It's a Wonderful Life. This Frank Capra classic has Jimmy Stewart thinking about ending it all because his small-town bank and its customers are doomed financially. But a Christmas angel tries to get him to think otherwise. I'm going to go way out on a limb here to say of Mr. Potter: I'm not a big fan. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Fri., 2 & 7 p.m. $8.50-$11.
Trolls 2. This week's Friday Night Freakout is a “Christmas in Nilbog”-themed screening of the 1990 B-horror comedy complete with spiked egg nog, green ooze and “miraculous broth.” Directed by Claudio Fragasso, Trolls 2 has young Joshua (Michael Stephenson) learning—much to his chagrin—that he will be going on vacation with his family to a small town called Nilbog. He is warned by the spirit of his deceased grandfather that goblins populate the town and must rely on the ghost of gramps to fight off the evil beings. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Fri., 11 p.m. $8-$10.
Die Hard. Can we all agree that Bruce Willis went from the funny schmo in Moonlighting to Mr. Bruce Fucking Willis with his turn as New York cop John McClane in this 1998 action classic? It's Christmas in LA, and there's an employee party in progress on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Corp. building, where the revelry comes to a violent end thanks to strongly armed party crashers led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). But among the hostages is Holly McClane (Bonnie Bedelia), whose estranged husband (Willis) stops at nothing to save her. YIPPEE KI YAY, MUTHERFUCKERS! Regency Directors Cut Cinema at Rancho Niguel, 25471 Rancho Niguel Rd., Laguna Niguel, (949) 831-0446, Tues. Call for show time. $8.
The Return of Doctor Mysterio. “The Doctor Who Christmas Special,” which has long been a holiday tradition on the other side of the Pond, comes to the big screen for the second year in a row thanks to BBC Worldwide and Fathom Events. Besides the special—which has the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) stepping into the TARDIS to face a thrilling new adventure—an exclusive introduction and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the program are included. AMC Orange 30, 20 City Blvd. W., Orange, (714) 769-4288; also at Cinemark Century Stadium 25, 1701 W. Katella Ave., Orange, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, 26701 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, 65 Fortune Dr., Irvine, (844) 462-7342; and Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, 7501 E. Carson, Long Beach, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents.com. Tues. & Thurs., Dec. 29, 7 p.m. $15.
Planet of the Apes. It may not sound like a holiday film to you, but it will to comedian/former Simpsons' writer Dana Gould, who love-love-loves him some original PotA. In the distant future, an astronaut crew led by Charlton Heston crash lands on a plane where intelligent, talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved. Based on a true story . . . I mean, a Rod Serling story. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $9.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.