Movie & Television Reviews

Returning as screenwriter and now occupying the director’s chair as well, Sorkin delivers “The Social Reckoning” (Sony), a follow-up focused on a more recent but equally contentious chapter in the company’s history. While it lacks the gripping fascination of its predecessor, the sequel is nonetheless intelligent entertainment aimed at — and appropriate for — mature viewers.

Among the subjects being held up for mockery in the grating black comedy “Digger” (Warner Bros.) is religion. While the film’s scorn might be interpreted as applying only to a hypocritical version of evangelicalism, its treatment of Christianity is so flippant that all viewers of faith will likely be affronted.

As annoyingly raucous as it is psychedelically colorful, the animated adventure “Forgotten Island” (Universal) sends messages that make it inappropriate fare for impressionable viewers. Parents should also note that the film is far too frightening for little kids.

For a little over three years, beginning in November 2004, the weekly evening news magazine “Dateline NBC” featured a recurring segment called “To Catch a Predator.” The rise and fall of this once-popular example of gotcha journalism is chronicled in the thought-provoking but arduous drama “Primetime” (A24).

Rin Tin Tin, one of the earliest canine stars in Hollywood, was a real-life survivor of World War I. In an interesting parallel, a dog called Odin, one of the two fictional protagonists of the adventure drama “Heart of the Beast” (Paramount), is shown to have emerged — badly scarred — from a much more recent conflict.

The theological significance and spiritual power of Eucharistic adoration are highlighted in the documentary “Adore Him: He Is Here.” A Fathom Entertainment presentation, the roughly 90-minute film will have a limited theatrical run Oct. 4-8.

Although its plot centers on a family of friendly witches, the romantic drama “Practical Magic 2” (Warner Bros.) involves no advocacy for the dark arts. They simply exist as part of the fanciful premise. Instead, the film’s appeal, like that of its 1998 predecessor, is meant to lie in its portrayal of strong female bonding amid adversity.

In 1381, one of the more unusual occurrences in Medieval history took place when a massive rebellion broke out among English serfs, temporarily threatening the established order of society. The events surrounding this attempt at revolution are chronicled in the grim and slaughter-filled dramatization “The Uprising” (Focus).