Movies Update: ‘Old,’ ‘Snake Eyes’ and More

Plus, the riddle of Riley Keough

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 23, 2021 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! From giant flies to "Snake Eyes," the big-screen choices are eclectic this week. The "G.I. Joe" movie universe expands a bit with "Snake Eyes," an origin story starring Henry Golding as the sword-wielding title character. While there's plenty of action, the critic Glenn Kenny writes that "the mayhem is frantic yet forgettable." A French director with absurdist leanings, Quentin Dupieux, has the new movie "Mandibles," about two guys who find an oversize fly in the trunk of a car and get big ideas for it. Beatrice Loayza calls the film "sweet, simple, and oh-so-very stupid." And M. Night Shyamalan returns with another puzzling thriller, this one called "Old," about a beach that ages people rapidly. "Some vacation," Kenny writes. Enjoy the movies! Universal Pictures 'Old' Review: They Say Sun Can Age You, but This Is Ridiculous A half-hour at the beach costs vacationers a year in this disquieting new horror puzzler, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. By Glenn Kenny Ed Araquel/Paramount Pictures 'Snake Eyes' Review: The Journey to the 'G.I. Joe' World The mayhem is furious and the goofiness is perhaps inadvertent in this origin entry in the "G.I. Joe" franchise. By Glenn Kenny CRITICS' PICKS Neon Critic's Pick 'Ailey' Review: A Poetic Look at the Man Behind the Dances Jamila Wignot explores the life of Alvin Ailey in a new documentary that brings a choreographer to life through movement and words. By Gia Kourlas HBO Critic's Pick 'Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage' Review: How a Festival Went Wrong An HBO documentary examines a music festival that went so far off the rails that it defined an era. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Janus Films Critic's Pick 'Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)' Review: Always Hustling The film follows the lives of two individuals in Nigeria who dream of immigrating to Europe to better their prospects. By Devika Girish Film Movement Critic's Pick 'Holy Beasts' Review: Cinematic Dreams Within Dreams Geraldine Chaplin offers a commanding performance in this sleek tropical thriller. By Teo Bugbee Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ANATOMY OF A SCENE Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios/Disney Anatomy of a Scene Watch Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh Spar in 'Black Widow' The director Cate Shortland discusses an action sequence. By Mekado Murphy MOVIE REVIEWS A24 and Amazon Studios 'Val' Review: The Iceman Cometh A documentary about Val Kilmer offers a self-portrait of the artist that's personal but not quite intimate. By A.O. Scott Ron & Valerie Taylor 'Playing With Sharks' Review: Intrepid Journeys Undersea This documentary plunges into the life of the diver and marine conservationist Valerie Taylor, but her compassion for sharks is muddied by the film's insistence on a tense mood. By Natalia Winkelman Gunars Elmuts/Greenwich Entertainment 'All the Streets Are Silent' Review: Hip-Hop and Skateboarding Collide This documentary is a portrait of downtown New York in the late 1980s and early '90s that revels in nostalgia. By Isabelia Herrera Magnet 'Mandibles' Review: A Bug-Brained Affair This breezy bromantic comedy by the French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux follows a pair of lovable idiots and their farcical adventures with an enormous fly. By Beatrice Loayza Strand Releasing 'Charlatan' Review: The Miracle Worker With this drama, the writer-director Agnieszka Holland tackles another complicated historical figure in the Czech herbal healer, Jan Mikolasek. By Nicolas Rapold Simon Varsano/Amazon 'Jolt' Review: Danger, High Voltage Kate Beckinsale stars as a turbocharged action heroine in Amazon's limp, derivative revenge picture. By Calum Marsh Colin Bentley/FilmRise 'Broken Diamonds' Review: Illness as a Narrative Convenience The drama about a brother caring for a sister uses mental illness as an engine for a predictable plot. By Teo Bugbee László Moholy-Nagy/Opendox 'The New Bauhaus' Review: Rethinking an Approach to Art This documentary on the interdisciplinary artist Laszlo Moholy-Nagy makes the case that he should be a household name. By Ben Kenigsberg Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Maggie Shannon for The New York Times The Riddle of Riley Keough The "Zola" actress has a knack for inhabiting working-class characters who feel real, even though her own family history is as outrageous as it gets. By Kyle Buchanan Warner Bros. 'Space Jam,' My Dad and Me A writer adored the basketball-Looney Tunes mash-up as a boy. Watching the movie again after his father died, he felt the movie resonate in a surprisingly deeper way. By Calum Marsh Warner Bros. 'Change is coming' to streaming, says Jason Kilar, the WarnerMedia chief. HBO and its streaming service, HBO Max, have attracted 67.5 million customers, and the company expects to reach 73 million by year end. By Edmund Lee Pablo Alvarez-Mesa/PBS Two New Documentaries Give Caribbean Stories the Depths They Deserve The prismatic "Landfall" and "Stateless" upend typical narratives about the triumph of the human spirit and show us the complexities at play. By Isabelia Herrera STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS 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 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 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. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018