The social strife that roiled Spain, both during the 19th century and in the lead-up to that nation’s tragic 1936-39 civil war, serves as the background for the biography “Slaves and Kings”.

Director Ron Howard provides an understated chronicle of heroic real-life events in the
absorbing dramatization “Thirteen Lives.” While a bit of off-color dialogue
precludes endorsement for young viewers, the value of the film’s portrait of humanity at its best makes it
acceptable for older adolescents.

It’s not often that a prequel carries a story back by centuries. Yet such is the case with the intriguing but sanguinary sci-fi action film “Prey” (20th Century/Hulu, beginning Aug. 5).

The dialogue in Ken Cheng and Kate Angelo’s script, moreover, lapses into coarseness frequently enough to mark “Easter Sunday” as off-limits to kids. Older attendees will likely enjoy the occasional chuckle. But this mostly amiable production won’t make much of an impression on them.

Look for: A high-gloss production and witty dialogue. Look out for: Excessive gory violence, gruesome images, pervasive vulgar language, a few profanities, some premarital sensuality and sexual humor.

Pope Francis will be featured in a new documentary premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival; the film covers his near decade of travel, with visits to almost 60 countries.

Over the past 50 years, D.B. Cooper has become one of the most famous aliases in history. Yet it was really under the name Dan Cooper that a still-unidentified man carried out the mysterious hijacking — and getaway — that have since made him the stuff of legend.

The inclusion of grimly ironic material makes “Nope” challenging fare even for grown-ups.

It’s remarkable that storied actor Paul Newman’s union with fellow star Joanne Woodward endured for 50 years and only ended with his 2008 death from lung cancer, age 83.

Bathroom humor reaches new heights — make that depths — in “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” (Paramount), an animated martial-arts spoof with a most unlikely provenance.