Movies Update: ‘Transformers’ and More

Plus, the 14-year-old who helped animate "Spider-Man."

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story June 9, 2023 By Stephanie Goodman Film Editor Hi, film fans! I really enjoyed the sequel "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," from the visuals (especially Hobie Brown, a.k.a. the punk Spidey) to the emotional beats. But even if you're not a fan, you have to love the story of the 14-year-old who posted a Lego-animation version of the trailer and wound up creating a scene in the actual film. Preston Mutanga worked on the project during spring break and on school nights after finishing his homework. He also met weekly with one of the film's producers to get feedback. Learning "how much stuff actually gets changed from the beginning to the final product" was an eye-opener, he told the writer Carlos Aguilar. Another story I found fascinating this week came from my colleague Brooks Barnes, who explains how Universal Pictures' willingness to experiment has made premium video on demand such a viable option that it has actually increased the studio's sales at the box office as well. "In other words," Barnes writes, "Universal thinks that, to some degree, it has found an entirely new customer." Speaking of box office, it's a busy week of new releases this week. "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" arrives at the megaplex. The critic Amy Nicholson writes that it's a "goofy seventh installment that rattles along well enough until the wheels fall off." If you're looking for something smaller scale, the critic Manohla Dargis recommends "Scarlet," the story of a French father and daughter in the years after World War I, writing, "They will persevere, fortified by their humanity, by their rooted sense of place and by the enduring strength of their affections." Whatever you decide to watch, have fun at the movies! Paramount Pictures 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' Review: Here Come the Grease Monkeys Things start out fun with this prequel, but frantic plot mechanics might steer your interest into a ditch. By Amy Nicholson Pia Lehto, via Tribeca Festival CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK The Tribeca Festival Has a Story to Tell Documentaries about siblings and baseball are among the standouts in the film slate of an event that encompasses a lot more than movies. By Natalia Winkelman via Sony Pictures How a 14-Year-Old Came to Animate a Scene in 'Across the Spider-Verse' Preston Mutanga created a shot-for-shot version of the trailer with animated Lego characters. Then the producers asked him to work on the movie. By Carlos Aguilar Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Kino Lorber CRITIC'S PICK 'Scarlet' Review: A Father and Daughter Endure In a new film from the director of "Martin Eden," pastoral interludes of domestic life in the wake of World War I alternate with views of the world beyond. By Manohla Dargis Magnolia Pictures CRITIC'S PICK 'Blue Jean' Review: No Privacy in the Girls' Locker Room School bullying rattles the life of a closeted lesbian teacher in this accomplished period drama. By Teo Bugbee Korean Arts Film Academy/Film Movement CRITIC'S PICK 'Aloners' Review: Plugged In but Shut Off The director Hong Sung-eun's debut feature is a quietly tragic tale of alienation and the ennui of modern life. By Brandon Yu MOVIE REVIEWS Magnolia Pictures 'Dalíland' Review: Landscape With Vipers Ben Kingsley plays Salvador Dalí, the man and the mustachioed myth, as he contends with his demanding wife and the far more voracious art world. By Manohla Dargis Emily Aragones/Searchlight Pictures 'Flamin' Hot' Review: Neon Dust, Hollywood Corn The actor Eva Longoria's feature directing debut is a fictionalized account of the birth of a spicy, profitable snack. By Lisa Kennedy Cohen Media Group 'Persian Lessons' Review: Performing for His Life A Jewish Frenchman posing as a Persian eludes death by teaching a fictional form of the Persian language to a Nazi commandant in this improbable Holocaust drama. By Beatrice Loayza RLJE Film 'The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster' Review: Death Transforms Her A teenage girl handles her grief in an enterprising way in this horror film from Bomani J. Story. By Kelli Weston Shudder 'Brooklyn 45' Review: A Little Something to Lift Their Spirits A group of World War II veterans unwisely perform a séance in this ambitious yet airless supernatural thriller. By Jeannette Catsoulis Aubrey Powell/Hipgnosis Ltd/Utopia 'Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)' Review: Indelible Images by Design Anton Corbijn's documentary shares anecdotes from the British design studio that devised some of the most famous album covers of the 1970s. By Ben Kenigsberg Cinedigm 'Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares' Review: Steady Krueger In a new documentary, Robert Englund wants you to know he's more than the face of Freddy Krueger. By Erik Piepenburg Jonathan Ingalls/Giant Pictures 'All Man' Review: International Male, a Wishbook on Many Levels The catalog was more than a place to peruse the latest fashions. It reshaped society's definitions of masculinity. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Paramount Pictures How It Takes an Old 'Beast Wars' to Make a New 'Transformers' The Canadian-made computer animated series "Beast Wars: Transformers" serves as the unlikely basis for the latest film in the popular franchise. By Calum Marsh Brad Garrison/Professional Amateur Productions Celebrate Pride at the Tribeca Festival Here are five L.G.B.T.Q.-themed films worth watching at the annual downtown event, which started Wednesday. By Kyle Turner Emily Aragones/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios Is 'Flamin' Hot' a True Story? Well … Let Us Explain. Richard Montañez, a janitor turned Frito-Lay executive, has said he invented the spicy snack. A new film tells his story, but the evidence isn't on his side. By Sarah Bahr Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times The Stars Are Shooting Again on the Tiber Rome's fabled Cinecittà movie studios are as full as they've ever been, as productions come for the tax incentives, high production values and Italian glamour. By Elisabetta Povoledo Jared Oriel Universal Says On-Demand Film Strategy Has Increased Audience The studio let viewers rent or buy movies earlier for a higher price. This made more than $1 billion in less than three years, with nearly no decrease in box-office sales. By Brooks Barnes Renan Ozturk Sometimes, Making a Documentary Can Take Years (and Years and Years…) Three films showing at the Tribeca Festival tell stories over several years, a challenge for the filmmakers and the subjects. By Nicolas Rapold Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times The Many Cameos of Stan Lee Mr. Lee was nearly synonymous with Marvel Comics and appeared in many of their films, but his guest appearances cross over into audio, animation and more. By George Gene Gustines Cecilia Delgado How 3 Women Broke Through as Filmmakers In a milestone, women outnumber men this year as directors at the Tribeca Festival. Three of them shared their paths to the director's chair. By Ray Mark Rinaldi Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Abbot Genser/Fox Searchlight Pictures 10 Movies That Capture the Essence of New York With the Tribeca Festival around the corner, it's a fitting time to look back at the memorable ways cinema has given New York City a featured role. By Mekado Murphy Netflix Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a Turkish alternate-reality romp, an experimental found-footage film and a look at a future past. By Elisabeth Vincentelli 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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