Movies Update: ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ and More

Plus, the movies are back, but what are they now, exactly?

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 16, 2021 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! Moviegoing is back, even if it hasn't been quite the same. Our critic A.O. Scott wrote this week about what has changed. Those shifts have carried over into high-profile movie events, too. This year's Cannes Film Festival is still projecting glamour and drawing attention, but it's not exactly show business as usual. Kyle Buchanan reported from there this past week, providing a number of dispatches, both French and otherwise. He covered Spike Lee, a crazy Celine Dion-inspired entry and a cow. New releases include "Space Jam: A New Legacy" (in theaters and on HBO Max), which has Bugs Bunny and LeBron James sharing both the screen and the b-ball court. If boxing is more your sport, you can try the Bollywood drama "Toofaan," on Amazon. If you have some time on your hands and want some scares, you can binge the "Fear Street" trilogy on Netflix. Or if you really have some time to spare, you can go check out an eight-hour drama about life on a farm. Enjoy the movies! Warner Bros 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Review: That's Not Quite All, Folks The Looney Tunes characters are back on the court, this time with LeBron James, in this update to the 1996 live action/animation hybrid. By Glenn Kenny Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times, via Getty Images Critic's Notebook The Movies Are Back. But What Are Movies Now? Cinephiles and streaming fans can both claim victory. But as we better understand the new screen culture taking shape, it looks like we may all lose in the long run. By A.O. Scott Jeenah Moon for The New York Times Summer Movies That Deliver Chills and Skyline Views Outdoor venues in and around the city are reliable resources for scary movies this summer. Here are our picks, for the squeamish and slasher-lover alike. By Erik Piepenburg Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS CNN/Focus Features Critic's Pick 'Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain' Review: Salt, Sugar and No Fat Morgan Neville's sharp and vividly compelling documentary tries to pin down a brilliant, troubled man. By Jeannette Catsoulis David Reamer/Neon Critic's Pick 'Pig' Review: Come Back, Trotter Nicolas Cage plays a reclusive truffle hunter in this fiercely controlled character drama. By Jeannette Catsoulis Capelight Pictures Critic's Pick 'The Hidden Life of Trees' Review: Magic Kingdom Jörg Adolph uses the sensorial capacities of cinema to thrillingly visualize a German forester's contention that trees are social, sentient beings. By Devika Girish Kino Lorber Critic's Pick 'Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters' Review: Still Making Waves A striking new documentary explores the enduring legacy of a dance piece created by Bill T. Jones at the height of the AIDS crisis. By Glenn Kenny MOVIE REVIEWS Lydie Nesvadba/Music Box Films 'Mama Weed' Review: Huppert Slings Hash Not even the greatest living French actress can redeem this witless crime caper. By A.O. Scott Netflix 'Fear Street' Trilogy Review: Carnage and Close Calls Gore and nostalgia characterize this scrappy horror trilogy, which follows an endearing cast of teenage rebels through three time periods. By Natalia Winkelman Amazon 'Toofaan' Review: Raising a Storm The Bollywood director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra attempts — with some success — to deepen the standard-issue sports drama with sociopolitical strife ripped from Indian headlines. By Devika Girish FLC/Grasshopper Film 'The Works and Days' Review: The Time of Our Lives This eight-hour drama follows a woman's life on her family's farm. By Nicolas Rapold Shark Dog Films 'The Boys in Red Hats' Review: Cool Story, Bro This documentary explores the incident on Jan. 18, 2019, when a high school student grinned and stared at a Native American demonstrator at a raucous Lincoln Memorial gathering. By Nicolas Rapold Oscilloscope 'No Ordinary Man' Review: The Life and Death of Billy Tipton This documentary sheds light on a prominent jazz musician whose death became a spectacle when it was discovered he was transgender. By Teo Bugbee Joe Romeiro/Discovery+ 'Fin' Review: Eli Roth Wants to Save the Sharks The first documentary from the "Hostel" director uses a little expert advice and a lot of pathos to advocate against damaging commercial fishing practices. By Lena Wilson Reiner Bajo, Studiocanal SAS/Netflix 'Gunpowder Milkshake' Review: The Ladies Who Punch This neon-lit, female-led Netflix shoot-'em-up tries way too hard to be cool. By Calum Marsh Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Alana Paterson for The New York Times James Gunn Nearly Blew Up His Career. Now He's Back With 'The Suicide Squad' The "Guardians of the Galaxy" director talks about the Twitter controversy that got him temporarily fired from Marvel, and his crossover to the DC franchise. By Dave Itzkoff Akasha Rabut for The New York Times 'Black Widow' Star David Harbour Loves Being a Big-Screen Loser The actor talks about his roles as a failed superhero in the new Marvel blockbuster and as a milquetoast accountant in Steven Soderbergh's "No Sudden Move." By Dave Itzkoff Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Cannes: Anatomy of a Standing Ovation for 'The French Dispatch' The new Wes Anderson film was applauded for nine straight minutes. How can the crowd possibly clap that long? Here's the answer, beat by beat. By Kyle Buchanan Jean-Marie Leroy/Rectangle Productions/TF1 Films Production The Projectionist We Need to Talk About 'Aline,' the Crazy Celine Dion Movie at Cannes "Aline," an unofficial biopic of the singer, boasts a singular casting choice that has all of Cannes buzzing. By Kyle Buchanan STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS MGM 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 Noh Juhan/Netflix Stream These Five Action Films Now This month's picks include films from around the globe, ranging from solemn meditations on grief to fights against bloodthirsty sharks. By Robert Daniels A24 The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Movies upon movies await, and you don't even have to drill down to find them. By Jason Bailey Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. 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