Don't Bogart My Blog: Movies Update: Sundance and More

January 21, 2022

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

The Sundance Film Festival has begun, and like last year, it's an all-virtual affair. Audiences can catch a number of premieres at home that would usually only screen in Park City, Utah.

This year, the festival includes two movies that look at abortion rights and the Jane Collective, a Chicago group that helped thousands of women safely obtain the procedure in the years before Roe v. Wade. Nicole Sperling spoke with the filmmakers to find out more.

Speaking of the festival, it's the 30-year anniversary of a panel held there that came to shape the New Queer Cinema movement. Erik Piepenburg has a look back, interviewing many of the filmmakers and journalists who took part.

Sometimes the heart of a movie can be defined in one scene. Our critics wrote about a couple of their favorite sequences from the films of 2021. A.O. Scott chose a moment from "Drive My Car" and Manohla Dargis picked one from "Licorice Pizza." Additionally, the director Jane Campion discussed the intricacies of one of her favorite scenes from her own film, "The Power of the Dog."

Enjoy the movies!

And the 2022 Oscar Nominees Should Be …

The nominations will be announced Feb. 8. Here's what our critics wish academy voters would put on their ballots.

By Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott

Sideshow and Janus Films

One Indelible Scene: When the Show Must Go on in 'Drive My Car'

Through a staging of "Uncle Vanya," the director Ryusuke Hamaguchi creates an intimacy for his characters that lets the artifice of cinema fall away.

By A.O. Scott

MGM

One Indelible Scene: When a Woman Takes the Wheel in 'Licorice Pizza'

After letting Alana Haim and her character drift and idle, Paul Thomas Anderson gives you a reason to cheer: "Hardcore, hardcore Alana!"

By Manohla Dargis

Sandria Miller for Sundance Institute

The Day New Queer Cinema Said: Let's Do This

Thirty years after a panel at Sundance, some of the artists and journalists who helped ignite an L.G.B.T.Q. film movement take stock.

By Erik Piepenburg

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CRITICS' PICKS

Breaking Glass Pictures

Critic's Pick

'Nocturna' Review: A Dark Night of the Soul

A seemingly haunted apartment building terrorizes a bewildered old man in this psychological thriller.

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

ANATOMY OF A SCENE

Kirsty Griffin/Netflix

Anatomy of a Scene

Watch a Seductive Moment in 'The Power of the Dog'

Jane Campion narrates an intimate scene between Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

By Mekado Murphy

MOVIE REVIEWS

Cinema Guild

'Introduction' Review: All Mixed Up

In his new film, the prolific South Korean director Hong Sangsoo tells a fractured coming-of-age story in three vignettes.

By A.O. Scott

Frederic Batier/Netflix

'Munich: The Edge of War' Review: 'Well Navigated, Sir' (Not!)

With clenched jaws and furrowed brows, this plodding procedural attempts to glorify Neville Chamberlain, played here by Jeremy Irons.

By Manohla Dargis

Gravitas Ventures

'The King's Daughter' Review: Sinking or Swimming at Versailles

Pierce Brosnan stars as a version of King Louis XIV who seeks to sacrifice a mermaid for immortality in this puerile storybook fantasy that was shot nearly eight years ago.

By Natalia Winkelman

Cara Howe/Vertical Entertainment

'A Shot Through the Wall' Review: Tipping Justice's Scales

In this drama about the killing of a Black man, the intersection of race and policing is considered from the perspective of a Chinese American police officer.

By Beatrice Loayza

Array

'Donkeyhead' Review: You Really Can't Go Home Anymore

A writer living in Canada finds herself back home with her Punjabi immigrant parents.

By Beatrice Loayza

Kirsty Griffin/Netflix

'The Royal Treatment' Review: Heavy is the Head (and Shoulders)

Laura Marano and Mena Massoud star in a romantic comedy that tweaks a familiar formula but still feels inane.

By Amy Nicholson

Array

'Definition Please' Review: What Does It All Mean?

A grown-up spelling bee star who never left her hometown tries to make sense of the conflicts and challenges in her family.

By Lisa Kennedy

Magali Bragard/Strand Releasing

'Simple Passion' Review: An Ordinary Erotic Tale

Adapted from a book by Annie Ernaux, the movie puts a female gaze on sexual obsession.

By Glenn Kenny

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NEWS & FEATURES

Holly Andres for The New York Times

At Sundance, Two Films Look at Abortion and the Jane Collective

In the years leading up to Roe v. Wade, a Chicago group helped thousands of women obtain the procedure safely. A documentary and a feature tell their story.

By Nicole Sperling

Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Meat Loaf, 'Bat Out of Hell' Singer and Actor, Dies at 74

Born Marvin Lee Aday, he sold millions of albums, won a Grammy and acted in films including "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Fight Club."

By Alex Marshall, Ben Sisario and Derrick Bryson Taylor

Pat Martin for The New York Times

Jon Bernthal's Guide to Making It as a Supporting Actor

Not being No. 1 on the call sheet has worked out pretty well for the "King Richard" cast member, who helped power that film to a SAG nomination.

By Kyle Buchanan

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

IFC Midnight

Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now

If you're interested in alien invasions, vivid dreamscapes or adorable cats, this collection of streaming picks may be just right for you.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Trimark Pictures

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