Movie & Television Reviews

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has a lot she wants to say about her life and art. Interestingly, much of what she wishes to share is not about her music or her recent worldwide concert tour. Rather, it concerns her moral views.

Partly a conversion story, partly a study in the triumph of friendship over isolation, the moving comedy-tinged drama “The Holdovers” (Focus) is an intimate, beautifully crafted film.

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.

Families don’t have to achieve perfection in order to live in harmony. Along with a lesson about the breaking down of fear-based barriers, that’s the basic theme of “Trolls Band Together” (Universal), a pleasant third animated adventure for the music-loving, doll-derived beings of the title who first arrived on the big screen in 2016.

The soul-deadening platter of splatter “Thanksgiving” (Sony) is intended as a comedic homage to exploitation horror films of the past.

Viewers out for sweeping spectacle will likely come away from director Ridley Scott’s historical epic satisfied. But those seeking insight into the conquering French emperor’s personality will find there’s a hollow ring to star Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of him.