SoCal new movies, Dec. 20-27: ‘Aquaman,’ ‘The Color Purple,’ ‘Poor Things’ and more

Find a movie to enjoy this holiday weekend

Emma Stone in “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)

Welcome to the latest edition of TV or Not TV’s curated guide to new and current releases screening in LA and OC this week. I’m Matt Cooper, former listings coordinator for the Los Angeles Times’ Calendar.

(And if you are looking for the Classic Movies roundup, it is now its own separate newsletter, but will still post here Wednesday mornings)

Lights, camera and … action!

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New Releases

• Now playing

‘Poor Things’ Emma Stone re-teams with director Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite”) for this fantastical 2023 period fable about recently deceased woman brought back to life by an eccentric scientist (Willem Dafoe). With Mark Ruffalo. 141 mins. Rated R. Various theaters

• Opening Thursday, Dec. 21

‘Call Me Dancer’ A working-class youth from Mumbai aspires to become a professional dancer in this 2023 documentary directed by Pip Gilmour and Leslie Shampaine. In Hindi and English with English subtitles. 83 mins. Not Rated. laemmle.com

• Opening Friday, Dec. 22

‘All of Us Strangers’ A young gay man in London returns to his hometown only to discover that his parents, who died 30 years earlier, are somehow still alive in writer-director Andrew Scott’s 2023 fantasy drama. With Andrew Scott, Jamie Bell and Claire Foy. 105 mins. Rated R. amctheatres.com, laemmle.com

‘Anyone But You’ Two mismatched singles (Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell) pretend to be a couple for a destination wedding in this 2023 rom-com inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and directed by Will Gluck. 100 mins. Rated R. Various theaters

‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Jason Momoa reprises his role as the ocean-dwelling superhero in James Wan’s 2023 sequel to his 2018 action tale. With Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. 115 mins. Rated PG-13. Various theaters

‘Freud’s Last Session’ The founder of psychoanalysis (Anthony Hopkins) has a fictional tête-à-tête with “Chronicles of Narnia” author C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) in this 2023 drama directed by Matthew Brown and based on the stage play by Mark St. Germain. With Jodi Balfour, Jeremy Northam and Orla Brady. 108 mins. Rated PG-13. amctheatres.com, laemmle.com

‘The Iron Claw’ Zac Efron and “The Bear’s” Jeremy Allen White star in this 2023 bio-drama about professional wrestling’s legendary Von Erich family. Sean Durkin directs and Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany and Lily James also star. 130 mins. Rated R. Various theaters

‘Migration’ Life as a duck isn’t all it’s quacked up to be in this family friendly 2023 animated tale featuring the voices of Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Carol Kane, Danny DeVito and Keegan-Michael Key. 92 mins. Rated PG. Various theaters

‘Society of the Snow’ Players for Uruguayan rugby team become stranded when their chartered flight crashes in the icy Andes mountains in this fact-based 2023 thriller directed by J.A. Bayona (“The Impossible”). In Spanish with English subtitles. 144 mins. Rated R. laemmle.com, landmarktheaters.com

‘20 Days in Mariupol’ Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mstyslav Chernov documents Russia’s siege of one Ukrainian city in the spring of 2022 in this acclaimed 2023 documentary. In Ukrainian, Russian and English with English subtitles. 82 mins. Rated PG. laemmle.com