Friday, December 17, 2021

Movies Update: ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Nightmare Alley’ and More

Plus, Elijah Wood on 'The Lord of the Rings' at 20.
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By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

Ready for a very Spidey Christmas? The much-anticipated "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is now in theaters. Manohla Dargis writes that the movie "snaps and pops" before it "overstays its welcome."

Also out is the latest work from Guillermo del Toro, "Nightmare Alley." This story of a carnival grifter (Bradley Cooper) who hits the big time has a star-studded cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe and more. Dargis writes that Cooper "adds charisma and an anxious backbeat to the story, while the old-timey carnival gives the movie texture and novelty." And our movie business reporter, Brooks Barnes, writes about growing up in the carnival life himself.

Ben Affleck plays a bartender in the period, George Clooney-directed film "The Tender Bar." In his review, A.O. Scott writes that it's "not the kind of movie that will knock you out, but it won't leave you with a headache and a dry mouth, either."

This year marks the 20th (!) anniversary of Peter Jackson's film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Its star, Elijah Wood, reflects on Frodo and fandom.

Enjoy the movies!

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MOVIE REVIEWS

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Gravitas Ventures

'Last Words' Review: Cinema After the End of the World

In this post-apocalyptic drama, a young man meets the grizzled last guardian of a cinematic archive, played by Nick Nolte.

By Glenn Kenny

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Seacia Pavao/Hulu

'Mother/Android' Review: How to Protect When You're Expecting

In this sci-fi thriller, a pregnant woman and her boyfriend try to outrun hordes of vengeful robots.

By Lena Wilson

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Kenneth Rexach/Lionsgate

'Fortress' Review: Die Hard, Emote Hardly

A heist takes place in this thriller starring Bruce Willis, but it is audiences that might feel shortchanged.

By Amy Nicholson

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Nora Awolowo/Netflix

'A Naija Christmas' Review: Honoring a Mother's Wish

In this romantic comedy on Netflix, the first son to find a wife inherits the family home. But that task is harder than it might appear.

By Lisa Kennedy

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Apple TV+

'Swan Song' Review: Second Life

In this future-set drama, Mahershala Ali plays an ailing father who decides whether or not to clone himself for the sake of his family.

By Nicolas Rapold

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HBO

'Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss' Review: Free Fall

This unfocused documentary looks at the career of the rapper Juice WRLD, who died of an accidental overdose in 2019.

By Ben Kenigsberg

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Utopia

'The Scary of Sixty-First' Review: Resident Evil

A Manhattan apartment turns into the rental from hell in this mindless mix of horror and true crime.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

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Paramount Animation

'Rumble' Review: He's Not Ready, but His Coach Is Very Persuasive

Steve is being pressed into service as a wrestler in training, but if he had a choice he'd prefer a rumba to a rumble.

By Natalia Winkelman

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NEWS & FEATURES

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Zach Meyer

See the Real Live Man Who Grew Up in a Carnival

For our reporter, "Nightmare Alley" recalls a childhood spent working the circuit with his parents. Carnies like the World's Smallest Woman welcomed him when cruel classmates didn't.

By Brooks Barnes

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New Line Cinema

Elijah Wood on 'The Lord of the Rings' at 20 and Being Frodo to Fans Forever

"I'll never be upset at being associated with those films or for them being the largest in people's memories of who I am," the actor says.

By Carlos Aguilar

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Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times

Naples, a City of Contradictions, Is Once Again a Home for Cinema

For "The Hand of God," the director Paolo Sorrentino has returned to his hometown, whose cultural profile has been lifted in recent years by the Elena Ferrante novels and films like "Gomorrah."

By Elisabetta Povoledo

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A24

In His Films, Big Roles Go to Passers-by and Professionals Alike

Sean Baker prefers a cast with a mix of experience levels. That was never more true than on "Red Rocket," where many of the performers had never worked on a movie.

By Ben Kenigsberg

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Erik Carter for The New York Times

Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose: From One Anita to Another

The two actresses explain what the new "West Side Story" gets right, what the original lacked and why playing the role they're both known for is so gut-wrenching.

By Melena Ryzik

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Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

'Rust' Investigators Obtain Search Warrant for Alec Baldwin's Phone

Detectives are nearly two months into the investigation of how a live round got into a gun that discharged on a New Mexico film set, killing a cinematographer.

By Julia Jacobs and Graham Bowley

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