Movies Update: ‘Long Shot’ and More

Plus, the poetic justice of John Singleton

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Kyle Buchanan Pop Culture Reporter Hey, movie fans! It's your faithful Carpetbagger. Give all my best to the films brave enough to challenge "Avengers: Endgame" for a slice of the box-office pie this weekend. Sure, that Marvel movie has already been out for seven days and has busted nearly every box-office record known to humankind, but the second weekend will still be so mammoth that any other summer movie would kill to have it as their first frame. And yet, there remains an eclectic bunch of big studio films and smaller entries vying for non-"Endgame" eyeballs this weekend. Among those new movies are the comedy "Long Shot" with Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen, the animated film "UglyDolls," a thriller called "The Intruder" with Dennis Quaid menacing Meagan Good and Michael Ealy, and the crime drama "El Chicano." The specialty market will welcome Olivier Assayas's new film "Non-Fiction," the documentaries "Ask Dr. Ruth" and "Meeting Gorbachev," and "Shadow" from Zhang Yimou, while Netflix subscribers can check out the galvanizing documentary "Knock Down the House" as well as Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile." Where were all these movies while we were suffering through a surprisingly sparse spring? Better late than never, I suppose.

The Avengers Just Took Over Our World. We Need to Talk. Zohar Lazar With "Endgame" hijacking the box office — and the cultural conversation — five writers assembled to discuss these superhero-saturated times we live in.

Philippe Bosse/Lionsgate Critic's Pick 'Long Shot' Review: Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen Give Good Heart By MANOHLA DARGIS The improbably yet perfectly paired stars play old friends who unexpectedly find love in this charming (and a bit vulgar) romantic comedy. Anthony Barboza/Getty Images An Appraisal John Singleton Did Justice to a Poetic Vision of African-American Life By A.O. SCOTT His influence extended backward and forward; a look at some of the ways he changed the course of American movies, like the work of Barry Jenkins.

Movie Reviews Critic's Pick 'Knock Down the House': Running to Win Hearts and Minds and Votes By MANOHLA DARGIS Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blazes in this exciting documentary about four female candidates who sought to make history in the 2018 midterm elections. 'Non-Fiction': Sex Comedy Disguised as Tech Treatise, or Vice Versa? By A.O. SCOTT Olivier Assayas's new film surveys the appetites and arguments of a group of Parisian intellectuals. 'The Intruder': Dennis Quaid as a Homeowner's Nightmare By A.O. SCOTT Michael Ealy and Meagan Good get more than they bargained for when they buy their dream house. Critic's Pick 'Shadow': A Bleak World Splashed With Red By GLENN KENNY Zhang Yimou's film, set during the "Three Kingdoms" era in Chinese history, features head-spinning palace intrigue and spectacularly inventive violence. 'El Chicano': Freeing East Los Angeles With Bloodshed By TEO BUGBEE In search of a specific Mexican-American identity, Ben Hernandez Bray's ultraviolent epic follows a masked vigilante who does battle with the city's gangsters. 'Ask Dr. Ruth': Out of the Bedroom and into the Light By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS Ryan White's rose-tinted portrait of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the irrepressible sex therapist and Holocaust survivor, leaves no room for naysayers. 'UglyDolls': Stay Ugly, Friends By GLENN KENNY Voiced by the likes of Kelly Clarkson and Janelle Monáe, singing plush toys populate this a neon-colored fable of self-love. 'Clara': Love Means Never Having to Say You're Starry By BEN KENIGSBERG A ruthless empiricist searching for life beyond Earth learns a thing or two about life on the planet. 'Decade of Fire': A Documentary Remembers the Blazes That Scorched the Bronx By BEN KENIGSBERG This documentary is at its best when showing how the fires affected individuals effectively left to fend for themselves.

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Anatomy of a Scene How Zac Efron Charms as a Serial Killer in 'Extremely Wicked' By MEKADO MURPHY The director Joe Berlinger narrates a sequence from his film about Ted Bundy, "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile."

News & Features Woody Allen Pitched a Memoir. Publishers Weren't Interested. By ALEXANDRA ALTER AND CARA BUCKLEY Executives at several houses said they passed on the material and in some cases declined to read it because of controversies surrounding him. An All-Latino Cast? Hollywood Passed, but 'El Chicano' Is Coming By CARA BUCKLEY Filmmakers had to get financing from Canada to make the Mexican-American superhero movie. How a Film Captured Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Triumph, 'Ugly Crying' and All By MELENA RYZIK The filmmakers behind "Knock Down the House" say it is a boots-on-the-ground investigation of how to change political power. A Word With Dr. Ruth Says 'Make Time' for Sex. Millennials, She's Looking at You. By JESSICA BENNETT At almost 91, the renowned sex therapist and subject of a new film reflects on four decades of advice.

Critics' Picks 'Hesburgh' By GLENN KENNY A man of the cloth, a man against racism: "Hesburgh" tells the story of a tireless civil rights champion. 'Meeting Gorbachev' By BEN KENIGSBERG Werner Herzog's latest documentary is centered on Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who helped bring the Cold War to an end.

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