Cinema News: Movies Update: ‘Black Adam,’ ‘Ticket to Paradise’ and More

October 21, 2022

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey movie fans!

If you like your rom-coms starry and your superheroes bulky, this is your week.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts bicker and banter across Bali in "Ticket to Paradise," from the director Ol Parker, who likes placing famous people in gorgeous locales (See: "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.") Though in her review, Amy Nicholson wrote that this particular getaway "forgets to pack the laughs." Nonetheless, Roberts and Clooney have fun razzing each other in this interview, and Jason Bailey wrote about how the two have become the new, old Hollywood.

Dwayne Johnson brings all his might (and a seriously furrowed brow) to the title role in "Black Adam," about an ancient figure granted god powers. Though Maya Phillips called this Warner Bros. spectacle "a dull, listless superhero movie that hits all the expected touchstones of the genre under the guise of a transgressive new antihero story."

Two pairs of familiar faces can be found elsewhere in this week's releases. There's Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson playing friends who have had a falling out in "The Banshees of Inisherin," and Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke playing half brothers coping with their father's death in "Raymond & Ray."

From "Raymond & Ray," we move to Sophia and Sofia (Sophia Anne Caruso and Sofia Wylie, that is). These two young actors star in the new Netflix Y.A. fairy tale "The School for Good and Evil." About that one, Maya Phillips wrote that it's "a muddle of clichés and inconsistencies with just enough charm and cleverness to keep you watching." Read an interview with the performers here.

The release lineup does include a few Critic's Picks, namely the intimate indie drama "Aftersun" and the deeply emotional documentary "Descendant."

Enjoy the movies!

Warner Bros

'Black Adam' Review: Heroism, but Paint It Black

Dwayne Johnson stars in this overstuffed superhero film about an ancient figure granted god powers.

By Maya Phillips

Vince Valitutti/Universal Studios

'Ticket to Paradise' Review: Yes, They Like Piña Coladas

George Clooney and Julia Roberts take another dip into romantic comedy with this Bali-set film.

By Amy Nicholson

Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios

'The Banshees of Inisherin' Review: Giving Your Friend the Finger

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play feuding frenemies in Martin McDonagh's latest film, set on an Irish coast in 1923.

By A.O. Scott

Continue reading the main story

CRITICS' PICKS

Netflix

Critic's Pick

'Descendant' Review: The Fates of a Ship and its Captives

This documentary recounts the salvaging of the Clotilda, the last known ship to bring enslaved Africans to America, and tracks down their progeny.

By Lisa Kennedy

via Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe

Critic's Pick

'All That Breathes' Review: Hope Is the Thing With Feathers

Shaunak Sen's poetic documentary chronicles the efforts of three New Delhi men to help the city's birds of prey.

By A.O. Scott

ANATOMY OF A SCENE

Neon	Anatomy of a Scene How 'Triangle of Sadness' Turns the Tables of Status The writer and director Ruben Ostlund narrates a pivotal scene from his satire. By Mekado Murphy

MOVIE REVIEWS

Parisa Taghizadeh/Amazon Prime Video

'My Policeman' Review: Two Love Affairs, Equally Tragic

A schoolteacher, her police officer husband and his lover deny each other romantic satisfaction in this dismal melodrama.

By Teo Bugbee

Gilles Mingasson/Apple TV+

'Raymond & Ray' Review: Oh, Brother

Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke struggle to dig themselves out of this dreary drama about damaged siblings reckoning with their father's death.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Shudder

'V/H/S/99' Review: Death on the Way to DVD

The long-running horror anthology has a new installment.

By Jason Zinoman

Gilles Mingasson/Netflix

'The School for Good and Evil' Review: Ever Afters and Never Afters

Two best friends have princess dreams and witchy nightmares in this adaptation of Soman Chainani's book series.

By Maya Phillips

HBO	'Year One: A Political Odyssey' Review: Biden by the Numbers Despite the insider access, a documentary about the president's first year in office is short on intriguing tidbits. By Nicolas Rapold

Jessica Young/Sony Pictures Classics

'The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile' Review: The Evolution of a Country Star

A close-up of the singers' collaboration at Sunset Sound that led to Tucker receiving two Grammys.

By Glenn Kenny

Lightyear Entertainment

'Voodoo Macbeth' Review: A Tiresome Curse

A historical look back at Orson Welles's production of "Macbeth" with an all-Black cast in Harlem in the 1930s.

By Beandrea July

William Laxton/Homegreen Films

'Face' Review: Close Encounters

Commissioned by the Louvre, the film brings together two of cinema's unforgettable faces, Lee Kang-sheng and Jean-Pierre Léaud.

By Devika Girish

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NEWS & FEATURES

Ricardo Nagaoka for The New York Times

Dwayne Johnson Is Ready to Embrace the Heel Again in 'Black Adam'

In his wrestling days, he played the baddie. Now the action star is known for good-guy roles. He explains why he pushed so hard to play the DC antihero.

By Dave Itzkoff

Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times

The Projectionist

'Everything Everywhere,' All Through Awards Season?

At a screening filled with Oscar voters, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and the directors marveled at the way their quirky film has struck a chord.

By Kyle Buchanan

Mutual Rescue

Animal Lovers, Rejoice: The NY Cat and Dog Film Festivals Return

The programs feature many surprises, including a cat that plays Wordle and a lone man's odyssey to feed Turkish strays.

By Laurel Graeber

Jingyu Lin for The New York Times

Up Next

Quintessa Swindell Smashes Barriers in DC's 'Black Adam'

"My trans and nonbinary identity is the thing that I'm the most confident about in my life," Mx. Swindell said.

By Alex Hawgood

Netflix

Guillermo del Toro Opens His 'Cabinet of Curiosities'

For the first season of his horror anthology for Netflix, the filmmaker handpicked eight directors to tell a series of strange and macabre tales.

By Chris Vognar

Universal Pictures, via Associated Press

Critic's Notebook

How George Clooney and Julia Roberts Quietly Became the Tracy-Hepburn of Our Time

"Ticket to Paradise" and other team-ups take advantage of their onscreen glamour and stellar chemistry and their offscreen affection for one another.

By Jason Bailey

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

Netflix

Five International Movies to Stream Now

This month's picks include a postmodern Tamil rom-com, a stylish period drama from Vietnam, an Argentine film about a writer undergoing a creative crisis and more.

By Devika Girish

Array

Beyond the Algorithm

'Definition Please,' 'Cyrus' and More Streaming Gems

This month's under-the-radar picks from your streaming subscription services include a trio of emotional family dramedies, an again-timely campaign documentary and a pair of taut suspense movies.

By Jason Bailey

Miramax Films

'Glengarry Glen Ross' and 'Reservoir Dogs' at 30: Men Talking

These dramas, both known for distinctive (and salty) dialogue, didn't make much of a box office impression in 1992. But their influence is still being felt.

By Jason Bailey