Queen & Slim: Described by one character as “the black Bonnie and Clyde,” Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya, an Oscar nominee for “Get Out”) are forced to hit the road — during their first date — after Slim shoots a cop in self-defense during a routine traffic stop gone bad. The dashcam video of the shooting goes viral, turning them into folk heroes. This directorial debut of Melina Matsoukas, who won Grammys for her video for Rihanna and Beyoncé, boasts a perfect 100 Tomatometer score.
Dec. 6
The Aeronauts
PLAYMOBIL: The Movie
Waves
Dec. 13
Black Christmas
Bombshell
Jumanji: The Next Level
Richard Jewell
Uncut Gems
Dec. 20
Cats
Dec. 25
Just Mercy
Little Women
1917
Spies in Disguise
Jan. 3
The Grudge
Jan. 10
The Informer
Like a Boss
My Spy
Underwater
Robert Johnson