Movies Update: ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret?’ and More

Plus, wild Nicolas Cage performances, ranked.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 28, 2023 By Stephanie Goodman Film Editor Hi, film fans! It only took half a century, but a film adaptation of Judy Blume's beloved "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" has finally arrived onscreen. As my colleague Melena Ryzik wrote, It is landing "squarely in the middle of today's culture wars," when issues involving the 1970 novel, like censorship — are back at the forefront. "'It's worse than the '80s,' when the author was first targeted, 'because of the way it's coming from government,'" Blume said. But what about the movie? In her review for The Times, Lisa Kennedy made it a Critic's Pick, writing, "The director-writer Kelly Fremon Craig's rendering of the book about puberty, family and nascent spirituality offers lessons in how a cherished object, when treated with tender and thoughtful regard, needn't turn precious." It's one of several Critic's Picks this week. For Manohla Dargis, "R.M.N.," from the Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu, is a "powerhouse of a movie" set in a Transylvania town where tensions between locals and foreign workers escalate into something "deeper, creepier and unnervingly familiar." She also extolled "The Eight Mountains," which tracks two boys who meet in the Italian Alps in 1984, saying, "One of the movie's pleasures is that it takes male friendship seriously." Lastly there's "Polite Society," which Amy Nicholson described as "a rollicking genre mash-up" from Nida Manzoor, "a first-time filmmaker impatient to evolve cultural representation from the last few years of self-conscious vitamins into crowd-pleasing candy." Whatever you decide to watch, enjoy the movies! Dana Hawley/Lionsgate CRITIC'S PICK 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' Review: Periods and Question Marks Judy Blume's groundbreaking novel about puberty — and so much more — finally gets the adaptation it deserves. By Lisa Kennedy Mobra Films/IFC Films CRITIC'S PICK 'R.M.N.' Review: A Bleak Diagnosis for Romania The director Cristian Mungiu, a powerhouse of the Romanian New Wave, examines a village's explosive reaction to a bakery hiring some foreign workers. By Manohla Dargis Universal Pictures Nicolas Cage, Ranked From Wild to Mild With the release of "Renfield," we look at 10 of the actor's performances from the last decade that range from subdued to off the deep end. By Erik Piepenburg Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Sideshow/Janus Films CRITIC'S PICK 'The Eight Mountains' Review: A Bond Forged Amid Splendor Set in the Italian Alps, this tender memory movie charts an intense friendship across both decades and continents. By Manohla Dargis Saima Khalid/Focus Features CRITIC'S PICK 'Polite Society' Review: Pride and Plenty of Fists This exuberant genre mash-up borrows from everything — westerns, musicals, heist capers, horror, Jane Austen and James Bond — to tell the story of two sisters. By Amy Nicholson Abramorama CRITIC'S PICK 'Nuclear Now' Review: Oliver Stone Makes the Case for Power Plants The director's new documentary considers our complicated relationship to nuclear energy and argues that it is our best hope against climate change. By Brandon Yu MOVIE REVIEWS Disney + 'Peter Pan & Wendy' Review: A New Girl in Neverland The filmmaker David Lowery updates the classic tale with his own pixie dust, saving what's good and scuttling the rest. By Amy Nicholson Alan Markfield/Sony Pictures 'Big George Foreman' Review: Not the Biopic a Two-time Champ Deserves The fictionalized film, with the boxer himself as one of its executive producers, crams a lot of events into its running time, leaving its charismatic cast on the ropes. By Glenn Kenny Paramount+ 'Wynonna Judd: Between Hell and Hallelujah' Review: The Show Must Go On A documentary about the country star, whose mother and singing partner, Naomi Judd, died last year, mostly fails to kindle unguided emotions. By Chris Azzopardi Lionsgate 'Centurion: The Dancing Stallion' Review: Romance on the Ranch A young woman training for a horse dancing competition confronts a medical crisis in this conventional family melodrama. By Natalia Winkelman Dark Star Pictures 'Broadway' Review: Life on the Margins Christos Massalas's compelling debut feature follows a winsome troupe of castaways in modern Greece. By Kelli Weston Hulu 'Clock' Review: That Biological Ticking Is Now a Time Bomb A woman who does not want children is pressured into changing her mind, with horrific results, in Alexis Jacknow's fitfully scary horror movie. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Antti Rastivo/Lionsgate 'Sisu' Review: Sweat Wicking A seemingly invincible former commando goes on a rampage in this blandly gratuitous World War II action movie. By Calum Marsh Menemsha Films 'Those Who Remained' Review: Managing Unimaginable Grief Set in Hungary after World War II, this film concerns a doctor and a teenager seeking to fill the void left by the relatives they lost. By Ben Kenigsberg Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Todd Heisler/The New York Times AN APPRAISAL Harry Belafonte, Folk Hero Cool and charismatic, Belafonte channeled his stardom into activism. He was a true people person, who knew how to reach, teach and challenge us. By Wesley Morris Mark Abramson for The New York Times Hollywood, Both Frantic and Calm, Braces for Writers' Strike Studios have moved up deadlines for TV writers, and late-night shows are preparing to go dark. But for other segments of the industry, it's business as usual. By John Koblin, Brooks Barnes and Nicole Sperling Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images MY TEN Jim Gaffigan Values Fear, Longs for Naps and Dreams of Deep-Dish The stand-up comedian, who plays Mr. Smee in "Peter Pan & Wendy," gets material from his kids and finds common ground in writing and gardening. By Chris Kornelis STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS IFC Three Great Documentaries to Stream This month's picks spend time on farms, in a courtroom and with an artist-activist. By Ben Kenigsberg Andy Hall/IFC Films BEYOND THE ALGORITHM 'The Trip to Greece,' 'Moonwalkers' and More Streaming Gems There are laughs aplenty in this month's off-the-grid suggestions for your subscription streaming services, along with a trio of wildly different but equally thrilling action pictures. By Jason Bailey Gravitas Ventures Five Horror Movies to Stream Now Serving fear on a global scale, this month's picks include a French werewolf, an Indonesian possessor and a German man eater. By Erik Piepenburg Columbia Pictures/Getty Images Watch These Great Harry Belafonte Screen Performances While Belafonte's cinematic output was minimal, he made an impact with each role. By Jason Bailey Paramount Pictures/Paramount Pictures, via Associated Press 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 Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE REVIEWS 'Four Quartets' Review: Virtuosi in Verse Ralph Fiennes delivers an animated performance of the T.S. Eliot works, but the film doesn't quite succeed in bringing the stage into the cinema. By Teo Bugbee 'The End of Sex' Review: When Domesticity Kills the Mood This comedy follows the misadventures of a bored 40-something married couple who are attempting to spice up their sex life. By Beatrice Loayza 'The Restless' Review: The Painful Cycles of Mental Illness Joachim Lafosse's film is an intimate but flawed portrayal of the effect a man's bipolar disorder has on his family. By Claire Shaffer 'Freaks vs. the Reich' Review: Band of Others This big-hearted, blithely odd adventure pits a troupe of superpowered circus folk against a psychic Nazi pianist. By Nicolas Rapold How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to moviesupdate@nytimes.com. Like this email? 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