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Marcelo (Wagner Moura) who is running away from something — and into something possibly more dangerous — in “The Secret Agent.”

Wagner Moura is on the run in 1977 Brazil in ‘The Secret Agent’

You can almost smell the sweat in “The Secret Agent,” a stylish, slow burn thriller about radicals and mercenaries in 1977 Brazil. Filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho begins his film with the note that it was “a time of mischief.”

SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny) stays protected from The Flying Dutchman (voiced by Mark Hamill) in “The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants.”

SpongeBob is back in madcap ‘Search for SquarePants’

SpongeBob SquarePants just wants to be a big guy. For our bubble-blowing, Bikini Bottom resident, that means reaching the coveted height of 36 clams tall so that he can finally ride the big roller coaster at Captain Booty Beard’s Fun Park in “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.”

Mannheim Steamroller returns to Chicago for its annual holiday extravaganza.

Best bets: From Mannheim Steamroller to classical to rockabilly, holiday sounds fill the air

Sounds of the season fill the air, including “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas” at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre, Chicago Sinfonietta in Naperville, rockabilly musician Zachary Stevenson in Schaumburg and jazz quartet The Tom-Toms in Arlington Heights.

Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), left, finds love with Tsireya (Bailey Bass) in “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

Wonder and war: New chapter opens on Pandora in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’

“Avatar: Fire and Ash,” at well more than three hours, is our longest stay yet on Pandora, and the one most likely to make you ponder why you came here in the first place. You can feel James Cameron’s deep devotion to the dynamics of his central characters, even when his interest outstrips our own.

The Greggory in South Barrington will host Santa for brunch on Sunday, Dec. 21.

Dining out: Grab a bite with Santa, plus Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dining

There’s still time to enjoy a meal with Santa this weekend at The Greggory and LAGO. We’ve also got Christmas movie trivia at Tapville Social and options for dining out on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Down on her luck, Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) gets a job as a maid in a posh mansion working for the Winchesters.

Naughty and nice: Paul Feig’s ‘The Housemaid’ is a twisty horror-thriller

Santa left us a present this holiday season and it is exactly what we didn’t know we needed: “The Housemaid,” a twisty, psychological horror-thriller that’s all wrapped up in an empowerment message.

Violinist and dancer Lindsey Stirling will perform Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan.

Concerts Dec. 19-25: Lindsey Stirling, Warrant, Shaq, the Spinners and more

Upcoming concerts include Lindsey Stirling’s “The Snow Waltz Tour” at the Genesee Theatre, Warrant at the Arcada Theatre, DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal) at the Salt Shed, Sara Evans at the Arcada Theatre, the Spinners at the Des Plaines Theatre and more.