Movies Update: Celebrating Women as Action Stars

Plus, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane reunite on screen.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story November 6, 2020 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! Here’s some of what we’ve been covering over the last week. Our co-chief film critic Manohla Dargis took a look at women action stars, and how they’ve made her think differently about representation. With Broadway shuttered, Alexis Soloski wrote about how streamers and Hollywood studios are looking to keep theater enterprises alive on home screens. And Thomas Vinciguerra paid tribute to the life and career of Sean Connery, who died on Oct. 31 at age 90. New movies out this week include the Kevin Costner and Diane Lane-starring drama “Let Him Go” and the Eva Green-starring astronaut tale “Proxima.” And if you didn’t get enough scares in during October, plenty of new horror is carrying over into this month. That includes terror in the woods (“Triggered,” “Koko-di Koko-da”) and terror right at home in the family (“Kindred,” “The Dark and the Wicked”). Enjoy the movies! From top: Warner Bros.; Larry Horricks/20th Century Fox; Claudette Barius/Warner Bros.; Aimee Spinks/Netflix Why I Love Women Who Wallop For our film critic, watching actresses become action stars made her think differently about bodies and the meaning of representation. By Manohla Dargis Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix ‘Hamilton’ Was Just the Beginning. Hollywood Loves Broadway, Again. Theaters may be closed, but streamers and studios are flocking to the stage to meet the insatiable demand for content. By Alexis Soloski STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Stream These 15 Titles Before They Leave Netflix in November Like Brad Pitt and Jake Gyllenhaal? How about Wednesday Addams?Catch them on the streaming service while you can. By Jason Bailey gateway movies Ready for Drama (and Meta-Drama)? Start With These Two Masters. Watch Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “Lola” with the film it’s based on, Josef von Sternberg’s “The Blue Angel,” to see how these directors made art from artifice. By Ben Kenigsberg 15 Sean Connery Movies to Stream Whether as James Bond or Indiana Jones’s father, the Scottish star played the man’s man with an earthy sexiness, as these performances prove. By Noel Murray and Scott Tobias Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MOVIE REVIEWS Netflix   ‘The Endless Trench’ Review: A Hidden Life In this survival drama set during the military dictatorship in Spain, a man hides in his house for three decades, battling tedium and isolation. By Devika Girish Vertical Entertainment   ‘Proxima’ Review: Separation Anxiety Eva Green plays an astronaut and single mother in this disappointingly earthbound drama. By Jeannette Catsoulis Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix   ‘Operation Christmas Drop’ Review: Heavy Military Presents This Netflix holiday movie is predictable to a fault, with barely enough energy to light up a Christmas tree. By Kyle Turner Samuel Goldwyn Films   ‘Triggered’ Review: School’s Out Forever In this horror film, a deranged high school science teacher entraps his former students in a deadly social experiment. By Ben Kenigsberg Liam Daniel/Vertical Entertainment   ‘The Informer’ Review: Lock Up or Shut Up The film, starring Joel Kinnaman as a mole in a mob-run drug trade, makes for an absorbing time killer. By Ben Kenigsberg IFC Midnight   ‘Kindred’ Review: A Dreary, Derivative Hostage Thriller Influences of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Get Out” are evident in this Joe Marcantonio film, which doesn’t live up to its forebears. By Glenn Kenny Claire Folger/Paramount Home Entertainment   ‘Jungleland’ Review: On the Outside, Looking Down A tale of American striving, in undergrowth thick with preconceived notions about people who might not be exactly like you. By Glenn Kenny Dark Star Pictures   ‘Koko-di Koko-da’ Review: Torture, Kill, Repeat A grieving couple is terrorized by three psychopaths in this unsettling Swedish horror movie. By Jeannette Catsoulis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES the box ‘Shaft,’ ‘Dirty Harry’ and the Rise of the Supercop In 1971, the lawman who does as he pleases strutted through movies like ‘The French Connection.’ But Black filmmakers found an alternative version. By Wesley Morris Johnny Depp Leaves ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise at Studio’s Request The exit comes days after Mr. Depp lost a libel case against the publisher of a British newspaper that called him a “wife beater.” By Sarah Bahr an appraisal Sean Connery: From Tentative Secret Agent to Suave Bond He may be considered the ultimate 007, but it took him time to find his footing, helped by a director with a taste for high living. By Thomas Vinciguerra CRITICS’ PICKS Kimberley French/Focus Features   Critic’s Pick ‘Let Him Go’ Review: From Grief to Terror The mature chemistry of Kevin Costner and Diane Lane goes a long way in this searing thriller. By Glenn Kenny RLJE Films/Shudder   Critic’s Pick ‘The Dark and the Wicked’ Review: Home, but Not Alone A family is threatened by a diabolical entity in this frightening and emotionally fraught horror movie. By Jeannette Catsoulis How are we doing? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to moviesupdate@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT 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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