This time around, there isn’t just Sonic the hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz) fulfilling that role, but his buddy Tails the fox (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and his adversary Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba), a trio of dead-eyed toys trudging from scene to scene without charm or personality. There’s a chuckle or two to be found, but it’s really not much better than Jeff Fowler’s first film from February 2020, which just so happened to be my last trip to a movie theater before the world shut down....

Now Soderbergh says that a new season of the medical drama starring Clive Owen as a renowned surgeon in 1900s New York is in its early stages. According to a new interview with The Playlist, Soderbergh said a pilot has been written by the series’ creators Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, with “The Knick” star André Holland as well as filmmaker Barry Jenkins working in collaboration. “[André and Barry] came up with a really great approach with Jack and Michael,” Soderbergh said....

First conceived as a hybrid virtual and in-person event, Sundance last week announced this year’s festival would be entirely virtual, aside from a series of screenings at arthouses across the country. While the pandemic may have roiled plans for on-the-ground action in Park City, the good news is that almost anyone can get this year’s full festival experience from January 20-30, with options for every budget. Single-film tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday at noon ET (Sundance members get early access on Wednesday)....

Actors Todd Bridges and Mara Wilson are just two of the child stars brought in to discuss the films as part of this series, lending their own personal experiences as well as deconstructing the lives of the actors being highlighted. The series was a chance for Wilson, raised with a mother who showed her classic films regularly, to indulge her own cinephile background. “I am a big fan of film,” she told IndieWire....

“The Sea Beast” stars voice actor Karl Urban as monster hunter Jacob Holland, who has to deal with runaway Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator) aboard his esteemed ship while his team tries to track down a fabled whale. Together, the unlikely duo join forces to enter uncharted waters and make history. Academy Award-winning writer-director Chris Williams (“Moana,” “Big Hero Six”) is behind the latest family-friendly Netflix film, which premieres July 8. Nell Benjamin co-writes the script, and Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens, and Kathy Burke co-star in the film....

The “Wolfboy” in question is Paul (a sullen Jaeden Martell), a reclusive 13-year-old who suffers from a condition that causes fur to cover every inch of his face, for mysterious reasons only revealed in the closing act. The movie, written by trans playwright Olivia Dufault, immediately opens itself to complex readings about the nature of an adolescent coming to terms with his true identity: Sulking through a traveling carnival on his birthday, with his encouraging single father (Chris Messina) by his side, Paul refuses to take his mask off — and when he does, the bullies swarm....

Director Kerem Sanga may not be working at quite the same level, but his stirring new film pays effective tribute to the likes of “Magnificent Obsession” and “A Place in the Sun” through its vivid self-belief that audiences will buy anything so long as they get enough bang for their buck. For the majority of its running time, “The Violent Heart” appears to have more in common with the sullen indie romances of today than it does with the star-crossed theatrics of yesteryear....