Movies opening Dec. 9
Gianfranco Rosi, who escaped from Eritrea at the age of 13 in the 1970s, directs this documentary about life for African refugees on the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Natalie Portman plays the first lady, who looks back at her life during JFK’s presidency, including the famous 1962 tour of the White House and the terrible day in Dallas in 1963 and its aftermath.
Bay Area documentarian Steve Okazaki directed this tribute to the actor most famous for his roles in filmmaker Akira Kurosawa movies such as “Rashomon” and “Seven Samurai.”
Jessica Chastain stars as a powerful lobbyist who may take on more than she can handle in this film directed by John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”).
Office Christmas Party: “Horrible Bosses” co-stars Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston reunite in this comedy, in which T.J. Miller of “Silicon Valley” fame also stars.
Old Stone: A taxi driver (Gang Chen) in China hits a motorcyclist and ends up in a bureaucratic nightmare because he gets a more severe punishment for aiding the victim.