Catholic moviegoers will naturally take an interest in any project related to the works of their renowned co-religionist, novelist J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973). But the question always remains whether any new adventure set in his fictional land of Middle-earth will share in the elusive magic of the stories he himself spun.

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.

As strained as it is bloodsoaked and morally wayward, the would-be action adventure “Kraven the Hunter” (Columbia) is a hopeless dud. On the upside, moviegoers misguided enough to patronize the film will likely be too bored to be much corrupted by it.

Twenty-five years on, is it time to wax nostalgic for the turn of the millennium? If the low-minded disaster-themed comedy “Y2K” (A24) is anything to go by, the answer is a resounding “No.”

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.

The life of the Blessed Mother, from before her birth to the flight into Egypt, is recounted with varying levels of artistic adeptness in the uneven biography “Mary” (Netflix). Though the result is not always satisfying, the production overall is both reverent and engaging.

“Mary,” an earnest drama, will be available for streaming on Netflix Dec. 6.

Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Jason Cherubini, an executive-in-residence at Loyola University Maryland about the business behind holiday movies and why there are so many of them. It’s good business, he says, because people are searching for connection and comfort at this time of year. But the ones that become classics are those that resonate with people year after year.

Expected to top $30 million in ticket sales by the time it transitions from movie theaters to streaming services, secular reviews are exuberant and Academy Award buzz abounds for Conclave.

The high-spirited Oceanaian princess who gave her name to a 2016 animated feature returns for further adventures in “Moana 2” (Disney).