Movies Update: “Snow White” sweeps in, fresh controversies in tow.

Plus, a Wes Anderson museum exhibition.

View in browser|nytimes.com March 21, 2025 By Kellina Moore Hi there, movie fans! After a staggering number of controversies and setbacks, "Snow White" finally hits theaters this week. Was it worth the wait, or has the apple been thoroughly poisoned? The chief critic Manohla Dargis weighed in, saying that the movie is "neither good enough to admire nor bad enough to joyfully skewer." Bummer! I love a good joyful skewering. Though perhaps the mediocrity will come as a relief to parents just hoping for a few hours of distraction for their kids. In the realm of decidedly not kid-friendly movies, the newest from Alain Guiraudie, the director who brought us the gay-cruising murder-mystery masterpiece "Stranger by the Lake," also opens this week. Though perhaps less explicit than some of his previous work, "Misericordia" is still deeply concerned with appetites, sexual and otherwise. "I don't know if you can say that desire is what drives all of cinema, but it's certainly what drives my cinema," he explained in an interview with The Times. Wesley Morris raved about the film, saying, "Even when its characters are working your nerves, it tickles. Guiraudie is playing those nerves like a harp." He made the film a Critic's Pick. And, before you go, a few cinematic ways to celebrate spring, now that we've officially entered the season. Circle the bases with a look back at home-run baseball movies like "Moneyball." Or take a peek at the pastels on display in a new exhibition at the Cinémathèque Française that highlights some of Wes Anderson's distinctive props and set dressings. Frankly, I'm glad the show is across the ocean, because just the thought of seeing the "Fantastic Mr. Fox" puppets in real life is enough to make me tear up. Enjoy the movies! Disney Snow White and the Seven Kajillion Controversies The dwarfs. The casting. The politics of the lead actress. And that wig! Is Disney's live-action remake of the classic film doomed by culture war skirmishes? By Brooks Barnes Melinda Sue Gordon/Columbia Pictures Critic's Notebook Just a Bit Outside: How 'Moneyball' and 'Sugar' Altered the Baseball Movie Two contemporary films reimagined the stories we tell about the sport. By Robert Daniels CRITICS' PICKS Sideshow and Janus Films Critic's Pick 'Misericordia' Review: Danger Always Hides in the Bushes The French director Alain Guiraudie's latest film, a bent kind of murder mystery, presents life at its basest and gamiest. By Wesley Morris Claudette Barius/Focus Features Critic's Pick 'Black Bag' Review: Blanchett v. Fassbender The actors play a glamorous couple of spies in this latest sleek collaboration from the director Steven Soderbergh and the screenwriter David Koepp. By Manohla Dargis MOVIE REVIEWS Giles Keyte/Disney 'Snow White' Review: A Princess's Progress The new live-action version of Disney's 1937 animated fairy tale has drawn (maddening) criticism for its casting and an updated story. But liberation only goes so far. By Manohla Dargis Briarcliff Entertainment 'Magazine Dreams' Review: Pain Without Gain Shown at Sundance two years ago, the film was shelved when its star, Jonathan Majors, was arrested and charged with assault and harassment of his girlfriend at the time. By Ben Kenigsberg Jennifer Rose Clasen/Warner Bros. 'The Alto Knights' Review: A Double Helping of De Niro Robert De Niro plays the crime lords Vito Genovese and Frank Costello in this film about midcentury Mafia moves. By Glenn Kenny Roadside Attractions 'Bob Trevino Likes It' Review: From a Stranger to Found Family Barbie Ferreira shines as a young woman who befriends a stranger with her father's name in this indie tear-jerker. By Natalia Winkelman Searchlight Pictures 'O'Dessa' Review: One Song to Save Them All Sadie Sink ("Stranger Things") rules this postapocalyptic musical with a guitar and an attitude. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Rlje Films/Shudder 'Ash' Review: Deep-Space Horrors In this sleek film by Flying Lotus, Eiza González plays a marooned explorer haunted by the killing of her crew mates. By Robert Daniels The Avenue 'Locked' Review: Cramped Quarters This gimmicky thriller starring Bill Skarsgard and Anthony Hopkins sees a petty criminal fall victim to a vigilante's trap. By Beatrice Loayza Magnus Jønck/Magnolia Pictures 'The Assessment' Review: Meticulously Planned Parenthood A couple must endure a punishing evaluation process for permission to become parents in this sleek, hermetic science fiction. By Jeannette Catsoulis NEWS & FEATURES Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press Gene Hackman's Wife Died at Least a Day Later Than Originally Thought Betsy Arakawa made several calls to a medical clinic on Feb. 12, the day after the authorities initially believed that she died. By Julia Jacobs and Annie Aguiar Julien Mignot for The New York Times In This French Director's Work, Sex Leads to Unexpected Destinations Alain Guiraudie broke through with "Stranger by the Lake." In his new movie, "Misericordia," eroticism and death are also intimately entangled. By Carlos Aguilar Philip Cheung for The New York Times Conan O'Brien to Host the Oscars Next Year, Too Mr. O'Brien received high marks for his work as the emcee of the 97th Oscar telecast this month. It was his first time hosting the show. By Nicole Sperling STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Luke Dyra/IFC Films Beyond the Algorithm 'Ghostlight,' 'Watcher' and More Streaming Gems A pair of carefully crafted character studies and three female-fronted thrillers are among the gems hidden on your subscription streaming services this month. By Jason Bailey Doppelgänger Releasing Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now In this month's picks, multidimensional comedy and extraterrestrial drama. 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. 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