Category Archives: Movies

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

The Woman Who Ran
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Sang-soo Hong
Hong Sangsoo’s latest film is a concise trilogy of awkward visits.


Kim Minhee, left, and Song Seonmi in Hong Sangsoo’s “The Woman Who Ran.”
By A.O. SCOTT

The Witches of the Orient
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, Sport | Directed by Julien Faraut
This experimental documentary shows the anime-worthy triumphs of the 1964 Japanese Olympic volleyball team.


Yoko Shinozaki, foreground, and Kinuko Tanida, two members of the 1964 Japanese Olympic women’s volleyball team, as seen in “The Witches of the Orient.”
By TEO BUGBEE

— Of Possible Interest —

Black Widow
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | Directed by Cate Shortland
Scarlett Johansson plays the latest Avenger to get her own movie, but she’s overshadowed by Florence Pugh in this Cate Shortland-directed entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


Scarlett Johansson, left, and Florence Pugh as sisters in “Black Widow.”
By MAYA PHILLIPS

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story
NYT Critic’s Pick | TV-14 | Documentary | Directed by Laura Fairrie
This dishy, affectionate portrait of the famous writer finds grit beneath the glitz.


The writer Jackie Collins in 1995.
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Lydia Lunch: the War Is Never Over
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Beth B
Beth B’s documentary tells the story of an iconic underground New York City misfit and her durable career.


Lydia Lunch as seen in “Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over.”
By GLENN KENNY

White on White
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Théo Court
This striking, slow-burn portrait of a 19th-century Argentine archipelago considers a photographer’s involvement in the horrors of colonialism.


Esther Vega Pérez Torres in “White on White.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Till Death
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Horror, Thriller | Directed by S.K. Dale
Megan Fox leads this straightforward, but gleefully chaotic thriller about a woman handcuffed to the corpse of her husband.


Megan Fox in “Till Death.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Cousins
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Ainsley Gardiner, Briar Grace Smith
This sprawling drama breathes cinematic life into the 1992 novel by Patricia Grace about the diverging paths of three Maori cousins in New Zealand.


The first face we encounter is Mata’s (Tanea Heke) in “Cousins.”
By DEVIKA GIRISH

Being a Human Person
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Fred Scott
This documentary on the Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson takes an unexpected turn.


Roy Andersson in the documentary “Being a Human Person.”
By GLENN KENNY

— Of Possible Interest —

No.7 Cherry Lane
Animation | Directed by Yonfan
This nostalgic animated film follows a taboo love triangle.


A scene from “No. 7 Cherry Lane.”
By ISABELIA HERRERA

Legend of the Underground
TV-MA | Documentary | Directed by Giselle Bailey, Nneka Onuorah
In this stylish documentary, young men discuss their country’s laws criminalizing gay sex.


A scene from the documentary “The Legend of the Underground.”
By TEO BUGBEE

The Forever Purge
R | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Everardo Gout
This newest installment in the dystopian franchise, set in a Texan town, pits white supremacists against immigrants and their allies.


Tenoch Huerta in “The Forever Purge.”
By LENA WILSON

Let Us In
Horror, Sci-Fi | Directed by Craig Moss
Disappearing teens and mysterious strangers fuel this generic blend of urban legend and science fiction.


O’Neill Monahan and Makenzie Moss in “Let Us In.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

The Tomorrow War
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Chris McKay
Chris Pratt leaps to 2051 to save our planet from aliens in this hyperventilating sci-fi spectacle.


When will the sun come out? Chris Pratt in “The Tomorrow War.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Documentary, Music | Directed by Questlove
Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples and others shine in a documentary about the Harlem Cultural Festival from Questlove.


The Fifth Dimension performing at the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969, in the documentary “Summer of Soul” from Ahmir Thompson, better known as Questlove.
By WESLEY MORRIS

I Carry You with Me
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Heidi Ewing
The documentary filmmaker Heidi Ewing dramatizes a gay immigrant love story in this empathetic portrait.


Armando Espitia, left, and Christian Vázquez in “I Carry You With Me.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

The Birthday Cake
NYT Critic’s Pick | RCrime, Thriller | Directed by Jimmy Giannopoulos
This mob drama folds family secrets and fading power into a story of operatic vengeance.


Shiloh Fernandez in “The Birthday Cake.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Documentary | Directed by Mariem Pérez Riera
This paean to the trailblazing Puerto Rican actress is also a case study in the highs and lows of showbiz for a woman of color.


Rita Moreno, as seen in the documentary “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Luca
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG | Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy | Directed by Enrico Casarosa
Pixar takes a trip to the Italian coast in this breezy, charming sea-monster story.


Alberto (left, voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) and Luca (Jacob Tremblay) are sea monsters who seek adventures on dry land in “Luca,” the new Pixar movie.
By A.O. SCOTT

The Sparks Brothers
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Documentary, Music | Directed by Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright knows Sparks and you will too, once you see his documentary about this singular cultural phenomenon.


The brothers Russell and Ron Mael, from left, in “The Sparks Brothers,” a documentary film | | Directed by Edgar Wright.
By GLENN KENNY

— Of Possible Interest —

Summer of 85
Drama | Directed by François Ozon
A gay teenagers’s fleeting romance goes off the rails in this coming-of-age story from the French director François Ozon.


Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin in “Summer of 85.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

In the Heights
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13Drama, Music, Musical, Romance | Directed by Jon M. Chu
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical comes to the screen as an exuberant and heartfelt party, directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Anthony Ramos.


Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera in “In the Heights,” directed by Jon M. Chu.
By A.O. SCOTT

— Of Possible Interest —

Queen Bees
PG-13 | Comedy, Drama, Romance | Directed by Michael Lembeck
Jane Curtin, Loretta Devine and Ann-Margret rule their senior community in this conventional comedy-drama that doesn’t waste its cast.


Ann-Margret and Loretta Devine rule the cafeteria and card room in “Queen Bees.”
By GLENN KENNY

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

The Ancient Woods
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Mindaugas Survila
This entrancing nature film shot in Lithuania understands the wonder and the eeriness of a forest, enveloping us in its sights and sounds.


A scene from the documentary “The Ancient Woods.”
By NICOLAS RAPOLD

Undine
NYT Critic’s Pick | Unrated | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance | Directed by Christian Petzold
Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski, who made an impression in 2019’s “Transit,” are reunited by the director Christian Petzold for this adaptation of a European myth.


Paula Beer in “Undine.”
By GLENN KENNY

Slow Machine
NYT Critic’s Pick | Thriller | Directed by Joe Denardo, Paul Felten
Joe DeNardo and Paul Felten craft a mysterious New York thriller with mumblecore sensibilities.


Stephanie Hayes in “Slow Machine.”
By KRISTEN YOONSOO KIM

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

NYT Critic’s Oxygen
NYT Critic’s Pick | TV-MA | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Alexandre Aja
Trapped in a cryogenic chamber with oxygen levels dwindling, a woman must learn how to team up with the machine in order to escape.


Mélanie Laurent in “Oxygen,” directed by Alexandre Aja.
By LENA WILSON

The Killing of Two Lovers
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Robert Machoian
Under the veneer of an unusual marriage is an uncontrollable undercurrent to which everyone is susceptible.


From left, Clayne Crawford, Sepideh Moafi and Chris Coy in “The Killing of Two Lovers.”
By NICOLAS RAPOLD

The Swimming Pool
NYT Critic’s Pick | GP | Crime, Drama, Romance | Directed by Jacques Deray
Alain Delon, Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin are among the reasons this restoration of a French thriller is worth watching.


Romy Schneider and Alain Delon in “La Piscine,” directed by Jacques Deray.
By GLENN KENNY

Those Who Wish Me Dead
NYT Critic’s Pick | RAction, Drama, Thriller | Directed by Taylor Sheridan
This thriller starring Angelina Jolie takes its time but doesn’t waste any time.


Angelina Jolie and Jon Bernthal in “Those Who Wish Me Dead.”
By BEN KENIGSBERGPick

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Ain’t none.

— Of Possible Interest —

The Paper Tigers
PG-13 | Action, Comedy | Directed by Quoc Bao Tran
A trio of aging martial artists reunite in this fresh, if uneven, debut by the director Tran Quoc Bao.


Alain Uy as Danny, a washed-up kung-fu fighter, in “The Paper Tigers.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Marighella
NYT Critic’s Pick | Action, Drama, History, Thriller | Directed by Wagner Moura
Wagner Moura’s provocative feature debut chronicles the armed struggle led by Carlos Marighella against Brazil’s military dictatorship in the 1960s.


Seu Jorge in “Marighella.”
By DEVIKA GIRISH

The Mitchells vs. the Machines
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG | Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi | Directed by Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe
A family of lovable kooks are the last hope against a robot apocalypse in this hilarious animated Netflix film.


Abbi Jacobson voices Katie Mitchell in “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.”
By MAYA PHILLIPS

About Endlessness
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama, Fantasy | Directed by Roy Andersson
Roy Andersson’s latest feature is a somber, exhilarating collection of self-defeating human specimens.


Martin Serner carrying a cross in “About Endlessness.”
By A.O. SCOTT

Limbo
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Ben Sharrock
A Syrian refugee deposited on a remote Scottish isle seeks meaning in his isolated surroundings, with wryly funny results.


By GLENN KENNY

Best Summer Ever
NYT Critic’s Pick | Musical | Directed by Michael Parks Randa, Lauren Smitelli
A largely disabled cast leads this charming teen musical.


Rickey Wilson Jr. & Shannon DeVido in “Best Summer Ever.”
By CALUM MARSH

— Of Possible Interest —

Cliff Walkers
Thriller | Directed by Yimou Zhang
Zhang Yimou turns his hand to a fast-paced spy thriller set during the Japanese occupation of Manchuria.


Liu Haocun in “Cliff Walkers.”
By GLENN KENNY

Four Good Days
R | Drama | Directed by Rodrigo García
In this drama, Mila Kunis plays a heroin addict and Glenn Close the mother trying to help her get clean.


Mila Kunis and Glenn Close in “Four Good Days.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG

Berlin Alexanderplatz
Drama | Directed by Burhan Qurbani
Burhan Qurbani’s film reinterprets a classic German novel into the story of a 21st-century immigrant from Guinea-Bissau surviving under the thumb of a brutal drug dealer.


Albrecht Schuch and Welket Bungué in “Berlin Alexanderplatz.”
By NICOLAS RAPOLD

Things Heard & Seen
TV-MA | Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller | Directed by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Amanda Seyfried and James Norton move into a haunted house in this busy, creaky Netflix thriller.


Amanda Seyfried in “Things Heard & Seen,” set in a Hudson Valley college town.
By A.O. SCOTT

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Paris Calligrammes
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Ulrike Ottinger
The German artist and filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger takes us on an unhurried journey through her past.


Fritz Picard, who ran the Paris bookstore Calligrammes, which served German expatriates, in the documentary “Paris Calligrammes.”
By GLENN KENNY

Together Together
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Comedy | Directed by Nikole Beckwith
A man and his surrogate navigate a bumpy road to fatherhood in this endearing dramatic comedy.


Ed Helms and Patti Harrison in “Together Together.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Red Moon Tide
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Lois Patiño
Subjects stand frozen against majestic landscapes in Lois Patiño’s meditation on how Galician mythology intersects with a village’s search for souls lost at sea.


A scene from “Red Moon Tide.”
By NATALIA WINKELMAN

— Of Possible Interest —

Mortal Kombat
R | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Simon McQuoid
The latest screen adaptation of the video game shows again that trying to construct a coherent plot around these characters is a fatal trap.


Lewis Tan in “Mortal Kombat.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
PG | Documentary, History | Directed by Marilyn Agrelo
Even nostalgia-resistant viewers can learn something from this documentary version of a book on the making of the show.


Carroll Spinney, right, with Oscar the Grouch in the documentary “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG

Tu me manques
Drama | Directed by Rodrigo Bellott
A conservative father who could not accept his son’s sexuality is led on a contemplative tour of queer life in New York in this Bolivian film.


Benjamin Lukovski, left, and Fernando Barbosa play lovers in “Tu Me Manques.”
By TEO BUGBEE

Stowaway
Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Joe Penna
This Netflix film pushes a crew of space explorers to moral and physical extremes when an unexpected passenger accidentally compromises their oxygen supply.


Daniel Dae Kim in “Stowaway.”
By LENA WILSON

Arlo the Alligator Boy
TV-PG | Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Musical | Directed by Ryan Crego
This hyperactive animated Netflix musical for kids, with messages of empowerment and references to “Midnight Cowboy,” has a lot on its plate.


Michael J. Woodard voices the character Arlo in the animated film “Arlo the Alligator Boy.”
By AMY NICHOLSON