Movies Update: ‘Scream’ and More

Plus, a tweeted Golden Globes.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 14, 2022 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans! If an awards show happens on Twitter, does it get a retweet? And so was the case with the embattled Golden Globe Awards this year, which were not televised or attended by recipients. Instead the show was live-blogged, with the results posted on Twitter. Our Oscars expert, Kyle Buchanan, had some thoughts on how that went. Seizing another social medium to announce their nominees, the Screen Actors Guild took to Instagram. These nominations often help to predict what may eventually receive Oscar nods in the acting categories. Looking ahead to the Oscars, we've featured a few films and performers who may make the cut. Check out our interview with Penélope Cruz, who dazzles in Pedro Almodóvar's "Parallel Mothers." And I wrote about films whose production design is so vivid, it's like a character. The animation category has more mature film offerings to choose from. Plus, here are some great performances that shouldn't be forgotten by the academy. If the strange and muted unpredictability of this awards season makes you want to scream, there's a movie for you. A fifth addition to the reliable Ghostface franchise, the new "Scream" updates, while also commenting on, the films that came before. Our critic Jeannette Catsoulis calls it "a slasher movie with resting smug face, so enamored of its own mythology that its characters speak of little else." Enjoy the movies! Brownie Harris/Paramount Pictures 'Scream' Review: Kill Me Again, Again Neither a remake nor a sequel, this tired retread can't move forward for looking back. By Jeannette Catsoulis Studio Chizu/GKids Critic's Pick 'Belle' Review: Soaring and Singing Over the Online Rainbow In this gorgeous anime, a high school student journeys into a virtual world and finds herself amid cute, kooky and menacing fellow users. By Manohla Dargis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Jesse Wakeman/Sony Pictures Classics Critic's Pick 'Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America' Review: Social Studies In a documentary constructed around a lecture from 2018, the lawyer Jeffery Robinson presents a persuasive look at United States history. By Ben Kenigsberg Amirhossein Shojaei/Amazon Studios critic's pick 'A Hero' Review: Debts No Honest Man Can Pay In the latest film from the two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, a good Samaritan comes under suspicion. By A.O. Scott MOVIE REVIEWS Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation/Amazon 'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania' Review: Another Monster Mash The plot, about a crystal-powered ray gun that can turn monsters into humans, seems to acknowledge the need to goose its characters out of their inertia. By Nicolas Rapold Corey Pegues/Greenwich Entertainment 'A Cops and Robbers Story' Review: Keep Your Enemies Closer This documentary follows a police officer who rose through the ranks while concealing his criminal past. By Teo Bugbee Corinth Films 'Why Is We Americans?' Review: A Family Synonymous With Newark This documentary looks at Amiri Baraka and his loved ones, who have played a vital role in arts and politics in their city and beyond for generations. By Devika Girish Blue Fox Entertainment 'The Pink Cloud' Review: Love in Lockdown Iuli Gerbase's first feature film reflects a funhouse-mirror image of our present lives. By Claire Shaffer Laurent Champoussin/UniFrance 'Dear Mother' Review: Mamarazzi Laurent Lafitte directs and stars in this fast-paced French comedy about a man forced to reconnect with his mother. By Beatrice Loayza Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Camila Falquez for The New York Times The Projectionist The Visions of Penélope Cruz She already felt a mystical connection with the director Pedro Almodóvar. For their seventh collaboration, "Parallel Mothers," she gave her all, even collapsing after one scene. By Kyle Buchanan Disney We're Going to Talk About 'Bruno,' Yes, Yes, Yes "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from "Encanto" is a surprise chart topper and TikTok darling. Here's how Disney created its biggest smash since "Let It Go." By Ashley Spencer Clockwise from top left: Anna Kooris/A24 ; Netflix; Netflix; Warner Bros.; Kasper Tuxen/Neon, via Associated Press; Jessica Forde/20th Century Studios The Projectionist Don't Sleep on These 6 Performances During Awards Season As various nominating groups unveil their choices, these impressive turns have been largely overlooked. But there's still time to rectify that, academy voters! By Kyle Buchanan Glen Wilson/Amazon, via Associated Press The Projectionist SAG Award Nominations 2022: The Complete List, Snubs and Surprises "Being the Ricardos" hit big, but some likely contenders, including Kristen Stewart, were overlooked. By Kyle Buchanan Evening Standard/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images, left, and Universal Images Group, via Getty Images Poitier and Bogdanovich: The Defiant Ones Sidney Poitier and Peter Bogdanovich were geniuses of the Hollywood system who, with great success and frustration, worked to transform it in the same era. By A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis 20th Century Studios When Production Design Plays a Supporting Role The visual environments of "West Side Story," "The Humans" and "Nightmare Alley" feel as alive as the actors. By Mekado Murphy Studio Chizu Animation That's More Than Kids' Stuff A handful of animated features gaining attention this awards season take a more mature approach. By Carlos Aguilar National Library of Norway Critic's Notebook It Started With a Kiss. Then Film Scholars Found More. MoMA's series on film restorations, To Save and Project, is highlighting Black cinema, including what may be the earliest example of African American intimacy onscreen. By Ben Kenigsberg Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Icarus Film Stream These Three Great Documentaries This month's picks include a personal essay on tobacco, an experimental look at pieces of the Berlin Wall and a chronicle of a revolt in Wukan, China. By Ben Kenigsberg 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