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

March 6, 2020

By Stephanie Goodman

Film Editor

Hi, film fans!

I saw “The Invisible Man” last weekend, with its lingering shots of seemingly ordinary doorways and corners, and now when I walk into an empty room, I can’t help but think: Is someone here?

It’s been a nerve-racking week in general as reports about the coronavirus grow. In movieland, the release of the next James Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” was postponed from April to November, and Netflix canceled its plans to bring movies and shows to the South by Southwest Film Festival next week. Then again, Disney and Paramount are reportedly still moving forward with the March domestic openings of “Mulan” and “A Quiet Place Part II.” We’ll keep you posted on developments as they happen.

And there is good news: This week sees the release of two western-like movies our critics are crazy about: “First Cow,” from Kelly Reichardt, the master of restraint, and “Bacurau,” from the Brazilian great Kleber Mendonça Filho and his fellow filmmaker Juliano Dornelles.

Other notable releases this week include “Onward,” a Pixar tale of two brothers, “The Way Back,” the drama starring Ben Affleck as an alcoholic coach, and “The Banker,” the Apple TV Plus period film with Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson.

See you at the movies!

CRITIC’S PICK

Allyson Riggs/A24

Critic’s Pick

‘First Cow’ Review: The Milk of Human Kindness

Set in the mid-19th-century Oregon Territory, Kelly Reichardt’s latest film is a fable, a western, a buddy picture and a masterpiece.

By A.O. Scott

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MOVIE REVIEWS

‘The Way Back’ Review: Seeking Redemption on the Basketball Court

Ben Affleck stars in this film that has the outward trappings of an inspirational sports drama, but is primarily a recovery movie.

By Ben Kenigsberg

‘Onward’ Review: An Expected Journey

This road movie set in a world of elves has its moments, but by Pixar standards, it doesn’t quite cast a spell.

By Ben Kenigsberg

critic’s pick

‘Sorry We Missed You’ Review: The Human Toll of That One-Click Buy

In this Ken Loach film, a British family that’s barely getting by faces the peril that is the gig economy.

By Wesley Morris

‘The Banker’ Review: Wheeling and Dealing Toward Equality

Anthony Mackie plays an entrepreneur who takes on white power in the civil rights era with Samuel L. Jackson as his ally.

By Manohla Dargis

‘The Burnt Orange Heresy’ Review: Modern Art, Misogyny and Murder

Mick Jagger returns to the big screen in his first non-cameo feature role in almost 20 years in this Giuseppe Capotondi film.

By Glenn Kenny

‘Swallow’ Review: Objects in Stomach May Be Sharper Than They Appear

Haley Bennett plays a woman whose dangerous new habit is presented as a way to gain control over her life.

By Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

NEWS & FEATURES

inside the outbreak

Making a Plague Movie, With Coronavirus on the Doorstep

A British film crew shooting in Italy suddenly found concern about the coronavirus encroaching, including a text from the director’s mother.

By Alex Marshall

New James Bond Movie, ‘No Time to Die,’ Delayed Amid Coronavirus Concerns

The latest in the series was scheduled to open in April. Now it will open in November.

By Dave Itzkoff

Defiant Iranian Directors Speak Out About Censorship, Onscreen and Off

Mohammad Rasoulof, whose new movie won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival, is one of several filmmakers who have grown more outspoken as Iran clamps down on artistic expression.

By Sara Aridi

Actors Walk Out After Roman Polanski Wins Best Director at France’s Oscars

The director, who has a history of accusations of sexual assault, won for the film “J’accuse.”

By Alex Marshall

I’m a Grown Man, and ‘The Invisible Man’ Made Me Scream

A disorienting scene midway through the film shocked even a seasoned horror fan. Here are five more films that took gruesome detours down the right path.

By Erik Piepenburg