https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/rss.xml Movie Features Copyright https://www.crosswalk.com 2026, Crosswalk.com Mon, 25 May 2026 20:11:19 -0400 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/3-things-parents-should-know-about-the-mandalorian-and-grogu.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/3-things-parents-should-know-about-the-mandalorian-and-grogu.html Michael Foust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/michael-foust/ Seven years after Disney released a new Star Wars film annually from 2015 to 2019 in an unprecedented run for the storied franchise, the studio is returning to the galaxy far, far away with The Mandalorian and Grogu, a film built around characters familiar to both longtime fans and newer audiences alike.The Star Wars movie drought may be ending, but one question remains: Is this latest adventure appropriate for the children and tweens on whom the franchise has largely built its legacy?Here are three things parents should know about The Mandalorian and Grogu (PG-13): Fri, 22 May 2026 14:20:00 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/the-devil-wears-prada-2-review-judas-journalism-and-a-joyful-reunion.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/the-devil-wears-prada-2-review-judas-journalism-and-a-joyful-reunion.html John Hanlon https://www.crosswalk.com/author/john-hanlon/ Return to the glamorous world of Runway magazine with The Devil Wears Prada 2, where Andy must navigate old rivalries and new challenges while confronting timely issues facing journalism and the fashion industry. Thu, 14 May 2026 11:30:00 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/7-new-streaming-picks-families-will-love-this-may.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/7-new-streaming-picks-families-will-love-this-may.html Michael Foust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/michael-foust/ Unlike the other months of the year, there’s not much to dislike about May. The temperatures are just right – not too hot, not too cool. Sunshine lingers a little longer each evening, while the long days of summer still lie ahead. Flowers are blooming, gardens are bursting with life, and the world seems to awaken each morning in full color.Of course, you can’t stay outside every single hour of the day. Rain clouds may roll in. A late-season chill might sweep through. And eventually, the sun always sets each evening.When that moment arrives, a family movie night is the perfect way to end the day.Thankfully, this month offers plenty of new options from the major streaming platforms. Here are seven:Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Robert Daly Mon, 11 May 2026 14:55:00 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/3-reasons-families-will-love-the-sheep-detectives.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/3-reasons-families-will-love-the-sheep-detectives.html Michael Foust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/michael-foust/ George is a kind-hearted man with a passion for his sheep and the slower pace of life. Well, at least he’s kind-hearted to his flock. As for his relationship with the townspeople of Denbrook, it’s a bit more complicated.But back to the sheep. He feeds them. He protects them. He gives each one a name. (Lily supposedly is the smartest.) He even reads them whodunit novels at night – a sort of bedtime story as they drift off to sleep in the green pastures of England.“If only they could speak,” he says.After all, sheep are the dumbest creatures on the planet. Right?Little does George know that his sheep communicate with one another after he retires for the night. They discuss the mysteries of life. (Where do sheep go after they die?) They chat about the frivolities of their days. Most of all, they dissect the murder mysteries George reads to them and debate the identity of the killer. (Lily always seems to figure it out first.)It’s a picturesque life seemingly lifted from a postcard.Unfortunately, the peaceful existence of these sheep is about to change.It all starts when they wake one morning and discover George’s body lying on the ground. At first, they think he’s playing a game. But then one of them – Mopple, considered the wisest of the bunch – breaks the news: George is dead.Soon, the bumbling local policeman from the quaint town arrives. Not long afterward, he reaches a conclusion: George died of natural causes.But Mopple, Lily, and the rest of the flock aren’t convinced. They believe George was murdered.The question is: Who did it?It’s all part of the new family movie The Sheep Detectives (PG), which is based on the novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. It stars Hugh Jackman as George and the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily and Chris O'Dowd as Mopple.It’s one of the best family films of the year.Here are three reasons families will love it:Photo Credit: ©Amazon/MGM Fri, 08 May 2026 15:20:00 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/7-new-family-friendly-streaming-movies-for-rainy-april-nights.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/7-new-family-friendly-streaming-movies-for-rainy-april-nights.html Michael Foust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/michael-foust/ It’s April, the time for open windows, fresh blooms, and longer evenings.It’s also the season of school projects, spring concerts, packed calendars, and – for some – nights that seem to end at the ballfield or playground.Of course, it’s also the month for April showers. When those roll in, kids often run inside, filled with energy and looking for something to do. That sounds like the perfect time for a family movie night, doesn’t it?April offers plenty of choices on the major streaming platforms.Here are seven new titles for families of all ages:Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Master1305 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:25:00 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/how-do-we-find-elements-of-the-gospel-in-movies.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/how-do-we-find-elements-of-the-gospel-in-movies.html Britt Mooney https://www.crosswalk.com/author/britt-mooney/ People love movies. We talk about them with friends, post online about our favorites, or express frustration when we pay for a movie that stinks. Movie stars enjoy privileged status, even great influence. Many may not remember, but we had a movie actor, Ronald Regan, become a president in 1980. Movie studios and streaming services make billions a year pumping out content. While many see consumeristic entertainment, hollow and empty, even corrupt and hedonistic, there’s a reason we love movies. We were created to be part of one.Photo credit: Unsplash/Felipe Bustillo Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:59:16 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/4-reasons-families-will-love-a-great-awakening.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/4-reasons-families-will-love-a-great-awakening.html Michael Foust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/michael-foust/ George is a young boy in 1700s England with a gift for oratory and the confidence to step forward and use it.Unfortunately, his family is commoners in a country where wealth is necessary to get ahead. George would make a great professor or even politician – yet such opportunities seem out of reach.Soon, though, George’s fortunes take a divine turn when a graduate of the University of Oxford notices his theatrical talent and offers to endorse him for the school, where he begins classes as a “servitor” – given free tuition in exchange for performing menial tasks, a role that sparks ridicule and even bullying from high-society students, some of them mocking his cross-eyed appearance.George, filled with humility and patience, endures the hardship. He also connects with two brothers, John and Charles Wesley, who are passionate for Christ and invite George to join them. He becomes part of their “Holy Club” and begins a life of discipline and devotion – serving the poor and preaching the gospel to anyone who will listen.George has found his calling. He wants to be a minister.Unfortunately for him, the Church of England has little use for animated pastors who stray from the script and stir the congregation into deep conviction.Undaunted, George begins open-air preaching to the public as an evangelist – and eventually sails to the United States, where the rules are supposedly less strict and where a hunger for the gospel – and George’s passionate style – is growing.There, he meets a middle-aged newspaper publisher, Benjamin Franklin, who doesn’t share George’s passion for Christ – but does share a keen instinct for what draws a crowd. Franklin sees the masses George is drawing – 30,000 at one sermon in Philadelphia – and sees opportunity.The two men soon became friends. Franklin covers George’s revivals, knowing readers will buy his papers to follow the movement. And George gives him access, knowing that Franklin’s coverage will bring even more people to his outdoor services.It’s a match made in, well … heaven.The new movie A Great Awakening (PG-13) follows the true story of the friendship between Franklin and George – that’s George Whitefield (Jonathan Blair) – two men who were polar opposites in many ways but helped spark a revival that often is credited with, at least in part, helping ignite the Revolutionary War. Joshua Enck directed it.Here are four reasons families will enjoy it:Photo Credit: Sight and Sound Fri, 10 Apr 2026 18:10:00 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/4-reasons-families-will-love-project-hail-mary-slideshow.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/4-reasons-families-will-love-project-hail-mary-slideshow.html Michael Foust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/michael-foust/ Ryland is a man on a spaceship drifting through the lonely expanse with no memory of how he got there.His crewmates are dead. He’s too far from Earth to call for help. And beyond the window, nothing looks familiar. That view – thousands of stars suspended within a swirl of color – resembles something pulled from the pages of a college textbook.Ryland has just awakened from a lengthy, years-long induced coma – and he is, to put it mildly, in a disoriented panic.So Ryland does what any man in his situation might do. First, he shaves his long, unkempt beard. Then he searches the ship for clues about his mission. Along the way, he finds small moments of relief – sampling the ship’s food and stepping into a 360-degree Earth simulator, where he can wander simulated beaches, forests, and mountain trails.Eventually, the fog in his brain begins to lift, and he starts to remember why he was sent.Earth’s sun – and others across the galaxy – are slowly dying, drained by a mysterious black organism known as Astrophage, which feeds on a sun’s energy and multiplies at an alarming rate. Eventually, it kills every star it encounters.Yet one nearby star – Tau Ceti – remains unaffected, and astronomers can’t explain why.Ryland’s mission is simple: travel to Tau Ceti, uncover why it’s surviving the Astrophage threat, and transmit that discovery back to Earth aboard a probe.The future of the planet depends on him.Will Ryland find the answer in time?It’s all part of the new movie Project Hail Mary (PG-13), which stars Ryan Gosling in the lead role and is based on a novel of the same name.Here are four reasons families probably will love it:Photo Credit: ©MGM Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:45:00 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/7-new-family-films-perfect-for-your-march-movie-nights.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/7-new-family-films-perfect-for-your-march-movie-nights.html Michael Foust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/michael-foust/ It’s March – the season when winter loses its grip and the clocks spring forward, leaving plenty of children (and parents) a little groggy as everyone adjusts to the lost hour of sleep.But despite the sleepy mornings, there’s plenty of good news: The days are growing warmer, the evenings are stretching a little longer, and trees all around us are beginning to bud.March is also a great time for a movie night. March’s streaming lineup includes several uplifting titles perfect for families looking for something inspiring, entertaining, and worth watching together.Here are seven titles worth streaming this month for families:Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Sean Anthony Eddy Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:20:00 -0400 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/4-things-families-should-know-about-hoppers.html https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/4-things-families-should-know-about-hoppers.html Michael Foust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/michael-foust/ Mabel is an energetic college student with a deep love of nature. But perhaps she loves it a little too much.As a young girl, she tried rescuing the turtle from her school’s classrooms. And the caged birds. And the snake. Sure, she was caught, but that didn’t quell her passion. At one point, she even bit someone’s arm in her quest to free them.She developed that love for nature from her grandmother – a spirited woman who, like Mabel, once pushed boundaries and refused to sit quietly when faced with opposition.The two of them often ended their days beside a nearby pond, talking about life as they slowed down and enjoyed everything around them – the rustling trees, the curious deer, the gentle breeze drifting across the water. It was a quiet glade in the forest where they bonded and built lasting memories.Unfortunately, that same glade is now the target of a local highway project – one championed by the town’s popular, big-smiling and self-absorbed mayor, who insists it’s necessary for progress and faster commutes.Mabel, though, isn’t willing to let the land disappear without a fight.“To some people, it’s an empty piece of land,” she tells the mayor. “But for those animals, it’s home.”But the mayor has a ready reply – and one the public seems to believe: The animals left long ago. To his defense, there are no animals left on Mabel’s beloved patch of land.But … where did they go?Mabel sets out to find the answer – turning to a cutting-edge piece of technology to uncover the truth.It’s all part of the new children’s animated Hoppers (PG).Here are four things parents should know:Photo Credit: ©Pixar Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:20:00 -0500 2026-05-25T20:11:19-04:00