Cinema News

November 1, 2024

	By Stephanie Goodman

Hi, movie fans!

Normally, we only let critics review films. But when my colleague Brooks Barnes, a reporter who covers the business of Hollywood, called Martha Stewart for a story on "Martha" and other celebrity documentaries made with the stars' cooperation, he got an earful. He still wrote the story he intended to, but he also wrote a second piece sharing Stewart's very pointed, on-the-record critique. Read her comments and then read our critic Alissa Wilkinson's take on the film. (Spoiler alert: she disagrees with Stewart.)

I know Halloween has just passed, but if you're still in a spooky mood (or seeking a distraction from the news), try our list of 25 jump scares that still make us jump. I worked on this (with a team) for a few weeks before we published, and my nerves were shot by the end! If you want more frights, my colleagues Annie Aguiar looked back at the release of the original "Saw" 20 years ago, and Maya Salam zeroed in on the front pages that show up in movies when disaster hits.

Whether it's a horror film or something less terrifying, have fun at the movies!

Two men, seated on chairs in a lobby-type area, looking thoughtful.

Searchlight Pictures

Critic's Pick

'A Real Pain' Review: Mourning as an Act of Survival

Jesse Eisenberg directs and stars in a melancholic yet funny exploration of Jewish loss and belonging, with an outstanding Kieran Culkin.

By Manohla Dargis

A woman in a red dress and a beret stands with a boy in a suit coat. Various children surround the two in the background.

Parisa Taghizadeh/Apple TV+

Critic's Pick

'Blitz' Review: Love in the Ruins

Steve McQueen's World War II drama may appear conventional on the surface, but don't miss what it's really doing.

By Alissa Wilkinson

A man in a short-sleeve plaid shirt hugs a woman in a blue dress in a living room.

Sony Pictures

'Here' Review: Life Is Like a Box of Regrets

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunite onscreen for a drama that showcases generations of existence.

By Amy Nicholson

Claire Folger/Warner Bros.

Critic's Pick

'Juror #2' Review: Clint Eastwood Hands Down a Tough Verdict

In his latest (and perhaps last) movie as a director, Eastwood casts a skeptical eye at the criminal justice system in a mystery starring Nicholas Hoult.

By Manohla Dargis

CRITICS' PICKS

A man in a suit holds his hands up, his wrists wrapped in bandages.

Kino Lorber

Critic's Pick

'Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat' Review: What Lies Beneath

A passionate and propulsive documentary about the assassination of Patrice Lumumba spins its web in many directions.

By Alissa Wilkinson

A man playing a guitar on a sleeper bus.

Icarus Films

Critic's Pick

'Youth (Hard Times)' Review: Working Till They Drop

In Wang Bing's riveting new documentary about Chinese garment workers, a generation asks: What good is money when you have no rights?

By Nicolas Rapold

ANATOMY OF A SCENE

A woman leads a boy through a subway tunnel.

Apple TV+

Anatomy of a Scene

Watch a Nightclub Scene in 'Blitz'

The writer and director Steve McQueen discusses a sequence set in the Café de Paris in London.

By Mekado Murphy

MOVIE REVIEWS

In a scene from the documentary, Martha Stewart, in all black, sits in a nicely appointed room looking off-camera.

Netflix

Documentary Lens

A Prickly Martha Stewart Makes for a Bracing Netflix Portrait

"Martha," from R.J. Cutler, argues that she was ahead of her time. But though she sits for a lengthy interview, this isn't hagiography.

By Alissa Wilkinson

A black-and-white portrait shows a sultry-looking Luther Vandross. He's wearing a leather vest over a tuxedo jacket, and his fingers meet to form a tentpole.

Alberto Tolot, via Sony Music

Critic's Notebook

Luther Vandross and the Sound That Could Fill Hearts, or Break Them

He was hounded by a fat-phobic press, but as Dawn Porter's new documentary shows, he was a transformational presence from the start.

By J Wortham

A man in a brown leather jacket sits in a room with a pensive look on his face.

Samuel Goldwyn Films

'Absolution' Review: Brain Drain

Liam Neeson plays a regretful gangster with a serious medical condition in this drab, downbeat action movie.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

A woman and a man walk in the middle of a tree-lined street, talking.

Carolina Costa/The Future of Film is Female

'The Graduates' Review: How to Move On

In this delicate drama set in Utah, three individuals deal with survivor's guilt a year after a school shooting takes the life of a loved one.

By Beatrice Loayza

Magnolia Pictures

'The Gutter' Review: A Phenom Is Born

This bowling comedy, co-directed by the standup comedian Yassir Lester and his brother Isaiah, has absurdity to spare.

By Glenn Kenny

Level 33

'Chasing Chasing Amy' Review: A Fan's Favorite

Sav Rodgers sets out to define the legacy of Kevin Smith's "Chasing Amy" in this documentary, which is elevated by one instructive interview.

By Natalia Winkelman

A worried-looking woman in a scene from "Lost on a Mountain in Maine."

Blue Fox Entertainment

'Lost on a Mountain in Maine' Review: Peak Experience

The true story of a 12-year-old's survival in a vast mountain wilderness for nine days in the 1930s.

By Lisa Kennedy

A bearded man in a hat and jeans sits in the sand with an uprooted tree behind him. His eyes are closed, his arms bent at the elbow so his hands are raised beside his face.

Lumen Productions

'After: Poetry Destroys Silence' Review: A Study in Trauma

Richard Kroehling's documentary presents a mixture of poets' responses to the Holocaust and argues for the importance of the form in addressing trauma.

By Ben Kenigsberg

NEWS & FEATURES

A black-and-white dual portrait shows a calmly smiling Robin Wright, left, and Tom Hanks. She's wearing a pinstriped jacket and he's in dark colors.

Erik Carter for The New York Times

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright Open a New Box

The "Forrest Gump" stars were game to reunite with Robert Zemeckis for the technical experiment of "Here." De-aging? A static camera? They weren't fazed.

By Melena Ryzik

Two men in gray suits sit in the back of a 1980s stretch limo; the blond one holds a car phone to his ear.

Pief Weyman/Briarcliff Entertainment & Rich Spirit

What to Know About 'The Apprentice,' the Controversial Donald Trump Biopic

The film, now available on demand, followed a thorny path to distribution — including the threat of a lawsuit by its subject.

By Sarah Bahr

Paramount Pictures

25 Jump Scares That Still Make Us Jump

We ranked the most chilling, spine-tingling, utterly terrifying scenes that get us every time, and asked writers, filmmakers and stars to explain why.

By The New York Times

John Williams raises a conductor's baton while standing above a large music stand.

Travers Jacobs, via Disney

4 Surprising Things We Learned From the John Williams Documentary

A new Disney+ film about the prolific film composer chronicles his life and career, with a focus on his famous music for movies including "Jaws" and "Star Wars."

By Annie Aguiar

Lionsgate

20 Years of Impossible Choices in 'Saw'

The low-budget 2004 horror movie captured audiences and spawned a franchise by asking tough moral questions.

By Annie Aguiar and Joyce Ho

IFC films

One Frame, Thousands of Snails

This image, from the animated feature about a woman who hoards snail-related items, includes a bevy of tiny, handcrafted artifacts.

By Carlos Aguilar

A portrait of R.J. Cutler, wearing a blue open-collar shirt and a dark suit jacket.

Alex Welsh for The New York Times

'Martha' Stokes a Debate: What's a Documentary, Anyway?

R.J. Cutler, a longtime filmmaker, is at the center of a debate in Hollywood over whether documentaries about celebrities are real documentaries.

By Brooks Barnes

The letters "A.I." on the mountain where the Hollywood sign normally sits.

Photo illustration by Pablo Delcan

What if A.I. Is Actually Good for Hollywood?

It's already powering remarkable visual innovations, like in the new movie "Here." But boosters think that's just the beginning.

By Devin Gordon

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

A woman in a white tank top stands toting an assault rifle. Rolling green hills are in the background.

Lionsgate

Five Action Movies to Stream Now

This month's picks include female assassins, a quirky French thief and crooked cops.

By Robert Daniels

A woman leans over to talk to another woman, seated, an a man dressed in black looks on.

Prime Video

The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Disney+, Amazon, Apple TV+ and More in November

"Cruel Intentions," "Music by John Williams" and "Dune: The Prophecy" arrive, along with "Bad Sisters" Season 2.

By Noel Murray

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