Movies Update: ‘Bill & Ted,’ ‘David Copperfield’ and More

Plus, answering your questions about 'The One and Only Ivan'

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story August 28, 2020 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Greetings, movie fans! This week includes a visit from our old friends Bill & Ted, as well as one more screen interpretation of Dickens’s “David Copperfield.” In theaters and on demand is “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” which reunites Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in a sequel that A.O. Scott calls “winningly modest and harmlessly silly.” Also in theaters, “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” featuring Dev Patel (who was not initially a Dickens fan) in the title role, won over Jeannette Catsoulis, who calls it “an exuberant, heartfelt delight.” In the streaming realm is Amazon’s “Get Duked,” a British comedy about four misfit adolescents that Manohla Dargis calls “loud, busy and cheerfully glib.” Streaming on Mubi is “Matthias & Maxime,” the latest French Canadian drama from the acclaimed director Xavier Dolan. On Hulu is “The Binge,” the comic answer to the “Purge” thrillers. And Netflix brings the scrappy teen movie “All Together Now,” the Paralympics documentary “Rising Phoenix” and a drama about a transgender migrant, “Lingua Franca.” If you’re looking for a bit of nostalgia instead, you can skip new movies altogether and bathe in the comfort of “The Sting.” Enjoy the movies. Orion Pictures   ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ Review: Be Adequate to Each Other Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter travel through time to save reality and redeem the honor of Generation X. By A.O. Scott Dean Rogers/20th Century Studios   Critic’s Pick ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ Review: A Boy’s Story Armando Iannucci’s souped-up, trimmed-down adaptation of the Dickens novel is an exuberant, heartfelt delight. By Jeannette Catsoulis Walt Disney Studios   Answering the Many Questions About ‘The One and Only Ivan’ The new Disney+ film about a talented gorilla might leave you wondering about the real great ape that inspired the story. We have answers. By Amy Nicholson Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Sidney Baldwin   Beyond The Algorithm 10 Under-the-Radar Movies for Offbeat Times A guide to streaming films you may not have considered in your quest to entertain yourself at home. By Jason Bailey Universal Pictures   Comfort Viewing: 3 Reasons I Love ‘The Sting’ Sharp clothes, sharp tunes, sharp acting. This Redford-Newman con-men picture swindles viewers, too. But so what? It’s a con that leaves us feeling richer. By Thomas Vinciguerra MOVIE REVIEWS Brian Sweeney/Amazon Studios   ‘Get Duked!’ Review: The Kids Are All Fight (and Jokes) In this busy British comedy, four teenagers are dumped in the Scottish Highlands, where they spiral into high jinks and danger. By Manohla Dargis Array   ‘Lingua Franca’ Review: Lives Under Stress A transgender migrant and a recovering alcoholic form a connection in this modest working-class drama. By Jeannette Catsoulis Matt Horan/Netflix   ‘Rising Phoenix’ Review: Carrying the Paralympic Torch This Netflix documentary about the Paralympic Games, which spotlights a series of its most inspiring athletes, could double as an ad for the event. By Natalia Winkelman Shoes in the Bed Productions   ‘Mr. Soul!’ Review: Televising the Revolution, With Great Songs A documentary resurrects the magic of “Soul!,” a boundary-pushing public television show that celebrated the rich diversity of Black culture in the ’60s and ’70s. By Devika Girish Allyson Riggs/Netflix   ‘All Together Now’ Review: A Song as a Source of Hope In this sweet and scrappy film, Auliʻi Cravalho plays a young woman torn between following her dreams and her loyalty to her mother. By Kyle Turner Paul Viggiano/Hulu   ‘The Binge’ Review: They’ll Drink to That In this parody of the “Purge” movies, drugs and booze are banned except for one 12-hour period a year. By Maya Phillips Super LTD   ‘You Cannot Kill David Arquette’ Review: Ready to Rumble (Again)? David Arquette risks his body and his reputation to win redemption as a professional wrestler in this rough and tumble documentary. By Teo Bugbee Mubi   ‘Matthias & Maxime’ Review: Unsealed With a Kiss A male friendship is destabilized in this overlong ponder on desire. By Jeannette Catsoulis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS & FEATURES DreamWorks Pictures   The Box Plot Twist! Why 2004 Was a Surprising Year for Movies Before franchises dominated completely, great actors joined flashy directors in originals like “Collateral” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village.” By Wesley Morris 20th Century Studios   Dev Patel Was Not a Dickens Fan. (Don’t Tell Armando Iannucci.) The star of a new “David Copperfield” film learned to see the novelist in a new light after memorizing pages and pages of dialogue, never giving up, just like his character. By Julie Bloom Andrew Kelly/Reuters   Three Charged With Leaking Movies as Part of Global Piracy Ring U.S. officials said members of the Sparks Group, an elite piracy network, fraudulently obtained and distributed movies ahead of release dates. By Jacey Fortin Stefan Ruiz   The Actors With Disabilities Redefining Representation These performers are creating a new template for the artist-as-activist, challenging their industry — and their audiences — to reconsider what inclusion really means. By Mark Harris Ai Weiwei Studios   From Ai Weiwei, a Portrait of Wuhan’s Draconian Covid Lockdown Ai said the documentary film “Coronation,” which he directed remotely from Europe, “is trying to reflect what ordinary Chinese people went through.” By Ian Johnson CRITICS’ PICKS Melinda Sue Gordon/Warner Bros.   Critic’s Pick ‘Tenet’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Time-Bending Take on James Bond John David Washington stars as an unnamed, uncreased C.I.A. agent in a spectacle full of scenes running backward and forward. By Jessica Kiang Music Box Films   Critic’s Pick ‘Nomad’ Review: Werner Herzog Pays Tribute to a ‘Kindred Spirit’ Herzog honors the writer and explorer Bruce Chatwin in this stimulating and visually overwhelming documentary. By Glenn Kenny Cinema Guild   Critic’s Pick ‘Ghost Tropic’ Review: A Missed Stop and a Long Walk Home Bas Devos captures the sleeping outer portions of Brussels in this drama about a hard-working woman who finds herself stranded. By Glenn Kenny Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Louder A once-a-week blast of pop music coverage, including album reviews, interviews with artists and playlists curated by our critics. Sign up 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