Aaron Sorkin recounts a Facebook controversy in 'The Social Reckoning,' Chris Rock directs a show-business dramedy, Alex Gibney studies Elon Musk in a new documentary, a major Roy Lichtenstein retrospective opens at the Whitney, and more.
By WSJ Arts in Review Staff
Film
. "The Social Reckoning" (Oct. 9): The sequel to "The Social Network," the Aaron Sorkin-scripted 2010 drama about the origins of Facebook, has Mr. Sorkin in the director's chair telling the story of a whistleblower who teams with a Wall Street Journal reporter to expose the company's wrongdoings. Mikey Madison plays data engineer Frances Haugen, Jeremy Allen White depicts journalist Jeff Horwitz, and Jeremy Strong is Mark Zuckerberg.
. "Other Mommy" (Oct. 9): An evil force disguised as a young girl's mother unleashes terror on a family in the latest horror flick from Rob Savage ("Host"). Jessica Chastain and Jay Duplass star.
. "Fjord" (Oct. 9): A family that recently moved to Norway sees its children taken away by child protective services, a move the father ascribes to prejudice against devout Christians. Our critic called Cristian Mungiu's drama, which won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, "a spellbinding, infuriating tale."
. "Misty Green" (Oct. 9): Chris Rock directs this dramedy -- in which he stars alongside Rosalind Eleazar, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick and Topher Grace -- about an actress with a waning career who hopes to make a comeback.
. "Musk" (Oct. 9): In his new documentary, Alex Gibney takes a long -- nearly four hours long -- look at the controversial tech CEO behind Tesla, Space X, Grok, DOGE and numerous other initiatives.
. "Tenzing" (Oct. 9): Genden Phuntsok stars as sherpa Tenzing Norgay alongside Tom Hiddleston's and Willem Dafoe's mountaineers Edmund Hillary and John Hunt in this biographical drama about the first successful summiting of Mount Everest.
TV
. "NCIS: New York" (CBS, Oct. 6): In the procedural's latest spinoff, LL Cool J's naval investigator leaves Tinseltown and returns to the Big Apple to lead a new squad alongside an unpredictable partner played by Scott Caan.
. "Carrie" (Prime Video, Oct. 7): Stephen King's 1974 novel captured the horrors of high school in more than one sense. The latest adaptation of the tale is an eight-part series from Mike Flanagan ("The Haunting of Hill House") and features Summer H. Howell in the title role.
. "Small Prophets" (Apple TV, Oct. 7): Bereft after the disappearance years ago of his girlfriend, a man turns to alchemy and magical homunculi to try to solve his personal and professional problems in this dramedy from "Detectorists" creator Mackenzie Crook.
. "Below" (Netflix, Oct. 8): An angler goes to war against a terrifying sea creature threatening a Newfoundland fishing village in this thriller led by Josh Hartnett, Charlie Heaton and Mackenzie Davis.
. "Eternally Yours" (CBS, Oct. 8): Conflict arises in a family of vampires when their daughter begins dating a human being in the new series from the creators of the supernatural comedy "Ghosts."
. "Animals" (Netflix, Oct. 9): Directed, co-written and starring Ben Affleck, this crime thriller follows a mayoral candidate and his wife (Kerry Washington) as they scramble to come up with ransom money to save their kidnapped son. Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun and Adriana Paz also star.
. "Matchbox the Movie" (Apple TV, Oct. 9): John Cena, Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson and Arturo Castro hit the gas in the new action comedy from former stuntman Sam Hargrave, which is based on the toy cars and tells the story of childhood friends who find themselves at the center of an international plot.
Theater
. "A Ghost in Your Ear" (Minetta Lane Theatre, New York, Oct. 9-Nov. 22): An actor recording the audiobook version of a ghost story begins to experience fiction becoming fact in Jamie Armitage's thriller. Starring Lucas Iverson and Owen Campbell, the show features special sound technology and headsets, giving audiences an immersive horror-filled experience.
. "Good Time Charlie" (The Public Theater, New York, Oct. 9-25): Ryan J. Haddad's world premiere is a decades-spanning dramedy that follows a dentist who never pursued his creative dreams and the nephew with whom he shared his artistic passions.
Music
. Greta Van Fleet, "Palace for the People" (Oct. 9): Inspired by London's opulently democratic Alexandra Palace, a performance venue constructed in the Victorian era, the rock group's new record considers the role of music in forging communities across diverse groups.
. Pet Shop Boys, "A Man From the Future" (Oct. 9): The English synth-pop duo issues its first concept album, which follows the life and legacy of Alan Turing and is a collaboration with the mathematician's biographer Andrew Hodges.
. Sheryl Crow, "Pick You Up" (Oct. 9): The country star's 13th studio LP explores the enduring human yearning for connection amid the chaos of the world.
Exhibitions
. "The 90s: Art and Fashion" (Tate Britain, London, Oct. 8-Feb. 14, 2027): Whether it was Ginger Spice's Union Jack dress or the Young British Artists' stranglehold on public attention, the 1990s were a pivotal moment in British culture when music, film, fashion and art blended the high and low aesthetic realms into a new movement. This show looks at examples of that creative world -- from photographs by Juergen Teller and David Sims, to artworks by Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas, to ensembles by Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.
Art
. "Willem de Kooning at? Work?" (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Oct. 9-Jan. 17, 2027): Marking the centenary of the artist's departure from the Netherlands, this show focuses on his drawings and was first seen in Chicago, where our critic called it "a revelatory exhibition."
. "Locating Girlhood: Place and Identity in Early American 'Schoolgirl' Art" (American Folk Art Museum, New York, Oct. 9-Feb. 28, 2027): Highlighting needlework and other ornamental arts made by girls in 18th- and 19th-century America, this presentation explores the underappreciated genre through an artistic lens, examining some 100 objects to reveal the way samplers, needlework pictures, watercolors and other items should be seen as important aesthetic creations yet were often dismissed because of their creators' age and sex.
. "Gustave Fayet: Collector -- Designer. Icons of Modern Art" (Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, Oct. 9-March 8, 2027): Fayet (1865-1925) has a keen eye visible in both his own creative works and those he collected, amassing a staggering trove of important modern art. This exhibition examines both aspects of the man, presenting more than 250 works from his holdings -- by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Redon, Degas, Cezanne, Matisse, Vuillard and many others -- alongside nearly 400 of his own creations.
. "Marcel Duchamp" (Philadelphia Museum of Art, Oct. 10-Jan. 31, 2027): The French artist Marcel Duchamp was a painter who early on shifted into conceptual provocation with his "Readymades" -- including, infamously, a urinal. After its debut at New York's Museum of Modern Art, the first U.S. retrospective of his work in more than 50 years now moves to Philadelphia. Our critic called the show at MoMA "a multi-museum-sanctioned liturgy -- the canonization of contemporary art's high priest, along with his orthodoxy."
. "Roy Lichtenstein: Like New" (Whitney Museum of American Art, Oct. 11-May 10, 2027): Appropriating the imagery and style of comic books and newspapers, Roy Lichtenstein catapulted himself to art stardom with his instantly recognizable Pop style. This first New York retrospective of his work in more than three decades examines both his familiar images and less-known aspects of his output, assembling paintings, drawings, sculptures, films and prints from across his six-decade career to highlight how replication and alteration were central to his creative vision and the ways he has influenced generations of artists.
Videogames
. "Gears of War: E-Day" (PC, Xbox Series X|S, Oct. 6): The futuristic third-person shooter returns with its first major release in seven years. This one, set 14 years before the events of the first game, follows young veterans who are snapped out of civilian life when a subterranean menace emerges and attacks humanity.
Last Call
. "31 Rue Cambon" (Tom Sachs Studio, 245 Centre St., New York, through Oct. 10): The artist has opened his own Chanel pop-up store where plywood dresses simultaneously honor the brand while critiquing consumer culture. Our critic praised the work, saying "in these creations we find a wealth of details, impressive from both a technical standpoint and in their fealty to the garments being copied."
. "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" (New World Stages, New York, through Oct. 11): William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's musical is back in this delightful off-Broadway production. Our critic noted, "By the competition's end, winner, runner-up and the rest have all been enriched by the experience -- and so, not incidentally, has the audience."
-- Write to brian.kelly@wsj.com.
This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (October 06, 2026).