Movies Update: ‘The Batman’ and More

Plus, a chat with the director of "Drive My Car."

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story March 4, 2022 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey movie fans, Ready to take a three-hour tour through the dark streets of Gotham? "The Batman" has finally arrived in theaters. Matt Reeves's sprawling dive into the life of the Caped Crusader was met with a mixed review from the critic A.O. Scott. He wrote, "a ponderous seriousness hangs over the movie like last week's weather." (Read an interview with Reeves here.) If you'd prefer to move at less than Batmobile speeds, there's "After Yang," the science fiction film from Kogonada about a family with broken android problems. It stars Colin Farrell (sans the prosthetic makeover for his role as the Penguin in "The Batman"), Jodie Turner-Smith and Justin H. Min. Manohla Dargis wrote that the film is "a muted, melancholic tale about being and belonging." And getting a fresh Critic's Pick rating from Amy Nicholson is "Fresh," the offbeat (to say the least) film with Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar-Jones that Nicholson called "a wickedly funny cannibal romance and dazzling feature debut from the director Mimi Cave." If you're seeking some French films or some children's films (or both) in New York this weekend, the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema festival returns, along with the New York International Children's Film Festival. Speaking of film festivals, global ones are weighing whether or not to boycott Russian films. One festival in Glasgow has decided to do so. And on the Oscars front, the filmmakers Bong Joon Ho and Ryusuke Hamaguchi discuss the latter's surprise best picture nominee, "Drive My Car" (which just arrived on HBO Max). Enjoy the movies. Jonathan Olley/Warner Bros. Pictures 'The Batman' Review: Who'll Stop the Wayne? Robert Pattinson puts on the Batsuit and cats around with Zoë Kravitz in the latest attempt to reimagine the Caped Crusader. By A.O. Scott A24 'After Yang' Review: Do Androids Dream of Sheep, Babysitting, Being? Colin Farrell plays a father who tries to repair the family's caretaker-android in a science-fiction tale about what it means to be human. By Manohla Dargis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS MUBI Critic's Pick 'Great Freedom' Review: Unbroken In this moving period drama, a German gay man repeatedly declares his independence in a country that criminalizes his desire and his identity. By Manohla Dargis Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios Critic's Pick 'Fresh' Review: First Date? Try the Veal. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan star in a dazzling (and very funny) cannibal romance from Mimi Cave. By Amy Nicholson Deaf Crocodile/Grasshopper Film Critic's Pick 'The Unknown Man of Shandigor' Review: A Sci-Fi Fable of the Nuclear Anxiety Age What if you had a formula to sterilize all the world's nuclear weapons? This newly restored 1967 spy spoof suggests you'd be much sought-after. By Glenn Kenny MOVIE REVIEWS Amazon Studios 'Lucy and Desi' Review: Love in the Time of Television This documentary, directed by Amy Poehler and about the dynamic duo behind "I Love Lucy," favors the good times over the difficult ones. By Natalia Winkelman Charles Bergmann/Tyler Perry Studios/Netflix 'Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming' Review: Tyler's Hard Lemonade Tyler Perry revives his signature character — this time for Netflix — in a fast, nonsensical new Madea movie. By Amy Nicholson Cinema Guild/Metrograph 'Rock Bottom Riser' Review: A Cosmic View of Hawaii This experimental documentary takes viewers on a psychedelic tour of Hawaii, exploring the tension between scientific inquiry and Indigenous preservation. By Concepción de León Greenwich Entertainment 'Dear Mr. Brody' Review: Spreading the Wealth Doesn't Go Smoothly The scion of a margarine empire says to ask him for money. And many, many people asked. By Lisa Kennedy IFC Films 'Huda's Salon' Review: The Services Are Not What You'd Expect. In Hany Abu-Assad's pulpy thriller, two Palestinian women are trapped between political enemies that are united in their misogyny. By Devika Girish Saban Films 'Asking for It' Review: A Few Rude Men An all-female gang of vigilantes pursue despicable men in this oppressive revenge fantasy. By Jeannette Catsoulis Lilja Jonsdottir/Netflix 'Against the Ice' Review: Snow Buddies A hard-core first half is deflated by sleepy melodrama and a formulaic script in this adventure film about the Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen. By Beatrice Loayza 1091 Pictures 'Hell Is Empty' Review: Sins of the Father In this bare-bones horror film, a young woman joins a cult and eventually defies its patriarch. By Lena Wilson Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times 'The Batman' and Matt Reeves: Emerging From the Shadow of Other Caped Crusaders Amid concurrent versions of the crime-fighter, this director aimed for something personal that would also serve a studio's needs. The result is a foreboding vision. By Dave Itzkoff Kay Roxby/Alamy To Boycott Russians, or Not? In Film and Beyond, That's the Question. A Russian moviemaker with Ukrainian roots and relatives in Kyiv denounced the war. The Glasgow Film Festival dropped his film anyway. By Alex Marshall Eric Gaillard/Reuters (Hamaguchi); Philip Cheung for The New York Times (Bong) The Projectionist Bong Joon Ho and Ryusuke Hamaguchi on Oscar Surprise 'Drive My Car' The Korean filmmaker and the Japanese director have long admired each other. The two explain why Hamaguchi's best-picture nominee resonates. By Kyle Buchanan Curiosa Films Critic's Notebook French Female Directors Continue Hot Streak at Rendez-Vous Festival The series returns in-person with an especially strong slate of work by Frenchwomen — fitting, given their run of honors at top festivals. By Beatrice Loayza Searchlight Pictures/Hulu 'Summer of Soul' Reclaims a Concert Documentary Tradition As music stars turn to movies as promotional tools, the Questlove project looks back to a golden age of filmed performances that the academy rarely acknowledges. By Alan Light STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS VMI Worldwide Five Horror Movies to Stream Now This month's picks feature a ruthless wendigo, a cloistered bloodsucker, a bayou demon, wily jungle spirits and a grinning fiend named Rotcreep. By Erik Piepenburg 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 Robert Falconer/FOX 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 Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT 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? 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