Movies Update: ‘Blue Beetle’ and More

Plus, the joy of movie accents, even the bad ones.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story August 18, 2023 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! We're approaching the end of the summer, but plenty of fun can still be scared up. The horror writer Erik Piepenburg recommends a handful of thrilling movies to close out the season. Some can be appreciated on giant screens; others right in your living room. Speaking of living room viewing, many of you are streaming and discussing the new Prime Video rom-com "Red, White & Royal Blue," which debuted last week. While there's plenty of talk about the magisterial canoodling, the film's accents, like Uma Thurman's Texas-ish drawl, are also drawing, ahem, attention. The reporter Kyle Buchanan argues that any accent in a movie, even bad ones, can make the proceedings more fun. In wide release this week is the latest from DC, "Blue Beetle," Angel Manuel Soto's tale of a young man who fuses with a piece of alien tech to become the superhero of the title. The critic Maya Phillips detects a bug, not a feature. She writes, "This unremarkable story, along with cheap-looking visual effects and Soto's colorless direction, is a prime example of somnambulist filmmaking that lulls the audience into a mindless stupor." And barking its way into theaters is "Strays," about talking dogs on a foul-mouthed adventure. The critic Glenn Kenny found it to be a fruitless (and tasteless) enterprise, writing, "There are the scatological jokes, each one more outlandish than the last, none bearing the slightest tinge of wit or joy." There are plenty of streaming options to choose from, including a new animated film on Netflix ("The Monkey King"), a coming-of-age comedy on Hulu ("Miguel Wants to Fight"), an Elvis doc on Paramount+ ("Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback") and a "Shining"-like haunted hotel film on Shudder ("Bad Things"). Enjoy the movies! Hopper Stone/Warner Bros., via DC Comics 'Blue Beetle' Review: A Hero Story That's All in the Family The plot is boilerplate and the superhero is not particularly compelling. At least his family members steal the show. By Maya Phillips Universal Pictures 'Strays' Review: A Raunchy Comedy Goes to the Dogs Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx voice two canines on a quest for revenge in this crude live-action feature. By Glenn Kenny Matthew Thorne/A24, via Associated Press; Geoffrey Short/Universal Pictures; Warner Bros./Getty Images; Paramount Pictures Horror Movies to End Your Summer With a Thrill On the big screen, under the stars or in your living room, there are plenty of frights to catch up with before fall's serious season arrives. By Erik Piepenburg Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Shudder CRITIC'S PICK 'Birth/Rebirth' Review: Staying (Not Quite) Alive Two women nurture a reanimated child in this grisly gynecological horror movie. By Jeannette Catsoulis MOVIE REVIEWS Netflix 'The Monkey King' Review: Wrenching the Zen of the Gods There's enough gags in this animated fable from Anthony Stacchi that a dozen land. By Amy Nicholson MGM 'Landscape With Invisible Hand' Review: Hit Subscribe, Alien Overlords The latest film from Cory Finley follows two teens on an alien-controlled earth who stream their love life to an extraterrestrial audience. By Claire Shaffer Brett Roedel/Hulu 'Miguel Wants to Fight' Review: A Rite of Passage In Oz Rodriguez's coming-of-age film, a martial arts-obsessed teenager is determined to throw his first punch. By Concepción de León Paramount+ 'Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback' Review: Fully in the Building Elvis Presley's 1968 TV special showcased the king of rock 'n' roll in his unadulterated glory. A new documentary shows how it happened. By Glenn Kenny Luminosity Entertainment 'Back on the Strip' Review: Just Some Mikes in Need of Magic Wesley Snipes plays the leader of a has-been group of strippers vying for a second act in this ensemble comedy, which struggles to turn its gimmicky ideas into laughs. By Brandon Yu Courtesy of Bernard Gotfryd, Library of Congress/Re-Emerging Films 'Bella!' Review: Taking the Fight to the Streets and the House The jam-packed documentary "Bella!" hustles to chronicle the pioneering political career of the New York congresswoman Bella Abzug. By Nicolas Rapold Variance Films 'The Adults' Review: Oh, Brother Michael Cera's latest misfit is a poker addict unable to communicate with his sisters in Dustin Guy Defa's keen-eyed dramedy. By Amy Nicholson Mika Lungulov-Klotz/Quiltro LLC/Strand Releasing 'Mutt' Review: Surviving Reconciliation A newly out transgender man meets with his estranged father, his ex-boyfriend and his sister for the first time since his transition in this drama. By Teo Bugbee Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE REVIEWS 'Madeleine Collins' Review: A Duplicitous Mother This clever, but disappointingly tame psychodrama sees Virginie Efira as a professional translator secretly living with two families; one in Switzerland, the other in France. By Beatrice Loayza 'Billion Dollar Heist' Review: How to Rob a Bank, Digitally This documentary chronicles a 2016 digital bank heist by pairing commentary from cybersecurity experts with a toolbox of visualization techniques. By Natalia Winkelman 'Simone: Woman of the Century' Review: An Admired Leader in Focus Elsa Zylberstein and Rebecca Marder play the French politician Simone Veil in this heavy-handed biopic. By Ben Kenigsberg NEWS & FEATURES Prime Video There's No Such Thing as a Bad Movie Accent Even the over-the-top ones, like Uma Thurman's Southern drawl in "Red, White & Royal Blue," can be awfully fun. By Kyle Buchanan Adam Bow/CrossFit LLC They Make CrossFit Documentaries. CrossFitters Can't Get Enough. A series of films about the annual CrossFit Games, enthusiastically embraced by the niche fitness community, have become surprise hits on streaming platforms. By Calum Marsh Kino Lorber Kitchen-Sink Drama, With the Color Turned Up Charlotte Regan's debut feature "Scrapper" is part of a lineage of British social-realist films, but its pastel palette and surreal humor resist the genre's dreariness. By Simran Hans via Shudder In 'Bad Things,' a Filmmaker Puts a Queer Spin on 'The Shining' Stewart Thorndike sets her gory tale at a hotel reminiscent of the Overlook. The director says her movies are "mirroring" male stories she grew up loving. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Warner Bros. CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK Barbie and Ken and Nothing in Between For one trans viewer, Greta Gerwig's hit offers both a too-pat idea of gender and a complex view of humanity. By Emily St. James Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Shudder Five Horror Movies to Stream Now Inhospitable ghosts, a kid werewolf and Japanese zombies make up this month's scary picks. By Erik Piepenburg Universal Pictures The Best Movies and Shows on Hulu Right Now We've handpicked the finest movies and television shows currently streaming on Hulu in the United States. Take a look. By Jason Bailey 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. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Movies Update from The New York Times. To stop receiving Movies Update, unsubscribe. 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