'KNOCK AT THE CABIN'

Rated R for violence and language.

What it’s about: A home invasion horror thriller with an apocalyptic bent in which a group of fanatical strangers attempts to convince a family to sacrifice one of their own.

The kid attractor factor: This is a heavy thriller with dark themes — not much appeal for kids.

Good lessons...Read more

“What went wrong, John?” asked a fellow boomer who, like many folks my age, are dismayed at what has happened within the American family over our lifetimes. Specifically, we have seen the end of mere childrearing and the consequences to all concerned of this new and harmful thing called “parenting.”

In the 1960s, the forces of cultural ...Read more

'FEAR'

Rated R for bloody violence and language.

What it’s about: A group of friends escape the pandemic for a weekend at a spooky lodge in Northern California, where they express their fears and see them come true.

The kid attractor factor: Teens might be interested in this horror thriller, but not kids.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Your ...Read more

A fellow psychologist says I paint with too broad a brush concerning the devastating effect mental health professional advice has had on children. He claims that some changes in parenting practice since the 1960s have been beneficial and gives more involved fathers as an example. Hold that thought.

In the 1960s, American parents turned from ...Read more

'MISSING'

Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, language, teen drinking, and thematic material.

What it’s about: A daughter searches for her missing mother in this techno thriller that takes place entirely on a computer screen.

The kid attractor factor: This deals with mature and dark themes — it's not appealing for kids, more for adults....Read more

'PLANE'

Rated R for violence and language.

What it’s about: A scrappy commercial airline pilot is forced to make an emergency crash landing onto a hostile island in the Philippines ruled by a separatist militia.

The kid attractor factor: This taut action thriller should appeal to adults only.

Good lessons/bad lessons: It's always the cost-...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Dustin Gardner has mentored scores of young cooks in the 16 years he's served as executive chef of Casbah, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant in Shadyside. But it's safe to say the budding chef who tugs tightest on his heartstrings is his pint-sized daughter.

Gardner, of White Oak, and his wife, Lindsay — the two met while ...Read more

'M3GAN'

Rated PG-13 for violent content and terror, some strong language and a suggestive reference.

What it’s about: A high-tech doll programmed by an aunt to comfort her grieving niece turns out to have a dark side.

The kid attractor factor: This is a horror movie, but it will appeal to teens and younger horror fans, especially with it's ...Read more

ATLANTA -- No one can downplay the popularity of football in Georgia this week as the University of Georgia gears up for another run at the national title. The Georgia General Assembly has planned its opening day agenda around the Bulldogs’ championship contest Monday night in Los Angeles with Texas Christian University.

While parents may ...Read more

'BABYLON'

Rated R for strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity, bloody violence, drug use and pervasive language.

What it’s about: Damien Chazelle's debauched, depraved, sprawling epic into the bowels of early Hollywood history, set during the transition from silent to sound films.

The kid attractor factor: Not much — this is for ...Read more

BALTIMORE -- As Christmas approaches, people who care for loved ones, as well as paid helpers, are preparing themselves and their patients to make it through the holidays. Caregivers face added stress of holiday preparations on top of the responsibilities associated with caregiving, said Karen Winkowski, administrator for the Harford County, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Deborah Smith begins her days online, searching for her son's name on the Los Angeles County sheriff's inmate locator, a ritual she shares with many moms she's bonded with over the years.

"This is something that mental health mothers get used to when you don't know where your kid is," she said. "You can call hospitals, but they ...Read more

'AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER'

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language.

What it’s about: The follow-up to James Cameron's sensation 13 years in the making, "The Way of Water" follows Jake Sully and his Na'vi family as they seek sanctuary in the tropical island paradise of Pandora, ...Read more

'EMPIRE OF LIGHT'

Rated R for sexual content, language and brief violence.

What it’s about: The unlikely friendship between two employees working at a cinema in Margate, England, in 1980.

The kid attractor factor: This is an adult drama, there's not much appeal for kids.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Human connection and friendship is a ...Read more

There are six days to go before Thanksgiving, so Josh Pettit’s Mooresville, North Carolina, home isn’t yet adorned with a single Christmas decoration. But it sure looks like Santa’s been here recently.

On the dining table, the 47-year-old web developer has neatly arranged a vast assortment of gifts — everything from T-shirts and ...Read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. ― His license plate still says “Shatner.”

And his driver’s license still reads “Peter Shatner” because, well, that is his legal name.

He changed it from Peter Sloan in 2019 due to a long-standing belief that William Shatner was his biological father. But it’s been two years since the 65-year-old Clearwater man ...Read more

'VIOLENT NIGHT'

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and some sexual references.

What it’s about: Santa Claus turns to violence in order to defend a little girl and her family who are targeted by a gang of criminals on Christmas Eve.

The kid attractor factor: Despite this being a movie about Santa, the bloody, foul-...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It almost sounds like a riddle.

How is it possible for a 43-year-old woman to be sitting here in her living room holding a 1-month-old girl who came out of her womb — even though, just one month and one day ago, this same woman had no idea she’d been growing a tiny human inside of her?

We’re not talking about a ...Read more

'BONES AND ALL'

Rated R for strong, bloody and disturbing violent content, language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity.

What it’s about: Two teenage cannibals connect in the 1980s Midwest for a romantic roadtrip that is "Badlands" with flesh-eating.

The kid attractor factor: Teens might be drawn to star Timothée ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Carla Mitchell's 6-year-old daughter was home sick from school this week — again.

The first-grader attends Gladwyne Elementary in the Lower Merion School District (LMSD), which has seen an unusually high numbers of kids out sick with a potpourri of nasty viruses: flu, common colds, COVID-19, and upper respiratory viruses, ...Read more