Cinema News: Movies Update: ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ and More

March 24, 2023

By Stephanie Goodman

Film Editor

Hi, film fans!

With "John Wick: Chapter 4" hitting theaters this weekend, we have been discussing the franchise quite a bit. It's the rare series that just about everyone on the film desk really enjoys (and agrees on). Manohla Dargis and I were discussing why the violence in these movies doesn't disturb us more, and I think she got at this in her not-quite-Critic's Pick review when she wrote that the brutal action "is as untethered from reality as it is in zombie flicks" and went on to explain, "No matter what happens, nothing ever feels as poignantly at stake here as Reeves's own ravaged, beautiful, aging body."

While the focus in these films is obviously on Wick, for a lone assassin he sure has a lot of friends, as the writer Robert Ito points out, noting, "Everybody knows him, from beat cops and mechanics to club bouncers and hotel concierges." In exploring the chumminess of Wick World, Ito spoke with the screenwriter Michael Finch, who explained that the protagonist has so many pals "because, at the end of the day, he's inherently a good man," then added, "And he's Keanu, so it's very hard to dislike him."

If for some reason you're not on board with the Wick series, there are plenty of movies our critics are recommending this week (really, quite a lot!), including, for starters, "Reggie," a documentary on the storied baseball player Reggie Jackson; "The Worst Ones," a provocative critique of filmmaking practices; and "Petite Solange," a divorce story told with compassion.

Whatever you end up watching, have fun at the movies!

Murray Close/Lionsgate

'John Wick: Chapter 4' Review: There Will Be Blood, Yeah

In the latest and longest movie set in Wick World, Keanu Reeves's titular assassin visits Paris and paints the town red.

By Manohla Dargis

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CRITICS' PICKS

Prime Video

CRITIC'S PICK

'Reggie' Review: Reggie Jackson on Himself, Racism and, Yes, Baseball

Jackson, a.k.a. Mr. October, was called a lot of things during his storied career with the Yankees. A new documentary goes beyond the nicknames.

By Glenn Kenny

Kino Lorber

CRITIC'S PICK

'The Worst Ones' Review: The Gazes of Children

In their feature, the directors Lisa Akoka and Romane Gueret build a provocative critique of filmmaking practices.

By Lisa Kennedy

Several Futures

CRITIC'S PICK

'Petite Solange' Review: Coming of Age as Your Parents Divorce

Axelle Ropert's carefully calibrated film from France follows a girl experiencing the pain of having to accept her parents as people with faults.

By Natalia Winkelman

Elliott Erwitt/Greenwich Entertainment

CRITIC'S PICK

'Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV' Review: Art Onscreen

A new documentary follows the ceaseless innovations of a man who made art out of television sets and found inspiration in disruption.

By Nicolas Rapold

Cinema Guild

CRITIC'S PICK

'Walk Up' Review: Good Friends Make Bad Neighbors

Hong Sang-soo's latest film traces the relationships in a small Seoul apartment building as they evolve and grow heavier with complications.

By Austin Considine

IFC Films

CRITIC'S PICK

'The Lost King' Review: A Royal Obsession

Sally Hawkins lights a fire under this droll dramedy about the search for the final resting place of Richard III.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Mubi	CRITIC'S PICK 'The Five Devils' Review: The Scent of the Past Part queer love story, part supernatural psychodrama, the uncanny second feature by Léa Mysius follows a young girl with a magical sense of smell. By Beatrice Loayza

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ANATOMY OF A SCENE

Lionsgate

ANATOMY OF A SCENE

Watch Keanu Reeves and Donnie Yen Battle in 'John Wick: Chapter 4'

The director Chad Stahelski narrates a sequence involving John Wick in combat with Caine, a blind assassin.

By Mekado Murphy

MOVIE REVIEWS

Jeong Park/MGM

'A Good Person' Review: Zach Braff's New Chapter

The filmmaker behind "Garden State" has created a fully drawn female character in Florence Pugh's grieving addict. But this recovery drama often has too heavy a hand.

By Brandon Yu

Abramorama

'What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?' Review: What Goes Up

The rise and fall of a classic-rock band is chronicled (shakily) in this documentary.

By Calum Marsh

Niels Ladefoged/Bullfrog Films

'Ithaka' Review: In Julian Assange They Trust

A frustrating new advocacy documentary about the WikiLeaks founder, with appearances by his father and wife, loses its footing on weak assertions and reporting.

By Amy Nicholson