Movies Update: ‘Blonde,’ ‘Bros’ and More

Plus, what to watch at the New York Film Festival.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story September 30, 2022 By Stephanie Goodman Film Editor Hi, film fans! The New York Film Festival's opening tonight takes us into the homestretch of the fall festival season. Our critic A.O. Scott watched several selections and came away impressed with the latest edition of the event, which turns 60, writing, "Yes, there have been concessions to popularity, to the news media and to the Oscar race, and special showings of commercially thirsty releases, but the festival stands on the confident assertion that film is art." I myself am excited to see the opening-night title, "White Noise," and have no idea what to expect beyond what sounds like a pretty great end-credits sequence. The other big film event this week was the Netflix debut of "Blonde," the Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Ana de Armas and directed by Andrew Dominik. Much has been written about the drama and there's surely more to come, but Manohla Dargis's piercing review is a must-read. This Marilyn "drifts and stumbles through a life that never feels like her own," Dargis wrote. "All that's missing from this portrait is, well, everything else, including Monroe's personality and inner life, her intelligence, her wit and savvy and tenacity; her interest in — and knowledge of — politics; the work that she put in as an actress and the true depth of her professional ambitions." That was obviously not a Critic's Pick. Films that our reviewers do recommend this week include "Dead for a Dollar" and "Smile." Whatever you end up watching, have fun at the movies! Netflix 'Blonde' Review: Exploiting Marilyn Monroe for Old Times' Sake She was an actress of uncommon talent. But once again a director is more interested in examining her body (literally, in this case) than getting inside her mind. By Manohla Dargis Focus Features The New York Film Festival: Movies for Art's Sake In "Tár," "Showing Up" and other selections, the annual event makes the case for big-screen aesthetics and large-scale ambitions. By A.O. Scott 'Bros' Review: Boy Meets Boy Meets Multiplex Billy Eichner plays a moody podcaster who has sworn off relationships, but just might find himself in one anyway, in this gay romantic comedy. By Amy Nicholson Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Lewis Jacobs/Quiver Distribution Critic's Pick 'Dead for a Dollar' Review: How the Western's Done Walter Hill's lean, mean shoot-'em-up is a master class in B-movie craft. By A.O. Scott Paramount Pictures Critic's Pick 'Smile' Review: Grab and Grin A young psychiatrist believes she's being pursued by a malevolent force in this impressive horror feature debut. By Jeannette Catsoulis Disney+ Critic's Pick 'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Still Spelling Trouble The Sanderson sisters return, bringing the same spooky humor with some modern twists. By Claire Shaffer Array Releasing Critic's Pick 'What We Leave Behind' Review: A Father's Final Project At 89, Julián Moreno began building a home in Mexico for his children who had immigrated to the U.S. His granddaughter made the poignant documentary "What We Leave Behind." By Lisa Kennedy ANATOMY OF A SCENE Universal Pictures Anatomy of a Scene Watch Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane on an Awkward Date in 'Bros' The director Nicholas Stoller narrates a sequence from the romantic comedy. By Mekado Murphy MOVIE REVIEWS A24 'God's Creatures' Review: A Crisis of Conscience Emily Watson is terrific at telegraphing how a mother's love grinds against her moral code in this atmospheric seaside drama. By Natalia Winkelman Saban Films 'Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon' Review: Escape From New Orleans This hyper-stylized quasi-superhero movie by Ana Lily Amirpour follows a mental hospital patient with supernatural abilities; it looks a lot more fun than it actually is. By Beatrice Loayza Double Exposure 'From the Hood to the Holler' Review: A Race to Galvanize the Poor A new documentary revisits the former Kentucky state representative Charles Booker's 2020 campaign to unseat Mitch McConnell in the Senate. By Concepción de León Amazon Prime Video 'Argentina, 1985' Review: All the Prosecutor's Men Santiago Mitre's impassioned dramatization of the Trial of the Juntas benefits from a gentle evocation of collective memory. By Natalia Winkelman Eliza Morse/Prime Video 'My Best Friend's Exorcism' Review: Like, Totally Satan A group of high schoolers contend with a friend's demonic possession in this 1980s-set horror-comedy. By Calum Marsh Reid Davenport/POV 'I Didn't See You There' Review: A View From His Seat The filmmaker Reid Davenport, by turns pensive and irritated, takes viewers inside his life as a disabled person through footage shot entirely from his perspective. By Nicolas Rapold Abramorama 'InHospitable' Review: Fight for Survival Patients push back on a medical behemoth in this persuasive health care documentary. By Ben Kenigsberg IFC Films 'Vesper' Review: Seeds of Hope This elegantly visualized dystopian fantasy envelops us in the world of a gifted girl fending for survival with her sickly father. By Nicolas Rapold Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times Billy Eichner Wrote Himself Into the Romance He Wanted With 'Bros' In the film, he channels his relationship angst into something hopeful: "I was like, 'Why is the fictional version of me happier than I am?'" By Kyle Buchanan Netflix Critic's Notebook The Empty Spectacle of Marilyn Monroe's Fantasy Fetus "Blonde" pretends to imagine how Monroe would have felt about her pregnancies. Instead, it jarringly shoves a C.G.I. fetus into her midcentury mind. By Amanda Hess Wilson Webb/Netflix Film Festival Season Comes to New York The New York region has a flurry of film festivals kicking off over the next few weeks, with several high-profile movies debuting. Here's what to look out for. By Nadav Gavrielov Ruth Ossai for The New York Times Whoopi Goldberg Will Not Shut Up, Thank You Very Much No matter​ ​how often​ ​she gets​ ​into trouble,​ ​she refuses to hold anything back. By Jazmine Hughes STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Epic Pictures Releasing Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now Amnesiacs and French-history time travelers are among the protagonists in this month's sci-fi picks. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Ethan Palmer/Paramount Pictures Beyond the Algorithm 'Goat,' 'Dope' and More Streaming Gems A list of quality movie selections that are off the beaten path. By Jason Bailey Paramount Pictures, via Associated Press Stream These 13 Titles Before They Leave Netflix in October A major TV comedy and a couple of indie gems are among the many shows and movies leaving for U.S. subscribers next month. These are the ones not to miss. 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. 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