Movie & Television Reviews

While the drama-and-comedy blend “A Man Called Otto” (Sony) proves generally goodhearted, it also turns out to be formulaic.

Director Kasi Lemmons’ profile charts singer Whitney Houston’s meteoric rise as well as the gradual descent into dependence that culminated in her untimely 2012 death at age 48.

The good news is that, overall, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” proves a worthy successor to its sparkling precursor, “Knives Out.”

“Babylon” (Paramount), writer-director Damien Chazelle’s sprawling recreation of Hollywood shortly before and after the advent of talkies, is a film of undeniable artistic intent. Yet its considerable aesthetic strong points are overshadowed by both overt content and an underlying tone that viewers of faith will feel compelled to reject.

Tim Burton steps forward as director of “Wednesday,” a spin-off named for, and focused on, the comically macabre Addams family’s daughter. All eight episodes of the series, which stars Jenna Ortega in the title role, are streaming on Netflix.

The upshot of “Violent NIght” is a strange blend of bloody mayhem and rank sentimentality that goes down like a gulp of sour eggnog.