In Theaters: THE GRINCH, THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB, OVERLORD and THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS

This week it's time to get festive...or not...with Illumination Entertainment's "The Grinch". The animated film is looking to dominate the box-office and pundits expect a $60+ million debut, and given the studio's track record, it shouldn't be a problem. Actually, it might even end up over-performing.

Another new release is the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo reboot "The Girl in the Spider's Web" which is based on David Lagercrantz's 2015 book of the same name, the fourth novel in Stieg Larsson's Millennium series, and the first not written by Larsson himself, who died of a heart attack in 2004.

For horror fans we have the World War II zombie flick "Overlord" from producer J.J. Abrams. This film has been getting a lot of positive buzz, so it should be a safe bet, if you're into this kind of stuff.

And in limited release, fans of the Coen brothers' work should check out their latest release, the western anthology film "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs". If it's not playing in a theater near you, you can also catch it on Netflix right now. The theatrical release is mostly just for awards purposes.

Synopses, details, critical/audience reception, trailers, and more after the jump.

THE GRINCH

Official Synopsis

Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch realizes there is only one way for him to gain some peace and quiet: he must steal Christmas. To do so, he decides he will pose as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, even going so far as to trap a lackadaisical misfit reindeer to pull his sleigh. Meanwhile, down in Who-ville, Cindy-Lou Who-a young girl overflowing with holiday cheer-plots with her gang of friends to trap Santa Claus as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds so that she can thank him for help for her overworked single mother. As Christmas approaches, however, her good-natured scheme threatens to collide with the Grinch's more nefarious one. Will Cindy-Lou achieve her goal of finally meeting Santa Claus? Will the Grinch succeed in silencing the Whos' holiday cheer once and for all?

Film Details

• Director: Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier
  
  
• Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Angela Lansbury, Rashida Jones, Pharrell Williams, Kenan Thompson
  
  
• Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
  
  
• Running Time: 90 min.
  
  
• Rating: PG for brief rude humor
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 58% (43 fresh, 31 rotten, score: 5.9/10)
  
• Metacritic: 50 out of 100 (11 positive, 12 mixed, 5 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 81% (4.1/5 rating from 9,379 users)
  
• Metacritic: 6.0/10 (1 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative).
• IMDb: 5.7/10 (336 votes)
  

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THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB

Official Synopsis

Lisbeth Salander, the cult figure and title character of the acclaimed Millennium book series created by Stieg Larsson, will return to the screen in The Girl in the Spider's Web, a first-time adaptation of the recent global bestseller.

Film Details

• Director: Fede Alvarez
  
  
• Starring: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Merchant, Vicky Krieps
  
  
• Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
  
  
• Running Time: 117 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for violence, language and some sexual content/nudity
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 48% (44 fresh, 47 rotten, score: 5.3/10)
  
• Metacritic: 44 out of 100 (9 positive, 16 mixed, 8 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 39% (3.1/5 rating from 506 users)
  
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 5.7/10 (1,498 votes)
  

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OVERLORD

Official Synopsis

With only hours until D-Day, a team of American paratroopers drop into Nazi-occupied France to carry out a mission that's crucial to the invasion's success. Tasked with destroying a radio transmitter atop a fortified church, the desperate soldiers join forces with a young French villager to penetrate the walls and take down the tower. But, in a mysterious Nazi lab beneath the church, the outnumbered G.I.s come face-to-face with enemies unlike any the world has ever seen. From producer J.J. Abrams, Overlord is a thrilling, pulse-pounding action adventure with a twist.

Film Details

• Director: Julius Avery
  
  
• Starring: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, Pilou Asbaek, John Magaro, Bokeem Woodbine
  
  
• Genre: Action, Horror
  
  
• Running Time: 109 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for strong bloody violence, disturbing images, language, and brief sexual content
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 84% (61 fresh, 12 rotten, score: 6.5/10)
  
• Metacritic: 58 out of 100 (13 positive, 7 mixed, 3 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (4.1/5 rating from 738 users)
  
• Metacritic: 7.0/10 (4 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative).
• IMDb: 7.1/10 (2,531 votes)
  

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THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS

Official Synopsis

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a six-part Western anthology film, a series of tales about the American frontier told through the unique and incomparable voice of Joel and Ethan Coen. Each chapter tells a distinct story about the American West.

Film Details

• Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
  
  
• Starring: Liam Neeson, James Franco, Tom Waits, Stephen Root, Ralph Ineson, Zoe Kazan, Clancy Brown
  
  
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical
  
  
• Running Time: 132 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for some strong violence
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 95% (52 fresh, 3 rotten, score: 7.8/10)
  
• Metacritic: 80 out of 100 (25 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (4.4/5 rating from 349 users)
  
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 6.6/10 (611 votes)
  

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