Movies! SO MANY MOVIES!
Every holiday season, studios go nuts with movie releases—this year, you’ve got 20 billion films to pick from, and every single one of them will help you ignore your family for several hours! The 800-pound gorilla is, of course, Star Wars: The Last Jedi—but if you’ve already seen that, there’s the universally acclaimed romance Call Me by Your Name; Guillermo del Toro’s brilliant The Shape of Water; Downsizing, starring an itty-bitty Matt Damon; the Rock’s Jumanji reboot; Molly’s Game, the latest from Aaron Sorkin; and Wolverine’s musical The Greatest Showman. Even Netflix is getting in on the action with Bright, a big-budget fantasy starring Will Smith as a cop who has an orc for a partner. I assume they discover the meaning of Christmas? ERIK HENRIKSEN
See Movie Times for a complete calendar of films, theaters, and showtimes, and once you’re in the theater, turn off your fucking phone.
Feeding Homeless Folks
If you’re looking for some company this Christmas eve, head on over to the Clark Center—a short-term housing program through Transition Projects for people facing homelessness. You’ll be given a quick overview of guidelines by staff before serving meals to residents. EMILLY PRADO
4:30 pm, Clark Center, free
Dan Sheron
Balto frontman Dan Sheron’s week-long residency at Al’s Den promises to perk up the final week of 2017. Sheron’s rootsy musical leanings stem from his troubadour days in Siberia and Moscow, and he recently returned from a 16-stop tour through Russia by train. His wanderlust has yielded several releases under the Balto parasol, beginning with 2011’s October’s Road, followed by 2012’s Monuments, and later 2015’s 7-inch Call It by Its Name. Balto’s most recent record, Strangers, dropped in early 2017 via Total Reality Meltdown, and bursts with feel-good rockers like the addictive opening track “Lost on the Young” and the Paul Simon-esque “Restless Generation.” Wind down the year with comforting suds and one of the better songwriters in Portland. RYAN J. PRADO
Dec 24-30, 7 pm, Al’s Den, free
Chef Matt’s Christmas Dinner
Urban Farmer’s Matt Christianson hosts a three-course Christmas dinner spread over two nights and customizable to the tastes of the diners who come in from the cold to heat up their holidays with items such as pumpkin risotto, duck confit toast, chevre cheesecake, pork saltimbocca, and more.
noon, Urban Farmer, $65
It’s a Wonderful Life
The holiday classic beloved by those valiantly fighting the slow, crushing, and inevitable truth that their lives have not mattered at all.
2 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9
Don’t forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!