Don't Bogart My Blog: Movies Update: 'Destroyer,' 'On the Basis of Sex' and More

Plus, how Christian Bale became Dick Cheney.

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Friday, December 28, 2018

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Mekado Murphy

Senior Staff Editor, Movies

Greetings, movie fans!

Decisions, decisions. Which John C. Reilly movie should you catch this holiday season? "Stan & Ollie" with Steve Coogan? Or "Holmes & Watson" with Will Ferrell? Despite an ocean of negative reviews for the latter, our critic Ben Kenigsberg writes that there is "intermittent joy to be found" in it. And Jason Zinoman calls the former "observant and genial."

If you're looking for women-led options instead, the thriller "Destroyer," with a transformative performance by Nicole Kidman, is a way to go. Manohla Dargis writes that Kidman is "superbly unbound" in the role of a weathered cop. Or you could choose the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic "On the Basis of Sex," which stars Felicity Jones as the young Supreme Court justice-to-be. A. O. Scott writes that it "does a brisk, coherent job of articulating what Ginsburg accomplished and why it mattered."

Or you can opt for any of the one-word films that opened around Christmas, like the box office leader "Aquaman," the softer, gentler Transformers movie "Bumblebee" or the Dick Cheney biopic "Vice." Enjoy yourself at the movies, and have a happy New Year.

Movie Reviews

Annapurna Pictures

Critic's Pick

'Destroyer': A Very Good Nicole Kidman Plays a Very Bad Woman

By MANOHLA DARGIS

In the latest from Karyn Kusama ("Girlfight"), a corrupt female cop searches for a killer and possible redemption in the land of sunshine and noir.

Felicity Jones, center, stars as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in

Jonathan Wenk/Focus Features

'On the Basis of Sex': How Ruth Bader Ginsburg Became 'Notorious'

By A.O. SCOTT

This brisk biopic shows how the future Supreme Court justice made history, from her days at Harvard Law School to a decisive early case.

John C. Reilly, left, as Watson, and Will Ferrell as Sherlock Holmes, in this parody,

'Holmes & Watson': Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and the Dull Routine of Bromance

By BEN KENIGSBERG

The distributor deep-sixed this chapter in Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's partnership, yet there are intermittent laughs to be found in the film.

Steve Coogan, left, as Stan Laurel, with John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy, in

'Stan & Ollie': Laurel and Hardy, a Double Act as Romance

By JASON ZINOMAN

This portrait of the comedians features the comic bits, but the focus never strays far from the men's prickly friendship.

'The 20th Annual Animation Show of Shows': A Charming, Safe Collection

By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

The 15 short films here are mostly well-executed, our critic writes. But only a few push boundaries.

Anatomy of a Scene

Watch Emily Blunt Sing With Animated Birds in 'Mary Poppins Returns'

By MEKADO MURPHY

The director Rob Marshall discusses how this scene, which combines live action and hand-drawn animation, came to be.

News & Features

Felicity Jones, who plays the justice in the new film

Bringing to Life the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Only Her Family Knows

By MELENA RYZIK

Her nephew wrote the new biopic about her, "On the Basis of Sex." Her grandson has a part. And the justice and her daughter reviewed draft after draft.

How Christian Bale Became Dick Cheney (and Other Tales of Transformation)

By ANDREW R. CHOW

The Hollywood prosthetics industry has evolved from making monsters to creating startling likenesses.

The preshow presentation at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn.

Now Playing: The Movies Before the Movies

By JASON BAILEY

Theaters like Nitehawk Cinema and Alamo Drafthouse don't just play trailers before their features. Audiences get a more elaborate preshow.

Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, with the Banks children, in a scene from

Mary Poppins: The Peculiar Challenge of Animating Her World

By CHARLES SOLOMON

Rob Marshall was thrilled and anxious to be asked to direct the sequel to "Mary Poppins," which was the first movie he ever saw.

Jason Momoa plays the latest (and beefiest) iteration of the comic book hero Aquaman, seen here in

'Aquaman' Through History: The Stuff That Memes Are Made Of

By DEVIN FULLER

Before Jason Momoa made him into a box-office beefcake, the seahorse-riding Aquaman was something of a punch line. Here's a look at his onscreen evolution.