Cinema News

March 31, 2023

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

Get out your Nintendo hand-held and your polyhedral dice: It's game time at the movies.

The popular role-playing sensation gets a big-screen adaptation in "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves." Fans will recognize some of the game's figures and locations in the movie. The critic Amy Nicholson called it an "amiable romp" in her review, but said that it missed the D&D renaissance of recent years and that its "late to its own party."

If you dream of falling blocks, then "Tetris" may be your jam. The film, streaming on AppleTV+, tells the story of how the game came to be popularized, which involved Cold War-era intrigue. In her review, Jeannette Catsoulis wrote that the film, starring Taron Egerton, is "clever, crafty and shockingly entertaining." Check out our story on why you can't get Tetris out of your head.

If you're looking for a smaller drama, where the highest stakes are the emotional ones, try "A Thousand and One," the film from A.V. Rockwell that stars Teyana Taylor as a woman struggling to raise a child while navigating tumult. In her review, Manohla Dargis called Taylor "mesmerizing" and wrote that her character, Inez, "holds you rapt throughout this sweeping New York story of love and survival, motherhood and gentrification." Read a profile of Taylor and her pivot from music to acting.

Along with these options, it's another strong week for movies our critics favored, including films about female assassins, anti-tobacco superheroes, creepy English visions and more.

Enjoy the movies!

Aidan Monaghan/Paramount

'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Review: They're on a Roll

An ensemble cast aims to bring comedy and adventure to this film made in the image of the popular role-playing game.

By Amy Nicholson

Apple TV+

CRITIC'S PICK

'Tetris' Review: Falling Blocks and Rising Freedom

Like its namesake, this film is clever, crafty and shockingly entertaining.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Aaron Ricketts/Focus Features

CRITIC'S PICK

'A Thousand and One' Review: A New York Love Story

A mesmerizing Teyana Taylor stars in A.V. Rockwell's feature directing debut, about motherhood and survival in a fast-changing city.

By Manohla Dargis

Scott Yamano/Netflix

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Adam Sandler Grows Up (Mostly)

At 56, the formerly juvenile funnyman has matured into a subtler, more nuanced comedy performer. It's why the "Murder Mystery" films work so well.

By Calum Marsh

Continue reading the main story

CRITICS' PICKS

Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures.

CRITIC'S PICK

'Rye Lane' Review: A Lively Modern Rom-Com With a British Accent

Raine Allen-Miller's feature debut revives the genre with exuberant performances and a vibrant South London setting.

By Claire Shaffer

No Ju-han/Netflix

CRITIC'S PICK

'Kill Boksoon' Review: It's a Deadly Job for a Busy Single Mom

An assassin must choose between the murderous career she loves and the daughter she's been hiding it from.

By Robert Daniels

Magent Releasing

CRITIC'S PICK

'Smoking Causes Coughing' Review: A Superteam Saga With a Demented Twist

Quentin Dupieux's gift for surreal comedy is in full bloom in this nutty tale of heroes named after tobacco's toxic components.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

Neon	CRITIC'S PICK 'Enys Men' Review: Island of the Lost In this stylistically bold folk-horror movie, a woman is disturbed by visions related to a long-ago tragedy. By Jeannette Catsoulis

Komplizen Films/Film Movement

CRITIC'S PICK

'Giraffe' Review: Introspection in the Danish Countryside

In the pensive drama "Giraffe," an ethnologist researching an abandoned cottage wonders whether her own life could or should change.

By Nicolas Rapold

Jakub Kijowsk/Dekanalog

CRITIC'S PICK

'Fugue' Review: Lost Time

This psychological thriller about a woman experiencing amnesia poses an essentially cinematic question: Who are we without our memories?

By Devika Girish

MOVIE REVIEWS

Scott Yamano/Netflix

'Murder Mystery 2' Review: The Case of the Innocuous Sequel

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston return as private detectives in this Netflix follow-up comedy.

By Brandon Yu

The Ciesla Foundation

'Imagining the Indian' Review: Fighting Offensive Imagery

This documentary, subtitled "The Fight Against Native American Mascoting," argues that Native-themed sports team branding fits into a history of systemic racism.

By Natalia Winkelman

Hero Entertainment

'Spinning Gold' Review: For the Records

A son's tribute to the Casablanca Records impresario Neil Bogart gives short shrift to the art and the artists.

By Lisa Kennedy

Strand Releasing

'The Line' Review: Family Boundaries

This emotionally probing, if occasionally unfocused, drama explores the dynamics among an egocentric mother and her three daughters.

By Beatrice Loayza

Magnolia Pictures

'In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis' Review: Serene Demeanor, Bracing Message

The Pontiff travels well. Gianfranco Rosi's new documentary chronicles his visits to Catholic communities the world over, and he never seems to tire.

By Glenn Kenny

Holy Moly Productions LLC

'I'm an Electric Lampshade' Review: My Accountant, the Pop Star

A 60-year-old retiree travels to the Philippines to follow his dreams of stardom in this documentary.

By Teo Bugbee

Samuel Goldwyn Films

'Space Oddity' Review: Failure to Launch

Men will literally contemplate traveling to Mars instead of going to therapy in "Space Oddity," directed by Kyra Sedgwick.

By Ben Kenigsberg

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NEWS & FEATURES

Erik Carter for The New York Times

Teyana Taylor's Pivot to Acting: 'It Was a Real-Life Faith Walk'

After stepping away from recording music, the artist has turned to movies with a lead role in "A Thousand and One."

By Barbara Chai

Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures

A Beginner's Guide to Dungeons & Dragons

The filmmakers behind "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" help explain the characters, monsters and spells that make up their new film.

By Calum Marsh

Rapapawn

Why Tetris Consumed Your Brain

Tetris exploded in popularity after a race in the 1980s to secure global rights for the Soviet-made video game, a tale retold in a new movie. It is still captivating minds decades later.

By Morgan Shaver

Murray Close/Lionsgate

A John Wick Action Scene, Step by Step

Look behind the scenes at the climactic sequence in "John Wick: Chapter 4," set on 222 steps leading up to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris.

By Esther Zuckerman

A24	CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK At New Directors/New Films, See the World Through Perceptive Filmmakers' Eyes "Earth Mama," "Tótem" and other strong entries offer proof that the art form is flourishing regardless of what's happening in Hollywood. By Manohla Dargis

Abramorama

How Cold War Politics Destroyed One of the Most Popular Bands in America

A new documentary chronicles the strange, intrigue-filled saga of Blood, Sweat & Tears and its disastrous Eastern Bloc tour in 1970.

By Alan Light

Julia Terjung/Studiocanal GmbH

A Movie Confronts Germany's Other Genocide

"Measures of Men" tells the story of the systematic massacre of Herero and Nama people in what is now Namibia. Its maker hopes the film will bring a debate about Germany's colonial guilt into the center of society.

By Thomas Rogers

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STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

Kartemquin Films

Three Great Documentaries to Stream

This month's picks include a film about a summer camp for the disabled, a portrait of a defense secretary's regrets about the Vietnam War and one of the best sport documentaries of all time.

By Ben Kenigsberg