Movies Update: Zendaya talks hopes, dreams and “Challengers”

Plus, what directors love about Nicole Kidman

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 26, 2024 By Mekado Murphy Hey, movie fans! How's your serve? The big movie this week is a scintillating love-triangle tennis drama that might even give Rafael Nadal the feels. It's "Challengers," starring Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist, and directed with passion by Luca Guadagnino ("Call Me by Your Name"). Manohla Dargis has made it a Critic's Pick, calling it "a fizzy, lightly sexy, enjoyable tease of a movie." We spoke to the cast about working on the movie, and we had the director narrate a scene from it. If you'd like less love and more breakneck action, you might turn toward "Boy Kills World," starring a buff Bill Skarsgard. About that one, Dargis praises the cast's efforts, but isn't won over by the film itself. In her review, she writes, "To judge from all the grunting, the straining muscles and cascading sweat, Skarsgard, along with a few of his nimble co-stars and an army of stunt performers, puts in serious work to try to make the relentless bashing and smashing, flailing and dying look good. Too bad the filmmakers were incapable of doing the same." Or you may find it fun to stay home and catch a few Nicole Kidman movies. The actress is receiving the life achievement award from the American Film Institute, and we spoke to some of the directors who have worked with her about what makes her a special kind of performer. Enjoy the movies! Niko Tavernise/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Amazon Critic's pick 'Challengers' Review: Game, Set, Love Matches Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist play friends, lovers and foes on and off the tennis court in Luca Guadagnino's latest. By Manohla Dargis Paramount Pictures What Directors Love About Nicole Kidman As the actress receives a life achievement award from the American Film Institute this week, five filmmakers discuss what makes her work so singular. By Carlos Aguilar Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS KimStim Critic's Pick 'Terrestrial Verses' Review: Sitting in the Bureaucrat's Seat Ordinary Iranians face a maze of byzantine rules and small indignities in this series of gripping vignettes. By Alissa Wilkinson Cohen Media Group Critic's Pick 'Nowhere Special' Review: Old Bonds, New Family This understated tear-jerker sees a dying single father making future family plans for his toddler son. By Glenn Kenny ANATOMY OF A SCENE Niko Tavernise/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Amazon Anatomy of a Scene Watch Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor Spar Over Churros in 'Challengers' The director Luca Guadagnino narrates a tense scene between the two characters. By Mekado Murphy MOVIE REVIEWS Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate 'Boy Kills World' Review: A Wide-Eyed Assassin Beefed up and bloodied, Bill Skarsgard goes mano a mano against disposable hordes in this dystopian action flick. By Manohla Dargis Steve Wilkie/IFC Films/Shudder 'Humane' Review: An Ethical Crisis and a Dinner Party Caitlin Cronenberg's debut feature is set in a dystopian world that's alarmingly believable. By Alissa Wilkinson James Hamilton Critic's Notebook 'Uncropped': Images That Make You Want to Pause the Movie A documentary celebrates the work of the revered photographer James Hamilton. By Alissa Wilkinson Lionsgate 'Unsung Hero' Review: Music Dedicated to the One They Love In fact, there's a lot of singing in the clan whose members inspired this movie and who have racked up five Grammy Awards for their Christian recordings. By Nicolas Rapold Shudder 'Infested' Review: Bugging Out An apartment building in Paris is overrun by murderous arachnids and unsubtle allegory in this fleet and efficient debut feature. By Jeannette Catsoulis Magnolia Pictures 'The Feeling' Review: Fifty Shades of Apathy In the sex comedy "The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed," Joanna Arnow keeps her scenes short and her expressions flat. By Amy Nicholson Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Chantal Anderson for The New York Times 'Challengers' Stars Put New Spins (and Slices and Volleys) on the Love Triangle Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist, who play three entangled tennis pros, and their director, Luca Guadagnino, talk about ambition, jealousy and the "erotic amusement" of their new movie. By Kyle Buchanan Sony Pictures Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell on How 'Anyone but You' Beat the Rom-Com Odds Here are their takeaways after the film, debuting on Netflix, went from box office miss to runaway hit. By Ashley Spencer Crew Members Were Ejected From Vehicle in Movie Set Crash, Police Say Video of a collision during the filming of "The Pickup" shows an armored truck and an S.U.V. veering off a road before the truck flips onto the smaller vehicle. By Matt Stevens Ben Hickey Do You Know These Films Based on Great Biographies? Try this short quiz to test your knowledge of books and their memorable movie adaptations. By J. D. Biersdorfer STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Netflix Five Horror Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include demonic forces from Mexico, Mongolia, small-town America and hell itself. By Erik Piepenburg Neon Beyond the Algorithm 'The Royal Hotel,' 'Zola' and More Streaming Gems Female-centered buddy comedies, rom-coms and Outback thrillers are among the under-the-radar recommendations for your subscription streamers this month. By Jason Bailey Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm Ltd., via Associated Press The 50 Best TV Shows and Movies to Watch on Disney+ Right Now The Disney streaming platform has hundreds of movie and TV titles, drawing from its own deep reservoir of classics and from Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic and more. These are our favorites. By Scott Tobias A24 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? 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