Movies Update: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ and More

Plus, how a Mariah Carey song got into "Beau Is Afraid."

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story May 5, 2023 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! The time has come. After six years, the Guardians of the Galaxy once again get their own movie. Yes, they have popped up in other M.C.U. films, but it's nice when they have the opportunity to go full Groot. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is playing, let's see, just about everywhere this weekend. (Two multiplexes across the street from each other in Times Square are showing it every half-hour.) Though in her review, the critic Maya Phillips called it a "dour, visually off-putting two-and-a-half-hour A.S.P.C.A. nightmare of a film." Continuing in theaters is the Ari Aster dark-comedy epic "Beau Is Afraid." The film has a talked-about sex scene scored to a Mariah Carey song. Leah Greenblatt wrote about how that song came to be included. And I spoke with Aster about a different scene that is littered with so many background gags, you will not catch them all. If you're spending the weekend in, we picked out a few good movies for kids, as well as a handful of smart selections from around the globe. Enjoy the movies! Marvel/Disney 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Review: Raccoon Tears and a Final Mixtape This dour, visually off-putting two-and-a-half-hour A.S.P.C.A. nightmare of a film may only be for completionist fans. By Maya Phillips Rosie Marks for The New York Times Will Poulter Is Just Getting Used to His Superhero Era The once-gawky British actor buffed up to play Adam Warlock in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." But he says, in his head, he's still 5-foot-4. By Kyle Buchanan Mark Abramson for The New York Times Outside Hollywood Studios, Writers Make Their Case Those in picket lines at the headquarters of companies like Netflix were critical of working conditions that have become routine in the streaming era. By Brooks Barnes and Nicole Sperling Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Steve Wadden/Factory 25 CRITIC'S PICK 'Queens of the Qing Dynasty' Review: Secret Soul Mates When a young woman hospitalized after a suicide attempt forms a bond with an international student, they create a different kind of relationship. By Beatrice Loayza KimStim CRITIC'S PICK 'Unrest' Review: The Times Are Not A-Changin' A factory worker joins with a group of anarchist watchmakers in this marvelously crisp drama. By Amy Nicholson Kino Lorber CRITIC'S PICK 'Chile '76' Review: Domestic Unease That Twists Into Intrigue Manuela Martelli's new film examines the Pinochet dictatorship through the eyes of a woman who never intended to play an active role. By Teo Bugbee MOVIE REVIEWS Michael Blackwood/Greenwich Entertainment 'The Melt Goes On Forever' Review: David Hammons Makes, and They Take A new documentary explores the artist's sly conceptual works, and what it means when white people try to own something Black. By Wesley Morris Paramount+ 'King Charles, the Boy Who Walked Alone' Review: Reflections on a Monarch A sort of cinematic advance man for this week's coronation, the documentary makes a show of seeking balance but often tips its hand in favor of Charles. By Glenn Kenny Robert Viglasky/Shout! Studios Review: 'What's Love Got to Do With It?' Probably a Lot Two childhood friends navigate cultural differences in this pleasantly uncontentious romantic comedy. By Jeannette Catsoulis Good Deed Entertainment 'You Can Live Forever' Review: Do You Love Me Now? Religion comes between two girls falling in love in the 1990s in this sweet coming-of-age film bathed in grunge hues. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Anxious Nation/Area 23a/Lasega Films 'Anxious Nation' Review: The Kids Aren't All Right Young people discuss their troubles with anxiety and panic in this unfocused advocacy documentary. By Natalia Winkelman Marc Roussel 'Slava Ukraini' Review: Tour of a War-Torn Nation The French public intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy travels to different parts of Ukraine in this dispatch-documentary, shot in the second half of 2022. By Ben Kenigsberg Screen Media 'Riceboy Sleeps' Review: Motherhood and Boyhood in a New Home This intimate drama gives a moving, if imperfect, look at a Korean immigrant mother's struggle to raise her son in 1990s Canada. By Brandon Yu Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ANATOMY OF A SCENE Takashi Seida/A24 ANATOMY OF A SCENE Watch Joaquin Phoenix Make a Run for It in 'Beau Is Afraid' The writer and director Ari Aster narrates a sequence from his film, in which the lead character navigates his chaotic neighborhood. By Mekado Murphy NEWS & FEATURES A24 How Did 'Beau Is Afraid' Land a Mariah Carey Song? Indies Have Their Ways. A well-written letter and other methods of persuasion can help reduce the cost of expensive hits and produce unforgettable results. By Leah Greenblatt Disney + What Do 'Candyman' and 'Peter Pan & Wendy' Have in Common? A Director Explains. For the new Disney+ retelling, David Lowery drew on a range of unexpected influences, including the 1992 horror film, art-house classics and "Raising Arizona." By Carlos Aguilar Parisa Taghizadeh/Focus Features In Nida Manzoor's World, Martial Arts and Jane Austen Belong in the Same Movie The writer-director set out to make "a joyful film about South Asian Muslim women" that didn't revolve around trauma. The result is "Polite Society." By Elisabeth Vincentelli STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Courtesy of Disney Enterprises/Disney+, via Associated Press Five Children's Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include the return of Chip and Dale, a dragon adventure and the third installment in the "Madagascar" franchise. By Dina Gachman Embuscade Films Five International Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a Spanish drama starring Penélope Cruz, a campy French feminist comedy, a '90s-set coming-of-age film from the Philippines and more. By Devika Girish Stream These 6 Titles Before They Leave Netflix in May A couple of comedies, a couple of coming-of-age tales and more are leaving for U.S. subscribers next month. Catch them while you can. By Jason Bailey 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. 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