Movies Update: ‘Freaky,’ ‘Dreamland’ and More

Plus, a talk with Sophia Loren

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story November 13, 2020 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! Here’s what’s going on in the film world. Streaming is continuing to prop up Disney, as it reports more than 73 million subscribers to Disney+. Brooks Barnes explained why that matters. The filmmaker Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” project is on the way to another streaming service, Amazon. Ashley Clark spoke with him about the ambitious undertaking. Maria Bakalova is receiving accolades as the breakout star of the new “Borat” sequel. Dave Itzkoff spoke to her about the wild ride of making the film. And two filmmaking best buds, Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, are finally seeing their long-delayed festival favorite, the bromance “The Climb,” open in theaters. I spoke with them about how their friendship coincides with their working relationship. Also out this week is the 1930s Margot Robbie bank robber film “Dreamland,” the body swap-meets-slasher “Freaky,” the Kate Winslet-Saoirse Ronan love story “Ammonite,” the Netflix holiday tale “Jingle Jangle” and the Peter Pan-Alice fantasy film with Angelina Jolie, “Come Away.” Enjoy the movies. Ursula Coyote/Romulus Entertainmentt ‘Dreamland’ Review: Bang Bang, Blah Blah In this 1930s drama, Margot Robbie plays a bank robber who finds an unlikely partner in crime in Finn Cole’s teenage dreamer. By Manohla Dargis Zach Kuperstein/Sony Pictures Classics ‘The Climb’ Review: The Dudes Abide Two friends face the challenges of adulthood and the treachery of women in this empty, energetic bromance. By A.O. Scott Brian Douglas/Universal Pictures ‘Freaky’ Review: The Killer Inside Vince Vaughn explores his feminine side when his character inhabits the body of a high-school girl in this slasher comedy. By Jeannette Catsoulis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS’ PICKS Apple TV+ Critic’s Pick ‘Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds’ Review: It’s Raining Mysteries Apocalyptic comets, complicated math, ancient rituals, eccentric scientists: Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer’s new documentary has it all. By Glenn Kenny Neon Critic’s Pick ‘Ammonite’ Review: Love on the Rocks Kate Winslet’s fossil hunter and Saoirse Ronan’s convalescent embark on a forbidden seaside romance. By Jeannette Catsoulis Gareth Gatrell/Netflix Critic’s Pick ‘Jingle Jangle’ Review: Dancing Through the Snow This Netflix holiday movie offers energetic sequences, charming music and a delightful cast. By Lovia Gyarkye MOVIE REVIEWS ‘Fatman’ Review: Ho-Ho-Hum Mel Gibson plays a glum Saint Nick whose business is on the skids in this grim, tonally confused comedy. By Jeannette Catsoulis ‘Come Away’ Review: Escaping Grief Through Fantasy David Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie play grieving parents in a dreary melodrama that imagines Peter Pan and Alice (of Wonderland) as siblings. By Natalia Winkelman ‘Monsoon’ Review: Clouded Memories of Saigon Henry Golding plays a man who returns to the Vietnam of his childhood in Hong Khaou’s thoroughly personal drama “Monsoon.” By Ben Kenigsberg ‘Wolfwalkers’ Review: From Ireland, Lupine Lore in Cartoon Style This film about enchanted women of the woods is lovely to behold but its story line is lacking. By Glenn Kenny ‘I Am Greta’ Review: Birth of a Climate Warrior Nathan Grossman alternates truth-to-power moments with quiet ones in his documentary about the young Greta Thunberg. By Nicolas Rapold ‘The Life Ahead’ Review: Sophia Loren, Directed by Her Son, Shines The beloved actress’s new movie, from Edoardo Ponti, is a tidy, not unintelligent tear-jerker about love and tolerance. By Glenn Kenny ‘Make Up’ Review: Self-Discovery, an Adolescent Horror Claire Oakley demonstrates admirable control in her first feature film, a psychological coming-of-age drama. By Teo Bugbee ‘Coded Bias’ Review: When the Bots Are Racist This cleareyed documentary explores how machine-learning algorithms can perpetuate society’s existing class-, race- and gender-based inequities. By Devika Girish Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ANATOMY OF A SCENE Gareth Gatrell/Netflix Anatomy of a Scene Watch a Soulful Musical Performance in ‘Jingle Jangle’ The writer and director David E. Talbert narrates a sequence from his film starring Forest Whitaker and featuring Lisa Davina Phillip. By Mekado Murphy NEWS & FEATURES Meet Maria Bakalova, the Breakout Star of the ‘Borat’ Sequel The actress, who plays the title character’s daughter, Tutar, talks about body hair, her “nonbiological father” Sacha Baron Cohen, and that scene with Rudy Giuliani. By Dave Itzkoff Sophia Loren Makes Her Return to Film: ‘I’m a Perfectionist’ The star, now 86, was looking for a personal connection to a script. Then along came her director son and the Netflix drama “The Life Ahead.” By Simon Abrams Friends Forever, Filmmakers for Now The stars and co-writers of “The Climb,” Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, are best pals in real life. What was it like to make a bromance involving betrayal? By Mekado Murphy In ‘Small Axe,’ Steve McQueen Explores Britain’s Caribbean Heritage The director’s ambitious anthology series for Amazon and the BBC is his first film work about Black life in Britain. “I needed to understand myself, where I came from,” he said. By Ashley Clark Disney+ Passes 73 Million Subscribers as Streaming Takes Center Stage The company has experienced deep losses in its theme park division because of the pandemic, but investors don’t seem to care at the moment. By Brooks Barnes Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS The Best Movies and Shows on Hulu Right Now We’ve handpicked the finest movies and television shows currently streaming on Hulu in the United States. Take a look. By Jason Bailey The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in November Every month, the streaming service adds a new batch of titles to its library. Here are our picks for November. By Noel Murray Comfort Viewing: Why I Love Anything With Kathryn Hahn Hahn’s ability to so effectively communicate her private thoughts to the viewer places her in company with some of the writer’s favorite actors. By Emily Brennan Rewind A Postmodern Period Piece From a Cinema Titan Different planes of existence overlap in Manoel de Oliveira’s “Francisca,” a meta-narrative about an enigmatic love triangle in mid-19th-century Portugal. By J. Hoberman How are we doing? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. 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