Movie & Television Reviews

– A warmhearted profile of a pioneering Indigenous American sports figure is provided in filmmakers Jonathan Cipiti and Megan Harrington’s documentary “Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer.”

A child-abduction theme lends a dark undertone to the turbid horror film “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”

In a world of ultra-raunchy rap and the obscenity-laden lyrics often found even outside that genre, Taylor Swift shows considerable moderation.

Small-time retail investors take on some of the titans of Wall Street in the wry fact-based blend of comedy and drama “Dumb Money” (Sony). Although the David vs. Goliath aspect of director Craig Gillespie’s film is appealing, the relentless vulgarity of its dialogue gives his retrospective a hard edge and renders it acceptable for few.

Although the horror sequel “The Exorcist: Believer” (Universal) gets off to a reasonably promising start, it degenerates quickly. It ends up being a muddle both dramatically and, more significantly, in its treatment of religion.

Science fiction is often used as an allegorical vessel within which to explore real-life current events, and such is the case with “The Creator” (20th Century). Although primarily set in the year 2070, this thinking person’s war drama takes for its main topic the timely subject of artificial intelligence.