Movies Update: A week of mean girls and messiahs

Plus, what winning a Golden Globe looks like.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 12, 2024 By Stephanie Goodman Film Editor Hi, movie fans! We're in the heart of awards season — the Golden Globes were Sunday, the Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild award nominations were unveiled Wednesday, and the Critics Choice prizes are being handed out this weekend. Whew! (There are also the Emmys coming Monday, but this is Movies Update not TV Update.) It's so busy for me on those nights that it's hard to watch more than a snippet or two of the actual ceremonies. So when the backlash to Globes host Jo Koy hit, I was a little puzzled. Aren't all awards hosts pretty lackluster? Then I watched clips of John Mulaney emceeing at the Governors Awards, the nontelevised event for the academy's lifetime achievement prizes, and I saw the light. ("It is an honor and a favor to be here. This is a strategic obligation," he told the crowd, adding, "If you don't know who I am, that's totally fine.") It's too late for the Oscars, which have named Jimmy Kimmel as the host yet again this year, but can't we have Mulaney next year? Now I have to go back to editing. Whatever you decide to watch, enjoy the movies! Paramount Pictures 'Mean Girls' Review: 'Get in, Loser,' Regina George Is Back Still puffily padded but no longer particularly tart, this shape-shifting classic about the girls you love to hate retains its ingratiating charms. By Manohla Dargis Moris Puccio/Sony Pictures 'The Book of Clarence' Review: Messiahs Wherever You Look LaKeith Stanfield leads a predominantly Black cast in a retelling of the story of Jesus that's both irreverent and devoted. By Alissa Wilkinson Sonja Flemming/CBS Best and Worst Moments From the 2024 Golden Globes Lily Gladstone made history, Jo Koy did not. And dressing on a theme proved a hit. These were just some of the highs and lows. By Stephanie Goodman Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Lea Glob Critic's Pick 'Apolonia, Apolonia' Review: A Whole Life in Art The painter Apolonia Sokol is the ostensible subject of a wide-ranging documentary about life itself. By Alissa Wilkinson Greenwich Entertainment Critic's Pick 'Inshallah a Boy' Review: Where the Male Line Is the Only Line In this film by Amjad Al Rasheed, a young widow in Jordan strains against the tradition, underpinned by law, that without a man she is nothing. By Lisa Kennedy ANATOMY OF A SCENE Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures, via Associated Press Anatomy of a Scene Watch the Opening Scene of 'Oppenheimer' The writer and director Christopher Nolan narrates a sequence from his film, which won the Golden Globe for best drama. By Mekado Murphy MOVIE REVIEWS Jean-Claude Lother/Cohen Media Group 'Driving Madeleine' Review: A Nonagenarian in Paris The beloved French singer Line Renaud plays a woman who forms an unlikely bond with a surly cabdriver in this heart-warmer. By Beatrice Loayza Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Amazon 'The Beekeeper' Review: Sting Like a, You Know In this action thriller, Jason Statham plays a man who will do whatever it takes to protect his hive. By Amy Nicholson Reiner Bajo/Amazon Prime 'Role Play' Review: Mommy by Day, Killer by Night Kaley Cuoco plays a woman balancing a life of domesticity with her career as an assassin in this spineless comedy thriller. By Natalia Winkelman Netflix 'Lift' Review: Thin as Thieves This poorly written action vehicle pits Kevin Hart as a hero against an eco-terrorist villain. By Robert Daniels Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Amy Harrity for The New York Times Tina Fey on 'Mean Girls' Then and Now With a new version of Regina George and the Plastics headed to theaters, she reflects on how different generations have reacted over the years. By Ashley Spencer What Winning a Golden Globe Looks Like Lily Gladstone, Paul Giamatti, Billie Eilish and stars from "Succession," "Beef" and "The Bear" are captured in their moments of glory. By Erik Carter for The New York Times Thea Traff for The New York Times The Projectionist Lily Gladstone Won't Let Hollywood Put Her in a Box The "Killers of the Flower Moon" star says awards attention feels like "being shot out of a cannon." For a long time, she'd kept her distance from the industry. By Kyle Buchanan Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times Paul Giamatti Has Done the Reading For his role in "The Holdovers," set at a prep school not unlike the one he attended, the hyper-literate actor mined his own dormant memories. By Reggie Ugwu Milestone Films and Kino Lorber Rewind 'Household Saints': Miracles on Mulberry Street Nancy Savoca's 1993 film, a mystical, multigenerational Italian American family saga, opens for a revival run at IFC Center. By J. Hoberman Jojo Whilden/Paramount Pictures Reporter's Notebook When Trailers Hit Mute on the Musical With "Mean Girls," "Wonka" and "The Color Purple," why have studios spent much of their marketing budget downplaying and disguising their movie musicals? By Alexis Soloski STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Lander Larrañaga/Netflix Five International Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a bizarre Mexican-Spanish thriller, a Canadian drama about immigrants, a documentary set in a Parisian dance school and more. By Devika Girish Netflix 5 Children's Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a bevy of animated critters and a science-fiction fantasy. By Dina Gachman Tatum Mangus/Annapurna Pictures 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 Warner Bros. The 50 Best Movies on Max Right Now In addition to new Warner and HBO films, the streamer has a treasure trove of Golden Age classics, indie flicks and foreign films. Start with these. By Scott Tobias 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. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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