 THIS WEEK'S TOP PICKS 
“The Matrix Resurrections” Now in theaters and on HBO Max, “The Matrix Resurrections” is the fourth film in the series, the first since 2003. But if the original left you saying, "Whoa!", this one will have you asking, "Why?" Taking place 60 years after we last saw them, Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) are stuck again in simulated reality of the Matrix, unaware of the events depicted in the previous films. It's only a matter of time before Neo wakes up and tries to do something he couldn't do before: save his true love. The movie is indeed full of intense action and deep philosophical dilemmas, but, ultimately, the film is too meta for its own good and really doesn't have anything new to say. READ MORE
“A Journal for Jordan” Director Denzel Washington brings former Plain Dealer journalist Dana Canedy's touching love story to the big screen. The film follows her romance with Charles Monroe King, a 1st Sergeant in the Army from Cleveland, who was killed in Iraq in 2006 a few months after the birth of their son, Jordan. Starring Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams, the film is also about the ongoing conversation between a son and his father, who before he died left the boy a 200-page journal to guide him through life. Bring tissues. READ MORE
Watch the Browns-Packers game
Cleveland Foundation Rink at Public Square
The Rink at Wade Oval Skate around the ice at Wade Oval’s ice rink this season, under starry lights in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood. Beyond the ice skating, hot cocoa, coffee and snacks will be available for purchase from a concession stand. Admission and rentals $1-$5. 10820 East Blvd., Cleveland. Through Feb. 27. DETAILS
Wild Winter Lights at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo This annual holiday light spectacular features more than one million individual lights illuminating hundreds of displays spread across the zoo. There are also carousel rides, costumed characters, model train displays, ice carvers, live music, a dazzling light show with a 50-foot tree and photos with Santa, of course. Tickets, $18-$20. Drive-through experience available on select dates for $54-$60 per vehicle. 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland. Through Dec. 30, Jan. 2. DETAILS
Winter RiverFest Enjoy festive fun along the Cuyahoga as Rivergate Park and Merwin’s Wharf are transformed into a holiday village. The event, put on by Cleveland Metroparks, features ice skating, a beer garden, a retail shop and reservable igloos where you can dine on a special winter menu. Free. 1785 Merwin Ave., Cleveland Through Jan. 2. DETAILS
A Garden Holiday at the Cleveland Botanical Garden ‘Tis a feast for the senses as Cleveland Botanical Garden is turned into a holiday wonderland, full of festive plants and towering trees. Tickets, $12-$16. 11030 East Blvd., Cleveland. Through Jan. 2. DETAILS
Magic of Lights This magical drive-through experience returns to the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds where around every corner your favorite holiday scenes and characters are brought to life through spectacular light displays. You can also hop out of the car to meet Santa, decorate a snowman and enjoy seasonal treats at the Jolly Holiday Village. Tickets, $21-$26 per vehicle. 19201 E. Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights. Through Jan. 2. DETAILS
Mr. Jingeling reading in Public Square Grab your hat and mittens and head to Public Square on Christmas Eve for an event hosted by Mr. Jingeling. The Cleveland holiday icon will read “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas” in downtown Cleveland. Free. Public Square, Cleveland 2:30 and 3:30 p.m., Dec. 24. DETAILS
 A Christmas Story House & Museum Tour the Parker’s home from the 1983 classic movie, which has been restored with great detail to its original splendor. Fans can find original props, costumes, memorabilia and rare behind-the-scenes photos in the museum across the street. Tickets, $11-$15. Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 3159 W. 11th St., Cleveland. DETAILS
Cleveland Metroparks Toboggan Chutes Find your thrill in the chill at the Chalet in Strongsville, whooshing down 700-foot refrigerated ice chutes on an old-timey toboggan. Reservations required. Tickets, $11-$13. 16200 Valley Pkwy, Strongsville Through March 6. DETAILS
Deck the Halls at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens “Lights, Cameras, Christmas” is the theme of the hall’s annual holiday event. Inside, 25 decorated trees will be on view as classic Christmas movies and television shows play in the background. Outside, the gardens and grounds will be illuminated with one million lights, choreographed to holiday music in a dazzling display. Tickets, $6-$18. 714 N. Portage Path, Akron. Select nights through Dec. 30. DETAILS
Wild Lights at the Akron Zoo The Akron zoo’s transformation into a winter wonderland is bigger and better than ever with more lights and brand-new displays. Meet Santa, check out a dazzling animated light show and see many of the animals in their habitats. Tickets, $9-$13. 500 Edgewood Ave., Akron. Dec. 26-30. DETAILS
Castle Noel This unique retail and museum-type experience bills itself as America’s largest indoor year-round Christmas attraction. You’ll find props and costumes from some of your favorite Christmas movies, animated window displays from major New York City department stores, visits with Santa, a 25-foot Christmas tree, slide and more. It even snows inside! Reservations required. Tickets, $19.50-$24.50. 260 S. Court St., Medina. Open daily except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day. DETAILS
“Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain” In a first-of-its-kind exhibition, the Cleveland Museum of Art uses immersive digital technology to take visitors to the floodplains of southern Cambodia to tell the story of one of the most prized items in its collection: a rare, 7th-century sculpture of Krishna. Tickets, $12-15. 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland. Through Jan. 30. DETAILS
“Picturing Motherhood Now” exhibit at Cleveland Museum of Art One of the museum’s major shows features works by a diverse group of more than 30 contemporary artists focusing on the subject of what it means to be a mother. The works explore motherhood through the lens of slavery, racism, feminism, undocumented immigration, the changing definitions of family and gender, and more. Members free. Non-member tickets start at $10. 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland. Through March 13. DETAILS
Immersive Van Gogh This popular art experience at the new Lighthouse ArtSpace offers a unique way to experience Vincent Van Gogh’s post-Impressionist works. The projection-based displays unfold on the walls around you, showcasing the Dutch master painter’s iconic works, including his most famous, “Starry Night.” Tickets $39.99-$49.99. Through Feb. 6. 850 E. 72nd St., Cleveland. DETAILS
 EAT & DRINK Mocktails, liege waffles, next-level mac ‘n’ cheese & more Yelp Cleveland’s Community Director Lauren Kotmel is at the helm of a vibrant, buzzing community of locals who drink, shop and play their way through the city via peer recommendations on the platform. Winter is here, and Kotmel gave us the scoop on the food and drink trends taking over Cleveland this season. Warm your bones with these local favorites from small businesses in the Greater Cleveland area. READ MORE
Elle restaurant and lounge in Solon now open
Christmas Ale guide in Greater Cleveland Northeast Ohio brewers have always been creative. That creativity comes out in both flavors and names of their seasonal ales – holiday beers, winter warmers, Christmas ales. They range in spiciness, ingredients used and alcohol content. (Two this year registered at 12%.) A couple of breweries sold out of their holiday ale already, and another is offering a holiday seltzer. Many also offer growlers and crowlers in house, of course. Here’s our annual guide to seasonal suds being offered throughout Northeast Ohio. There’s quite a lot to choose from; more than 100 holiday beers are available for sipping throughout the region. Cleveland.com beer-and-wine writer Marc Bona has your guide. READ MORE
2021 sparkling wine guide Cleveland.com's Marc Bona serves up his annual guide to sparkling wines. A little knowledge can help you understand what is in your bottle or glass. Prices, label terms, what to know before you buy. READ MORE
 TV & MOVIES “Being the Ricardos” Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos,” a smart and quippy showbiz pic that takes audiences behind the curtains of a tricky relationship on an especially fraught week of “I Love Lucy.” Neither of the stars especially look like the icons they’re portraying, and the filmmakers have gotten some understandable criticism over casting Bardem, who is Spanish, as a Cuban-American, but they do seem to capture the spirit of the characters and all of their fascinating contradictions. “Being the Ricardos” is available on Amazon Prime Video this week. DETAILS
“Don’t Look Up” Leonardo DiCaprio leads an all-star cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep in “Don’t Look Up,” an end of the world comedy that starts streaming on Netflix on Friday. Directed and co-written by Adam McKay, who also took on the Cheneys in “Vice” and the financial crisis in “The Big Short,” this climate change allegory features DiCaprio and Lawrence as scientists who discover an extinction-sized comet that’s headed towards Earth. The problem is no one seems to care. DETAILS
"Licorice Pizza" It’s a rare film that makes you nostalgic for a time and place you never knew, but Paul Thomas Anderson’s breezy, sunny “Licorice Pizza” does just that for the San Fernando Valley of Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and Alana Kane’s ( Alana Haim ) youths. Awash in Southern California calm and optimism, this is a playful and joyous ode to the big personalities, embellished stories, endless possibilities and endearing Hollywood-adjacency of a place that barely exists anymore. READ MORE
“Encanto” Tireless “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda lent eight original songs to Disney’s latest animated charmer, “Encanto,” about a magical Colombian family and the one daughter who seems to have missed out. AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote in his review that, “’Encanto’ is a film about the pressure of living up to high expectations and the fear of revealing imperfections. It’s about outcasts and misfits in plain sight.” Families who didn’t get to go to the theater to see it at Thanksgiving will have another chance when the film hits Disney+ on Friday, right in time for the Christmas break. DETAILS
“The Tender Bar” “The Tender Bar,” a coming-of-age film based on a real life that doesn’t feel entirely real. It’s a George Clooney-directed, Ben Affleck-starring celebration of men set in the ‘70s and ‘80s that uses a charmed life to say remarkably little. It is a gentle, oddly crafted but loving look at men, fueled by a soundtrack of classics like Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and Steely Dan’s “Do It Again.” It’s a valentine to guys who step up. READ MORE
“The King’s Man” It’s a prequel to the “Kingsman” movies that starred Taron Egerton and Samuel L. Jackson, but it’s best to forget about them since this one takes place more than half a century earlier. It purports to chart the development of the secret spy agency depicted in the gleefully bloody London-set “Kingsman” films, connecting early-20th-century events such as the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Russian reign of terror of Rasputin and trench warfare in World War I. It stars Ralph Fiennes as a pioneer of the Kingsman. READ MORE
“The Mezzotint” In the grand tradition of British ghost stories for Christmas comes “The Mezzotint,” debuting Friday on the BritBox streaming service. Rory Kinnear stars as university museum curator Mr. Williams, who receives an engraved picture that appears to show simply a country house at night. But is there a figure in the corner, one that keeps moving, and is there a frightening tale behind it? Well, of course! DETAILS
MUSIC  Trans-Siberian Orchestra When it comes to the holidays, Trans-Siberian Orchestra is about as dependable as Santa Clause and mass-mailed catalogs. TSO is back on the road this year after last season's livestream, once again playing its triple-platinum debut album "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The group performs two shows Thursday, Dec. 30, at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. There will be fire and choirs, special effects, strings and all the other things that make it the greatest annual spectacle on the road. And you’ll find few happier about that than two original members -- drummer Jeff Plate from the East company and guitarist Al Pitrelli from the West -- who hopped on the phone with reporters prior to the tour. READ MORE
Chrissie Hynde Seven months after releasing “Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan,” the Akron native and Pretenders bandleader plays those songs and more at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26, filmed live at the Royal Opera House in London. Her postings for the concert promise it will be “exceedingly special and festive,” along with “classic Kinks tracks, Pretenders songs and more.” Tickets are $22. DETAILS
Blue Lunch’s Christmas Latke Party
Chuck Berry A live posthumous album by Chuck Berry is being released this Christmas time as a digital download. “Live From Blueberry Hill” is taken from performances recorded between July 2005 and January 2006 at Blueberry Hill café in St. Louis, one of Berry’s favorite places to play. The album features Berry tearing through classics like “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Johnny B. Goode.” More songs off the live album include “Rock and Roll Music,” “Let It Rock,” “Carol/Little Queenie,” “Around and Around,” “Nadine” and “Mean Old World.” DETAILS
‘Sing 2” New music from U2 is included in the soundtrack for the animated “Sing 2,” which opens Wednesday. The film sequel — which features the band's singer and songwriter Bono voicing a character called Clay Calloway — also features “bad guy” by Billie Eilish, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John and Scarlett Johansson singing U2's “Stuck In a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of.” Taron Egerton covers “A Sky Full of Stars” and Halsey tackles The Struts' “Could Have Been Me.” Another U2 song — “Where the Streets Have No Name” — is performed by Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton, Johansson, Reese Witherspoon and Nick Kroll. DETAILS
Boxed set bonanza: Beatles, Bowie, Judas Priest and more Here are the season’s best box sets, for your listening pleasure or that last-minute gift. New releases from The Beatles, David Bowie, Judas Priest, Nirvana, Metallica, Radiohead and more. READ MORE
Listen to the latest episodes of CLE Rocks podcast, with Troy L. Smith
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