Movies Update: ‘One Battle After Another’ hits theaters

Plus, the New York Film Festival kicks off

View in browser|nytimes.com September 26, 2025 By Stephanie Goodman Hi, movie fans! It's an exciting weekend in the film world. First up is "One Battle After Another," Paul Thomas Anderson's action-political-satire-thriller-and-oh-so-much-more. The story is hard to summarize and is only loosely related to the source material, the Thomas Pynchon novel "Vineland." But to simplify, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a revolutionary turned pot-addled father trying to protect his teenage daughter (played by Chase Infiniti) from a white supremacist colonel (Sean Penn). Our chief critic, Manohla Dargis, has entered the conversation with a rave review, writing, "What makes it exhilarating is that it engages with its moment as few American fiction films do. It feels shockingly urgent. It's also snort-out funny, even when its laughs tremble with rage." You may recall that my colleague Kyle Buchanan interviewed the cast for our new season preview earlier this month. "I hope that people will look at this and see the sense of humor, but also the reality of it all," said Benicio Del Toro, who plays a DiCaprio ally. The other big event this weekend is the New York Film Festival, kicking off Friday night with the U.S. premiere of "After the Hunt." That's Luca Guadagnino's drama about a Yale professor played by Julia Roberts whose protégée (Ayo Edebiri) has accused another professor (Andrew Garfield) of sexual assault. The film, which dives into campus politics, generational conflicts and so-called cancel culture, divided critics when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August. It'll be interesting to see how American reviewers react, both at the festival and when "After the Hunt" opens commercially Oct. 10. For now, enjoy the movies! Warner Bros. Critic's pick 'One Battle After Another' Review: Paul Thomas Anderson's Rallying Cry The director, at the height of his powers, delivers a startling, present-day American epic, with Leonardo DiCaprio as a washed-up radical and doting dad. By Manohla Dargis Mubi Critic's Notebook Cinematic Riches Spanning the Globe Converge at the New York Film Festival This year's highlights include Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother," the Italian documentary "Below the Clouds" and the epic "Magellan." By Manohla Dargis Jojo Whilden/Sony Pictures Classics 'Eleanor the Great' Review: Weaving a Tangled Web June Squibb stars in Scarlett Johansson's sometimes moving but often uneven directorial debut. By Alissa Wilkinson CRITICS' PICKS Tereza Cervenova/Apple TV + Critic's Pick 'All of You' Review: Finding Your Perfect Match This weepy romance succeeds through the undeniable chemistry between Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots. By Brandon Yu Utopia Critic's Pick 'Megadoc' Review: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Pricey Passion Project This documentary by Mike Figgis about Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis" is at once expansive and intimate, and sometimes very revealing. By Manohla Dargis MOVIE REVIEWS ABC News Studios Documentary Lens 'Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery' Takes a Nostalgic Look at a '90s Phenomenon The tour started by Sarah McLachlan is the subject of the film, which includes a who's who of women making music in that era. By Alissa Wilkinson Perry Well Films 2/Netflix 'Ruth & Boaz' Review: A Modern Twist on a Biblical Romance The latest drama from Tyler Perry Studios sets the Book of Ruth at a vineyard in Tennessee. By Lisa Kennedy Emmanuel Guimier/Netflix 'French Lover' Review: An Affair Not to Remember A movie star and a waitress meet cute in a Netflix "Notting Hill" knockoff starring Omar Sy. By Ben Kenigsberg DreamWorks/Universal Pictures 'Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie' Review: Less Than Pawesome This movie based on an interactive children's Netflix series is not suitable for anyone over reading age. By Natalia Winkelman Vertical 'Dead of Winter' Review: Emma Thompson as Victim and Savior This stone-cold wilderness thriller pits a woman on a mission against a merciless couple who are keeping a secret in their basement. By Glenn Kenny NEWS & FEATURES 'Eleanor the Great' and the Joys (and Perils) of Lying The director, Scarlett Johansson, and stars, June Squibb and Erin Kellyman, discuss the story of an elderly woman who claims to be a Holocaust survivor. By Melena Ryzik and Meghan Marin Warner Bros. Marketing Movies Is Harder Than Ever. And Here Comes 'One Battle After Another.' The film is the kind that isn't supposed to work in theaters anymore. But Warner Bros., the studio behind it, has successfully bucked trends for months now. By Nicole Sperling and Brooks Barnes Warner Bros. 'One Battle After Another' Is in VistaVision. Should You Care? Filmmakers are giving a format that hasn't been popular since the 1950s another try. By Brian Josephs Jack Davison for The New York Times What Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson Knows About Pain In "The Smashing Machine," the actor gives a new kind of performance, one that required him to face his fears. By Sam Anderson and Jack Davison The Interview How Reese Witherspoon Figured Out Who She Really Is The actor and producer booked her first big role when she was 14 years old. More than 30 years later, she's an entertainment-industry powerhouse. 51 MIN LISTEN Touchstone Pictures 'Face/Off,' the Bonkers Blockbuster With Staying Power In 1997, Nicolas Cage and John Travolta swapped identities and faces in John Woo's extravagant action thriller. The results were fabulously ludicrous. By Maya Salam STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Miya Mizuno/Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now In this month's picks, the latest in the "28 Days Later" franchise, an aerial phenomenon, and a samurai lost in time. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Vertical Beyond the Algorithm 'Sharp Corner,' 'Last Breath' and More Streaming Gems A handful of this year's best unsung indies topline our off-the-grid streaming recommendations for this month, along with a handful of star vehicles that might have escaped your attention. By Jason Bailey A24 The 50 Best Movies on HBO 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 Glen Wilson/Focus Features, 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. 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