NEW YORK. Swedish producer Adam Anders has long been associated with such peppy musical fare as the Fox TV series “Glee” and the big-screen comedy “Rock of Ages.” As he makes his directorial debut with the lively song and dance-filled film “Journey to Bethlehem” (PG, Sony), that legacy is on full display.

Call it the jazz-hands Nativity story.

NEW YORK.  Emotional ambiguity pervades the dramatization “Killers of the Flower Moon” (R, 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.

NEW YORK.  Although the horror sequel “The Exorcist: Believer” (R, Universal) gets off to a reasonably promising start, it degenerates quickly. In fact, it ends up being a muddle both dramatically and, more significantly, in its treatment of religion.

NEW YORK.  “A Haunting in Venice” (PG-13, 20th Century) is the third in a series of Agatha Christie adaptations, all featuring her famed sleuth Hercule Poirot, on which director and star Kenneth Branagh has collaborated with screenwriter Michael Green. Yet, in at least two related respects, the newcomer is noticeably distinct from its predecessors.

NEW YORK.  More than 20 years ago, Greek Canadian actress and author Nia Vardalos penned the script for a screen adaptation of a one-woman play she had written and performed exploring the mores and foibles of the immigrant community in which she had been raised. The result was a sleeper box-office hit that was also well received by critics.