John Mulderig

The film traces the adventurous life of the biblical king (voice of Brandon Engman in youth, voice of Phil Wickham as an adult) from his anointing by the prophet Samuel (voiced by Brian Stivale) through his defeat of the giant Goliath (voice of Kamran Nikhad) and on to a climactic battle against the Amalekites. It also focuses on three of his most important relationships.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the release of the first film in director Peter Jackson’s trilogy “The Lord of the Rings,” Fathom Entertainment will be screening all three movies in the series this month.

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.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century), the third film in the always visually rich franchise that got its start in 2009, brings forward thematic elements that had previously been kept in the background and that viewers of faith will find it impossible to accept and difficult to dismiss. As a result, it requires careful evaluation by mature movie fans.

Clues and conundrums aren’t the only things that need to be sorted through in the murder mystery “Wake Up Dead Man” (Netflix). An equivocal, though ultimately positive, portrayal of faith marks this third film in the “Knives Out” franchise that began in 2019.

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.