“The Fabelmans” is obviously special to its director: The tribute to his late parents — computer engineer Arnold Spielberg and concert pianist Leah Adler — is his most personal film to date. (It was also made during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced Spielberg to grapple with his own mortality.) The fictionalized cinematic memoir is filtered through alter ego Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), an aspiring director who falls very under the spell of the movies at an early age (when he’s played by Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord)....

Three other titles placed on all four charts we follow. (The weekly Spectrum chart has delayed results and “Fatale” is too recent a release; it did not offer “Tenet” on PVOD.) The best overall showing comes from “The Croods: A New Age,” #1 at FandangoNow, and charting in the top five at both Apple and Google. “The War With Grandpa” and “Honest Thief,” both of which are available at standard price, placed across the board with “Honest Thief” taking the top spot at Spectrum....

This is what really sets “A Sun” apart: Not only had this film escaped the public’s eye, it eluded critics’ as well. “A Sun” has nine reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and none on Metacritic. Full disclosure: The unaware included IndieWire. Critic David Ehrlich acknowledged that the Variety selection was the first time the film landed on his radar, but after viewing it he agreed that this film demands serious Oscar consideration....

Yet again, like his second film “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (which earned six Oscar nominations and won none), he’s shaping a true story into something dramatic, without worrying about total verisimilitude. As usual, he fretted over producer Todd Black’s idea of fictionalizing the life of “I Love Lucy” married producer-stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, ingesting tons of research until a way to frame the drama became clear. This week the movie picked up nominations from both the Critics Choice and Golden Globes for Best Actress Nicole Kidman and Best Screenplay for Sorkin....

Brunson, the head writer and executive producers, also plays Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher at the eponymous Philadelphia school. Like many young teachers, Janine is idealistic and desperate to make a change in the lives of her students. But the school’s chronic lack of funds, coupled with a narcissistic school principal, leaves Janine and the other Abbott teachers wearing multiple hats, from educator to janitor to electrician. While not only a workplace comedy, “Abbott Elementary” uses its setting to make snide comments about the state of the public education system, particularly in communities of Black and brown people....

At times, “All In: The Fight for Democracy” plays like a survey for an introductory class in voting rights — a noble aim, albeit one that doesn’t necessarily make for inspired filmmaking. The film’s most moving points are its flashes of humanity, which reveal the personal toll that racism and racist voting policies take. Abrams’ own narrative is especially illuminating; as a skilled rhetorical politician she is an expert at weaving her story into broader themes....

“‘Cats’ was off-the-scale all wrong,” Lloyd Webber said. “There wasn’t really any understanding of why the music ticked at all. I saw it and I just thought, ‘Oh, God, no.’ It was the first time in my 70-odd years on this planet that I went out and bought a dog. So the one good thing to come out of it is my little Havanese puppy.” Lloyd Weber brought the dog with him to the United States via airplane and got the dog registered as a therapy pet....