Movies Update: Purple crayons and pop concert killers

The summer movie season continues its twists and turns

View in browser|nytimes.com August 2, 2024 By Mekado Murphy Hey, movie fans! With a new summer month comes even more movies cascading their way into the multiplexes and onto streaming services. The newest is "Trap," a thriller from M. Night Shyamalan that stars Josh Hartnett as a dad with a killer secret. "It takes cleverness and control to pull off this unspoken tension," Amy Nicholson wrote in her review. "Shyamalan boasts the former and feigns the latter for a while before his hotdogging impulses take over." Also out is the film adaptation of the book "Harold and the Purple Crayon," but the critic Glenn Kenny thinks it colors too much inside the lines. "The movie plods around awkwardly," he wrote in his review, "trying to leech whatever charm it can from the remaining elements of the original (like that crayon)." But one movie, "War Game," is a critical standout this week. It asks: What if there's another Jan. 6, but bigger and better organized? In her review, the critic Manohla Dargis called the film "a nail-biter of a documentary," and wrote that it "is blunt and effective." On streaming this week is "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes" (on Max), which the critic Alissa Wilkinson called "an intriguing documentary about one of Hollywood's most famous actresses, mostly in her own words." Or if you want a little throwback, now is as good a time as ever to revisit "The Matrix." Wilkinson wrote about how the sci-fi thriller feels just as relevant today. Enjoy the movies! Warner Bros. 'Trap' Review: Pop Goes the Thriller Josh Hartnett stars as a father with a secret in this M. Night Shyamalan film set at a concert. By Amy Nicholson Hopper Stone/Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures 'Harold and the Purple Crayon' Review: He's a Big Kid Now Harold is an adult on a quest in this tale based on the beloved children's book by Crockett Johnson. By Glenn Kenny Illustration by Tala Safie; Photos via Warner Bros. Class of 1999 Here's Why 'The Matrix' Is More Relevant Than Ever One scene reflects the themes — A.I., fake news, transgender lives and Gen X — that make the film a classic. By Alissa Wilkinson CRITICS' PICKS Film Forum Critic's Pick 'War Game' Review: It Can't Happen Here (Right?) This nail-biter of a documentary imagines it is Jan. 6, 2025, and armed supporters of the losing candidate are hatching a coup and maybe a civil war. What will the nation's leaders do? By Manohla Dargis MOVIE REVIEWS Gwen Capistran/Republic Pictures 'Rob Peace' Review: Risking the Future to Remedy the Past The actor Chiwetel Ejiofor directs a cohesive ensemble — featuring Mary J. Blige, Michael Kelly, Mare Winningham, Camila Cabello and Jay Will — in a heart-wrenching tale based on a true story. By Beandrea July Greenwich Entertainment 'Coup!' Review: Pandemonium in a Pandemic — No, Not That One In this obvious satire set amid the 1918 influenza, a wealthy, muckraking reporter hires a new chef who disrupts the estate's hierarchy. By Natalia Winkelman Kino Lorber 'Sebastian' Review: Sex Speaks Louder Than Words For inspiration, a writer moonlights as an escort in this drama from Mikko Makela. By Chris Azzopardi Helen Sloan/Sony Pictures Classics 'Kneecap' Review: Beats Over Belfast Members of the pioneering Irish-language rap group play versions of themselves in a gleefully chaotic film that casts them as tall-tale heroes. By Beatrice Loayza Peak Season/Entertainment Squad 'Peak Season' Review: Continental Divides In this modest second feature, a disillusioned business-school graduate, taking a breather in high-altitude Wyoming, meets a rugged fly-fishing instructor. By Ben Kenigsberg NEWS & FEATURES Timothy O'Connell for The New York Times These Irish Rappers Know Their Movie Will Make People Angry Kneecap's Irish nationalist rap has drawn ire from pro-British politicians and commentators. A new film dramatizing the group's story looks set to do the same. By Carlos Aguilar Jimena Peck for The New York Times At Sundance Lab, Movie Economics Can't Be Ignored This Year Funding is a perennial problem for the indie filmmakers who workshop their latest works here. But now Sundance itself is feeling the financial pressure. By Lisa Kennedy Bleecker Street, via Associated Press Critic's notebook Know What's Funny About Getting Old? These Movies Do. Star-studded with leading ladies, who are all a bit older, recent comedies like "The Fabulous Four" and "80 for Brady" are establishing a popular new genre. By Esther Zuckerman Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures Hollywood's Message to Red States: Our Movies Are for You After a period of openly using movies to display progressive values, studios seem to be heeding a message from many ticket buyers: Just entertain us. By Brooks Barnes Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios, via Associated Press Spoiler Alert: Here's a Guide to the Cameos in 'Deadpool & Wolverine' Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are the stars, but they get help from a host of actors you may know from other superhero movies. By Esther Zuckerman STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Monstro Films Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now In this month's picks, crises occur both in outer space and in empty rooms. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Netflix 5 Children's Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a new SpongeBob SquarePants adventure and an Oscar-nominated film from Cartoon Saloon. By Dina Gachman Frank Worth/HBO Documentary Lens 'Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes' and the Moment Star Worship Curdled The documentary blends audio interviews with footage from her life to provide a revealing look not so much at the actress, but at celebrity culture. By Alissa Wilkinson Frank Connor/Universal Pictures Stream These 12 Movies Before They Leave Netflix in August A ton of great titles are leaving for U.S. subscribers by the end of this month. Catch them while you can. By Jason Bailey Kino Lorber Three Great Documentaries to Stream This month's picks include an all-archival film about the atomic bomb, a portrait of a Hollywood star and inventor, and a profile of a hospital chaplain. By Ben Kenigsberg Clockwise from top left: Kartemquin Films; Shout! Factory; Orion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Looking for the Best in Black Cinema? Try Brown Sugar. The streaming service highlights some of the finest movies starring, and often directed by, Black artists. 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