Don't Bogart My Blog: Movies Update: ‘Nobody’ and More

March 26, 2021

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

Here's what's going on this week in the movie world.

We spoke with the "Better Call Saul" star Bob Odenkirk about his bid for action-movie stardom with the hard-hitting "Nobody." (Read the movie review.)

Academy Award front-runners in the best picture and writing categories are emerging after prizes were awarded by the Producers Guild of America, which recognized "Nomadland," and the Writers Guild, which recognized "Promising Young Woman" and "Borat." But our Oscars expert Kyle Buchanan wrote that the supporting-actress race is still up in the air.

Staying in the awards realm, the Oscar-nominated director Lee Isaac Chung narrated the opening scene from his best-picture nominee, "Minari." And the tiny Icelandic town Husavik has been thrown into the Oscar race now that a song named after it (from "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga") got a nod.

It's the 40th anniversary of Michael Mann's first feature, "Thief," and a collection of writers shared their favorite scenes from the director's films.

For fans of "Justice League," the Snyder Cut is now available on HBO Max. We gave a breakdown of what's in and what's out in the new version.

New to streaming is the Tina Turner documentary "Tina" (on HBO Max beginning Saturday); the harrowing documentary "Miracle Fishing: Kidnapped Abroad" (Discovery+); a doc on Pope Francis (Discovery+); the off-color comedy "Bad Trip" (Netflix); and the devastating thriller "Violation" (Shudder).

Enjoy the movies!

Allen Fraser/Universal

'Nobody' Review: A Wolf in Wimp's Clothing

Bob Odenkirk plays a family man with a secret past in this slick, shallow thriller.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

HBO Max, via Associated Press

The Snyder Cut: What's New, What's Gone (and More About That Ending)

Here's a guide to just how different "Zack Snyder's Justice League" is from the version Joss Whedon finished in 2017.

By Calum Marsh

Continue reading the main story

CRITICS' PICKS

Rhonda Graam/HBO, via Associated Press

Critic's Pick

'Tina' Review: A Music Icon Looks Back With Grace

The documentary about Tina Turner, who is now in her 80s, is not just a summing up of her life, but a kind of farewell.

By Glenn Kenny

Dina Greiner/Discovery+

Critic's Pick

'Miracle Fishing: Kidnapped Abroad' Review: Harrowing Home Videos

The documentary is a unique record of the abduction that inspired the Hollywood thriller "Proof of Life."

By Ben Kenigsberg

Film Movement

Critic's Pick

'Nina Wu' Review: Destruction of Body and Soul

An actress loses her mind in this haunting portrait of exploitation in the film industry from the Taiwanese director Midi Z.

By Beatrice Loayza

2020 DM FILMS INC/Shudder

Critic's Pick

'Violation' Review: The Trauma of Vengeance

In this thriller, a woman exacts revenge against those who betrayed her and soon discovers the cost of answering violence with more violence.

By Lena Wilson

ANATOMY OF A SCENE

David Bornfriend/A24

Anatomy of a Scene

Watch a Family Build a New Life in America in 'Minari'

Lee Isaac Chung narrates an early scene from his Oscar-nominated film about Korean immigrants who move to rural Arkansas.

By Mekado Murphy

MOVIE REVIEWS

'Six Minutes to Midnight' Review: A Finishing School for the Nazi Elite

In this suspense thriller set in the 1930s, Judi Dench and Eddie Izzard are stalwart Brits at a sinister girls' school in England.

By Glenn Kenny

'Francesco' Review: The Pope, Up Close, but Not That Close

The new documentary on Pope Francis is a missed opportunity to demystify elements of the papacy.

By Ben Kenigsberg

'A Week Away' Review: Summer of Salvation

A wayward teenager is sent to a Christian camp in this Netflix musical.

By Amy Nicholson

'Senior Moment' Review: A Romance That Wouldn't Hurt a Flea

This Giorgio Serafini movie takes us to a retirement center, a drag race and the DMV, not to mention a dizzying encounter on public transportation.

By Glenn Kenny

'Shoplifters of the World' Review: Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Four friends process the breakup of their musical idols, The Smiths, in this gentle tale of teenage self-discovery.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

'The Good Traitor' Review: The Defiant Diplomat

Christina Rosendahl's handsome historical drama recounts an ambassador's audacious scheme to save Denmark after the Nazi invasion in 1940.

By Nicolas Rapold

'Seaspiracy' Review: Got Any Scandals? Go Fish.

A Netflix documentary takes viewers on a voyage around the world rooting out the many causes of ocean life decimation, but its rhetorical methods distract from its revelations.

By Natalia Winkelman

'Donny's Bar Mitzvah' Review: A Rude and Raunchy Coming-of-Age

A boy becomes a man, and the writer-director Jonathan Kaufman is there, like a faux-VHS cameraman, to capture the juvenile festivities that ensue.

By Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Continue reading the main story

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

Warner Brothers Pictures

40 Years of Michael Mann. 11 Great Movie Moments.

To celebrate four decades of intense moviemaking, we asked writers to share their favorite scenes from the director's career.

Neon	Beyond the Algorithm 'Colossal,' 'The Past' and More Hidden Streaming Gems From oddball genre movies to complex indie dramas, recommendations to help you get creative with your home viewing. By Jason Bailey

Universal Pictures, via Associated Press

The Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now

New films, and classics, just keep coming, but you don't have to drill down to find the finest selections to stream. We'll do the heavy lifting. You press play.

By Jason Bailey

NEWS & FEATURES

Celeste Sloman for The New York Times

Her Film on Sex Assault Depicts Her Own and Fuels a #MeToo Moment

Danijela Stajnfeld included her account of being assaulted in a film that has led to contentious debate in Serbia and prompted other women to come forward to say they were sexually abused.

By Cara Buckley

Ettore Ferrari/EPA, via Shutterstock

Bertrand Tavernier, 79, French Director With Wide Appeal, Dies

He was a regular on the world's film festival circuit with movies like "Death Watch," a science-fiction thriller, and "'Round Midnight," about a jazz musician.

By Neil Genzlinger

HBO	With Fewer Ads on Streaming, Brands Make More Movies As streaming video has gained in importance during the pandemic, advertisers have put more focus on Hollywood-level branded content as a way to reach viewers. By Nicole Sperling and Tiffany Hsu