FILMS

Two soon-to-be-released films seem better positioned to ignite a sustained revival of the marriage of scriptural message with opulent production values: Director Timur Bekmambetov's updating of "Ben-Hur" and "Risen," a Resurrection-focused drama directed and co-written by Kevin Reynolds.

NEW YORK (CNS) — Teenage and grown viewers will find much to cheer about in “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” (Paramount).

While the tiniest film fans might be put off by the peril in which its characters occasionally find themselves, the splendid comedy "Inside Out" (Disney) offers all others outstanding entertainment founded on strong values.

NEW YORK (CNS) — Just how good are the hotshots behind “Toy Story 4” (Disney)?

The dog days of summer may inspire the urge to get away from it all. Wise moviegoers, however, will not seek their relief in "Vacation" (Warner Bros.), a dog of a comedy that happily rolls around in all manner of muck.

"Cinderella" (Disney) injects vibrant new life into a venerable fairy tale. The result is an exuberant live-action retelling of the oft-filmed fable.

Just as blanket-loving Linus succeeds, each year, in pointing small-screen viewers toward the real meaning of Dec. 25 — by the sound method of quoting the Gospel of Luke — so hapless Charlie Brown (voice of Noah Schnapp) teaches moviegoers a lesson about divine providence and the power of prayer at the climax of this latest "Peanuts" outing.

World War II drama follows the captain of a U.S. destroyer (Tom Hanks, who also wrote the screenplay) as, over a period of five days, the convoy of troop transports and supply ships his vessel is helping to protect passes across the area of the North Atlantic beyond the reach of Allied air support. The skipper's Christian faith is prominent in Hanks' script, adapted from C.S. Forrester's 1955 novel "The Good Shepherd."

NEW YORK (CNS) — Fans of the lads from Liverpool will rejoice over the mostly amiable Beatles-themed comedy “Yesterday” (Universal).

NEW YORK (CNS) — An intriguing premise gets the thriller “Don’t Let Go” (OTL Releasing) off to a strong start.