The week’s openings: Portraits of legends

And it's Christmas Eve. Three reasons to celebrate:

1. Santa comes tomorrow.

2. The days are getting longer.

3. According to the national movie-release schedule, two movies are opening this week. They are:

"Holmes & Watson": Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly portray, respectively, the legendary fictional British detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart physician sidekick John Watson. This is the fourth comedy the two have starred in together.

"Vice": Christian Bale stars as former Vice President Dick Cheney in this fictional look at the life and times of not only him but also of George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) and Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell).

Both films are scheduled to open on Christmas Day. Other films are listed as potential openings, and — as always — I'll update when the area theaters finalize their bookings.