Cinema News: Movies Update: Ti West and ‘X’

March 18, 2022

By Stephanie Goodman

Film Editor

Hi, movie fans!

It's a busy time on the film desk. In the final week or so before the Oscars, we're keeping a close eye on the best actress race. Our awards expert, Kyle Buchanan, recently wrote about what a wild contest that's been, with no clear front-runner for much of the season. That may have changed with the Critics Choice Awards last Sunday, when Jessica Chastain picked up a prize for "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" not long after she was honored by the Screen Actors Guild. Still, Nicole Kidman ("Being the Ricardos") won the Golden Globe in the category, so you might want to think twice before making your Oscar pool picks.

Beyond the Academy Awards, we're talking about "X," from Ti West. The director is known for slow-burn scares, but his newest is "a clever and exuberant throwback to a less innocent time, when movies could be naughty, disreputable and idiosyncratic," A.O. Scott wrote in making the film a Critic's Pick. Jason Zinoman, a critic who specializes in horror movies, agreed with that assessment and pointed out that while West is one of many influenced by the 1974 "Texas Chain Saw Massacre," he is the rare filmmaker to understand why that classic worked.

If "X" isn't your bag, Manohla Dargis recommends "Intregalde," a Romanian satire that asks big questions amid the laughter. It's just one of many films opening this weekend. You can find more options here.

Whatever you end up watching, enjoy!

Amy Harrity for The New York Times

A 'Lost City' Group Chat With Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and Daniel Radcliffe

Their movie comedy will be under close scrutiny at the box office. But they aren't fazed and have lots to say about that Brad Pitt cameo, "Magic Mike" and "Harry Potter."

By Kyle Buchanan

The Projectionist

The Secret Sounds of 'Dune': Rice Krispies and Marianne Faithfull

Denis Villeneuve and his sound team explain how far they went to achieve an aural experience that would feel somewhat familiar, an unusual approach for sci-fi.

By Kyle Buchanan and Peter Fisher

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Critic's notebook

In Art and Tennis, Watch Out for the Backhand

Jane Campion's comment about Venus and Serena Williams reminded our critic of his own night of 'botched fanciness' and racial slights.

By Wesley Morris

Bryanston Distributing/Alamy

Critic's notebook

'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and the Lessons Few Horror Films Get Right

Ti West is the rare genre director to understand the original and honor it with a movie, "X," that also works on its own terms.

By Jason Zinoman

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CRITICS' PICKS

critic's pick

'X' Review: Trash, Art and the Movies

Ti West's latest is a slasher film about the making of a porno film, but the result might not be what you expect.

By A.O. Scott

Critic's Pick

'Intregalde' Review: Oh, Be Good!

A Romanian satire charts what happens when some humanitarian aid workers set out to save others (and need to be saved themselves).

By Manohla Dargis

MOVIE REVIEWS

'The Outfit' Review: The Violent Measure of a Man

In this gangster exercise set in 1956 Chicago, Mark Rylance plays a tailor who has very large scissors and some sharp moves.

By Manohla Dargis

'Ahed's Knee' Review: A Filmmaker's Agony in the Desert

Nadav Lapid's new film, about a brooding director much like himself, is a howl of rage at the state of Israeli society.

By A.O. Scott

'Master' Review: Get Thee to an H.B.C.U.!

Regina Hall anchors this horror movie debut from Mariama Diallo, set on a New England college campus.

By Lisa Kennedy

'Alice' Review: American Slavery and Black Power Collide

This time-bending thriller about a woman who escapes from slavery in 1973, starring Keke Palmer and Common, is a vapid historical romp.

By Beandrea July

'Deep Water' Review: Love and Loathing in New Orleans

An unhappy husband raises suspicions when his wife's lovers begin to disappear.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

'Love After Love' Review: Elegance Without a Center

Ann Hui's World War II-era film is lovely to look at but lacks emotional depth and resonance.

By Claire Shaffer

'Panama' Review: Welcome to the Jungle, We Lack Fun and Games

Mel Gibson drops in from time to time in this predictable throwback thriller from Mark Neveldine.

By Amy Nicholson

'The Last Mountain' Review: Impossible Summits

This documentary from Chris Terrill struggles to make emotional sense of its story, involving a mother and a son who both died on climbs.

By Ben Kenigsberg

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NEWS & FEATURES

Jane Campion Apologizes for Comment About Venus and Serena Williams

In an acceptance speech at the Critics Choice Awards, the "Power of the Dog" filmmaker wrongly suggested that the tennis greats didn't compete against men the way she had to.

By Laura Zornosa

The Projectionist

Jane Campion Wins Directors Guild Award for 'The Power of the Dog'

Maggie Gyllenhaal also won the first-time filmmaker award. It's the first year that both trophies went to women.

By Kyle Buchanan

Michelle Yeoh's Quantum Leaps

For her new sci-fi comedy, the martial-arts star had to attempt a more psychological kind of acrobatics.

By Alexandra Kleeman

Ari Wegner: A Cinematographer Who Knows Actors Down to the Eyelash

The director of photography for "The Power of the Dog" spent a year on preproduction. Now she could make Oscar history as the first woman to win best cinematography.

By Nicole Sperling

My Ten

Mandy Patinkin Finds Healing in Refugee Work and Praying With His Dog

Right when the actor thought he'd done almost everything, Ken Burns offered him the role of Benjamin Franklin, and, just maybe, held off an early retirement.

By Kathryn Shattuck