Opera in HD and free Wall-E
The Met live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera presents Massenet's "Thais" one time only, broadcast in HD at select movie theaters. Starring Renee Fleming as an Egyptian courtesan in search of spiritual fulfillment. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $18 for children (with $1 fees). Go to movietickets.com.
11 a.m. Saturday at the South Barrington 30 Theaters, 175 Studio Dr., and at the AMC Yorktown 17 Theater, 80 Yorktown Shopping Center, Yorktown.
Free movies!
"Wall-E," a great science-fiction fantasy from those imaginative animators at Pixar, will be shown free of charge for the public, along with a later showing of the much lesser animated feature "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." One will win the Oscar for best animated feature next year. One won't. Can you guess which?
2 p.m. Tuesday ("Wall-E") and 2 p.m. Dec. 30 ("Star Wars - The Clone Wars") in the meeting room of the Cook Park Library, 413 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville.
A holiday double bill
The perennial fave "White Christmas" (1954) teams up with another cinematic classic, "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) in what has become an annual holiday double bill for 25 years. A live Santa greets you at the door and leads the audience through a Christmas carol singalong before each showing. (Don't worry. Lyrics are projected onto the screen to remind you.) Admission is $10 for a single feature; $15 for a double. Call (773) 871-6604 or go to musicboxtheatre.com.
Starts Friday through Christmas Eve at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago.