Cinema News: Movies Update: Sundance and More

January 20, 2023

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

The Sundance Film Festival is back. Or, more specifically, back in person.

The previous two iterations have been virtual viewing affairs because of the pandemic. But this year the festival has gone hybrid, with screenings taking place both in Park City, Utah, and online. Our reporter Nicole Sperling wrote about some of the people of color who are financing movies at the festival that highlight underrepresented voices.

From Utah back to Hollywood, the Oscar nominations are just around the corner. Our awards expert Kyle Buchanan gave his thoughts on what films and artists might make the cut when nominees are announced Tuesday morning.

If you're looking for new movies, a handful are out this week in theaters, including "Alice, Darling," a drama starring Anna Kendrick as a woman who tries to pull away from an abusive relationship. In her review, Manohla Dargis wrote, "The sense that there's more going on under Kendrick's likable persona works well for both her character and for this movie."

Also out is "Missing," a thriller starring Storm Reid that plays out on a computer screen. While the critic Amy Nicholson noted that some of the screen-based actions can get tedious, she wrote, "There's some pleasure in a brains-over-brawn quest that flatters us to fancy that we might be clever enough to solve it ourselves."

Enjoy the movies!

Alex Welsh for The New York Times

'The Ability to Say Yes' to Stories Long Neglected on the Screen

People of color are financing a number of movies at the Sundance Film Festival focused on elevating underrepresented voices.

By Nicole Sperling

Krista Schlueter for The New York Times

THE PROJECTIONIST

What Will Be Nominated for Oscars on Tuesday? What Won't Be?

It's an unusually wide open year for the Academy Awards. But our expert has a good idea about what will make the cut. Here are his projections.

By Kyle Buchanan

A24

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

At the Movies, Bagels, Onions and a Side Dish of Nothing

Both "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and the "Knives Out" sequel delve into the abyss, where life has no meaning. What they do next is surprising.

By Maya Phillips

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CRITICS' PICKS

Film Movement

CRITIC'S PICK

'The Last Autumn' Review: The Majesty of Shepherds

This observational documentary about an aging farming couple on the Icelandic coast unfolds like an elegy to a life lived off the land.

By Devika Girish

Vertigo Releasing

CRITIC'S PICK

'After Love' Review: The Other Woman

In this intelligent melodrama by the director Aleem Khan, a British woman discovers her husband has been leading a double life.

By Beatrice Loayza

MOVIE REVIEWS

Lionsgate

'Alice, Darling' Review: That's What Friends Are For

Anna Kendrick stars in a drama about a woman in an abusive relationship who finds refuge with two girlfriends during a getaway.

By Manohla Dargis

Temma Hankin/Screen Gems/Sony Pictures

'Missing' Review: Mom's Lost in the Matrix

This thriller, about a teenage girl whose mother disappears, plays out on a computer screen.

By Amy Nicholson

Karen Kuehn/A24

'When You Finish Saving the World' Review: Mother and Son Disunion

Julianne Moore plays a parent to a son (Finn Wolfhard) with whom she fails to see eye-to-eye in this comedy directed by Jesse Eisenberg.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Ron Batzdorff/Warner Bros

'House Party' Review: A Rager Gone South

Directed by Calmatic, "House Party" reboots the 1990 Kid 'n Play cult comedy with the help of LeBron James.

By Brandon Yu

Red Water Entertainment

'Back to the Wharf' Review: Ghosts of the Past

Li Xiaofeng's film turns a crime soap opera into an allegory about China's head-spinning modernization.

By Brandon Yu

Screen Media

'Virtually Heroes' Review: Game Over, Man

After a decade on the shelf, this action comedy is streaming for the first time. But while the action is dated, the comedy is antique.

By Calum Marsh

Peter Bennett

'Only in Theaters' Review: A Family Business in Changing Times

Laemmle theaters have fed generations of Los Angeles cinephiles. This documentary looks at their past and present.

By Glenn Kenny

Strand Releasing

'In From the Side' Review: Love and Rugby Play a Losing Game

In Matt Carter's gay rugby film, sports and romance smash together like two players from opposing teams.

By Kyle Turner

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NEWS & FEATURES

Pool photo by Alex Tabak

Alec Baldwin Will Be Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter in 'Rust' Killing

A gun that Mr. Baldwin was rehearsing with went off, killing the film's cinematographer. The armorer responsible for weapons on set also faces manslaughter charges.

By Julia Jacobs and Graham Bowley

Universal Pictures

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

A Doll That Wears Sunglasses With Attitude? Oh, 'M3gan' Is a Gay Movie.

The title robot — reminiscent of the loyal but messy straight women that gay men are protective of — is progress for a genre with a shameful history.

By Erik Piepenburg

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

Warner Bros. Pictures

The 50 Best Movies on HBO Max Right Now

In addition to new Warner and HBO films, the streamer has a treasure trove of Golden Age classics, indie flicks and foreign films. Start with these.

By Scott Tobias

Photofest

The Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now

New films, and classics, just keep coming, but you don't have to drill down to find the finest selections to stream. We'll do the heavy lifting. You press play.

By Jason Bailey

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