The Big Screen

Last week, Dec. 18

“Star Wars: Episode VII, The Force Awakens”; “Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip”; “Sisters”; “Extraction”

This week, Dec. 25

“Joy” (20th Century Fox), PG-13, 124 minutes

About — It’s the story of a family across four generations and the woman who rises to become matriarch of a family business dynasty; Stars — Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Donna Mills, Robert De Niro; Director — David O. Russell

“Point Break” (WB), PG-13, 114 minutes

About — Inspired by the 1991 hit, a young FBI agent infiltrates a team of extreme sports athletes that he suspects of masterminding sophisticated corporate heists; Stars — Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey, Edgar Ramirez, Max Thieriot; Director — Ericson Core

“Daddy’s Home” (Paramount), PG-13, 96 minutes

About — A mild-mannered radio executive strives to become the best stepdad to his wife’s two children, but the freewheeling and freeloading real father arrives, forcing them to compete for affection; Stars — Linda Cardellini, Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Alessandra Ambrosio; Director — Sean Anders

“The Hateful Eight” (The Weinstein Company), R, 168 minutes

About — In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard and get into a plot of betrayal and deception; Stars — Jennifer Jason Leigh, Channing Tatum, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell; Director — Quentin Tarantino

“Concussion” (Columbia), PG-13, 123 minutes

About — Based on a true story, an accomplished pathologist (Dr. Bennet Omalu) uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players after repeated concussions during play; Stars — Will Smith, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Luke Wilson, Alec Baldwin; Director — Peter Landesman

“The Revenant” (20th Century Fox), R, 156 minutes

About — In the 1920s, a frontiersman sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling; Stars — Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter; Director — Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Next week, Jan. 1

“Yosemite”; “Carol”

(Note: Movie descriptions by IMDB, www.imdb.com)

Home rentals

The latest top 10 digital movie purchases/rentals based on transaction rate, by Rentrak:

1. “Inside Out”

2. “Man From U.N.C.L.E.”

3. “Vacation” (2015)

4. “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation”

5. “Terminator Genisys”

6. “The Age of Adaline”

7. “Elf” (2003)

8. “Ricki and the Flash”

9. “Spy”

10. “San Andreas”

Other recent favorites: “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1”; “Insurgent”; “Pixels”; “Mr. Holmes”

Upcoming events

• “The Hateful Eight,” the western by Quentin Tarantino, opens this week and will be screened, starting Christmas Eve, at the Hollywood Theatre, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd. It’s the first film shot in Ultra Panavision 70mm since 1966, and it’ll show in theaters in two versions — the 70mm version including an overture (a score by Ennio Morricone) and an intermission; the digital version will screen in multiplexes starting Jan. 1, and it’s six minutes shorter with no intermission. There’ll be 70mm screenings at the Hollywood through Jan. 3. For tickets/info: www.hollywoodtheatre.org.

• POWMonthly, a spinoff of the Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival, partners with Backline in screening “Young Lakota,” directed by Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt. It’s a sensitive portrayal of young people finding their way on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation.

The details: 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28, Clinton Street Theater, 2522 S.E. Clinton St., www.cstpdx.com, $5-$10.