Movies Update: Purple crayons and pop concert killers

The summer movie season continues its twists and turns
Movies Update

August 2, 2024

Hey, movie fans!

With a new summer month comes even more movies cascading their way into the multiplexes and onto streaming services. The newest is "Trap," a thriller from M. Night Shyamalan that stars Josh Hartnett as a dad with a killer secret. "It takes cleverness and control to pull off this unspoken tension," Amy Nicholson wrote in her review. "Shyamalan boasts the former and feigns the latter for a while before his hotdogging impulses take over."

Also out is the film adaptation of the book "Harold and the Purple Crayon," but the critic Glenn Kenny thinks it colors too much inside the lines. "The movie plods around awkwardly," he wrote in his review, "trying to leech whatever charm it can from the remaining elements of the original (like that crayon)."

But one movie, "War Game," is a critical standout this week. It asks: What if there's another Jan. 6, but bigger and better organized? In her review, the critic Manohla Dargis called the film "a nail-biter of a documentary," and wrote that it "is blunt and effective."

On streaming this week is "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes" (on Max), which the critic Alissa Wilkinson called "an intriguing documentary about one of Hollywood's most famous actresses, mostly in her own words."

Or if you want a little throwback, now is as good a time as ever to revisit "The Matrix." Wilkinson wrote about how the sci-fi thriller feels just as relevant today.

Enjoy the movies!

CRITICS' PICKS

Two women at a table with laptops and coffee cups wear concerned expressions and official-looking lanyards. A screen behind them counts down the time.

Film Forum

Critic's Pick

'War Game' Review: It Can't Happen Here (Right?)

This nail-biter of a documentary imagines it is Jan. 6, 2025, and armed supporters of the losing candidate are hatching a coup and maybe a civil war. What will the nation's leaders do?

By Manohla Dargis

MOVIE REVIEWS

In a courtroom, a man reaches over a wood counter to hold onto the hand of another man.

Gwen Capistran/Republic Pictures

'Rob Peace' Review: Risking the Future to Remedy the Past

The actor Chiwetel Ejiofor directs a cohesive ensemble — featuring Mary J. Blige, Michael Kelly, Mare Winningham, Camila Cabello and Jay Will — in a heart-wrenching tale based on a true story.

By Beandrea July

Two men stand outside, looking into the window of a vehicle.

Greenwich Entertainment

'Coup!' Review: Pandemonium in a Pandemic — No, Not That One

In this obvious satire set amid the 1918 influenza, a wealthy, muckraking reporter hires a new chef who disrupts the estate's hierarchy.

By Natalia Winkelman

An older man with a beard lies in bed with his hand on a younger man.

Kino Lorber

'Sebastian' Review: Sex Speaks Louder Than Words

For inspiration, a writer moonlights as an escort in this drama from Mikko Makela.

By Chris Azzopardi

Three men are onstage with laser lights beaming behind them. Two of the men are dressed in track suits and hold microphones, while a third, in a knit balaclava, wraps his arms around their shoulders.

Helen Sloan/Sony Pictures Classics

'Kneecap' Review: Beats Over Belfast

Members of the pioneering Irish-language rap group play versions of themselves in a gleefully chaotic film that casts them as tall-tale heroes.

By Beatrice Loayza

A woman and a man stand behind a jeep parked off the street. A sunlit mountain range is behind them.

Peak Season/Entertainment Squad

'Peak Season' Review: Continental Divides

In this modest second feature, a disillusioned business-school graduate, taking a breather in high-altitude Wyoming, meets a rugged fly-fishing instructor.

By Ben Kenigsberg

NEWS & FEATURES

Three men pose in front of a shop front; two wear baseball caps and dark jackets, the man on the right wears a green striped shirt and a green, white and orange balaclava.

Timothy O'Connell for The New York Times

These Irish Rappers Know Their Movie Will Make People Angry

Kneecap's Irish nationalist rap has drawn ire from pro-British politicians and commentators. A new film dramatizing the group's story looks set to do the same.

By Carlos Aguilar

A woman with headphones puts her hands to her mouth in concentration as she looks intently at filmmaking equipment. She's surrounded by other figures.

Jimena Peck for The New York Times

At Sundance Lab, Movie Economics Can't Be Ignored This Year

Funding is a perennial problem for the indie filmmakers who workshop their latest works here. But now Sundance itself is feeling the financial pressure.

By Lisa Kennedy

Susan Sarandon and Megan Mullally sitting across from Sheryl Lee Ralph and Bette Midler in a carriage in a scene from the movie

Bleecker Street, via Associated Press

Critic's notebook

Know What's Funny About Getting Old? These Movies Do.

Star-studded with leading ladies, who are all a bit older, recent comedies like "The Fabulous Four" and "80 for Brady" are establishing a popular new genre.

By Esther Zuckerman

Glen Powell, leaning on a truck, and Harry Hadden-Paton, holding a camera, in a scene from

Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

Hollywood's Message to Red States: Our Movies Are for You

After a period of openly using movies to display progressive values, studios seem to be heeding a message from many ticket buyers: Just entertain us.

By Brooks Barnes

The superheroes Deadpool and Wolverine stand side-by-side. Deadpool is covering his mouth with his hands.

Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios, via Associated Press

Spoiler Alert: Here's a Guide to the Cameos in 'Deadpool & Wolverine'

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are the stars, but they get help from a host of actors you may know from other superhero movies.

By Esther Zuckerman

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

A man and a woman stand at a window, looking at each other. A cityscape is reflected in the window glass.

Monstro Films

Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now

In this month's picks, crises occur both in outer space and in empty rooms.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

An animated image shows a joyful squirrel in an astronaut suit standing outside a vault door that opens to a colorful world. Her arms are outstretched.

Netflix

5 Children's Movies to Stream Now

This month's picks include a new SpongeBob SquarePants adventure and an Oscar-nominated film from Cartoon Saloon.

By Dina Gachman

Elizabeth Taylor poses in an outdoor setting. She's wearing a light bikini top and brown trousers, and holding the stem of her sunglasses in her mouth.

Frank Worth/HBO

Documentary Lens

'Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes' and the Moment Star Worship Curdled

The documentary blends audio interviews with footage from her life to provide a revealing look not so much at the actress, but at celebrity culture.

By Alissa Wilkinson

Two men wearing shades stroll down a street lined by buildings covered in graffiti.

Frank Connor/Universal Pictures

Stream These 12 Movies Before They Leave Netflix in August

A ton of great titles are leaving for U.S. subscribers by the end of this month. Catch them while you can.

By Jason Bailey

In a black and white image, a sign reads, "Entering Atomic City townsite, formerly Midway."

Kino Lorber

Three Great Documentaries to Stream

This month's picks include an all-archival film about the atomic bomb, a portrait of a Hollywood star and inventor, and a profile of a hospital chaplain.

By Ben Kenigsberg

A collection of four images in a square. In the top left image, a man in a yellow basketball jersey lifts his arms up in celebration. In the top right image, a man wearing sunglasses and a large yellow hat smiles. In the bottom left, two men with Afros stand outside next to each other. In the bottom right, a woman in a multicolored sweater sings.

Clockwise from top left: Kartemquin Films; Shout! Factory; Orion Pictures; Paramount Pictures

Looking for the Best in Black Cinema? Try Brown Sugar.

The streaming service highlights some of the finest movies starring, and often directed by, Black artists.

By Jason Bailey

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