Movies Update: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ and More

Plus, Air Bud and the World Cup

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story August 4, 2023 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! Ready for the best time you can possibly have in a New York City sewer? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in theaters — after more than 40 years on screens large and small. The new movie is "Mutant Mayhem," and it has embraced a loose, sketched-on animation style most recently popularized by the "Spider-Verse" movies. Our critic Maya Phillips writes that the film is "fun and vast, but ultimately tiring." Additional mutant mayhem can be found in "Meg 2: The Trench," the prehistoric-killer-shark sequel that adds dinosaurs and a giant squid onto its list of menaces. The critic Calum Marsh calls it "frequently amusing, and occasionally delightful." Also out this week is Randall Park's comedy "Shortcomings," which made a splash at Sundance earlier in the year. The film follows the belated coming-of-age of a Japanese American man (Justin H. Min). The critic Devika Girish calls it "funny and touching, with a star-making performance by Min and a script full of lovely, self-aware little touches." On the Barbie and Oppenheimer front, Kyle Buchanan pitted the two against each other in a competition, while Gabe Cohn interviewed cinema therapists, who diagnose the two characters. Enjoy the movies! Paramount Pictures 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem' Review: Superfly's Revenge This time around, the four kung-fu-fighting old masters of the sewers dream of having a normal life with the humans. But not if Ice Cube can help it. By Maya Phillips Jon Pack/Sony Pictures Classics 'Shortcomings' Review: Dazed and Confused Directed by Randall Park, this charming comedy about a Japanese American man's belated coming-of-age touches upon fascinating questions of identity but fails to dig below the surface. By Devika Girish Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Roadside Attractions CRITIC'S PICK 'Dreamin' Wild' Review: What Happens to a Teenage Dream Deferred? A new film dramatizes the true story of two brothers thrust into the spotlight 30 years after the album they recorded as teenagers is discovered. By Claire Shaffer Cinema Guild CRITIC'S PICK 'Our Body' Review: Patience The French director Claire Simon's profoundly humane documentary focuses on patients in the gynecology ward of a Paris hospital. By Lisa Kennedy Criterion Collection CRITIC'S PICK 'Charm Circle' Review: There's No Place Like Home In this tender and funny documentary, Nira Burstein films her parents in their house in Queens without making excuses about their unsettled lives. By Nicolas Rapold Grasshopper Film CRITIC'S PICKS 'Lady Killer' and 'The Strange Mister Victor' Review: A Golden Age Two newly restored films by the director Jean Grémillon, whom cinephiles discuss like a special secret, get a second life in theaters. By Beatrice Loayza Samuel Goldwyn Films CRITIC'S PICK 'Klondike' Review: Domestic Violence In a film set in 2014, a couple in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine try to maintain normality as war rocks their home. By Ben Kenigsberg ANATOMY OF A SCENE Paramount Pictures/Skydance ANATOMY OF A SCENE Watch Tom Cruise Roll a Fiat 500 in 'Mission: Impossible' The director Christopher McQuarrie discusses a chase scene involving the star and Hayley Atwell in 'Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One' By Mekado Murphy Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MOVIE REVIEWS Warner Bros. Pictures/CMC Pictures 'Meg 2: The Trench' Review: Gleefully Jumping the Shark This lively sequel to 2018's somewhat tepid killer-shark blockbuster greatly improves upon its predecessor by getting gorier, funnier and more stylish. By Calum Marsh IFC Films 'What Comes Around' Review: A Triangle of Power Dynamics Amy Redford directs this drama about a teenager who falls for a mysterious older man she met on the internet. By Natalia Winkelman Magnolia Pictures 'A Compassionate Spy' Review: Back to the U.S.S.R. The scientist and spy Theodore Hall is profiled in this warm, low-key documentary. By Jeannette Catsoulis Vertical 'Brother' Review: Growing Up Grieving This drama about two brothers coming of age in Toronto is imbued with big emotions, but has trouble sustaining its story. By Brandon Yu NEWS & FEATURES Sony Pictures; Warner Bros,; Universal Pictures These Characters Need Therapists. 'Cinema Therapy' Is Here for Them. Two YouTube hosts have built a following by dissecting the psychology of movie characters. Here, they analyze some of this summer's familiar faces. By Gabe Cohn Olivia Crumm for The New York Times With 'Talk to Me,' Directors Leap From Phone Screens to the Big Screen The twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, who first gained popularity on YouTube, discuss their pivot to a theatrical release. By Andy Crump Miramax, via Everett Collection 'Air Bud: World Pup' Keeps Winning Fans for the 1999 World Cup Stars The 2000 movie used the franchise's furry hero along with members of the actual U.S. women's team to reimagine the penalty shootout that led to the win. By Claire Fahy Sony Pictures How the 'Spider-Verse' Movies Have Changed Animation for the Better The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and other C.G.I. cartoons are taking a looser, imperfect approach. The style represents a shift made possible by Spidey's success. By Esther Zuckerman Kuzui Enterprises, via Kino Lorber Thanks to Carol Burnett and Dolly Parton, New Life for a 1988 Film "Tokyo Pop," starring Carrie Hamilton, a daughter of the comedian, was a critical hit that had fallen into obscurity and has now been restored. By Ben Kenigsberg Elizabeth Weinberg for The New York Times A New Subject for a Veteran Documentary Maker: Herself The French director Claire Simon was making a movie about a Paris hospital when she found out she had cancer. So she became a character in her own film. By Beatrice Loayza Warner Bros.; Universal Pictures 'Barbenheimer' Isn't a Contest. But if It Were, Which Film Would Win? It's been an epic matchup, but it's time to declare a victor. We devised nine super-scientific tests to determine whether "Barbie" or "Oppenheimer" rules. By Kyle Buchanan MUBI 'Sex Is a Huge Part of a Character's Life.' Especially in 'Passages.' The three stars of Ira Sachs' new movie — Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw and Adèle Exarchopoulos — discuss the graphic film's approach to sexuality and intimacy. By Thomas Rogers Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Uncork'd Entertainment Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now Dinosaurs, androids, darkness and superheroes factor into this months sci-fi picks. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Netflix Five Children's Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a stereotype-defying shape-shifter, superpowered shelter pets and the newest "Guardians of the Galaxy" adventure. By Dina Gachman DreamWorks 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 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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