Aurelia Butler

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    Stream These 6 Movies and Shows Before They Leave Netflix in March

    A great Park Chan-wook film and a hilarious British satire are among the great titles leaving for U.S. subscribers this month.This month’s noteworthy Netflix departures in the United States include a chilling indie, a South Korean classic, two honest-to-goodness great popcorn flicks and a very funny skewering of England’s most famous family. (Dates reflect the first day titles are unavailable and are subject to change.)‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ (March 15)Stream it here.The Norwegian director Andre Ovredal (“Trollhunter”) makes his solo English-language debut with this modest, muted yet endlessly chilling postmortem thriller. Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch star as a father-son team of small-town coroners whose seemingly straightforward autopsy of a young murder victim becomes something far more complicated — and sinister. Ovredal builds dread with genuine skill (and without resorting to cheap thrills), and the performances are top-notch, with the “Succession” favorite Cox doing particularly stellar work as an old pro who thinks he’s seen it all and is quickly proven wrong.‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’ (March 16)Stream it here.The pedigree for this 2014 neo-noir thriller is mighty impressive: It is based on a novel by the respected and prolific crime novelist Lawrence Block and adapted and directed by Scott Frank (“Out of Sight,” “Minority Report,” “The Queen’s Gambit”). But because the star is Liam Neeson, and because the picture was released just as viewers were beginning to sour on his “Taken” sequels and re-treads, it was dismissed by the adult audience that might appreciate it most. Neeson stars as Block’s most durable hero, the former cop-turned-private investigator (and recovering alcoholic) Matthew Scudder, here investigating a brutal murder that opens up a complicated series of kidnappings, slayings and secrets. Moody and melancholy, it is possibly the best film of the Neeson-aissance.‘Oldboy’ (March 24)Stream it here.Perhaps the most popular (at least on these shores) and most influential film of the “New Korean Cinema” movement of the 1990s and 2000s, this artful and aching revenge thriller from the director Park Chan-wook (“The Handmaiden”) concerns a seemingly straight-arrow businessman, Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), who wakes up from a drunken blackout locked in some kind of private prison. He is kept there for 15 years, never allowed to know who put him there or why, so when he is unceremoniously released, he decides to get those answers himself. In the post-“Pulp Fiction” film landscape, Chan-wook’s action set pieces and unflinching violence made him a hero of young cinephiles around the world. But what makes “Oldboy” special, and what makes it stick, is its poignancy; “Oldboy” wonders genuinely what it would be like to lose so much of one’s life, and what kind of madness might follow suit.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Vienna Philharmonic and Riccardo Muti Return to Carnegie Hall

    Riccardo Muti, in what felt like a victory lap, returned to Carnegie Hall to lead the Philharmonic’s annual three-day series of concerts.Bow down to the Vienna Philharmonic’s tremolo.This is the trembling, hazy effect that string players can make by lightly quivering their bows. Usually very quiet, signifying tension or expectation, tremolos are often designed to be listened past. They don’t tend to be something anyone dwells on or remembers.But passing details of texture like this are what the Viennese — who had their annual three-concert stand at Carnegie Hall this weekend, with pillars of the repertoire by Mozart, Schubert, Bruckner and Dvorak — do better than perhaps anyone else.In moments as different as the start of the grand Finale of Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony and the opening of the charming “At the Mill” Scherzo of Stravinsky’s Divertimento from “Le Baiser de la Fée,” the Philharmonic’s tremolo was something to take seriously.Soft but alert and full of energy, the vibrating was less a sound than an atmosphere, an almost palpable animating of the air. It wasn’t distracting, but it was arresting — infusing and enriching the music layered atop it.The Philharmonic achieves little wonders like this regardless of who’s on the podium. Still, the proud, vigorous dignity of these concerts can be at least partly ascribed to Riccardo Muti, in programs notable for including two symphonies by Schubert, one of his touchstones.At 83, Muti is basking in the twilight of a storied and beloved career. He officially left the music directorship of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra two years ago, but has been helping to care for it until the 29-year-old Klaus Mäkelä can take over in 2027. In January, Muti toured with the Chicagoans to Carnegie; with these Vienna concerts, his winter in New York has felt like a victory lap.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Zoe Saldaña Makes Apology After Winning Oscar for ‘Emilia Pérez’

    The Spanish-language musical from Netflix saw its grand hopes fizzle after derisive social media posts from its star resurfaced.Just six weeks ago “Emilia Pérez” got 13 Oscar nominations, more than any other film this year. Its lead actress, Karla Sofía Gascón, made history by becoming the first openly trans actor to be nominated and the film, a musical about a Mexican cartel boss, was seen as a real contender to win the Academy Award for best picture.It did not work out that way.Collapsing under the weight of award-season scandal after derogatory comments resurfaced that Gascón had posted years ago on social media, “Emilia Pérez” wound up winning just two Oscars: for best supporting actress and best original song (“El Mal”).Its travails became a punchline during the opening monologue from the evening’s host, Conan O’Brien. “Little fact for you: ‘Anora’ uses the F-word 479 times,” he said. “That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofia Gascón’s publicist.”And even when its winners were supposed to be getting feted, they faced some of the only pointed questions of the night. Inside the press room, Cristina Ibañez, a journalist for a Mexican publication, confronted Zoe Saldaña, who won for best supporting actress, telling her bluntly that “Emilia Pérez” was “really hurtful for us Mexicans.” (The film, by the French writer-director Jacques Audiard, drew criticism in Mexico for its depiction of the country and the fact that few Mexicans were involved in the production.)“First of all, I am very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended,” Saldaña said. “That was never our intention. We came from a place of love, and I will stand by that.”“I’m also always open to sit down with all of my Mexican brothers and sisters and with love and respect, have a great conversation on how ‘Emilia’ could have been done better,” she added later.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Where to Stream the 2025 Oscar Winners, From ‘Anora’ to ‘Flow’

    Most of the awarded films, including the winner of best picture, can be watched at home. Here’s a guide to catch up.In a resounding win for American independent film, “Anora,” Sean Baker’s rambunctious comedy-drama about the marriage between a Brighton Beach sex worker and the son of a Russian oligarch, won five Oscars, including one for its lead actress, Mikey Madison, and a record-tying four for Baker, who took home statuettes for picture, director, editing and his original screenplay.“Anora” and most of the other winners are available to rent on major platforms or subscription services, and the three winning shorts are only a click away, too, though the full Oscar shorts programs are still circulating in theaters across the country. The only films currently only available in theaters are the best international feature winner “I’m Still Here” and the documentary feature winner “No Other Land,” an Israeli-Palestinian co-production that’s finding its way to art houses around the United States without official distribution.‘Anora’The writer, director and editor Sean Baker narrates a sequence from his comedy featuring Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn.NeonWon for: Best picture, director, actress, original screenplay, editing.How to watch: Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV+, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.The writer-director Sean Baker’s rambunctious film concerns the whirlwind romance between a sex worker from Brighton Beach and the son of a Russian oligarch. It somehow channels both the madcap energy of classic screwball and the unfiltered emotion of John Cassavetes. Much of that liveliness is owed to Mikey Madison’s firecracker of a performance as Ani, a stripper whose time with a handsome young party animal, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), at first seems like a “Pretty Woman” fantasy. But a quickie marriage draws attention from Ivan’s minders in the states and his parents abroad. Ani’s fight for their relationship, which turns literal at times, is alternately slapstick and touching.‘The Brutalist’The director Brady Corbet narrates a sequence from his film, starring Adrien Brody. The movie is nominated for 10 Academy Awards.Lol Crawley/A24Won for: Best actor, cinematography, score.How to watch: Buy it on Amazon, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.Just as the unity of form and function is the goal of any great architect, Brady Corbet’s epic about the architectural vision of a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor goes pointedly against the grain, from its 215-minute running time (with an intermission in theaters) to its use of VistaVision, a large-format process that hadn’t been used for a feature since 1961. As László Toth (Adrien Brody) emigrates to Philadelphia after the war and eventually finds work for a temperamental industrialist (Guy Pearce) with big plans for a community center, “The Brutalist” grows into a grand statement on the tension between art and commerce, and the compromise that often comes as a result. On that front, Corbet himself has unquestionably triumphed.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    On the Ground at the Governors Ball 2025 Oscars Party

    Adrien Brody, with his best actor statuette, for “The Brutalist.”Zoe Saldaña, who won best supporting actress for her role in “Emilia Pérez.”Conan O’Brien, who hosted the ceremony. Paul Tazewell, the “Wicked” costume designer, with his Oscar.Kieran Culkin, holding his statuette, with his manager Emily Gerson Saines.From left, Sean Baker and Samantha Quan of “Anora,” holding Oscars, and behind them, Wolfgang Puck.Willem Dafoe.Brandon Wilson of “Nickel Boys.”A server, in the shadows.Basel Adra, left, and Yuval Abraham, winners of the award for best documentary feature film for “No Other Land.” The director Gints Zilbalodis, who won for his animated feature “Flow.”Guests at the party. More

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    The Best Dressed Men at the 2025 Oscars Skipped the Traditional Tuxedo

    At last night’s Oscars the men who skipped the penguin suits stole the spotlight. Stylists and brands should pay attention.If you wish to fully grasp Timothée Chalamet’s Oscars suit, you may do better to consult a food reporter rather than a fashion critic.They might be able to tell you the outfit was a shade of French butter. Or was it egg yolk? Perhaps just lemon?Whatever the tint of his monochrome look, Mr. Chalamet’s effervescent not-a-tux was the consensus gotta-talk-about-it outfit of the evening. There was certainly much to scrutinize. The jacket was cropped like a maitre d’s uniform. A tie? Overlooked. In its place, a dot of a pearl collar. The pants, which weren’t even suit pants but were, in fact, shaped like five pocket jeans, puddled indifferently around his glossed black boots.Timothée Chalamet was nominated for his role in “A Complete Unknown.” Nina Westervelt for The New York TimesIt’s unclear if this outfit was nodding to an outfit Bob Dylan once wore, as some of Mr. Chalamet’s carpet looks have during this award’s season sprint, but his Oscars look at least had the spirit of Dylan. (This critic’s theory: It was “Blonde on Blonde” in outfit form.) This was a suit that smirked at ceremony but felt glamorous and elevated despite it’s provocation.The unusual red carpet outfit also provided a crucial preview for Givenchy, who made it specially for Mr. Chalamet.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    The Fairy Tale Night of Sean Baker, Director of Dreams Gone Awry

    Baker’s four Oscars for “Anora” are validation of his sensitive portrayals of people on the margins who always seem to come up short.Sean Baker came equipped with extra speeches, and that was wise: On the night of the Oscars, he wound up onstage four times to receive four statues.That’s not just unusual. It’s almost unheard-of.Baker’s film “Anora,” about a sex worker in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn who marries the son of a Russian oligarch and then watches it all go sideways, earned five Oscars overall on Sunday. One went to its ingénue star, Mikey Madison, and four to Baker: best director, best original screenplay, best editing and best picture.By taking home four Oscars on a single night, Baker joins just one other luminary: none other than Walt Disney, who pulled off the same trick in 1954. That year, Disney won best documentary feature (“The Living Desert”), best documentary short subject (“The Alaskan Eskimo”), best cartoon short subject (“Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom”) and best two-reel short subject (“Bear Country”).But even Disney didn’t pull off Baker’s feat: earning four Oscars on one night for the same movie. Doing so requires wearing a lot of hats, and Baker, who started his career in ultra-low-budget independent films, has a deep hatrack.Movies are a collaborative art, and even the most hands-on filmmakers work with a team of artists and craftspeople. But writing, directing, editing and producing a film leaves a distinctive personal mark. Disney, who was heavily involved with his studio’s projects, certainly did so. Similarly, “Anora” audiences who know Baker’s work probably spotted his fingerprints from the moment the film starts. (And not just because Baker emulates John Carpenter, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick and Wes Anderson by sticking with one typeface for the titles of all his films — Aguafina Script Pro, if you were wondering.)One of Baker’s hallmarks, the one people most often associate with him, is a focus on people who live on the margins of society, especially but not exclusively sex workers.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Oscars 2025’s Best and Worst Moments: Speeches, Performances and More

    There was plenty to take in, including a “Wicked” opener, Conan O’Brien gags, and memorable speeches both good and bad. And people watching on Hulu saw almost all of it.Most Gravity Defying Opener: ‘Wicked’When it was announced that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo would perform at the Oscars, it was assumed they would sing something from “Wicked,” the film for which they were both nominated. They did, of course. It would be silly to pass up that opportunity. But the women also paid tribute to previous cinematic versions of Oz, showing how Hollywood had imagined L. Frank Baum’s world through the years.Grande emerged first, wearing a sparkling red gown, channeling Judy Garland to sing “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz.” She then ceded the stage to Erivo, who performed “Home,” Dorothy’s ballad from “The Wiz,” famously sung onscreen by Diana Ross. And, yes, then they closed with “Defying Gravity,” the signature song from “Wicked,” with Erivo bringing everything home with her shiver-inducing war cry. (Later, we returned to Oz to honor Quincy Jones when Queen Latifah performed a rousing rendition of “Ease on Down the Road.”) — Esther ZuckermanSean Baker joined rarefied company with his Oscar haul.Philip Cheung for The New York TimesMost Dominant Night: Sean BakerThe “Anora” director has hovered around the outer edges of the Academy’s sensibility with his previous films “The Florida Project,” which earned Willem Dafoe a supporting-actor nomination, and “Red Rocket,” which had some Oscar buzz but was ultimately snubbed. Now Baker appears to have hit a sweet spot: He earned four separate Oscars tonight — in the editing, directing, original-screenplay and best-picture categories — which tied the record set by Walt Disney. Don’t expect Baker’s R-rated films to get the same amusement-park treatment, though. — Kyle BuchananConan O’Brien, hosting for the first time, injected some silliness into the proceedings. Philip Cheung for The New York TimesBest Host for the Moment: Conan O’BrienGoing into the night, O’Brien was at least as nervous as he was excited. But from the filmed opening — in which he fished around in Demi Moore’s back, in a spoof of “The Substance” — to his monologue, O’Brien seemed to have a joyful glint, even (or maybe especially) when he was razzing the industry. (The sandworm from “Dune” earned its residuals.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More