Don't Bogart My Blog: Movies Update: 'First Man' and More

Plus, you saw "A Star Is Born." Now read all about it.

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Friday, October 12, 2018

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Kyle Buchanan

Pop Culture Reporter

Hey, movie fans! It's your faithful Carpetbagger.

Is "A Star Is Born" our best picture front-runner? I'm inclined to think so, but there's no doubt it will be an awards-season force that will keep us talking for months. Then again, we've already said plenty! Now that Bradley Cooper's box-office hit is out in theaters, and you've presumably gotten the chance to see it, why not revisit some of the articles The Times has run about the film so far?

Rachel Syme traveled to Lady Gaga's house to get intimate with one of the most famous pop stars on earth, while Taffy Brodesser-Akner did her best to get to the bottom of the enigma that is Bradley Cooper. Aisha Tyler explored the new film's take on womanhood through the lens of the earlier versions of this story, Jon Pareles burrowed deeply into its soundtrack and Cooper himself narrated a scene from his film.

If that's not enough, you can go back and read Manohla Dargis and her gem of a review, or see if your thoughts on "A Star Is Born" sync up with the Bagger's own: Though some have called the film campy, I argued that it's anything but, and that maybe we don't know how to treat a sincere love story with anything but skepticism these days.

And if you're over the "A Star Is Born" discourse already? Then perhaps some of the new releases below can perk you up.

Review: 'First Man' Takes a Giant Leap for Man, a Smaller Step for Movies

By A.O. SCOTT

Damien Chazelle's sweeping and intimate yet underwhelming film revisits the first lunar landing, with Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong.

Movie Reviews

Timothée Chalamet, left, and Steve Carell star in

In 'Beautiful Boy,' a Writer Confronts His Son's Meth Addiction

By A.O. SCOTT

Two memoirs are brought to the screen in a father-son drama starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet.

Anders Danielsen Lie as Anders Behring Breivik in

Looking Anew at a Norwegian Massacre in '22 July'

By MANOHLA DARGIS

The director Paul Greengrass tries to make sense of a 2011 mass murder by a right-wing extremist who railed against women, Islam and Marxism.

'Watergate' Shocks Anew With Its True Tale of Political Scandal

By A.O. SCOTT

Charles Ferguson delivers a comprehensive documentary about the not-so-distant past, with its eye very much on the present.

Jon Hamm is part of a strong cast in Drew Goddard's

Hard-Boiled Play in 'Bad Times at the El Royale'

By MANOHLA DARGIS

The writer-director Drew Goddard has fun with genre and a cast that includes Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo and Chris Hemsworth.

In 'The Oath,' a Pledge of Allegiance to a President Creates Chasms

By GLENN KENNY

This satirical comedy, written, directed by and starring Ike Barinholtz, turns dark and ham-handed.

The Disturbing Obsession of 'The Kindergarten Teacher'

By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Maggie Gyllenhaal is riveting as a dissatisfied teacher who's obsessed with her 5-year-old pupil's poetic talent.

Caleel Harris, left, and Jeremy Ray Taylor in

'Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween' Is Toothless Terror

By TEO BUGBEE

This sequel to the movie adaptation of R.L. Stine's horror series is more goofy than scary.

From left, Autumn, Annalis, and Ava, the daughters of a woman serving prison time in the documentary

In 'The Sentence,' a Woman Gets Prison, Her Family Also Pays

By KEN JAWOROWSKI

The documentary denounces minimum sentencing laws that put Cindy Shank behind bars.

Anatomy of a Scene

Watch Ryan Gosling in an Awkward Family Moment in 'First Man'

By MEKADO MURPHY

The director Damien Chazelle discusses a scene in which Neil Armstrong explains to his children the danger of his mission.

News & Features

'Halloween' at 40: Their 'Horrible Idea' Became a Horror Classic

By BRUCE FRETTS

John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis are joined by four co-stars — even the one in the mask — to discuss the making of the first film.

The Carpetbagger

Tilda Swinton as Lutz Ebersdorf as Josef Klemperer. Got it?

How 'Suspiria' Transformed Tilda Swinton Into an 82-Year-Old Man

By KYLE BUCHANAN

The actress has been secretive about playing 'Lutz Ebersdorf,' but now she comes clean. "Why? For the sheer sake of fun above all."

Though watching some of their worst moments re-enacted has been difficult, Nic, left, and David Sheff say they appreciate how lucky they were to survive.

Fathers and Sons, Reliving on Film the Pain of Addiction

By DAVE ITZKOFF

"Beautiful Boy" blends the memoirs of the recovering addict Nic Sheff and his dad, David, who struggled to help, just as our writer struggled with his father's addiction.