The week’s movie openings: Killer Santa and shoes

Above: David Harbour stars as a take-no-prisoners Santa Claus in "Violent Night." (Photo/Universal Pictures)

Led by a film about a Santa Claus who is as handy with weapons as he is at handling flying reindeer, the week’s movie releases display a wide range of themes.

The scheduled lineup looks something like this (though there may be additions):

“Violent Night”: David Harbour stars as a no-nonsense Santa Claus who comes to the aid of a family that is being held up by a group of murderous thugs led by John Leguizamo.

“This is a star vehicle, or rather, a sleigh, built specifically for Harbour, who gamely commits to the performance, and is probably the only actor currently working in Hollywood who could pull this off,” wrote critic Katie Walsh. “The result is amusing enough, but it’s as cinematically substantive as a sugar cookie.”

“I Heard the Bells”: Following a personal tragedy, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow regains the strength to resume writing.

Reviewer Cooper Dowd wrote, “Despite its truth about the tragedy in Longfellow’s life, the movie ultimately champions the gifts of family, faith, and hope in the face of the darkness of family tragedy and the violent chaos of the Civil War.”

“Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams”: Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino documents the life and career of the famed Italian shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo.

Moira Macdonald of the Seattle Times wrote, “ ‘Salvatore’ is a pleasure for anyone who loves shoes and/or good movies.”

“The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie”: Based on the manga series and a sequel to the anime TV series, this animated film features the character Futaro Uesugi declaring his love for one the Nakano quintuplets.

Reviewer Thomas Knight wrote, “ ‘The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie’ is meant to wrap up the series and I feel like it did it well. It answered a lot of questions and clearly showed a winner, unlike several similar series finales.”

So go, see a movie. And enjoy.