Movies Update: Will Smith Resigns and More

Plus, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Ambulance."

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 8, 2022 By Stephanie Goodman Film Editor Hi, film fans! The fallout from the Slap Seen 'Round the World continues. Late last week, Will Smith resigned from the academy, saying, "I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct." The academy was supposed to meet later this month to consider its next steps, but in light of the resignation, the organization is meeting today. Stay tuned. While that situation is definitely Topic A in the industry, on the film desk, we're starting to think about Cannes. Last year's edition was held later than usual because of the pandemic, but this year's seems on track to start May 17, with an announcement of the films in competition due this week. We're also happily talking about a couple of fun new movies: The mind-trip action adventure "Everything Everywhere All at Once," with Michelle Yeoh, is opening in more theaters this weekend and has A.O. Scott's seal of approval ("an exuberant swirl of genre anarchy"). Perhaps more surprising, he also enjoyed the new Michael Bay extravaganza, "Ambulance," writing, "You're not required to believe any of it, but somehow the word that comes to mind when I reflect on the 136 minutes I spent pinned to my seat watching this thing is 'persuasive.'" Here's to a great weekend with the movies! Universal Pictures 'Ambulance' Review: Michael Bay Is Our Emergency Movie Technician The action auteur's latest opus stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as bank robbers who commandeer an unlikely getaway vehicle. By A.O. Scott Jennelle Fong for The New York Times Ke Huy Quan: From Short Round to Romantic Lead in Just Four Long Decades A child star in the 1980s, he hit a dry patch and turned to stunt work in the 2000s. Now he has returned to acting in a part that blends his action and drama chops. By Robert Ito Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Film Movement critic's pick 'Donbass' Review: War in Ukraine, the Prequel Sergei Loznitsa's film, completed in 2018, presents an absurd, horrific tableau of cruelty and corruption. By A.O. Scott Cinema Guild Critic's Pick 'The Girl and the Spider' Review: Where Did I Put That Thing? The twin brothers Ramon and Silvan Zürcher have created a wonderfully discombobulating feature about an apartment move. By Ben Kenigsberg MOVIE REVIEWS Lightyear Entertainment 'a-ha: The Movie' Review: The Creative Purgatory of the 'Take on Me' Trio The documentary about the Norwegian synth-pop band plays like a slavish yet intermittently lucid Wikipedia entry. By Nicolas Rapold Jim Carrey in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' Review: Keep Up! Bada-Brrring! Jim Carrey's reprised role as a villainous weirdo helps this fast-paced, family-friendly video-game-movie sequel maintain a refreshing silliness. By Amy Nicholson Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn Films 'Aline' Review: Tale as Odd as Time Celine Dion's life story gets an unconventional telling from the French filmmaker Valérie Lemercier in this creative but flawed biopic. By Amy Nicholson Scott Patrick Green/Netflix 'Metal Lords' Review: Shred of the Class Teenage boys battling angst and bullies form a heavy metal band in this genuine Netflix movie. By Natalia Winkelman Stefania Rosini/Amazon Studios 'All the Old Knives' Review: Shooting Daggers Across the Table In this thriller, Thandiwe Newton and Chris Pine work to out-smolder and outwit each other as old C.I.A. colleagues and former lovers catching up over dinner. By Ben Kenigsberg Quiver Distribution 'As They Made Us' Review: If the Apple Falls, Who Retrieves It? A dutiful daughter navigates the consequences of her parents' failings in Mayim Bialik's engagingly compassionate directorial debut., By Lisa Kennedy Cinema Tropical and Habanero Critic's Pick 'La Mami' Review: Tough Love This documentary about the den mother of dancers at a Mexico City cabaret is vérité at its best. By Beandrea July DVV Entertainment Critic's Pick 'RRR' Review: A Hero (or Two) Shall Rise Scenes of glorious excess make the screen hum with energy in S.S. Rajamouli's action epic set in British colonial India. By Nicolas Rapold Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ANATOMY OF A SCENE Allyson Riggs/A24 Anatomy of a Scene How a Fanny Pack Attacks in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (a.k.a. Daniels) discuss an action sequence from their film starring Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. By Mekado Murphy NEWS & FEATURES Andrej Vasilenko for The New York Times Russia and Ukraine Have Long Been This Filmmaker's Subject In documentaries and fictional features, including two timely new movies, Sergei Loznitsa takes a hard look at both countries, examining daily life amid war and other historic forces. By Nicolas Rapold Ruth Fremson/The New York Times Reporter's Notebook One Last Takeaway From 'The Slap': Leave Black Women's Hair Alone Lost in the Oscars fray is the hurt inflicted when a group is denigrated for a laugh. Chris Rock, who has examined this issue in a documentary, should have known better. By Farah Fleurima Sandy Carson for The New York Times Richard Linklater and Sandra Adair: Three Decades of Action and Cuts The director and the editor have collaborated on 20 features, including "Apollo 10½," now on Netflix. By Sean Malin Warner Bros. Cole Sprouse on Finding a Healthy Balance in Hollywood The former child actor wanted to leave showbiz. Now, the "Moonshot" and "Riverdale" star is finding he can act and tend his photography career as well. By Ashley Spencer Chantal Anderson for The New York Times Caleb Landry Jones Can Do This The actor — whose latest film, the Australian drama "Nitram," earned him a top prize at Cannes — discusses his distinctive career in challenging roles. By Amy Nicholson Sam Jones Pictures/HBO Documentary Films Q. and A. Even a Broken Femur Can't Stop Tony Hawk A documentary chronicles the challenges of Hawk's skating career. He sat down to discuss the devastating leg injury that made promoting it (and walking) a challenge. By Bret Anthony Johnston Emily Kunstler/Sony Pictures Classics Using Film to Tell a Personal History of America and Race With "Who We Are," the lecturer Jeffery Robinson and the directors Emily and Sarah Kunstler follow in the tradition of documentaries that excavate our past. By Nicolas Rapold Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Filmways Pictures The Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now New films, and classics, just keep coming, but you don't have to drill down to find the finest selections to stream. We'll do the heavy lifting. You press play. By Jason Bailey How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to moviesupdate@nytimes.com. Like this email? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Movies Update from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. 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