What’s a small-town pastor to do when his crumbling church in a crime-ridden neighbourhood is desperately strapped for cash? Why, become a professional wrestler by day and moonlight as a vigilante, of course!

Joy is a rather generic name for a film. We might expect experiences of joy and, by contrast, of sadness. But Joy is the name of the central character, based on an actual person, Joy Mangano.

Neither the National Football League nor the Federal Bureau of Investigation comes off particularly well in the fact-based drama, Concussion (Columbia).

The usual fanfare that comes with the world premiere of a movie is pretty standard: the lights and cameras, the celebrities walking down the red carpet and screaming fans trying to catch a glimpse of their favourite actors.

“One step, one punch, one round at a time” is the mantra of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa in Creed. This seventh Rocky film is an imaginative and – if you can believe it – somewhat gentle reboot of the blockbuster franchise.

Christmas – my favourite time of the year! And one of my favourite things to do at this time of year is to watch Christmas movies with my family.

As the resulting publication of a conference with the same name hosted by the Archdiocese of Sydney from 20 to 23 May 2014, The Great Grace examines the numerous changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council to aspects of the Church such as liturgy, theology, communion, communication, and mission.

With The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2, one of the most successful cinema franchises of recent times reaches a surprisingly glum finale.

Anyone familiar with the perennial TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas will know that the Peanuts franchise, which began life as a comic strip penned by cartoonist Charles M Schulz between 1950 and 2000, has a knack for unabashed but also un-bashing spirituality.

A car chase through St Peter’s Square and a flippant joke about joining the priesthood aside, the 24th James Bond film, “Spectre” (Columbia), has predictably little to do with religion. Yet director Sam Mendes’ follow-up to “Skyfall,” his 2012 reboot of the 007 series, does set its protagonist on an upward ethical path that will please faithful grown-ups.