Movies Update: Martin Scorsese Interview and More

Plus, Adam Driver gives it his all.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 3, 2020

By Kyle Buchanan

Hey, movie fans!

There’s not a lot going on in theaters this weekend — the horror reboot of “The Grudge” is the only major wide release — but there’s plenty happening in Hollywood, as the Golden Globes are this Sunday. (See my predictions here.) They’ll be kicking off a cascade of awards shows: From now until the Oscars on February 9, every weekend will bring one or more significant ceremonies honoring the movies of 2019. Even the Grammys will sneak in there at the end of January!

Don’t cry for your Carpetbagger: I may be a bit bedraggled by the time this gantlet finishes, but I’m living for the twists and turns of the season, all of which I’ll dutifully report back to you. Speaking of reporting, have you checked out some of the big profiles from our Oscars issue? We’ve got some juicy sitdowns with Martin Scorsese and Adam Driver for you to read, while our critics Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott discussed what this year’s winnowed-down contenders have to say about women and nostalgia.

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Philip Montgomery for The New York Times   Martin Scorsese Is Letting Go In a wide-ranging interview, the director talks about his own mortality, the treatment of women in his movies, and moviemaking in the Netflix age. By Dave Itzkoff Erik Tanner for The New York Times   The Carpetbagger Adam Driver Has Put Everything He’s Got Onscreen Just don’t ask him to explain. A likely best actor nominee for “Marriage Story,” he acknowledges that desire for validation, but it’s tricky: “It’s not separate from who I am.” By Kyle Buchanan Josh Cochran   Critics’ Notebook Will the Oscars Get as Nostalgic as Hollywood Did in 2019? The past definitely wasn’t past for directors like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Taika Waititi. Each found a way to rewrite history, though some versions were less palatable than others. By Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott

MOVIE REVIEWS Allen Fraser/Screen Gems   ‘The Grudge’ Review: A Curse That Can’t Be Lifted Nicolas Pesce’s new horror movie remake has its chilling moments but ultimately remains cursed by a fatally hokey concept. By Ben Kenigsberg Film Movement   ‘Advocate’ Review: Defending More Than Just Her Clients A portrait of an Israeli lawyer who takes on difficult cases involving Palestinian clients. By Ben Kenigsberg

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NEWS & FEATURES Wilson Webb/Sony Pictures   And the 2020 Oscar Nominees Should Be … Our critics share their lists of Oscar-worthy films and performances. Claudette Barius/Universal Pictures   Reading ‘Us’ Through Its T-shirts With its star, Lupita Nyong’o, in awards contention this season, a look at the clothes that helped tell the story. By Mekado Murphy     Joaquin Phoenix: His Talent Is His Face The actor’s jagged features make him compelling in an eccentric way. But what happens when he’s hidden in makeup, as he is in “Joker”? A fan examines his career. By Nathan Gelgud Andrew Cooper/Sony Pictures   2020 Golden Globes Predictions: Which Movies Will Win? Split categories allow voters to spread the wealth, but who prevails when Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Bong Joon Ho compete? By Kyle Buchanan Neon   One Shattering Scene: Alfre Woodard in ‘Clemency’ The star of the prison drama walks us through her thought process for a sequence involving her warden character and an execution. By Kathryn Shattuck Justin Lubin/Universal Pictures   Critic’s Notebook The Most Important Decade for Movies About Black Lives Whether the films were dramas, comedies or documentaries, the 2010s gave us a range of big-screen experiences that were taken seriously. By Lawrence Ware Netflix   Critic’s Notebook Is Theater Ridiculous? Movies, TV and Books Seem to Think So Four recent works put plays and the people who make them in a weird spotlight. By Jesse Green Kevin Winter/Getty Images   Oscar Hunt Taron Egerton Tries to Keep ‘Rocketman’ Performance in Orbit His portrayal of Elton John was praised by critics and audiences alike, but the Oscar competition is formidable and memories in Hollywood are short. By Brooks Barnes

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STREAMING Netflix   Streaming Movie Review ‘Ghost Stories’ Review: Bollywood Aims for Frights With this Netflix anthology, four directors from Indian cinema draw horror from a country’s lived reality. By Bilal Qureshi

CRITICS’ PICKS critic’s pick ‘Uncut Gems’ Review: Adam Sandler’s Punch-Drunk Hustle In the Safdie brothers’ new movie, Sandler plays a jewelry-store owner and compulsive gambler running for his life. by manohla dargis critic’s pick ‘Little Women’ Review: This Movie Is Big Greta Gerwig refreshes a literary classic with the help of a dazzling cast that includes Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep. by a.o. scott

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