Movies Update: The return of the PG movie

Plus, Mariska Hargitay's feature directing debut.

View in browser|nytimes.com June 20, 2025 By Stephanie Goodman Hi, movie fans! While the summer movie season is heating up, I'm very excited that a project the Film Desk, in collaboration with The Upshot, has been working on for months is about to be unveiled. I can't tell you much more than that it involves the best movies from the last 25 years and hundreds of filmmakers, stars, notable fans and other influential types. Check back at nytimes.com on Monday. In the meantime, there's a lot happening on your screens, starting with Mariska Hargitay's feature directing debut. You probably know her as Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: SVU," but she is also the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, the star and pinup who died tragically in a car accident when Hargitay was just 3. As my colleague Melena Ryzik writes, Mansfield had been "marketed as a Marilyn Monroe-dupe" who played up a breathy voice, and Hargitay "observed these choices with some disdain." In a surprising new documentary, Hargitay explores her mother's career as well as a lifetime of family secrets. She told Ryzik, "There's so much pain left in the unsaid. And I just wanted to say it." Switching gears completely, the live-action version of "How to Train Your Dragon" was a huge hit at the box office last weekend, one of a spate of PG-rated movies giving the entertainment industry some rare good news. My colleague Brooks Barnes explains that "PG movies (especially live-action ones) have long been viewed by Hollywood as somewhat limited in box office appeal: It's better to go for a broader audience — teenagers and older adults in addition to families — by making movies that get a PG-13 rating." But the combination of "Dragon," "A Minecraft Movie" and "Lilo & Stitch," which draw families as well as nostalgic older fans, may be changing that thinking. (You can read about the new star of "How to Train Your Dragon," Mason Thames, who beat out 300 other hopefuls to land the part.) Will "Dragon" reign at the box office again this weekend? The makers of the zombie sequel "28 Years Later" probably hope not. Our critic Manohla Dargis writes that the movie is "a classic boys-into-men coming-of-age story updated for the postapocalypse" that "isn't for the faint of heart." Whatever you end up watching, enjoy the movies! Kobe Wagstaff for The New York Times Mariska Hargitay Comes to Terms With a Lifetime of Family Secrets In a new documentary made by the "Law & Order: SVU" star, she examines her own clouded origins and the mother she barely knew: Jayne Mansfield. By Melena Ryzik Philip Cheung for The New York Times Q&A The 'How to Train Your Dragon' Star Mason Thames Is Still Freaking Out As Hiccup, the 17-year-old actor is shouldering the weight of Universal's new live-action franchise — and living out his childhood fantasy. By Ashley Spencer Peacock/Universal Pictures, via Associated Press How 'Jaws' Made a Template for the Modern Blockbuster Much more than a mere creature feature, "Jaws" created a playbook that filmmakers have followed closely for 50 years. By Rumsey Taylor and Eve Washington CRITICS' PICKS Film Movement Critic's Pick 'Shanghai Blues' Review: Slapstick Fun in a 1984 Tsui Hark Picture This newly restored screwball comedy is a buoyant romp. The director revisits and refines the techniques used here in his later work in other genres. By Glenn Kenny Netflix Critic's Pick 'KPop Demon Hunters' Review: Singing, Slinging and Slashing Beyond the somewhat silly premise of this Netflix animated film is a charming, funny and artfully punchy original universe. By Brandon Yu Music Box Films Critic's Pick 'Familiar Touch' Review: Living With Dementia In this empathetic debut feature, Kathleen Chalfant plays Ruth, a woman who moves into an assisted living facility and adapts to her new life. By Beatrice Loayza MOVIE REVIEWS Miya Mizuno/Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures '28 Years Later' Review: Danny Boyle Revives His Monsters The director returns to the postapocalyptic Britain he conjured in his 2002 movie "28 Days Later," this time with a father and son running from the infected. Mom joins in, too. By Manohla Dargis Disney/Pixar 'Elio' Review: Pixar's Fantastical, Familiar World An orphaned boy is whisked away on a visually wondrous cosmic adventure, but he returns home with mostly reassuring lessons. By Manohla Dargis Magenta Light Studios 'Bride Hard' Review: Taking on Baddies at Her Best Friend's Wedding Rebel Wilson gamely plays the role of secret agent and bridesmaid in this action-thriller mixed with a rom-com. By Sheri Linden Willa/Product Of Culture 'The Queen of My Dreams' Review: From Karachi to Toronto Fawzia Mirza's amiable feature debut traces the lives of a mother and her daughter in two coming-of-age tales. By Natalia Winkelman Lionsgate 'Everything's Going to Be Great' Review: Show People A theater family sorts out its offstage drama in a coming-of-age movie starring Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney. By Ben Kenigsberg NASA/National Geographic 'Sally' Review: Rocket Woman The remarkable life of the first American woman in space is profiled in this diverting but tame documentary. By Jeannette Catsoulis ANATOMY OF A SCENE Neon Anatomy of a Scene How the World Ends in 'The Life of Chuck' The screenwriter and director Mike Flanagan narrates a sequence from his film, featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Violet McGraw. (Plus, Chuck.) By Mekado Murphy NEWS & FEATURES Vianney Le Caer/Invision, via Associated Press Cruise Will Receive an Honorary Oscar at Governors Awards The film industry will honor Tom Cruise this fall with an Honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement, along with the choreographer Debbie Allen and the production designer Wynn Thomas. By Michaela Towfighi Wishfully Studios Studio Ghibli's Majestic Sensibility Is Drawing Imitators Forty years after the Japanese animation studio was founded, game creators are embracing its legacy of moral integrity. By Lewis Gordon Disney David Hekili Kenui Bell, an Actor in 'Lilo & Stitch,' Dies at 46 Mr. Bell's first role in a feature film was providing comic relief in the Disney hit. By Rylee Kirk Universal Pictures Inside Universal's Big Bet on 'How to Train Your Dragon' In an era of skepticism around live-action remakes, Universal believes audiences will take flight with Hiccup and Toothless again. By Ashley Spencer STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Antti Rastivo/Freezing Point Oy/Lionsgate Beyond the Algorithm 'Sisu,' 'Final Score' and More Streaming Gems This month's streaming suggestions include poignant biographical portraits, coming-of-age dramas, a late-career leading role for a legend and more. By Jason Bailey How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. 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