Movies Update: The case for a sequel to “The Accountant.”

Plus, David Cronenberg on life after loss.

View in browser|nytimes.com April 25, 2025 By Stephanie Goodman When a sequel to "The Accountant" was announced, I have to admit I was puzzled. In my memory, the 2016 original, starring Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick, was a fun action flick and little more. But as I learned from my colleague Reggie Ugwu, who interviewed Affleck and his collaborators on the remake, "The Accountant" was the most rented movie of 2017, ahead even of "Moana." "Since it came out, it's been one of the likeliest movies that people mention when they come up to me," Affleck told Ugwu, adding the surprise of the plot (about a neurodivergent C.P.A. who dabbles in revenge on the side) "made people say, 'Hey, you should see this, even if you might not typically watch action movies.' That's how a movie kind of breaks out a little bit." As for the sequel, while it's not a critic's pick, Manohla Dargis writes approvingly, "It's adroitly paced, unburdened by narrative logic (there are almost as many coincidences as corpses) and buoyed by its well-synced, charismatic leads." What did our critics like? Alissa Wilkinson praises the quiet drama "Blue Sun Palace," about workers at a Queens massage parlor, describing the director Constance Tsang's debut feature as "sensitive, lovely and ultimately devastating." Whatever you decide to watch, enjoy the movies! Warrick Page/Amazon MGM Studios 'The Accountant 2' Review: Ben Affleck's Revenge of the Killer Nerd Affleck returns as a brilliant C.P.A. who moonlights as a mysterious, gun-toting fixer and gets help from his little bro, played by Jon Bernthal. By Manohla Dargis Gunther Campine/Sony Pictures Classics 'On Swift Horses' Review: Putting It All on the Line Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi lead a melancholic drama about love and longing in the 1950s. By Alissa Wilkinson Warner Bros.; Disney; Joseph M. Schenck Productions Doubling Up: How 'Sinners' and Other Movies Multiply One Actor From camera tricks to digital facial replacement, a history of duplicating effects. By Esther Zuckerman Kobe Wagstaff for The New York Times Q&A Death, Taxes and Ben Affleck: 'The Accountant' Gets a Sequel The director and the writer of the surprisingly successful "Accountant" franchise join Affleck to discuss its origins, getting ahead in Hollywood and learning to line dance. By Reggie Ugwu CRITICS' PICKS Dekanalog Critic's Pick 'Blue Sun Palace' Review: A Whole World Inside A gorgeously intimate debut feature explores the lives of Chinese immigrants in a massage parlor in Queens. By Alissa Wilkinson Warner Bros. Pictures Critic's Pick 'Sinners' Review: Ryan Coogler's Southern Horror Fantasia The director goes boldly out there in his fifth feature, a genre-defying, mind-bending shoot-em-up that stars Michael B. Jordan as twins. By Manohla Dargis ANATOMY OF A SCENE Amazon MGM Studios Anatomy of a Scene Watch Ben Affleck Line Dance in 'The Accountant 2' The director Gavin O' Connor narrates a sequence from the film featuring the actor and Jon Bernthal. By Mekado Murphy MOVIE REVIEWS Metrograph Pictures 'April' Review: A Doctor's Dilemma In this, her second feature, the Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili takes on the risks faced by an obstetrician who performs kitchen-table abortions. By Manohla Dargis Netflix 'Havoc' Review: A Fighting Spirit Tom Hardy is a crooked cop looking to make amends in Gareth Evans's action-packed film. By Robert Daniels Ed Caraeff/Keep Smokin’ 'Cheech and Chong's Last Movie' Review: Rolling Another One for the Road The comedy duo celebrates a partnership that they just can't quit in this celebratory documentary. By Glenn Kenny Music Box Films 'The Trouble With Jessica' Review: Dinner Party or Crime Scene? This British black comedy, starring Indira Varma, centers on a group of wealthy middle-aged friends with fraught histories. By Beatrice Loayza Kerry Brown/Sony Pictures 'Until Dawn' Review: They Keep Dying, You'll Keep Shrugging Based on a video game, this movie is done in by mediocre monsters and muddled time loops. By Erik Piepenburg Mubi 'Magic Farm' Review: A Droll Delight Amalia Ulman's playful second feature follows an American television crew that lands in rural Argentina. By Natalia Winkelman Netflix 'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey' Review: Emotional Rescue In this heartfelt wildlife documentary, a volunteer conservationist and an endangered critter develop a parent-child connection. By Jeannette Catsoulis NEWS & FEATURES Tommy Keith for The New York Times David Cronenberg Lost His Wife and the Will to Make Movies. Then Came 'The Shrouds' The acclaimed filmmaker discusses bringing death to the forefront in his latest picture. By Kyle Buchanan Todd Heisler/The New York Times A New Requirement for Oscar Voters: They Must Actually Watch the Films The new rule, announced this week by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was greeted with laughter and disbelief that it had not been required all along. By Derrick Bryson Taylor Stella Kalinina for The New York Times There's a Feeling We're Not in Hollywood Anymore Movies and TV productions are rapidly leaving California to film outside the United States, where labor costs are lower and tax incentives greater. Industry workers are exasperated. By Matt Stevens and Nicole Sperling Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times Her Abortion Drama Won Praise, but Not in Her Native Country The director Dea Kulumbegashvili's new movie, "April," shines a light on the complicated situation for women seeking abortions in Georgia. By Beatrice Loayza Ben Hickey Do You Know These Books That Became Disaster Movies? Many blockbuster films were inspired by literature and this short quiz tests your knowledge about five of them. By J. D. Biersdorfer James Hamilton Karen Durbin, 80, Dies; 'Fearless' Feminist Who Edited The Village Voice A fierce advocate of sexual liberation, she pushed the alternative weekly to cover women's issues, as well as gay rights and avant-garde culture. By Sam Roberts STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Focus Features Pope Francis, the Unlikely Movie Star: 6 Films Show His Cinematic Appeal In fictional tales and documentaries, directors approached him as a screen character who was both admired and controversial. By Alissa Wilkinson Cara Howe/Warner Bros. Pictures Five Horror Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a robot revenge drama and a supernatural detective story. By Erik Piepenburg How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to moviesupdate@nytimes.com. Like this email? 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