Movies Update: Bring on the “Conclave” memes!

Plus, "Emilia Pérez" hits Netflix.

View in browser|nytimes.com November 15, 2024 By Stephanie Goodman Hi, movie fans! Because my job is to plan coverage of films, I see a lot of titles sometimes months in advance. While I can make an educated guess about the critical reception, the conversation surrounding a movie upon release is a lot harder to anticipate and is often surprising — in a good way when it comes to the deluge of memes involving the papal election tale "Conclave." As my colleague Esther Zuckerman writes, "Purely based on subject matter, it seems like the kind of drama that might dominate the Academy Awards in the mid-2000s." That is to say, not the kind of movie that lends itself to mash-ups with "RuPaul's Drag Race" and "Real Housewives." And yet, that's exactly what social-media wits have been busy doing. Zuckerman goes on to say that the explanation may lie in the "Conclave" characters themselves, cardinals who "are just as chaotic and messy as the backstabbers of reality television and prime-time soap operas." Another unexpected conversation that delighted me involved an entire genre of movies: the kind starring Clint Eastwood. As our chief critic Manohla Dargis explains, his signature move, the Clint Squint, "may partly be a matter of physiognomy but he learned how to deploy its mysteries, using it to seduce, telegraph contempt, express desire, terrify." It's a terrific examination of the alchemy that makes an actor a star. As for new movies, she highly recommends "All We Imagine as Light," Payal Kapadia's extraordinary drama about three women in Mumbai, and is more mixed on the unusual musical "Emilia Pérez." Whatever you end up watching, enjoy the movies! MGM; Warner Bros; Universal Pictures The Clint Squint When Clint Eastwood narrows his eyes, pay attention. A master of the big screen is using them to convey seduction, intimidation, mystery and more. By Manohla Dargis Focus Features Critic's Notebook Why the Messy Cardinals of 'Conclave' Make for Great Memes Thanks to characters we recognize from reality TV, the Vatican intrigues have jumped from stuffy prestige drama to the social-media scrum. By Esther Zuckerman Pathé Films 'Emilia Pérez' Review: A Crime Boss Who Can Sing and Dance The star of Jacques Audiard's showy new musical about a trans Mexican drug lord, Karla Sofía Gascón, adds soul to the melodrama. Zoe Saldaña also shines. By Manohla Dargis Searchlight Pictures 58 Movies to Watch This Winter: Bob Dylan Biopic, 'Moana 2' and More From life stories ("A Complete Unknown," "The Fire Inside") to animated tales ("Moana 2," "Mufasa"), these are the films we can't wait to see this season. By Ben Kenigsberg CRITICS' PICKS Sideshow and Janus Films Critic's Pick 'All We Imagine as Light' Review: Tender Comrades In Payal Kapadia's extraordinary drama, three women in Mumbai search for connections amid the city's vibrant and darkly alienating churn. By Manohla Dargis ANATOMY OF A SCENE Shanna Besson/Netflix Anatomy of a Scene Watch Zoe Saldaña Confront Corrupt Politicians in 'Emilia Pérez' The director Jacques Audiard narrates the star's passionate musical performance from the film. By Mekado Murphy MOVIE REVIEWS Bonnie Schiffman/Magnolia Pictures Documentary Lens A Songwriter for Earth, Wind & Fire and 'Friends'? That's Just the Start. "The World According to Allee Willis" shines a light on a musical artist whose creative spirit wasn't limited to one genre or even to music. By Alissa Wilkinson Petr Maur/Netflix 'Hot Frosty' Review: The 8 Abs of Christmas A hunky snowman comes to life in this Netflix holiday rom-com that strikes a certain muscle tone. By Amy Nicholson Alamy Stock Photo/Universal Pictures Content Group 'Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes' Review: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of A new documentary traces Humphrey Bogart's development from stage actor to the embodiment of brooding cinematic cool. By Ben Kenigsberg Karen Neal/Amazon MGM Studios 'Red One' Review: Santa's Helpers Have Been Working Out Starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, this Christmas offering has the courage to ask: What if the Santa Claus story was like a Marvel movie? By Brandon Yu Whitney Horn/Yellow Veil Pictures 'Dream Team' Review: Fax on the Beach Nothing really makes sense in this homage to '90s cable thrillers, but that's sort of the point. By Alissa Wilkinson Paramount+ 'Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands' Review: The Wrong Stuff The boy band stories in Tamra Davis's documentary rarely intersect in a way that builds a meaningful or compelling perspective. By Chris Azzopardi Kinematics 'Hippo' Review: This Coming-of-Age Tale Can Go Trafficking in irreverence, the film follows a pair of stepsiblings with sexual tension. By Natalia Winkelman NEWS & FEATURES Shanna Besson/Page 114, Why Not Productions, Pathé Films and France 2 Cinéma How a Director Who Dislikes Musicals Came to Make 'Emilia Pérez' For the filmmaker Jacques Audiard, creating a movie musical meant learning the genre conventions from scratch. By Carlos Aguilar New Line Cinema Critic's Notebook Still Freddy After All These Years With the release of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" 40 years ago, the horror villain Freddy Krueger clawed his way to becoming a pop culture phenomenon. By Jason Bailey Scott a Garfitt/Invision, via Associated Press People Went With Mass Appeal for Its 'Sexiest Man' John Krasinski may not have the raw energy of Glen Powell, but a collaboration with the stylist Ilaria Urbinati has paid huge dividends. By Guy Trebay Merrick Morton/20th Century Fox What's Your 'Romeo and Juliet' I.Q.? Test your knowledge, for never was a quiz of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo. By Elisabeth Vincentelli STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Disney/Hotstar Five International Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include coming-of-age stories from India, Italy, Canada, Switzerland and Poland, in which children and teens learn truths about adulthood the hard way. By Devika Girish Katie Yu/FX, via Associated Press The Best Movies and Shows on Hulu Right Now We've handpicked the finest movies and television shows currently streaming on Hulu in the United States. Take a look. 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 How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. 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