| December 20, 2024 
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Hi, movie fans! It’s the busy season for the film desk. We of course knew that much-anticipated titles like “The Brutalist” and “The Room Next Door” were arriving this week and even more next week. But the reality is that it’s a bit of a scramble. So much to cover and so little time! That said, I really enjoy finding out what our critics think. The film world has been abuzz about “The Brutalist” all year long and we finally have Manohla Dargis’s verdict. The tale of an architect and Holocaust survivor (Adrien Brody) with a grand vision and little means is a Critic’s Pick. Dargis described it as “grave, serious, visually sumptuous,” and “a movie that grabs onto you immediately and builds steadily with measured, insistent force.” “The Room Next Door” is “remarkably straightforward” for a Pedro Almodóvar film, writes the critic Alissa Wilkinson, who adds that the plain-spoken characters and lack of subtext “takes a second to get used to.” But she concludes that the film, about a dying woman and her friend — “also feels refreshing, and true to these women in particular.” Those films are very likely to be awards season contenders. My colleague Kyle Buchanan took at look at the landscape and concluded that while it is a more open race than usual, the best picture field is narrowing. In his view, what he calls the A-B-C-D-E movies — “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two” and “Emilia Pérez” — are strong bets. (If you’re looking to catch up on moviegoing, those would be good starting points.) But what will fill out the rest of the 10-slot category? He has thoughts! For now, enjoy the movies, and happy holidays! |  | | Disney |
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Review: Squeaking, Not RoaringThis wan photorealistic prequel to a remake, the latest addition to the Disney juggernaut, was directed by Barry Jenkins of “Moonlight” fame. By Manohla Dargis |  | | Iglesias Más/El Deseo, via Sony Pictures Classics |
Critic’s Pick ‘The Room Next Door’ Review: A Life Worth LeavingPedro Almodóvar’s moving drama stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton as friends facing mortality together. By Alissa Wilkinson |  | | Lol Crawley/A24 |
Critic’s pick ‘The Brutalist’ Review: Ambitions UnboundAdrien Brody stars as a talented architect who flees postwar Europe to meet his match in America, a power-hungry industrialist played by Guy Pearce. By Manohla Dargis |
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