In 2023, actor and comedian Rob Schneider celebrated his first Christmas as a Catholic.

Long ago, when the world was young, B-52s frontman Fred Schneider warned his listeners to stay away from “a pool fraught with danger.” The virtually bloodless but uneven horror yarn “Night Swim” (Universal) – which is possibly acceptable for older teens as well as grown-ups – offers a similar caution.

Shia LaBeouf, a Hollywood veteran and star of director Abel Ferrara’s film “Padre Pio,” received the sacrament of confirmation, completing his initiation into the Catholic faith, during the New Year holiday weekend, according to announcements posted Jan. 2 to Facebook and Instagram by the Capuchin Franciscans’ Western American Province.

Nostalgic evocations of a simpler era or intimate love stories may qualify as the kind of comforting fare that will help to make a dreary January afternoon go by in a more enjoyable way.

A cautionary tale unfolds in “The Iron Claw,” (A24) based on the true story of the rise and fall of an all-American wrestling family.

A menagerie of special effects aimlessly searching for a coherent plot is the most concise way to sum up “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (Warner Bros.), the sequel to 2018’s immensely successful “Aquaman.”

An endearing piece of entertainment awaits audiences in the animated adventure “Migration” (Universal).

In the musical drama “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.), author Alice Walker’s account of one woman’s survival skills and self-esteem in the face of grinding poverty and cruel patriarchal oppression finds its perfected ritual form.

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.

Although the script, penned by director Will Gluck and Ilana Wolpert, draws on Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” the mores on display are all-too-modern.