Harbor Theater

185 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor ~ 633-0438 ~ http://boothbaycinema.org

“Lady Bird” -  Oscar buzz abounds for this coming of age story set in Sacramento, California. Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) is bound and determined to escape her dreary town and go to college back east, but her mom (Laurie Metcalf) tries in vain to persuade her about love, life and especially where to go to college. Superb acting by Ronan and Metcalf, with directional debut by Greta Gerwig. Rated R, last screening is Wednesday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m.

“A Quiet Passion” -  Cynthia Nixon delivers a triumphant performance as Emily Dickinson as she personifies the wit, intellectual independence and pathos of the poet whose genius only came to be recognized after her death. Acclaimed British director Terence Davies exquisitely evokes Dickinson's deep attachment to her close-knit family along with the manners, mores and spiritual convictions of her time that she struggled with and transcended in her poetry.

For the Thursday, Jan. 11 screening at 7 p.m. there will be an introduction and Q & A with Professor John Ward, retired Chair of the English Department at Kenyon College (Ohio). Free refreshments served from 6:30 p.m. Second screening of “A Quiet Passion,” rated PG 13, will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12 (film only).

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” - Martin McDonagh directs this dark comic drama about revenge. After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command, Officer Dixon -- an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence -- gets involved, the battle is only exacerbated. But Mildred never lets up on her sharp tongue or tough determination to find an answer.

The film has six nominations for Golden Globes including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress (Frances McDormand), and watch for her nomination for an Oscar as well.  As Al Hoff of the Pittsburgh City Paper said, “The film rightly belongs to McDormand, who is simply grand; this is perhaps her best role since Fargo.”

 “Three Billboards  Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is rated R. It screens at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12, Saturday, Jan. 13 and Wednesday, Jan. 17; and on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.

Lincoln Theater

2 Theater St., Damariscotta ~ 207-563-3424 ~ www.atthelincoln.org

“Last Flag Flying” - In 2003, 30 years after they served together in the Vietnam War, former Navy Corps medic Richard "Doc" Shepherd (Steve Carell) re-unites with Former Marines Sal (Bryan Cranston) and Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) on a different type of mission: to bury Doc's son, a young Marine killed in the Iraq War. Doc decides to forgo a burial at Arlington Cemetery and, with the help of his old buddies, takes the casket on a bittersweet trip up the East Coast to his home in suburban New Hampshire. Along the way, Doc, Sal and Mueller reminisce and come to terms with shared memories of the war that continues to shape their lives. Director Richard Linklater and author Darryl Ponicsan collaborated on the screenplay which follows the trio as they wrestle with the pangs of war both past and present.  Last Flag Flying balances raw drama against refreshing moments of humor in an impeccably cast film that wrestles with questions of patriotism, family, and grief.  Rated R, final screenings are on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 2  (with open captions) and  7 p.m.

“Human Flow” - Over 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change and war in the greatest human displacement since World War II. Human Flow, an epic film journey led by the internationally renowned artist Ai Weiwei, gives a powerful visual expression to this massive human migration. Rated PG 13 it plays Thursday, Jan. 11 at 2 and 7 p.m. Runtime: 2 hours, 20 minutes

“Conversations” with Ron Chernow on Ulysses S. Grant and with General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus (1 hour, 10 min) - For details, see separate article in this section of the paper.

 “Wonder” - Based on the New York Times bestseller, Wonder tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman. Born with facial differences that, up until now, have prevented him from going to a mainstream school, Auggie becomes the most unlikely of heroes when he enters the local fifth grade. As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to discover their compassion and acceptance, Auggie's extraordinary journey will unite them all and prove you can't blend in when you were born to stand out.  Starring Jacob Tremblay as Auggie; Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, it plays at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12; Saturday, Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.; and at 2 and 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, Wednesday, Jan. 17 and Thursday, Jan. 18.

“The Opera House” - A new film by multiple Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker Susan Froemke, surveys a remarkable period of the Metropolitan Opera’s rich history and a time of great change for New York. Drawing on rarely seen archival footage, stills, and recent interviews, the film chronicles the creation of the Met’s storied home of the last 50 years, against the backdrop of the artists, architects, and politicians who shaped the cultural life of New York City in the ’50s and ’60s. Playing Saturday, Jan. 13 at 1 p.m.  Please note special ticket prices apply.

“13th” - Free matinee screening of Ava DuVernay's documentary in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality. The film explores the " ... intersection of race, justice and mass incarceration in the United States." It is titled after the 13th amendment to the constitution. Rev. Erika Hewitt of the Midcoast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will lead a post-screening conversation. Monday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m.