Movies Update: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ and More

Plus, contemplating a canon of Jewish American films.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 16, 2022 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! It's time to grab a set of 3-D glasses, head into a theater and dive on into "Avatar: The Way of Water." James Cameron's long-in-the-making sequel is here, with all the technical wizardry and action set pieces you've come to expect from his work. Whether you see it in 2-D, 3-D, IMAX, Dolby, HFR or 3-D IMAX Dolby HFR, it's playing at pretty much any theater near you. In his review, A.O. Scott wrote that "much of the middle of "The Way of Water" restores the latent promise of newness — no small accomplishment in an era of wearying franchise overkill." Read a feature on just how they made all of that computer-generated water. If you're looking for something smaller, you could try "The Quiet Girl," Ireland's entry for the best international feature Oscar. The critic Lisa Kennedy called it "luminous." Or you could try "The Super 8 Years," which has the Nobel Prize-winning French writer Annie Ernaux revisiting her life. Manohla Dargis called it a "short, potent, quietly elegiac feature." Continuing to look back on the year that was, Maya Salam noted eight breakout stars from 2022 whose work you should definitely seek out. And Esther Zuckerman took the release of two films from 2022, "Armageddon Time," and "The Fabelmans," as a starting point to discuss what she called "a slim canon of movies that depict and explore American Jewish life." Enjoy the movies! 20th Century Studios 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Review: Big Blue Marvel James Cameron returns to Pandora, and to the ecological themes and visual bedazzlements of his 2009 blockbuster. By A.O. Scott Anne Joyce/Focus Features REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK Contemplating a Canon of Jewish American Films Two new films remind us that the experiences of U.S. Jews don't often get the Hollywood treatment. When they do, depictions range from shticky to subtle. By Esther Zuckerman Kino Lorber CRITIC'S PICK 'The Super 8 Years' Review: Annie Ernaux's Celluloid Memories In this wistful movie, the French writer and Nobel laureate revisits her life with help from her son, who's also the director. By Manohla Dargis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Super Ltd CRITIC'S PICK 'The Quiet Girl' Review: Welcome Home This luminous drama, Ireland's entry for best international feature, may not be holiday fare, but it does express the season's benevolent ethos. By Lisa Kennedy Carole Bethuel/Les Films Pelléas/Sony Pictures Classics CRITIC'S PICK 'One Fine Morning' Review: The Moments That Make Up a Rich Life Mia Hansen-Love directs Léa Seydoux in a delicate look at a mother, daughter and lover whose quotidian existence is instantly recognizable yet sublime. By Manohla Dargis ANATOMY OF A SCENE Rodrigo Jardon/Netflix ANATOMY OF A SCENE How 'Bardo' Turns Collapsing Into Choreography Alejandro G. Iñárritu narrates a sequence from his Netflix film "Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths," where multiple people drop to the ground in Mexico City. By Mekado Murphy MOVIE REVIEWS HBO 'Pelosi in the House' Review: Keeping Her House in Order This HBO documentary, directed by Nancy Pelosi's daughter Alexandra Pelosi, goes behind the scenes with the House speaker. By Ben Kenigsberg Film Movement 'Children of the Mist' Review: Stolen Youth A documentarian traces a Hmong girl's experience with a custom that permits boys to detain girls with the intention of marriage. By Beatrice Loayza Netflix 'The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari' Review: A Seismic Tragedy A Netflix documentary recounts the eruption of an active volcano off the coast of New Zealand that left several tourist groups struggling to survive. By Natalia Winkelman Gravitas Ventures 'Jurassic Punk' Review: Making Digital Dinosaurs Walk This documentary looks at the computer animation innovator Steve Williams. By Glenn Kenny RLJE Films/Shudder/AMC+ 'The Apology' Review: Regrets, He's Had a Few A surprise visitor derails a grieving mother's holiday plans in this gloomy, overwrought family drama. By Jeannette Catsoulis Wolfe Releasing 'Nelly & Nadine' Review: An Unlikely Love, an Unlikely Record A family archive provides intimate records of a love affair that began between two women imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. By Teo Bugbee IFC Films 'The Almond and the Seahorse' Review: Like Sand Through an Hourglass In this drama, two couples grapple with how their relationships are changed through a partner's brain injuries. By Amy Nicholson Rhumbline Media 'Make People Better' Review: Clear Science, Confusing Storytelling This muddy documentary dives into a complex story of genomic discovery, biomedical ethics and covert dealings. By Beandrea July Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES 20th Century Studios How 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Solved the Problem of Computer-Generated H2O Nearly all of the sea shots in the blockbuster are digital. But making them seem real via performance capture led to a milestone in the technique. By Darryn King ABC The Breakout Stars of 2022 Here are the actors, pop stars, dancers and artists who broke away from the pack this year, delighting us and making us think. By Maya Salam Miramax Films These Soccer and World Cup Movies Have Big Goals Soccer movies are often eclectic and at times unclassifiable, drawing from multiple continents and genres. By Beatrice Loayza Manitou Productions Reclaiming a Place in Animation History for a Female Pioneer A historian of the form has unearthed works by Bessie Mae Kelley that rank as the earliest-known hand-drawn animated films directed by a woman. By Brooks Barnes Sony Pictures CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK Fusion? We've Seen This Movie Before. The promise of a new, bountiful energy source, not to mention the giant lasers, may sound familiar to fans of science fiction and comics. By Maya Phillips STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Lozinski Production Five International Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a charming Polish documentary, a Portuguese coming-of-age tale with a twist, a gothic drama from India and more. By Devika Girish Paramount Pictures The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Movies upon movies await, and you don't even have to drill down to find them. By Jason Bailey Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. 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