John Mulderig

True to form, SpongeBob emerges from his latest escapades smarter, wiser, pleased with his newly acquired skills and with increased loyalty to his friends. So, although the script’s humor may often fall short, the franchise’s beguiling charm remains.

Capsule reviews of theatrical movies available now for streaming or scheduled for broadcast on network or cable television as well as notes on TV programming for the same week.

Given that its 2016 predecessor proved to be boffo at the box office as well as a hit with critics, it seems surprising that it should have taken almost a decade for the Mouse House to give us “Zootopia 2” (Disney). Whatever may have caused the delay, the follow-up registers as an enjoyable adventure that’s suitable for all but the youngest.

Movies with a Christmas theme abound but ones that focus on Thanksgiving are rarer. Still, a handful of notable films have incorporated the November holiday into their plots.

It’s hard to imagine the pitch session at which the premise of the would-be psychological thriller “The Carpenter’s Son” (Magnolia) was presented for approval. “Drawing on a 2nd-century apocryphal text,” the summary might have run, “why don’t we turn Jesus’ teenage years into the basis for a horror film?”

Rage is the predominant emotion in “The Running Man” (Paramount), the second screen version of Stephen King’s eponymous 1982 novel. As directed and co-written by Edgar Wright, it’s an anger-fuelled action film that’s bitter in mood as well as morally ambivalent.