Movies Update: A trio of critic’s pick movies.

Plus, our holiday movie preview.

View in browser|nytimes.com November 7, 2025 By Stephanie Goodman Hi, movie fans! I just finished closing our holiday preview, and wow, there are a ton of good films to look forward to. This month alone brings "Hamnet," the latest "Knives Out" installment and "Zootopia 2." (I love how the original had a sloth working at the D.M.V.) And don't get me started on December. So. Many. Treats. In the meantime, our critics have singled out several worthy titles in theaters now, like "Sentimental Value," from Joachim Trier. This drama stars Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve as a father and daughter with a strained relationship to say the least. But there are many comic moments, starting with the opening when Reinsve's actress character tries to flee instead of going onstage on opening night. "Trier remains blissfully attuned to the absurdity of life," our chief critic, Manohla Dargis, writes in her critic's pick review, adding, that his "lightness of touch makes a striking contrast to the film's emotional weightiness." "Die My Love" is a tough watch to be sure, but it features a "career-defining" performance by Jennifer Lawrence as a young mother dealing with postpartum depression, writes our critic, Alissa Wilkinson. In her critic's pick review, she says, "I loved it the first time I saw it, and loved it more the second. Not only because it takes a huge swing and connects, but because this is the role I've been wanting to see Lawrence play since I first saw her in 'Winter's Bone' all those years ago." And "Peter Hujar's Day" may not be for everyone, but those interested in New York life in the 1970s will want to take note. Based on actual interview transcripts, the director Ira Sachs captures a conversation between the noted photographer of the title (played by Ben Whishaw) and the writer Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Hall) talking about the previous day's activities. Making the film a critic's pick, Jeannette Catsoulis writes, "In its attention to the quotidian routines familiar to us all, the movie finds meaning in the mundane, showing how the most ordinary events — like, in Hujar's case, a phone call from Susan Sontag — can one day add up to an extraordinary life." Whatever you end up watching, enjoy the movies! Ariana Grande Still Has Surprises in Store The pop superstar reinvented herself in the first "Wicked," but the sequel shows just how much further she can go as an actress. By Kyle Buchanan and Geordie Wood The New York Times The Endlessly Adaptable Frankenstein Few works have inspired more adaptations than Mary Shelley's Gothic classic about a frenzied creator who builds a despairing being. Here's a look at the many ways it has been repurposed onscreen. By Maya Salam Seamus McGarvey/Mubi Critic's Pick 'Die My Love' Review: Jennifer Lawrence in a Mother of a Role The actress gives a career-defining performance opposite Robert Pattinson in Lynne Ramsay's latest. By Alissa Wilkinson Christian Belgaux/Neon Critic's pick 'Sentimental Value' Review: Joachim Trier's Unhappy Household In this moving drama from the director of "The Worst Person in the World," Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve star as father and daughter in counterpoint. By Manohla Dargis CRITICS' PICKS Janus Films Critic's Pick 'Peter Hujar's Day' Review: Tell Me Everything Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall invigorate this experimental look at a gifted New York photographer. By Jeannette Catsoulis Good Deed Entertainment Critic's Pick 'Caterpillar' Review: Risking Their Sight to be Seen Anew The latest documentary from Liza Mandelup ("Jawline") concerns a man who seeks to change the color of his eyes — permanently. By Ben Kenigsberg ANATOMY OF A SCENE Ken Woroner/Netflix Watch Oscar Isaac Create Life in 'Frankenstein' The director Guillermo del Toro narrates a sequence in which Dr. Victor Frankenstein presents his findings at a disciplinary tribunal. MOVIE REVIEWS 20th Century Studios 'Predator: Badlands' Review: It Lives! The latest installment from the director of "Prey" finds a Predator and an android played by Elle Fanning teaming up against some big baddies. By Manohla Dargis Eddy Chen/Black Bear 'Christy' Review: The Lady in Pink? She Packs a Fierce Punch The ring is a treacherous place to be, but for this boxer, the living room held the greater threat of terror. By Lisa Kennedy Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures Classics 'Nuremberg' Review: Inside the Nazi Mind This movie starring Rami Malek and Russell Crowe looks back at the trials and a psychiatrist who evaluated the defendants. By Ben Kenigsberg Amazon MGM Studios 'Belén' Review: An Eye-Opening but Rote Courtroom Thriller The actor-director Dolores Fonzi chronicles the battle to legalize abortion in Argentina through the real-life story of a woman's wrongful imprisonment. By Beatrice Loayza Shane Brown/Amazon MGM Studios 'Sarah's Oil' Review: The Little Drilling Rig That Could A young Black girl learns that her land allotment is rich with oil in this story that aspires to teach us a lesson about white predation. By Natalia Winkelman NEWS & FEATURES Netflix The Delicate, Last-Minute Dance of Building a Starry 'Knives Out' Cast For the original, Daniel Craig was hired weeks, not months, in advance, and Ana De Armas joined days ahead. The latest, "Wake Up Dead Man," followed that template. By Matt Stevens Disney 'Toy Story': The Ultimate 30th Anniversary Quiz Three decades, four films, two theme park lands, and $3.3 billion in worldwide box office revenue later, the franchise has become a staple of family movie nights. How well do you know your Star Command and Pizza Planet? By Sarah Bahr Scott Rossi for The New York Times You Can't Make a Jersey Movie Without the Diner The new Bruce Springsteen biopic uses the diner as a cinematic device, and a symbol of a state that has been called the nation's "Diner Capital." By Michaela Towfighi Warner Bros. Why Japan Exiled a Film About a Famed Japanese Writer "Mishima," which explores nationalism, sexuality and ritual suicide, was screened in Tokyo for the first time since its 1985 release. By Rebecca L. Davis Popcast Yung Lean's Early Viral Fame Nearly Killed Him. Now, He's Thriving. A decade ago, the Swedish rapper was an internet sensation finding global fame. After struggling with drugs, he's back with new music, a new film and welcome clarity. 1 HR 34 MIN LISTEN STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Jessica Miglio/Warner Bros Pictures 5 Children's Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include the new "Superman" reboot and an adaptation of a beloved Roald Dahl book. By Dina Gachman New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Stream These Diane Ladd-Laura Dern Collaborations Ladd, who died on Monday, had several memorable screen roles alongside her daughter, Dern. Below are highlights. By Esther Zuckerman Children of Celluloid Five Horror Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a loner on the razor's edge, a witch on a bloodthirsty mission and an actress walking a doomed path. By Erik Piepenburg Netflix The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in November The newest horror film from Guillermo del Toro and the final season of "Stranger Things" are among the highlights for U.S. subscribers. By Noel Murray How are we doing? 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