Cinema News: Movies Update: ‘The Power of the Dog’ and More

December 3, 2021

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

Awards season has officially begun. Film organizations and critics' groups have started rolling out their prizes for the best films and performances of the year. And our columnist Kyle Buchanan, a.k.a. The Projectionist, is already gaming out the Oscar race. He wrote about the Gotham Awards earlier in the week (which gave its big prize to the Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed drama "The Lost Daughter") and also about how he sees Steven Spielberg's take on "West Side Story" as potentially a major contender.

As of this week, you can see another major Oscar contender at home, Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog," which has arrived on Netflix. The grandiose landscapes of this western can be appreciated even more on the big screen as it's still playing theatrically. In her Critic's Pick review, Manohla Dargis calls the movie "a great American story and a dazzling evisceration of one of the country's foundational myths." Read interviews with the film's stars: Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee; and read more about the movie's ending.

If you're seeking something with a little more holiday cheer, Netflix has offerings for you this season as well. The writer Elisabeth Vincentelli sifted through many of them and ranked them in the order of "holly jolly" to "bah humbug."

Happy viewing!

Netflix

Critic's Pick

'The Power of the Dog' Review: Wild Hearts on a Closed Frontier

In Jane Campion's staggering take on the western, her first movie in more than a decade, a cruel cowboy meets his surprising match.

By Manohla Dargis

Clockwise from top left: Warner Bros.; Glen Wilson/Amazon; Netflix; Niko Tavernise/20th Century Studios; Rob Youngson/Focus Features

The Projectionist

Which Films Lead the Biggest Best-Picture Race in Years?

With epics like "West Side Story" and biopics like "King Richard" in contention, Oscar voters have plenty of choices in a category that's now set at 10 slots.

By Kyle Buchanan

Philippe Bosse/Netflix

Netflix Holiday Movies Ranked, From Tree Toppers to Lumps of Coal

Is the streaming service delivering goodies in its holiday stockings? We make an assessment.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

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CRITICS' PICKS

Neon	Critic's Pick 'Flee' Review: From Kabul to Copenhagen A Danish documentary uses animation to tell the poignant, complicated story of an Afghan refugee. By A.O. Scott

HBO	Critic's Pick 'Listening to Kenny G' Review: Good Sax? Penny Lane's documentary about the superstar sax player Kenny G shows an artist who can be defensive and self-satisfied almost simultaneously. By Glenn Kenny

Jennifer Lowe-Anker/National Geographic Documentary Films

Critic's Pick

'Torn' Review: A Climber's Son Explores His Father's Legacy

This documentary on the life and death of the mountaineer Alex Lowe demonstrates how unexpected bonds can form around those in grief.

By Claire Shaffer

Greenwich Entertainment

Critic's Pick

'Try Harder!' Review: California Overachievement Test

This documentary from Debbie Lum goes inside a top-performing San Francisco public high school to see how students are preparing for the future.

By Beandrea July

ANATOMY OF A SCENE

A24	Anatomy of a Scene How Joaquin Phoenix Handles Parenting in 'C'mon C'mon' The writer and director Mike Mills narrates a sequence from his film featuring Phoenix and Woody Norman. By Mekado Murphy

MOVIE REVIEWS

Roland Scherman/Magnolia Pictures

'Citizen Ashe' Review: Advantage, Arthur Ashe

This warm, sympathetic documentary portrait traces the career of the tennis champion and pioneer who smashed through history.

By Manohla Dargis

IFC Films

'Benedetta' Review: Habit Storming

Paul Verhoeven takes us to a nunnery where faith, eroticism and the Black Death make for an unholy good time.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Focus Features

'Wolf' Review: Animal Behavior

This psychological thriller unfolds in a brutal clinic for young people who feel they are animals trapped in human bodies.

By Natalia Winkelman

Disney+

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' Review: Growing Pains

In this Disney animated feature from the best-selling series of books, the lead character fearfully enters middle school.

By Nicolas Rapold

Philippe Bosse/Netflix

'Single All the Way' Review: Cookie Cutter Christmas

This Netflix holiday rom-com rests its family-friendly shenanigans on a display of chemistry that never materializes.

By Teo Bugbee

Acort International

'Red Pill' Review: The Horror of a Weekend of Racism and Extremism

Tonya Pinkins is in the director's chair for this bizarre face-off between political opponents in which rhetoric is the least of the weapons.

By Beatrice Loayza

Robert Viglasky/AMC+

'Silent Night' Review: Waiting for the End of the World

In this feature from Camille Griffin, a group of friends facing global disaster have one last Christmas dinner.

By Concepción de León

Netflix

'The Summit of the Gods' Review: In the (Mountain) Heights

Adapted from a manga, this French-language feature concerns an obsessive climber and a camera that may prove Everest was conquered decades earlier.

By Ben Kenigsberg

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STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

Hulu	Three Great Documentaries to Stream A look at standout nonfiction films, from classics to overlooked recent works, that will reward your time. By Ben Kenigsberg

Jorge Fuembuena

Five Action Movies to Stream Now

Including bomb threats, bank robberies and more, the month's action films pack a wallop.

By Robert Daniels

PeterSorel/New Line Cinema

Stream These 15 Titles Before They Leave Netflix in December

The end of the year means a lot of expiring licenses. Check out these movies and TV shows before they disappear for U.S. subscribers in the coming weeks.

By Jason Bailey

NEWS & FEATURES

Photo illustration by Jennifer Ledbury/The New York Times; Photo by Hank Walker/The LIFE Picture Collection, via Getty Images

The Great 'West Side Story' Debate

With the Steven Spielberg film coming soon, three critics, a playwright and a theater historian weigh in on whether the musical deserves a new hearing — and how.