Movies Update: ‘Elvis’ and More

Plus, a chat with Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story June 24, 2022 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! "Elvis" has entered the building. Baz Luhrmann's unconventional biopic, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, is now in theaters. It takes a hyperkinetic journey through the life of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. But did our critic love it true? In his review, A.O. Scott wrote that the film "lurches and wobbles, caught in a trap only partly of its own devising." Also in theaters is "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On," a feature based on a character made famous in YouTube videos. Jenny Slate voices the tiny title creature. In her review, Manohla Dargis wrote that while the movie "captivates you with its mix of real objects and animation, its nubby textures and huge thumbtacks, for it to work you need to forget about Slate and just go with the lightly surrealistic silliness." In a robust week of new releases, a number of movies are available to stream, including "Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe" (a Critic's Pick over on Paramount+); the Giannis Antetokounmpo biopic "Rise" (on Disney+); the filmed Off Broadway show "Trevor: The Musical" (Disney+); the coming-of-age drama "Wildhood" (on Hulu); a biopic about a lawyer for families affected by police violence, "Civil: Ben Crump" (Netflix); and a rom-com set in Italy, "Love & Gelato" (Netflix). Enjoy the movies! Warner Bros. 'Elvis' Review: Shocking the King Back to Life Austin Butler plays the singer, with Tom Hanks as his devilish manager, in Baz Luhrmann's operatic, chaotic anti-biopic. By A.O. Scott A24 'Marcel the Shell With Shoes On' Review: Bigger Isn't Better The one-inch-high shell voiced by Jenny Slate gets a feature-length vehicle, but the transition from YouTube fame is only partly successful. By Manohla Dargis Josefina Santos for The New York Times Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Their 'Official Competition' The two Spanish actors discuss working together on a satire about the film industry, how they feel about awards and how they get into character. By Carlos Aguilar Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS IFC Midnight Critic's Pick 'Flux Gourmet' Review: Mastering the Art of Fringe Cooking Peter Strickland's latest film is a speculative comedy about art, desire and gastrointestinal discomfort. By A.O. Scott Paramount+ Critic's Pick 'Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe' Review: Chortles in Space Even though you can guess what these two characters will say as they're sucked into a black hole, their cosmic adventure still delivers new laughs. By Glenn Kenny Mubi Critic's Pick 'We (Nous)' Review: This Is Us Alice Diop's observational documentary is a beautiful, loose-limned portrait of Paris's suburbs. By Devika Girish Sheena Matheiken/Neon Critic's Pick 'Beba' Review: Learning From Ancestors An Afro-Latina filmmaker explores her identity and generational trauma growing up in New York City and attending a predominantly white college. By Concepción de León Disney+ Critic's Pick 'Rise' Review: To Be Giannis The story of the real-life N.B.A. superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is told with heartfelt charm in this endearing Disney+ biopic. By Calum Marsh STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Blumhouse Productions Five Horror Movies to Stream Now This month's picks are scary, but not too scary. (Except the one about the demon on a rampage. That's very scary.) By Erik Piepenburg Ian Watson/IFC Films Beyond the Algorithm 'Disappearance at Clifton Hill,' 'Damsel' and More Streaming Gems Inventive riffs on murder mysteries, westerns and gangster movies are among the highlights of this month's under-the-radar streaming recommendations. By Jason Bailey Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MOVIE REVIEWS Film Forum 'Vedette' Review: A Cow's Trouble in Paradise In this documentary, two French filmmakers meet a formidable Swiss cow and, under her impassive gaze, ruminate on her Alpine life. By Manohla Dargis Universal Pictures 'The Black Phone' Review: The Dead Have Your Number Ethan Hawke plays the big bad in this 1970s-set child-abduction thriller. By Jeannette Catsoulis Kino Lorber 'Olga' Review: Tough Balancing Act for a Ukrainian Girl in Exile Elie Grappe's quietly poignant film about a young gymnast finds her torn between her passion and the violence gripping her country — in 2013. By Austin Considine HBO 'Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes' Review: Excavating Images From the Fallout This archival documentary uses footage from the former Soviet Union to reconstruct the nuclear disaster from the perspectives of people who were present. By Ben Kenigsberg Joan Marcus/Disney+ 'Trevor: The Musical' Review: He's Coming Out A bullied eighth grader learns to shine in this filmed version of the stage musical streaming on Disney+. By Amy Nicholson Abramorama 'The Human Trial' Review: The Race for a Diabetes Cure The married documentarians Lisa Hepner and Guy Mossman follow people with diabetes who put themselves forward as test subjects for a potential solution. By Glenn Kenny Riley Smith/Wolfe Releasing 'Wildhood' Review: On the Road, Sorting Out Growing Up Three young men explore their Indigenous heritage and questions about their gender and sexual identity in this film. By Natalia Winkelman Netflix 'Civil: Ben Crump' Review: What Becomes of a Missed Opportunity? The documentary "Civil" follows Ben Crump, the prominent attorney who has represented families affected by police violence, for one turbulent year. By Lisa Kennedy Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Elizabeth Bick for The New York Times A Quiet Word With Italy's Master of Horror A 20-film retrospective in New York of the filmmaker Dario Argento's work shows why he's had audiences jumping out of their seats for nearly five decades. By Elisabetta Povoledo Studio Chizu/GKids Reporter's Notebook For the Most Complex Heroines in Animation, Look to Japan The girls and women of anime tend to experience the conflicting emotions of real life. That's because the auteurs try to create "an everyday, real person." By Charles Solomon Rialto Pictures Still Charming at 50: Luis Buñuel's Greatest Hit "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeois" is a comedy of frustrations in which a sextet of super-civilized haute bourgeois repeatedly attempt and fail to sit down at dinner. By J. Hoberman How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to moviesupdate@nytimes.com. 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