Movie: ‘The Hate U Give’

“The Hate U Give” (Fox) is the kind of movie that used to be hyped as “torn from today’s headlines.” A more restrained characterization would simply say that this compelling drama explores painful real-life issues of racial justice by fictionalizing them.

Movie: ‘Halloween’

NEW YORK (CNS) — One of modern Hollywood’s most enduring horror franchises turns 40 this year. To mark the occasion, director and co-writer David Gordon Green presents us with “Halloween” (Universal), a direct sequel to the eponymous 1978 original.

Movie: ‘Venom’

Whatever you do, don’t call that alien who has taken up residence in your body a parasite is the dubious lesson in etiquette conveyed by the sci-fi-driven, Marvel Comics-based bit of nonsense “Venom” (Columbia).

Movie: ‘First Man’

By turns the intimate portrait of its elusive subject’s inner life and a lavish look back at the sometimes tragic, ultimately triumphant race to the Moon, “First Man” (Universal), director Damien Chazelle’s multidimensional profile of astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), is a splendid piece of moviemaking.

Movie: ‘A Star Is Born’

The third remake of that sturdy warhorse “A Star Is Born” (Warner Bros.) pays occasional homage to its forebears, particularly the 1954 version starring Judy Garland and James Mason, which only serves to indicate that its formulaic “stand by your man” story is somewhat tattered and dog-eared.