Movies Update: ‘Saint Omer’ and More.

Plus, how "M3gan" found box office success.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 13, 2023 By Stephanie Goodman Film Editor Hi, film fans! In Hollywood, hand-wringing about the box office — or, more precisely, the lack of box office — was endemic in 2022. But the new year has begun on a hopeful note: "M3gan," the horror comedy about a toy robot with a mind of her own, outperformed experts' predictions by a whopping 30 percent last weekend for a take of $30.2 million. ("Avatar: The Way of Water" was still No. 1, adding $45 million to its enormous gross.) Why did "M3gan" connect with viewers? My colleague Brooks Barnes explained that the film had a number of factors going for it: a concept infused with humor (he described it as "a comedy disguised as a horror film"); a smart marketing campaign with a strong social media element; and, perhaps most important, a fresh take on the well-worn killer doll plot. Of course it remains to be seen whether it will continue to draw viewers, but as her victims learned in the film, underestimate M3gan at your peril. What else is worth seeing at the movies? A.O. Scott made "Saint Omer" a Critic's Pick, writing that the courtroom drama about a woman who has killed her child in France is "an intellectually charged, emotionally wrenching story about the inability of storytelling — literary, legal or cinematic — to do justice to the violence and strangeness of human experience." Manohla Dargis is more mixed on "Beautiful Beings," an Icelandic drama about teenage bullies and victims, but says that the writer-director Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson "persuasively conveys the feverish intimacy of adolescent friendship, with its vulnerabilities and inchoate desires." Whatever you decide to watch, have fun at the movies! Rich Polk/NBC, via Getty Images Tarnished Golden Globes Return to TV, and Hollywood Plays Along Amid a few awkward moments, the industry's stars mostly embraced the chance to accept film and TV trophies in hopes of a bump in business and award-season momentum. By Brooks Barnes Super CRITIC'S PICK 'Saint Omer' Review: The Trials of Motherhood A real-life case of infanticide is the basis of Alice Diop's rigorous and wrenching courtroom drama. By A.O. Scott Join Motion Pictures/Sturla Brandth Groevlen 'Beautiful Beings' Review: Boys Will Be Boys Will Be Violent Jerks In this brutal Icelandic drama, four teenagers — both bullies and the bullied — struggle and rage against a world that rages back. By Manohla Dargis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS IFC Films/Shudder CRITIC'S PICK 'Skinamarink' Review: Night Terrors Two children are trapped in a shape-shifting home in this spookily impenetrable horror experiment. By Jeannette Catsoulis MOVIE REVIEWS Kenneth Rexach/Lionsgate 'Plane' Review: Flight, Camera, Action In this thriller, Gerard Butler and Mike Colter have to avoid a hostage situation and deliver a plane full of passengers to safety. By Glenn Kenny Stephanie Branchu/Samuel Goldwyn Films 'Kitchen Brigade' Review: Oh Chef! My Chef! A sous chef is forced to take a job at a hostel for undocumented minors in this feel-good drama with a white-savior problem. By Beatrice Loayza Super Fab 'The Seven Faces of Jane' Review: One Movie, Eight Directors Gillian Jacobs's blank slate protagonist floats through a series of encounters in this feature-length movie made up of short films. By Teo Bugbee Decal 'The Offering' Review: A Demon in the Family In this Brooklyn-set horror film, an evil spirit causes torment at a Jewish funeral home. By Nicolas Rapold ANATOMY OF A SCENE Amazon Studios ANATOMY OF A SCENE How 'Nanny' Unleashes a Downpour in a Bedroom The film's writer and director Nikyatu Jusu narrates a sequence. By Mekado Murphy Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Geoffrey Short/Universal Pictures 'M3gan' Beats Box Office Predictions, Sailing Into Second Place The $12 million PG-13 horror film brought in $30.2 million in ticket sales, behind "Avatar: The Way of Water," with $45 million. By Brooks Barnes Left: Henny Garfunkel. Right: Robin Holland Longtime Film Forum Director to Step Down After 50 Years Karen Cooper, who took over the nonprofit cinema in 1972 and transformed it into a $6 million-a-year operation, will step down in July after five decades. By Sarah Bahr Universal Pictures, via Photofest and MoMA Why Do Some Films Get Restored and Others Languish? A MoMA Series Holds Clues. History, finances and practical concerns all played a role in preserving the movies being shown at To Save and Project. By Ben Kenigsberg Emerson Miller/Paramount Network Several Golden Globe winners were not there to pick up their awards. While some could not attend, citing conflicts, Kevin Costner was kept from the ceremony by the severe weather in California. By Kalia Richardson Mike Slaughter/Toronto Star, via Getty Images Michael Snow, Prolific and Playful Artistic Polymath, Is Dead at 94 He was a painter, a musician, a photographer and a sculptor. But he was best known for experimental (and often contentious) films like "Wavelength." By J. Hoberman Rico Torres/Lionsgate Ruggero Deodato, Whose 'Cannibal Holocaust' Enraged, Dies at 83 He directed a variety of movies in a variety of genres. But it was a gruesome found-footage film that brought him both fame and infamy. By Neil Genzlinger STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Meneshma Films Five International Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a Latvian satire about World War II, a family portrait by an Indian documentarian, an Oedipal thriller from Mexico and more. By Devika Girish Niko Tavernise/20th Century Studios The 50 Best TV Shows and Movies to Watch on Disney+ Right Now The Disney streaming platform has hundreds of movie and TV titles, drawing from its own deep reservoir classics and from Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic and more. These are our favorites. By Scott Tobias 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. 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