Movies

LOS ANGELES — It’s now on you, “Mulan.”Warner Bros. on Friday pushed back the release of “Tenet,” a $200 million-plus mind bender from Christopher Nolan that was supposed to arrive in theaters on July 17 and jump-start the pandemic-stricken movie business. Instead, “Tenet” will be released on July 31.The move means that Disney’s extravagant “Mulan,” directed by Niki Caro, will now mark the return of megawatt Hollywood releases when it comes out on July 24 — unless Disney also decides that the timing isn’t quite right. A Disney spokesman had no immediate comment.To make up for the absence of “Tenet” on July 17, Warner will rerelease Mr. Nolan’s cerebral thriller “Inception” on that date (almost 10 years to the day from its initial debut). Toby Emmerich, Warner’s movie chairman, said in a statement that the “Inception” screenings will include exclusive footage from “Tenet” as a “count down” to its opening day. He called “Tenet” a global movie of “jaw-dropping size, scope and scale.”In another schedule change on Friday, Warner moved Patty Jenkins’s “Wonder Woman 1984” out of the summer. The lasso-wielding superheroine will now arrive on Oct. 2 instead of Aug. 14.After being closed for months by the pandemic, movie theaters around the world are starting to reopen, albeit with limited attendance and heightened safety requirements. But theaters in important markets like New York and Los Angeles may not be open by July 17. Further complicating matters, no one knows how skittish audiences will be about returning to theaters, making big-budget releases all the more important. More

In “Anatomy of a Scene,” we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series each Friday. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.A sibling leaving for college becomes a moment of anguish in “The King of Staten Island.”The director Judd Apatow narrates this sequence featuring Pete Davidson as Scott and Maude Apatow as his sister, Claire. (The actress is the director’s daughter.) On the evening before she leaves, Claire gives Scott a parting gift that’s also born of guilt, because she feels a bit as if she’s abandoning him.Apatow discusses navigating the seriousness of the scene while making time for comic moments. He also said the scene, which he wrote with Davidson and Dave Sirus, came from discussions about Davidson’s family relationships.In the scene, Scott says it was worse for him because his sister was too young to have gotten to know their father when he died. They debate who had it worse.“In a way, the scene is almost an apology to his real-life sister for not acknowledging how bad her pain was at times,” Apatow says.Read the “King of Staten Island” review.Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter and get a roundup of reviews, news, Critics’ Picks and more. More

Hi, I’m Judd Apatow. And I’m the director and co-writer of ‘The King of Staten Island.’ This is a scene from early in ‘The King of Staten Island.’ That’s Maude Apatow, who is playing Pete’s sister Claire. And in this scene, she is about to leave for college the next day. And she’s giving her brother a set of paints to encourage him to pursue his tattooing dream more aggressively. “I know you’re into art, so I thought you could expand your horizons while I’m gone.” “You got a gift receipt for this?” But it’s also a guilt gift, because she’s leaving and on some level, abandoning him. So under the guise of being nice, she is bee-lining for the door. “Be nice to mom, O.K.? Don’t give her a hard time. She deserves a break.” “I always give her a break. When am I going to get my break? Like—” “What are you talking about? All anyone ever does is worry about you.” In this conversation, Pete’s character is really on to her. They know each other so well, and he knows this as a guilt gift. He knows she’s trying to get away from him. And he’s also guilty and insecure that he’s made her childhood difficult, because he’s taken up so much air in the room from all of his problems. “What are you going to do? Are you going to get a job? Or are you going to leave the house?” “I don’t know. I’m going to open that tattoo restaurant.” “No, like, for real.” “I am being real. It’s never been done before. I looked it up. I googled it. It’s never been done, not even as a joke.” “Because no one wants to go to a restaurant and watch people get tattooed while they eat. It’s gross.” “It’s the best idea ever. Ruby Tat-Tuesday’s, where everyone’s welcome — chicken and tattoos.” “What I like about this scene is it’s very real. It’s very tense. And yet, both the actor and the actress find a way to be really funny in showing how their relationship melts down. In the scene, they talk about how Scott thinks it was worse for him, because he got to know their dad. And it’s easier for her, because she was too young to have gotten to know him when he died. That’s something that Pete Davidson talked about that, that’s something that he debates with his sister. Who had it worse? And in a way, the scene is almost an apology to his real-life sister for not acknowledging how bad her pain was at times. We shot this scene over an entire day. We had rehearsed it a lot and done a lot of improvisations. One of the reasons why I wanted Maude to do it is she’s very alive and very present, and so is Pete. And I knew you would feel it in her eyes every moment that she loves him, but also, she’s so guilty about leaving the house.” More

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which oversees the Academy Awards, announced Friday a handful of efforts to improve inclusion both within its organization and for the Oscars themselves.For the annual telecast, which next year may be in flux because of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the academy will create a task force to develop new inclusion standards for Oscar eligibility by the end of July. The academy has not yet determined what those standards will be, and films submitted this year will not be affected. The organization also announced that the best picture category will be set at 10 films rather than the fluctuating number of nominations that has been in effect since the 2010 Oscars.Internally, the organization’s Board of Governors amended its bylaws to limit the number of terms each governor may serve on the board to a maximum of 12. Previously, there was no limit.It’s unclear what the diversity requirements will entail but the academy could take a page from its brethren in Britain: In 2019, the British Film Institute became the first major awards body to introduce diversity and inclusion criteria into its eligibility requirements. All entries in two British film categories, outstanding British film and outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer, are now required to increase representation to meet at least two of four diversity standards, like “onscreen representation, themes and narratives,” and “industry access and opportunities.” among others.“The need to address this issue is urgent,” the academy’s chief executive, Dawn Hudson, said in a statement. “To that end, we will amend — and continue to examine — our rules and procedures to ensure that all voices are heard and celebrated.”These efforts, which are part of the initiative titled “Academy Aperture 2025,” will also include a series of panels titled “Academy Dialogue: It Starts with Us” for members and the public on race, ethnicity and history. A forthcoming conversation led by Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the board of governors, will center on the impact of racist tropes and harmful stereotypes in Hollywood films.The inclusion effort will expand to the academy’s Los Angeles museum and its collections and programs. The museum, a $388 million project that has been hampered by cost overruns and fund-raising challenges, is set to open in December, though that too may be delayed because of the pandemic shut down.The academy’s membership came under intense scrutiny in 2016, the second year in a row that the organization did not nominate any actors of color for Oscars and overlooked films that focused on black characters for best-picture nominations. Humiliated by the resulting #OscarsSoWhite outrage, academy leaders vowed to double the number of people of color and women members by 2020.In 2015, 8 percent were people of color, and 25 percent were women. As of last year, people of color made up 16 percent of the membership, according to the academy, and women made up 32 percent.On Wednesday, the academy announced its new board of governors, adding the director Ava DuVernay to its ranks in addition to the 2020 Oscars producer Lynette Howell Taylor, increasing the number of female Academy governors to 26 out of 54, and people of color to 12.Membership is expected to expand again next month when the academy announces its new class.So far, the academy has stuck to Feb. 28, 2021, for the ceremony. The organization has been discussing whether a postponement will be needed because of complications from the shutdown. More