Movies Update: ‘Cocaine Bear’ and More

Plus, awards season heats up.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 24, 2023 By Stephanie Goodman Film Editor Hi, film fans! We're in the thick of awards season, with ceremonies for precursor prizes every weekend until the big night on March 12. "All Quiet on the Western Front," based on the classic German antiwar novel, won big Sunday night at the BAFTAs, Britain's equivalent of the Oscars. The honors can be an indicator of the Academy Awards because of a large contingent of British voters in the American institution. But I spoke with Kyle Buchanan, our Projectionist columnist and awards season expert, and he notes that visibility is important on the campaign trail and that the drama isn't a factor at the Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild awards this weekend. Speaking of Buchanan, he published a revealing interview with Hong Chau, up for best supporting actress for her turn as a friend of Brendan Fraser's obese writing instructor in "The Whale." Chau was last a possible contender when she appeared in the Alexander Payne film "Downsizing" (2017). She didn't get a nomination then, and the experience left her leery of awards season. It didn't help that she had long dealt with skeptical casting directors. "After a few years of trying, you think, 'Is it really worth it to try to dedicate my life to this?'" Chau told my colleague. "But what kept me going was the delusional hope that I'd get to work on a cool, weird movie, because those were the movies that I liked. I just kept hoping that something would happen and, thankfully, it did." "The Whale" is still in theaters this weekend. Also in release is "Cocaine Bear," the Elizabeth Banks comedy based on a true story ("based" being the operative word there). Our critic Jason Zinoman writes, "Viewers with a taste for tastefulness (those weirdos) will balk. But gorehounds, myself among them, appreciate a studio playing around in the muck." Whatever you choose to watch, enjoy the movies! Warner Bros. CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK When the Movies Pictured A.I., They Imagined the Wrong Disaster Instead of the chilling rationality of HAL in "2001: A Space Odyssey," we get the messy awfulness of Microsoft's Sydney. Call it the banality of sentience. By A.O. Scott Justin J Wee for The New York Times THE PROJECTIONIST She's Oscar-Nominated, but Hong Chau Hopes to Stay an Underdog Up for best supporting actress for "The Whale," she never dreamed of being a performer. But she has turned into "a force of nature," says Brendan Fraser. By Kyle Buchanan via Park Circus CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK Film Artists Reflect on the Movies that Left a Mark For a retrospective series at the Berlin International Film Festival, directors and actors selected formative coming-of-age movies. Their choices show links between the cinematic past and present. By Beatrice Loayza DreamWorks Animation MOOD BOARD What 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' Owes to Samurai and Sergio Leone The DreamWorks sequel has garnered praise for its vibrant animation, darker story and fight sequences inspired by classic films. By Sarah Bahr Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS' PICKS Shout! Studios CRITIC'S PICK 'Linoleum' Review: Rocket Plan Jim Gaffigan plays a dual role as rival scientists in this mysterious yet surprisingly effective movie. By Jeannette Catsoulis Final Cut for Real/Giant Pictures CRITIC'S PICK 'A House Made of Splinters' Review: Home Is Where the Hope Is This film, an Oscar nominee this year for best documentary feature, has an aching sensitivity for the children in a Ukraine shelter. By Nicolas Rapold MOVIE REVIEWS Pat Redmond/Universal Pictures 'Cocaine Bear' Review: She Never Forgets Her Lines The greatest joke of this blood-spattered horror-comedy from Elizabeth Banks is that it exists. By Jason Zinoman Netflix 'We Have a Ghost' Review: Me and My Boo David Harbour stars as an apparition haunting a family's home in this supernatural Netflix comedy. By Amy Nicholson ArtMattan Films 'Dancing the Twist in Bamako' Review: Youth in Revolt Robert Guédiguian's jaunty new film places a young romance against the backdrop of post-colonial Mali in the early 1960s. By A.O. Scott Greenwich Entertainment 'Juniper' Review: Bad Grandma Starring Charlotte Rampling, this New Zealand-set drama is a portrait of intergenerational bonding with a heavy dose of cynicism. By Beatrice Loayza Dan Anderson/Hulu 'Bruiser' Review: Of Fathers and Fractures A teenage boy is caught between the man who raised him and a new guiding figure in this affecting study of masculinity and coming of age. By Brandon Yu Film Movement 'Yanagawa' Review: Her Spell Two brothers reconnect over a lost love in this drama from the Chinese filmmaker Zhang Lu. By Beandrea July IFC Films 'God's Time' Review: Saving Her From Herself Instead of making a thriller, the writer and director Daniel Antebi opts for a boho buddy comedy, with mixed results. By Glenn Kenny Roadside Attractions 'My Happy Ending' Review: When Life Goes Off Script Andie MacDowell plays a screen and stage star facing a cancer diagnosis in this film directed by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon. By Ben Kenigsberg Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ANATOMY OF A SCENE Photo Credit: Jonathan Hession/Searchlight Pictures, via Associated Press ANATOMY OF A SCENE Watch a Friendship Dissolve in 'The Banshees of Inisherin' The writer and director Martin McDonagh narrates a scene between Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. By Mekado Murphy NEWS & FEATURES DVV Entertainment 'Naatu Naatu' From 'RRR' Is a Worldwide Hit, but It Draws on Very Local Traditions The composers and choreographer explain how they created the propulsive sequence that is nominated for best song. By Nicolas Rapold Benjamin Malapris for The New York Times For a Film About Korean Adoptees, a Group Effort In "Return to Seoul," a Parisian repeatedly visits her birth country. Neither the filmmaker nor the star were adopted, but they got help from friends. By Matt Stevens STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS L.A.N.E. 38 Five Action Movies to Stream Now From rousing war films to gory massacres, this month's action picks are bloodier than usual. By Robert Daniels eOne/Momentum Pictures, via Associated Press BEYOND THE ALGORITHM 'Black Bear,' 'Sharp Stick' and More Streaming Gems Looking for something different to stream? We have options for you. By Jason Bailey Columbia Pictures 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. 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