Author: Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

Naomi Ackie is fabulous portraying Whitney Houston, but the film clings to the familiar formula for musical biopics – and the legend deserves better.

This holiday season features new theatrical releases (‘A Man Called Otto,’ ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’), plus at-home movie options (‘White Noise’ ).

Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt dive into a world of excess and elephant diarrhea in “Babylon,” Damien Chazelle’s boisterous ode to 1920s Hollywood.

James Cameron’s latest isn’t his best sequel but the visually amazing ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ proves there’s still gas in the franchise tank.

‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ leads the field at the Golden Globe Awards, a high-profile return after being dropped by NBC amid a diversity controversy.

Brendan Fraser turns in a career-best performance as a 600-pound writing teacher needing to fix things before his end comes in powerful ‘The Whale.’

Jenna Ortega played cello and says Billie Eilish was her character’s mood board for ‘Wednesday,’ Netflix’s teen take on the ‘Addams Family’ daughter.

The superhero sequel ‘Wakanda Forever’ introduces a new Black Panther for Marvel’s present – as well as a possible hero for the future. (Spoilers!)

‘Black Adam’ introduced Dwayne Johnson’s antihero but also brought back a DC icon who’d been “on the sideline” for an end-credits scene. Spoilers!

Alec Baldwin and “Rust” producers have reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of shooting victim Halyna Hutchins.