Don't Bogart My Blog: Movies Update: ‘The Mule,’ ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ and More

Plus, how to turn London into a giant R.V.

View in Browser | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book.

Friday, December 14, 2018

NYTimes.com »

Kyle Buchanan

Pop Culture Reporter

Hey, movie fans! It's your faithful Carpetbagger.

We're almost to the very end of the year now, so if there's critically acclaimed awards contender you've been dying to see, the last of them are finally making their way into theaters — or, in the case of "Roma," now debuting on Netflix after an exclusive theatrical window. Do make time for the lovely "If Beale Street Could Talk," the new film from the "Moonlight" director Barry Jenkins, and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," which is so creatively designed that it may give "Incredibles 2" a run for the animated-film Oscar.

Clint Eastwood is back in front of the camera for "The Mule," which isn't going to factor into the Oscar race at all but may still lure fans of the 88-year-old actor-auteur. Bigger-budget offerings this weekend include the world-building "Mortal Engines" and "Once Upon a Deadpool," Fox's novel attempt to repackage "Deadpool 2" as a PG-13 film with a new framing device that spoofs "The Princess Bride."

So there's a lot to see! And between our critics' year-end top-ten lists and the glut of awards bodies weighing in with their nominations over the past week, there's no shortage of people who will tell you which films to prioritize. Make some time this weekend and catch up.

Movie Reviews

From left, Stephan James, KiKi Layne and Brian Tyree Henry in Barry Jenkins's

Tatum Mangus/Annapurna Pictures

Critic's Pick

'If Beale Street Could Talk': Trusting Love in a World Ruled by Hate

By MANOHLA DARGIS

The couple in this adaptation of James Baldwin's novel are loving while black, an existential truth that is turned into a nightmare.

Sony Pictures Releasing

Critic's Pick

'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse': A Fresh Take on a Venerable Hero

By A.O. SCOTT

This lively, diverse comic-book movie brings some fun to a genre that often takes itself too seriously.

Clint Eastwood plays a solitary man who becomes a mule for the Sinaloa drug cartel in this film, which he directed.

'The Mule': Clint Eastwood's Very Strange Drug Trip

By MANOHLA DARGIS

In his latest exploration of modern masculinity, the veteran filmmaker plays an unlikely courier for a cartel who finds redemption. It's a rough ride.

'Mortal Engines': London Becomes a Death Star on Wheels

By BEN KENIGSBERG

To the extent that "Mortal Engines" resembles anything, it's other movies, which it plunders with a landfill-diving zeal that suits the surviving populace.

'Capernaum': A Heartbreaking and Defiant Look at a Boy's Life in Beirut

By A.O. SCOTT

Like a Charles Dickens hero, Zain makes his way through a city where cruelty and injustice threaten to overwhelm kindness and decency.

'The House That Jack Built': Sick, Violent and a Total Bore

By WESLEY MORRIS

Matt Dillon may play a serial killer in Lars von Trier's latest movie, but its real subject seems to be its director.

Hamza Mekdad being carried by Hadi Bou Ayash, left, and Moustafa Fahs in

'Martyr': Tight Bonds and Isolation in Beirut

By WESLEY MORRIS

Set in a poor section of the city, Mazen Khaled's film captures the numbness, grief and rage that come out of strife.

Critic's Pick

'Dead Souls': Forgotten Victims of Mao's Camps Speak

By BILGE EBIRI

More than eight hours long and harrowing to watch, Wang Bing's "Dead Souls" is a necessary look at China's brutal re-education camps for "rightists."

Sandra Bullock, left, and Sarah Paulson in

'Bird Box': The End of the World Is Riveting. Sometimes.

By AISHA HARRIS

Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson and a strong cast appear in this sci-fi thriller adapted from a novel by Josh Malerman.

'Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki': Animation Giant, Retired and Restless

By GLENN KENNY

The director of animated classics like "Spirited Away" reflects on his career in this documentary.

Anatomy of a Scene

How Shopping for a Crib Turns Violent in Alfonso Cuarón's 'Roma'

By MEKADO MURPHY

The director and writer discusses the work that went into recreating the Corpus Christi massacre of 1971.

News & Features

'Mortal Engines': How the Filmmakers Created a Roaming London

By MEKADO MURPHY

The makers of this science fiction film discuss what was required to turn a sprawling city into a giant R.V.

'Capernaum' Is Not Just a Film, but a Rallying Cry

By SARA ARIDI

"Capernaum" explores the plight of a child in the Beirut slums. The director Nadine Labaki wants to harness the drama's power to help other such children.