Movies Update: Prepping for the fall film festivals.

Plus, a charming new Jason Schwartzman film.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 23, 2024 By Stephanie Goodman Hi, movie fans! The calendar may say August, but for the film desk, fall starts next week with the opening of the Venice and Telluride festivals. Kyle Buchanan will be in Italy beginning Wednesday to report on a raft of premieres, including the "Joker" sequel. The original won the Golden Lion when it debuted there five years ago. Will the follow-up repeat that feat? And will its star, Joaquin Phoenix, be on hand to talk to the press after his high-profile withdrawal from Todd Haynes's gay love story just five days before filming was to begin? You never know what's going to happen at Venice (remember the crazy premiere of "Don't Worry Darling"?). That's why we love to cover it. Stateside, Nicole Sperling will be reporting from Telluride. That event typically doesn't release its lineup until the day before it opens (this year it will run Friday-Sept. 2), but we've been hearing about potential surprises. The Toronto International Film Festival follows a few days later, so there will suddenly be a lot to report in the next few weeks. The news has been a little slow this month, though we here on the film desk were gobsmacked to learn that the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis" featured fake quotes from real critics (included Vincent Canby, once the senior film critic for The Times). Lionsgate, the studio behind the epic, pulled the spot the same day it was released and apologized. That's a first for us. That's another fall film we can't wait to see. In the meantime, there are several interesting new releases, some more successful than others in our critics' view. Manohla Dargis recommended "Between the Temples," Nathan Silver's tale of a grief-stricken cantor, played by Jason Schwartzman, and his late-in-life bat mitzvah student (Carol Kane). But Robert Daniels panned "Blink Twice," Zoë Kravitz's buzzy debut that swirls #MeToo and class issues into a horror concoction. Whatever you decide to watch, have fun at the movies! Illustration by Tala Safie; Photos: MGM; Sony Pictures; Touchstone Pictures; Spyglass Entertainment Group; Jon Farmer/Touchstone Pictures; Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros. Class of 1999 A Great Year for Movies. The Best Year to Start Writing About Them. At the box office 25 years ago, hits like "Runaway Bride," "The Sixth Sense" and "Bowfinger" hint at the abundance that overwhelmed a young critic. By Wesley Morris Sean Price Williams/Sony Pictures Classics Critic's pick 'Between the Temples' Review: A Widower Walks Into a Bar And meets his former music teacher, upending his life, in Nathan Silver's touching comedy, starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane. By Manohla Dargis Carlos Somonte/Amazon MGM Studios 'Blink Twice' Review: Nightmare Island The director Zoë Kravitz creates an uneasy atmosphere in her abduction horror flick, starring Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum. By Robert Daniels CRITICS' PICKS Allyson Riggs/Magenta Light Studios Critic's Pick 'Strange Darling' Review: Assume Nothing In this cheeky, cunningly assembled thriller, a serial killer gets a satisfying and surprising comeuppance. By Jeannette Catsoulis Christine Tamalet / Universal Pictures Critic's Pick 'The Killer' Review: John Woo With a French Twist Woo's new version of his Hong Kong action movie "The Killer," starring Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy, may be a remake, but it's not a retread. By Glenn Kenny MOVIE REVIEWS Film Movement 'Close Your Eyes' Review: The Case of the Unfinished Film For his latest, the Spanish director Victor Erice, known for the classic "The Spirit of the Beehive," weaves a meta tale of a director looking for an absent actor. By Manohla Dargis Searchlight Pictures 'The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat' Review: Hungry for Drama You'll want to pass the ketchup, and the hankies, for this buffet of tear-jerking deep-fried decadence. By Amy Nicholson Spyglass Media Group, LLC and Artists Road, LLC/Netflix 'Incoming' Review: Not Another Teen Movie Freshman engage in some fairly predictable debauchery in this routine high school gross-out comedy streaming on Netflix. By Calum Marsh Larry Horricks/Lionsgate 'The Crow' Review: Resurrected and It Feels So Bad Hoping to skate by off moody vibes, this revamp of "The Crow" comic book series seems derived from a flattened, Hot Topic image of the hero. By Brandon Yu Ralph Arlyck Documentary Lens 'I Like It Here': Aging Wistfully in the Hudson Valley Looking back at the lives he and his friends led, the documentarian Ralph Arlyck delivers a memoir, an essay on mortality and a portrait of his community. By Alissa Wilkinson Music Box Films 'Mountains' Review: Razing Houses, Building a Future This feature debut from Monica Sorelle observes the tensions in an immigrant family in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami. By Ben Kenigsberg Strand Releasing 'I'll Be Your Mirror' Review: A Mourning Journey This visually elegant indie follows a soft-spoken Swiss widow visiting Japan. By Beatrice Loayza NEWS & FEATURES American Zoetrope Studio Pulls 'Megalopolis' Trailer Featuring Fake Review Quotes To promote Francis Ford Coppola's epic, the spot used supposed lines from The Times, The New Yorker and others to suggest critics were wrong about him. By Annie Aguiar Chantal Anderson for The New York Times Zoë Kravitz Needed a Place to Put Her Frustrations. So She Made a Movie. Her directorial debut, the #MeToo horror-mystery "Blink Twice," examines power dynamics between men and women. By Melena Ryzik Janus Films Rewind 'Querelle': Fassbinder's Defiant Swan Song Anthology Film Archives is screening Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1982 film, based on Jean Genet's novel, about a young sailor's criminal and erotic escapades. By J. Hoberman Jojo Whilden/Sony Pictures What 'It Ends With Us' Gets Wrong (and Right) About Domestic Abuse Its depiction of love-bombing and psychological abuse rings true, experts say, but other oversimplified aspects could send a dangerous message. By Annie Aguiar Obala Art Centar A Film Festival Founded in a War Zone, Still Going Strong The Sarajevo Film Festival, now 30 years old, grew out of underground screenings during the siege of the city. Those roots still define the event's character. By Beatrice Loayza Mario Anzuoni/Reuters My Ten Awkwafina Is Taking John Cena's Advice They are co-stars in the new film "Jackpot!" with Simu Liu. By Kathryn Shattuck STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Rialto Pictures Where to Stream the Films of Alain Delon A look at 10 standout films featuring the actor, who died on Sunday at 88. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Utopia Beyond the Algorithm 'Femme,' 'The Teachers' Lounge' and More Streaming Gems A handful of low-key but formidable dramas dominate this month's under-the-radar recommendations on your streaming subscription services. By Jason Bailey Gravitas Ventures Five International Movies to Stream Now In this month's picks, a yoga teacher in Argentina adjusts to life after divorce, a young woman in London struggles to move past her painful past and more. By Devika Girish 20th Century Studios/20th Century Studios, via Associated Press All the 'Alien' Movies, Ranked With "Alien: Romulus" hitting theaters, the 45-year-old series is getting a new jolt of life. How does the latest film stack up against its predecessors? 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? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. 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. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018