Movies Update: ‘Minions’ and More

Plus, the best films of 2022, so far.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 1, 2022 By Stephanie Goodman Film Editor Hi, film fans! As we head into the Fourth of July weekend, it's a good time to take stock of the year so far. At the box office there have been several surprises. I don't think anyone expected films to hang on week after week the way "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Everything Everywhere All at Once" have. It's a throwback to the good old days (in my view) when you could go to the theater and see a movie months after it came out. What about the movies themselves? I asked The Times's co-chief critics, Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott, if there were many films from the first half of the year that they would recommend, and they quickly came up with a list of 10, many streaming, others still in theaters. And those don't even include this weekend's releases, like the Critics' Picks "Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song," about the songwriter's most famous work, and "Down With the King," about a rapper facing a career crisis. Whatever you decide to watch, have fun at the movies! Illumination Entertainment/Universal Pictures 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' Review: They're Yellow but Not Mellow This latest edition featuring the animated creatures is an origin story of sorts for their master, Gru. By Glenn Kenny Dana Scruggs for The New York Times What Makes Taika Waititi Run and Run and Run? The "Thor: Love and Thunder" director can't say no — to starring in "Our Flag Means Death," making a soccer movie, writing a "Star Wars" idea, adapting Roald Dahl. For starters. By Dave Itzkoff A24 The Best Films of 2022, So Far Here are the movies that our critics say have made the year a strong one onscreen. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Sony Pictures Entertainment critic's pick 'Down With the King' Review: A Rapper in the Wilderness In Diego Ongaro's patient and subtle new film, Freddie Gibbs plays a hip-hop artist struggling with a career malaise. By A.O. Scott Leonard Cohen Family Trust/Sony Pictures Classics critic's pick 'Hallelujah' Review: From Leonard Cohen to Cale to Buckley to Shrek A new documentary tells the entwined stories of a songwriter and his best-known composition. By A.O. Scott ANATOMY OF A SCENE Warner Bros. Anatomy of a Scene Watch Austin Butler Cause Hysteria in 'Elvis' The director Baz Luhrmann narrates a sequence in which Elvis gives an early performance that stirs up the audience. By Mekado Murphy MOVIE REVIEWS Bleecker Street 'Mr. Malcolm's List' Review: A Finalist for His Affection Upper-crust courtship comes with undercooked social commentary in this Regency-era romance. By Amy Nicholson Circus King 'Fourth of July' Review: Fraught Family Dynamics From Louis C.K. The comedian directs, co-writes and takes a supporting role in this family dramedy. It's not supposed to be his show, but it is anyway. By Glenn Kenny Greenwich Entertainment 'Accepted' Review: Reaching for the Stars, Seeing Them Dissolve After a scandal unravels at their private school in western Louisiana, four seniors pick up the pieces. By Beandrea July Oscilloscope 'Clara Sola' Review: Breaking Free A 40-year-old woman, believed to be blessed with divine powers, has her sexual awakening in Nathalie Álvarez Mesén's debut feature. By Devika Girish Netflix 'Beauty' Review: Requiem for a Pop Star The ghost of Whitney Houston haunts "Beauty," the story of a singer, her family and best friend on the edge of fame. By Lisa Kennedy Philipp Brozsek/IFC Midnight 'Rubikon' Review: Waiting to Inhale In this somber morality tale, the bare-bones crew of a space station is faced with an impossible choice. By Jeannette Catsoulis Sabrina Lantos/Netflix 'The Man From Toronto' Review: Not So Clearly Canadian Woody Harrelson plays a hit man and Kevin Hart the wrong man in this Netflix action comedy. By Calum Marsh Simon Varsano/20th Century Studios/Hulu 'The Princess' Review: Holding His Heart in Her Hands Joey King is credible and compelling as a vengeful would-be princess bride in this over-the-top action fantasy tale. By Amy Nicholson Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Maria Andreotti How 'Marcel the Shell' Went From YouTube to the Big Screen How did "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On," a short created in one person's bedroom, become a full-scale, stop-motion feature film? Meticulously. By Jason Bailey HBO Critic's Notebook When an Abortion Story Is Told as a Caper, Thriller or Farce As Roe falls, new works including a documentary, a feature film and a comedy show disrupt the taboos and clichés around abortion. By Amanda Hess Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives, via Getty Images Screen Kings of Rock 'n' Roll: The Best and Worst Actors to Play Elvis In honor of Austin Butler's performance in the Baz Luhrmann biopic, we ranked 10 of the best — and worst — Presleys to grace the silver screen. By Sarah Bahr STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Distrib Films US Five International Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include an unconventional French rom-com, a triptych about Indigenous women in Mexico, a provincial Tamil satire and more. By Devika Girish Cinema Guild Stream These Three Great Documentaries This month's nonfiction picks include a reflection on a father, a immersive dive into the fishing industry and an alternative approach to the rock band biopic doc. By Ben Kenigsberg Murray Close/STX Productions Stream These 9 Movies and Shows Before They Leave Netflix in July Subscribers in the United States will lose a classic '90s rom-com among other delightful titles. Watch these while you can. By Jason Bailey Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT 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. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018