Cinema News: Movies Update: ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ and More

April 21, 2023

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

The choices of new releases this week are as robust as they are eclectic. War movies, spy thrillers, frothy rom-coms, brutal horror and Judy Blume are all on the menu.

Jake Gyllenhaal is back onscreen as a U.S. sergeant in the Afghanistan war film "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant." In her review, Amy Nicholson wrote, "For all its clichés, this furious and discomfiting film tugs on your conscience for days, making a powerful case to turn the American public's attention back to a conflict it would rather forget." And if you're wondering why the director Guy Ritchie's name is in the actual title of the movie, check out this closer look at that phenomenon over the years.

From war to chain saws, there's a new "Evil Dead" movie in town. But this one, "Evil Dead Rise," moves away from the creepy woods setting to a creepy apartment in Los Angeles. In his review, Jason Zinoman had praise for the film's director, Lee Cronin, whom he called "a meticulous creator of stunning shots." But Zinoman wrote that he would have favored a little more humor. Read an interview with the film's stars, Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland, about their gory acting journey.

And it's Judy Blume season. The documentary "Judy Blume Forever," streaming on Amazon Prime Video, has the Y.A. author narrating milestones in her writing career. In her review, Claire Shaffer wrote that the film "does a fine job of synthesizing the influences that Blume's life had on her writing."

Christopher Raphael/MGM

'Guy Ritchie's The Covenant' Review: Call of Duty

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this furious and discomfiting war film that tugs on your conscience for days.

By Amy Nicholson

Music Box Films

CRITIC'S PICK

'Other People's Children' Review: True Romance

A radiant Virginie Efira stars as a Parisian teacher who blissfully falls for a man and his 4-year-old daughter, complicating everyone's lives.

By Manohla Dargis

Warner Bros. Pictures

'Evil Dead Rise' Review: Mommy Issues

The matriarch of a family ends up demon-possessed in this blood-drenched entry in the long-running horror franchise.

By Jason Zinoman

Ysa Pérez for The New York Times

'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret': Beloved, Banned and Finally Adapted

Judy Blume's 1970 novel hits the big screen at a difficult political moment for a story with themes of bodily autonomy and religious choice.

By Melena Ryzik

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CRITICS' PICKS

Amazon Prime

CRITIC'S PICK

'Judy Blume Forever' Review: The Y.A. Author Who Went There First

The documentary, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, features Blume narrating the milestones of her life and career, along with interviews of her famous fans.

By Claire Shaffer

Grasshopper Film

CRITIC'S PICK

'Dry Ground Burning' Review: Feminist Gangsters, Brazilian Style

Featuring a cast of local actors playing semi-fictionalized versions of themselves, this movie flies in the face of the country's political establishment.

By Beatrice Loayza

Cinema Guild

CRITIC'S PICK

'Trenque Lauquen' Review: Lose Yourself

This sprawling Argentine film, about a missing botanist, finds liberation in being lost — and treats mystery as an end in itself, not just as a road to revelation.

By Devika Girish

MOVIE REVIEWS

Mary Cybulski/Roadside Attractions

'Somewhere in Queens' Review: Rooting for the Underdog

Ray Romano plumbed the absurdities of family life on his sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond." For this, his feature directing debut, he sticks to an Italian American milieu.

By Glenn Kenny

Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios/Hulu

'Quasi' Review: Medieval Inanity

The new film from the comedy troupe Broken Lizard is a goofy take on the story of the famed hunchback Quasimodo.

By Brandon Yu

Ben King/Sony Pictures Classics

'Carmen' Review: We're Not in Spain Anymore

The choreographer Benjamin Millepied's directing debut is an of-the-moment but scattered take on a classic love story.

By Joshua Barone

Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo/Magnolia Pictures

'Little Richard: I Am Everything' Review: The Nitty-Gritty Beyond 'Tutti Frutti'

This documentary presents the self-proclaimed "architect of rock 'n' roll" as a man of contradictions.

By Ben Kenigsberg

Larry Horricks/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios

'Chevalier' Review: A Black Virtuoso Rocks the Court of Marie Antoinette

A new movie about Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George, may owe as much to "Bridgerton" as it does the history books.

By Lisa Kennedy

Apple TV+

'Ghosted' Review: A C.I.A. Meet Cute

A date becomes a spy skirmish in this action-heavy, paint-by-numbers Apple TV+ rom-com starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas.

By Calum Marsh

Sasidis Sasisakulporn/Netflix

'A Tourist's Guide to Love' Review: A Wearyingly Familiar Trip

Rachael Leigh Cook stars in this bland rom-com as a travel executive exploring Vietnam and getting over a breakup.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

KimStim

'Plan 75' Review: Leaving Early

In this quietly bold debut feature, the Japanese government offers a euthanasia program and a 78-year-old woman considers her future.

By Nicolas Rapold

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NEWS & FEATURES

Amanda Hakan for The New York Times

Killer Moms and Bloody Elevators: A Talk With the Stars of 'Evil Dead Rise'

Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland discuss their gory roles in the latest addition to the "Evil Dead" franchise.

By Erik Piepenburg

Christopher Raphael/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures, via Associated Press

Name Above the Movie Title? How About in It?

With the release of "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant," here's a look at the occasional phenomenon of directors branding movies with their own names.

By Leah Greenblatt

Matthew Libatique/Live Entertainment

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

Happy 100th Birthday, 16-Millimeter Film

The format was initially a boon to amateurs. Now, with moviemaking gone digital, it's the choice of auteurs like Darren Aronofsky and Kelly Reichardt.

By Devika Girish

Neon	REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK Modern Body Horror Is Turning Breastfeeding Into an Act of Terror "Infinity Pool," "Barbarian" and other films tap into conflicting attitudes about nursing, forcing us to confront our most primal fears. By Kyle MacNeill

Ben King/Goalpost Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics

Benjamin Millepied Uses Movement to Reinvent 'Carmen' on Camera

The choreographer is trying his hand at filmmaking with an experiment that merges drama, dance and music.

By Roslyn Sulcas

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

Well Go USA Entertainment

Five Action Movies to Stream Now

From orphans turned assassins to martial artists seeking redemption, this month's action picks are a feast of retribution.

By Robert Daniels

Universal Pictures

The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now

Movies upon movies await, and you don't even have to drill down to find them.

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

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