Pope Francis praised actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg for helping people laugh and feel joy, telling her, “You are very important.”

Emotional ambiguity pervades the dramatization “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Paramount/Apple TV+). Epic yet intimate, director and co-writer Martin Scorsese’s masterful recounting of real-life events in 1920s Oklahoma is too gritty for kids, but deeply rewarding for grown-ups and possibly acceptable for older teens.

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.

First-person shooter games don’t often involve fantasy. But the visually pleasing “Immortals of Aveum” (Electronic Arts) — which also boasts a talented voice cast and quickly paced action — combines these elements to good effect.

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.

A decade after premiering on Nickelodeon and two years out from their film debut, the titular group of canine first responders, led by a preteen boy called Ryder (voice of Finn Lee-Epp), returns for another round of derring-do and some fresh life lessons.

A blast furnace of blasphemy, “Deliver Us” (Magnet), also is an amalgam of gore and nudity. Co-director (with Cru Ennis) Lee Roy Kunz — who co-wrote the screenplay with Kane Kunz and also takes the film’s leading role — seems intent on giving us religiously themed horror with sexy elements and the power to shock.

After 146 days on strike, the Writers Guild of America — the labor union representing film, television, radio and online media writers — reached a tentative deal Sept. 24 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, the organization that negotiates on behalf of Hollywood’s largest production companies.