Don't Bogart My Blog: Movies Update: 'Glass' and More

Plus, what do the Oscars gain by losing a host?

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Friday, January 18, 2019

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Kyle Buchanan

Pop Culture Reporter

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

The big attraction this week is M. Night Shyamalan's "Glass," a sequel to the filmmaker's previous movies "Split" and "Unbreakable," but there's also an unexpected battle royale in the streaming space, as both Hulu and Netflix just put out documentaries about the doomed, influencer-courting Fyre Festival. You might also want to check out three of our critics' picks: "The Heiresses," "Who Will Write Our History" and "Don't Come Back From the Moon."

Behind the scenes, it's a busy week for your Carpetbagger. Tomorrow night, I'll be at the Producers Guild Awards, which often offers a valuable preview of what could win the Oscar for best picture. Most pundits expect this to come down to "A Star Is Born" and "Roma," but these awards often skew populist and audience-friendly, so you can't wholly count out "Green Book" or "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Tuesday, I'll be waking up bright and early for the announcement of the Oscar nominations, and the next day, I'll fly to Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance is one of my favorite pit stops of the year, and it comes at just the right time. After discussing the same movies for several months of the award season, Sundance recharges my batteries with new films, unexpected stories and filmmakers and actors I've never met but can't wait to see more of. Some of these movies may factor into next year's Oscar race, but even the ones that don't make me excited about what's to come in cinema.

'Glass' Movie Review: A Nutty Ride With M. Night Shyamalan

Samuel L. Jackson stars as Elijah Price, a.k.a. Mr. Glass, in M. Night Shyamalan's "Glass." Universal Pictures

By MANOHLA DARGIS

In his enjoyable, messy sequel to "Unbreakable" and "Split," Shyamalan joins together three adversaries in a world of ordinary terrors.

Movie Reviews

Critic's Pick

'The Heiresses': A Surprising Drama of Status and Sexuality

By A.O. SCOTT

Marcelo Martinessi's debut feature from Paraguay will probably defy your initial expectations about the story.

Ja Rule, left, and Billy McFarland in Netflix's documentary

'Fyre' and 'Fyre Fraud': Behind the Scenes of a Music Festival Fiasco

By WESLEY MORRIS

Two documentaries try to unpack a spectacular scheme by Billy McFarland, now in prison, who used social media to sell a music festival in the Bahamas.

From left, Patrick Fischler as Beckmann, Chris Mulkey as Ford and Robert Aramayo as Keating in

'The Standoff at Sparrow Creek': Finding the Killer in a Warehouse Full of Guns

By BEN KENIGSBERG

The film, written and directed by Henry Dunham, strands seven actors in a warehouse to bark exposition at one another.

Critic's Pick

Alyssa Elle Steinacker and Jeffrey Wahlberg in

'Don't Come Back From the Moon': When Men Leave, Children Grow Up.

By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Blending shimmering photography and a compassionate tone, Bruce Thierry Cheung's wistful tale of abandoned children is unexpectedly haunting.

Streaming Movie Review

From left, Richard Dreyfuss, Andie MacDowell and Chevy Chase in the Netflix original film

'The Last Laugh': A Mawkish Attempt at an Old Kind of Schtick

By JASON BAILEY

Though seemingly an effort to showcase the talents of Chevy Chase, this moribund project's single saving grace is his co-star Richard Dreyfuss.

Anatomy of a Scene

How Christian Bale Uses Silence to Speak Volumes in 'Vice'

By MEKADO MURPHY

The writer-director Adam McKay discusses a quiet scene from his film that changes the course of history.

News & Features

Yalitza Aparicio of 'Roma' and the Politics of Stardom in Mexico

By LAURA TILLMAN

The film's star was on her way to being a teacher when she landed the role. Now she's part of a conversation about Indigenous people and inequality.

The director M. Night Shyamalan, whose newest film,

M. Night Shyamalan's Biggest Twist? Coming Full Circle

By SOPAN DEB

The director said his new film, "Glass," was the toughest he has ever made. Yet the man once called "the Next Spielberg" says he is back where he wants to be.

The Carpetbagger

Kevin Hart has made Oscar host history, just not for actually appearing on the telecast.

What Do the Oscars Gain by Losing a Host?

By KYLE BUCHANAN

With Kevin Hart gone and a plan to proceed with no comic in charge, the show theoretically should be shorter. But the host's importance is both overrated and underrated.

Critics' Picks

Wojciech Zielinski in a re-enactment scene from the documentary

'Who Will Write Our History'

By KEN JAWOROWSKI

The film, directed by Roberta Grossman, tells the story of Oyneg Shabes, a group of Jews imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto who worked to document their culture.