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New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Ponyboi' Review: The Cost of Living Authentically
Classic neo-noir motifs are upended by a rare antihero in 'Ponyboi,' thanks to its titular character: an intersex sex worker. Ponyboi's job servicing regular clients is a dangerous necessity that offers him access to hormones to maintain his male identity. They're supplied by Vinnie (Dylan O'Brien, perfectly smarmy), a pimp running a prostitution ring out of a laundromat in New Jersey. Predictably, a high-stakes death occurs, leaving Ponyboi (River Gallo, who wrote the screenplay) to confront the cost of living authentically. A fractured relationship with his father haunts him from the start. In a flashback, Ponyboi jolts awake after remembering his dad placing a cowboy hat on his head and promising he'd grow into a 'big, strong man.' Amid this macho posturing is Bruce (Murray Bartlett). Seemingly conjured from Ponyboi's imagination, Bruce is a drifting embodiment of human decency, moving through the film like a cool breath against the heat. Their scenes together are welcome dreamlike escapes. Directed by Esteban Arango, 'Ponyboi' mimics the visual style and thematic tropes of pulpy crime noir (think 'Blood Simple' and 'Drive'), from double crosses to a past that torments its gritty protagonist. What better distillation of old-school manliness than sleazy swagger and neon-lit vendettas? Yet Gallo's star-making turn pushes back against this version of hypermasculinity, reshaping genre conventions that have privileged rigid gender binaries. Watching Gallo carve out space for Ponyboi is its own kind of powerful assertion. PonyboiRated R for explicit drug use, graphic sexual content, nudity, strong language and scenes of violent abuse. Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes. In theaters.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Thunderbolts*' starts strong at the box office, but 'Sinners' remains 2025's biggest success story
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Florence Pugh in "Thunderbolts*." Marvel's Thunderbolts* looks to top the box office this weekend, bringing in $31.5 million on its opening day. SEE ALSO: 'Thunderbolts*' end-credits scene, explained: Who are the New Avengers? That opening gross puts the MCU antihero team-up movie on track for a domestic opening weekend total somewhere between $70 million and $75 million. While sizable, that's still on the lower end of Marvel openings. It's also not as much as this year's other MCU offering, Captain America: Brave New World, which drew an $88 million opening weekend before grossing a disappointing domestic total of $200 million overall. A smaller opening may not be a problem for Thunderbolts*, though. The movie's grab bag of heroes may not have the same name recognition as Captain America: Brave New World, but stronger reviews than recent MCU projects and more positive word of mouth could propel it to longer legs. (Thunderbolts* currently has an audience Cinema Score of A-, compared to Captain America: Brave New World's B-.) Speaking of legs, Ryan Coogler's Sinners continues to kill it at the box office, raking in $9.5 million on Friday, May 2, a 27% fall from the week prior. That puts it on track for a $33 million third weekend, even after losing IMAX screens to Thunderbolts*. If Sinners continues to perform at this level, it won't be long before it takes Captain America: Brave New World's spot as the second-highest-grossing film at the domestic box office. A Minecraft Movie still comfortably sits in the number one domestic spot, while the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 is the highest-grossing film globally (Sinners currently ranks fifth globally). Still, the fact that an original, R-rated film continues to hold strong at the box office even without premium screens proves that Sinners is on track to be 2025's biggest box office success story.
