Movies Update: The Return of Borat and More

Plus, how to keep things spooky and safe for Halloween.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story October 23, 2020 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! Here’s what’s happening out in the movie world. Audiences are flocking to theaters … in Japan. The animated film “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” smashed opening weekend box office records in the country last weekend, with a nearly $44 million haul. The short-form content provider Quibi has called it quits, announcing this week that it was shutting down after only six months of service. And the Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges announced on Monday that he has lymphoma. He said he has a “great team of doctors” and promises to keep fans posted on his recovery. This week’s new movies include “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (streaming on Amazon), which has already had a big news week: Rudolph W. Giuliani is shown in a compromising edited scene. See who else has been duped by its star Sacha Baron Cohen and read about the film’s wildest scenes. Over on Hulu is the horror comedy “Bad Hair,” about a killer weave. (Watch a musical sequence from the movie featuring Kelly Rowland.) On HBO Max is Robert Zemeckis’s take on Roald Dahl’s “The Witches.” And Netflix has an update of the thriller “Rebecca,” with Lily James and Armie Hammer. Enjoy the movies! Amazon Studios ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ Review: More Cultural Learnings It’s an amusingly harebrained scheme, but there’s nothing in this moviefilm that matches the elegant social experiment of the first. By Devika Girish HBO MAX ‘The Witches’ Review: A Tale of Mice and Women, Toil and Trouble In this new take on the Roald Dahl book, Robert Zemeckis sets loose his cameras, and Octavia Spencer side-eyes Anne Hathaway. By Manohla Dargis Kerry Brown/Netflix ‘Rebecca’ Review: A Classic Tale, but There’s Only One Hitch Armie Hammer, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas and a lot of nice clothes star in a new adaptation of the Daphne du Maurier novel. By A.O. Scott Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS gateway movies Want a Halloween Thriller as Daring as ‘Psycho’? Try ‘Peeping Tom’ Michael Powell’s disturbing chronicle of a murderous filmmaker was ahead of its time, influencing Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma and Kathryn Bigelow. By Ben Kenigsberg The 50 Best TV Shows and Movies to Watch on Disney+ Right Now The Disney streaming platform has hundreds of movie and TV titles, drawing from its own deep reservoir classics and from Star Wars, Marvel and more. These are our favorites. By Scott Tobias MOVIE REVIEWS critic’s pick ‘Synchronic’ Review: Twisted, Trippy Trips Through Time The filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead bend reality in this drug-fueled sci-fi horror. By Glenn Kenny ‘Bad Hair’ Review: That Weave Is Killer In a cutthroat business, style opens doors, but behind them are observations about cultural identity — and a touch of camp. By Teo Bugbee ‘Friendsgiving’ Review: Dysfunction With All the Trimmings Nicol Paone’s film takes a surprisingly charming and hilarious approach to a traditional holiday. By Lovia Gyarkye ‘White Noise’ Review: Hearing Dog Whistles Loud and Clear This feature documentary from The Atlantic profiles three figures associated with the alt-right. By Ben Kenigsberg ‘Radium Girls’ Review: When Work Takes a Toxic Turn This narrative debut by the directors Lydia Dean Pilcher and Ginny Mohler tells the true story of the factory girls who suffered from misleading information about radium. By Kristen Yoonsoo Kim ‘The Place of No Words’ Review: Shared Illusions Mark Webber stars with his family in this fantastical, yet charmless, drama. By Ben Kenigsberg ‘Midnight in Paris’ Review: Everybody on the Dance Floor Shot in 2012, the documentary observes high schoolers in Flint, Mich., as they prepare for their prom. By Ben Kenigsberg ‘Over the Moon’ Review: After Loss, a Lunar Adventure This animated Netflix adventure falters once its tween heroine touches down on a gaudy moonscape. By Natalia Winkelman Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ANATOMY OF A SCENE Tobin Yellan/Hulu   Anatomy Of A Scene Watch Kelly Rowland Play an ’80s Pop Star in ‘Bad Hair’ The writer-director Justin Simien explains how he created a music video-within-a-film that recalls Janet Jackson-style clips. By Mekado Murphy NEWS & FEATURES Trevor Wisecup for The New York Times   Horror Masks Are Never Just About the Monster These cinematic mainstays continue to terrify. By Maya Phillips Victor Llorente for The New York Times   Halloween’s Not Canceled: Here’s How to Make It Spooky but Safe Movies, podcasts, cemetery walks and more: Our guide to enjoying a socially distant fright fest. By Erik Piepenburg Clifford Prince King for The New York Times   Tony Todd on the Joy of ‘Candyman,’ and the Role of Black Horror Frightening movies help fans gain a “new understanding,” says the veteran star of scary stories, including the new “Tales From the Hood 3.” By Candice Frederick CRITICS’ PICKS A24   Critic’s Pick ‘On the Rocks’ Review: Daddy Dearest and His Late Bloomer In Sofia Coppola’s latest, Rashida Jones plays a woman worried about her marriage. Who’s she gonna call? Bill Murray, a.k.a. Dad. By Manohla Dargis Joan Marcus/Amazon   Critic’s Pick ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ Review: Pursuits of Happiness The timing could not be better for Heidi Schreck’s affecting play about the Constitution’s impact on our daily lives, now streaming on Amazon. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Carson Lund/Factory 25   Critic’s Pick ‘Ham on Rye’ Review: Coming of Age, With Existential Unease Tyler Taormina’s debut film starts in the vein of classic high-school comedies until it turns toward a dark surrealism. By Glenn Kenny Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Louder A once-a-week blast of pop music coverage, including album reviews, interviews with artists and playlists curated by our critics. Sign up How are we doing? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to moviesupdate@nytimes.com. Like this email? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Movies Update from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. 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