Watch List Weekly Recap 12/10/21

This is the Friday recap of Ty Burr’s Watch List postings for the week. If you’d like to receive this weekly email ONLY, please go to your account page and under “Email notifications” uncheck every box except “Weekly Digest.” If you’d prefer to not receive it at all, uncheck just “Weekly Digest.”

On Tuesday I offered an appreciation of Kieran Culkin, who plays the Roy you love to hate on HBO’s “Succession” (as opposed to Jeremy Strong, who plays the Roy you hate to love), and a revisit to the rough-draft Roman on view in 2002’s “Igby Goes Down.”

Roman Wasn't Built in a Day

It’s always fun to see a performance by a young actor and think “That person’s going places.” But you usually don’t have to wait so long for the payoff as the 16 years between Kieran Culkin in “Igby Goes Down” (2002) and Kieran Culkin in “Succession” (2018-)

Ty Burr's Watch List

Should you subscribe to HBO Max? My latest deep-dive analysis of a streaming service. Plus: 20 under-the-radar movies if you do.

Platform Review: HBO Max

This is the second in an occasional series of what I’m calling platform reviews, where I take a look at all the films a streaming service has to offer and gauge the depth and breadth of its programming. The first, back in August, was devoted to Netflix

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For New-Release Friday, I heaved a sigh of relief over Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” which, to be honest (and maybe heretical), is a better movie than the original. I’m rather less enthused by “Being The Ricardos” and “Don’t Look Up.”

Something's Coming. Something Good.

The Nut Graf: Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” (in theaters, **** stars out of ****) reinvigorates a much-loved classic with style and substance. “Being the Ricardos” (in theaters now and on Amazon Prime Video Dec. 21, ** stars out of ****) balances a solid ensemble cast with a misguided star turn.

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