What's new in theaters: 'The Big Short,' 'In the Heart of the Sea' and 'Legend'

'In the Heart of the Sea'

Ron Howard's In the Heart of Sea sets sail with barrels of drama aboard, explores dudes being dudes and unleashes the most fearsome seabound villain this starboard side of Jaws. The Oscar-winning director's adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick's novel stars Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson, among others. It's whale of a tale that's equal parts thriller and disaster film (*** out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters Friday).

Trailer: 'In the Heart of the Sea'

A whaling ship becomes stranded at sea for 90 days in the movie 'In the Heart of the Sea.' The film tells the true story that inspired 'Moby-Dick.'

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'Legend'

Tom Hardy tackles the long-lauded tradition of playing twins on film with his newest movie Legend, a biopic that explores the lives of infamous London mobsters, Ronald and Reginald Kray. The pair gained notoriety in the 1950s and 1960s for their criminal antics, which ranged from arson to murder, and their extravagant lifestyle as nightclub owners who regularly brushed shoulders with Hollywood's elite, including Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra.

Trailer: 'Legend'

'Legend' tells the story of identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray who terrorize London during the 1950s and 1960s.

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'The Big Short'

Aweighty (and recently Golden Globe-nominated) drama about the intricacies of the housing market, The Big Short isbased on a like-named fiction novel by Michael Lewis, author of The Blind Side and Moneyball, and boasts a star-studded cast that includes Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale. The film explores the credit default swap markets and financial crisis of the 00's as seen through the eyes of oddball Wall Street traders who cried "disaster" before the unseen worldwide economic collapse (opens Friday in New York and Los Angeles, nationwide Dec. 23).

Trailer: 'The Big Short'

Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell star in the movie adaption of Michael Lewis' book 'The Big Short.'

Other recent releases:

• Chi-Raq , Spike Lee sends a message about gun violence (***½ out of four)
• Youth , a big-screen overture to retirement age (*** out of four)
• Macbeth , a classic Shakespeare story turned historical epic