The four main characters of “The Last House” are aided by a conspicuous lack of friction. By BEN KENIGSBERG In a roundabout, meta sort of way, “The Last House” puts a genuinely terrifying question to its viewers. How long would you last? How long would you hold out if you tried to leave your home one day but found that all the doors wouldn’t open? That the cracks in any window you tried to break would immediately repair themselves? That there was no Wi-Fi or phone service, so

By EMMANUEL MORGAN In an early meeting to discuss the future of Spider-Man, director Destin Daniel Cretton and Tom Rothman, CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s film division, debated the meaning of the word “grounded.” It seems straightforward, but Cretton needed to know before accepting the job. “If the intention was to go bigger, I definitely would not have done this movie,” Cretton said. The most recent live-action Spider-Man movie at that time had sent Peter Parker throu

By ERIK PIEPENBURG Obsession’ “It was fine,” my 14-year-old niece, Brianna, recently texted me after seeing “Obsession.” “It was really scary when she ran at Bear and screamed and stuff.” I couldn’t have said it better. This blockbuster supernatural thriller — which to date has grossed $370 million worldwide on a budget of $750,000 — is a solid scary movie. Written, directed and edited by Curry Barker, it’s a cautionary tale about what happens when a young man named Bear (Mic

By ALEXANDRA E. PETRI Ariana Grande will curtail public appearances after her current world tour wraps up in September, citing “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” as a reason for her “much-needed break,” according to a statement issued on her behalf. Grande, 33, who is in Chicago for her Eternal Sunshine Tour, “will be taking a step back from visibility” after the tour concludes in London, a representative for the singer said Sunday. “She looks forward to finishing the tour an

Zendaya as the goddess Athena, who is Odysseus’ spiritual guide on his yearslong journey home from the Trojan War, in “The Odyssey” (2026). (Universal Pictures) By MALIA MENDEZ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey” assembled Avengers-style to power the biggest movie weekend ever for the domestic box office. But beyond the dollar signs, do these films about an angsty superhero and a brooding Greek king have anything in common? Well, “Tomdaya,” of course. The portmantea

Morgan Freeman pays tribute to Gene Hackman before the “In Memoriam” segment of the 97th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 2, 2025. (Philip Cheung/The New York Times) By JONATHAN ABRAMS Morgan Freeman insists he still does not understand the fuss over his voice. The 89-year-old Oscar-winning actor has voiced God and presidents, and he is the go-to narrator for your favorite documentarian. He still brushes aside the impact of his immediately r

Five days before “The Odyssey” had its premiere, scholar Emily Wilson, appearing on a July 12 episode of “The Daily,” the podcast of The New York Times, said she was “pumped” to see how the tale played out on the big screen. After she saw the movie, Wilson wrote that Christopher Nolan’s adaptation lacked many of the elements that made Homer’s epic poem great. (Universal Pictures) By NEIL VIGDOR As Christopher Nolan’s epic “The Odyssey” closes in on $1 billion in ticket sales

Theatrical release poster for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (2026) (Wikipedia/Sony Pictures) By ALISSA WILKINSON Spider-Man’s story has always been, on some level, about the terrifying experience of growing up. One morning, you discover your body is changing and doing things you can’t quite control, and you have to figure out what to do with that. As winningly played by Tom Holland, Peter Parker has been a kind, openhearted teenager who wants to do the right thing and is horrif

“The Infinite Husk” By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI This month’s recommendations include a dreamscape space opera, a dark time-travel diner comedy and an existential alien thriller. ‘Per Aspera Ad Astra’ The premise of a decades-long hibernation to endure an interstellar trip is pretty familiar at this point, but Han Yan’s demented epic adds a great wrinkle: To prevent the sleeping travelers’ brains from atrophying, they are kept active with incredibly vivid dreams. When something

Samantha Morton as Circe in a scene from “The Odyssey” (2026). In director Christopher Nolan’s “dark, succinct telling,” “Circe is an obstacle [Odysseus] must overcome, just like the other women in the film have very specific ways to round out the hero’s tale of triumph,” the Times’ Maya Phillips writes. (Universal Pictures) By MAYA PHILLIPS When the men under the charge of the brave Odysseus arrive at Circe’s home in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” the film shifts from se