September 25, 2026
With the calendar turning to fall earlier this week, we have officially begun the mad sprint to movie awards season. For the next six months, there will be an avalanche of new releases and storylines of contenders rising and falling as we head to the 99th Academy Awards in March. I have been refining my watchlist over the last few weeks and let’s just say that I (as a movie completist) have an unhealthy number of films I am hoping to see over the next several months.
A number of the emerging contenders screened at the four big film festivals held in September. Venice, Toronto, Telluride, and New York (which begins today) featured several titles that are looking to nudge their way into the awards discussion. The leader for Best Picture right now is still The Odyssey, with Project Hail Mary, The Invite and (maybe, just maybe) Obsession as contenders for a nomination for the big prize among movies we’ve already seen. As for upcoming titles, here are some big ones to add to your watchlist.
- Next week, we will see if the hype around Tom Cruise’s performance as a wacky billionaire trying to save the world will lead to Oscar glory in Digger. The Academy loves director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, as we saw with 2014’s Best Picture winner Birdman, but I am skeptical. This smells like Mickey 17, in which a talented actor tries something wacky (Robert Pattinson in that instance) for an Oscar-winning director, in a film that is wildly misguided. But I’ll be there next Friday to check it out.
- John Malkovich is earning rave reviews (including a Best Actor win in Venice) for his performance in the dark comedy Wild Horse Nine, the newest picture from writer-director Martin McDonagh. His last film, 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin, was one of my favorites of that year, so I am looking forward to seeing Wild Horse Nine in theaters in early November. This one seems like a lock for a Best Picture nomination.
- This year’s true-story crowd pleaser is I Play Rocky, starring relative newcomer Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone in the story of how he wrote and starred in the 1976 Best Picture winner that made him a household name. The film was a big hit in Toronto, and could make a run at Best Picture, an award that director Peter Farrelly took home in 2018 for Green Book. I Play Rocky will be in theaters in November.
- Jesse Eisenberg is back behind the camera for the comedy-musical The Debut, his follow up to 2024’s A Real Pain, which delivered Kieran Culkin a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Julianne Moore has emerged as the frontrunner for her second Best Actress trophy as a suburban housewife trying to make it in a community theater production led by Paul Giamatti, a contender for Best Supporting Actor. The Debut has received strong reviews after its screenings in Telluride and Toronto, so look for it in theaters in early December.
- Back in May, three pictures premiered to strong reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, including the domestic drama Fjord, which won the Palme d’Or, the top prize at Cannes. Fjord will get a slow rollout in theaters beginning in October. The comedy-drama Club Kid, about a party promoter who has to take care of the 10 year-old son he didn’t know about, received universal acclaim and will hit theaters in November. Lastly, Netflix scooped up the rights to La Bola Negra, a multi-generational drama that looks to be a strong Oscar contender. The streaming service is even taking the unusual step of giving the film a 45-day run in theaters (starting in mid-October), before you can see La Bola Negra on Netflix in early December.
- The film that made the biggest noise at the fall festivals was the surprise movie at Telluride. The audience who sat down that day (most of them anyway) had no idea what they were in for, only that it was a three hour movie and they had to surrender their phones before taking their seats. They were then treated to You Can See Everything, a documentary (or a mockumentary?) about Theranos founder (and convicted criminal) Elizabeth Holmes, directed by Nathan Fielder. He is best known for his HBO series Nathan for You and The Rehearsal, as well as the limited series The Curse. He is offbeat, incredibly creative, and (to some) batshit crazy. I am doing everything I can to avoid learning anything about this film (Variety’s review apparently spoiled a major detail), but am eager to see it when it debuts in theaters next month.
Those are just a few of the dozens of new releases on my watchlist, some of which I am hoping to see at the Philadelphia Film Festival next month. The day the program is announced is like my Christmas morning. What can I say? I’m a movie nerd, but at least I can admit it. I’ll keep you posted on other new releases to keep an eye out for, but for now, let’s take a look at some recent new releases that I was able to catch this month, starting with a terrific music documentary that is great, even for the casual fan.
A Tale of Two Brothers – Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger
I was only mildly intrigued when I heard about the documentary / concert film that gave audiences a peek behind the stage at the Oasis reunion tour that thrilled fans last year. I am not an avid follower of Oasis, only know the big hits, and my knowledge of them is very limited. I know that the Gallagher brothers (lead singer Liam and songwriter-guitarist Noel) became very popular with their debut album, but frequently fought (mostly due to Liam acting like a proper wanker), ultimately leading to the band’s breakup in 2009. Oh yeah, I also recall times early in their career when they claimed to be better than The Beatles and U2. Again, wanker behavior.
The announcement of their global reunion tour was met with acclaim from fans who were thrilled to see them perform again. So, it seemed like a no-brainer to make a movie about it. Another reason I wasn’t sure if I would be able to see Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger is that its release date coincided with my annual pilgrimage to the Gorge. More on that in a minute. Nevertheless, it was still playing in my local IMAX theater when I returned and I decided to buy a ticket to see what the fuss was about. Let me just say that I was thrilled with the experience.
Directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern made some very smart choices in crafting this film. First, they didn’t focus on all of the bullshit between the two brothers. We get a quick recap of the band’s history in the opening minutes, and then we get right to the first rehearsal for the reunion tour. Noel is understandably nervous because Liam is (predictably) very late. We hear (in voiceover) Noel talk about how he worried if all of the stress and anger from the past would rear its ugly head and torpedo any chance they have for a successful tour. Liam shows up, the band rips through some songs (sounding incredible), he decides he’s done for the day, and heads out. The reunion has begun.
The second great aspect of Don’t Look Back in Anger is that the directors mix in outstanding concert footage of the band running through the setlist and the adoring fans losing their minds, interspersed with personal stories of fans in some of the larger cities they played. The fans talk about what the band meant to them and their country, and then we get right back to the concert footage. The stories are not self-indulgent and they don’t last too long – they are just long enough to give us a breather between the songs.
It was also nice to realize, both from explicit comments Liam and Noel make and the footage of their interactions on stage, that they have come to terms with their relationship. There are no fights depicted, which would have felt salacious, even if they did happen on the tour. It genuinely feels like they have reconciled and are having a blast playing music together again (to prove the point, they just announced another tour in 2027.) Who would have guessed that getting to your 50s gives you some perspective about what’s really important in life? Even if I am just a casual (at best) fan of Oasis, this was a fantastic time at the movies. Look for Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger to be available on Hulu and Disney+ in the coming months. I may watch it again because I love the tunes, and I am an absolute sucker for the power of a live band. Speaking of which…
Let’s Run It Back
Earlier this month, I was fortunate to make my third trip out to the Gorge to see Dave Matthews Band in the most beautiful location to see talented musicians show off their craft. If you wonder how glorious the views are, just look at the picture at the top of my website homepage. If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know that DMB concludes their annual summer tour with three shows at the Gorge over Labor Day weekend. Why on Earth do you need to see the same band play three nights in a row? Well, they change their setlist every night and when they play multiple stops in the same city, they don’t repeat any songs. During this year’s tour, DMB played 146 different songs over the course of 35 shows. You literally have no idea what they will play on any given night.
We were once again joined by our son and his fiancée, their four friends, my sister and two cousins, one of whom was making his first trip to Heaven’s Amphitheater. After last year’s magical second show, in which the band played their best album in its entirety and I lost my mind (thankfully there is no video evidence of this – as far as you know), we had no idea what to expect. As we gathered on the lawn to take in the beautiful view, our anticipation grew and we were rewarded with one of their oldest songs to kick off the weekend. It was actually the same song they opened last year’s first show with, so we were kind of caught off guard. Then we got really shocked. Their sax player, Jeff Coffin, started playing a solo, which none of us recognized. You have to understand that most of our group are psycho fans who can spot a song within the first few notes. But our son’s friend spotted it after a few seconds. “It’s Grux!” he exclaimed. “What?!?!” we all responded.
A little background. Back in 2008, the band’s original saxophonist and founding member, LeRoi Moore, died after suffering injuries in an accident. The band’s next album was dedicated to him, and featured several songs inspired by their friendship and years of writing songs together. The opening track to that album was Grux, a sax solo that Moore had recorded in the studio before he died. Including it on the album was a tribute to their fallen comrade, but it had never been played live. And leave it to the sax player in my son’s DMB tribute band to spot the song when it began. Nice call, Charlie. As the beautiful solo ended, we all exchanged glances and realized that the band was going to play that album in its entirety. And while I wouldn’t consider Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King one of my favorite DMB albums, it was a really cool experience to watch the band stretch themselves again.
The rest of the weekend was filled with more amazing highlights. The band brought out several guests on some of their old classics, as well as some terrific cover songs. Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready guested on Led Zeppelin’s Fool in the Rain, to everyone’s surprise and delight. We heard violinists add brilliant accompaniments to several songs, which have been missing that sound since the band departed with their founding member and violinist back in 2018.
I was beyond thrilled at everything I heard and had some truly fun memories emerge throughout the weekend. Hearing bluegrass musician Sierra Hull guest on the beautiful Long Black Veil (video here), Dave’s new song Papertown (video here), and the DMB classic Spoon (video here). Telling my sister to get excited as I heard the drum solo before her favorite song, Ants Marching, which included a memorable dueling violin solo (video here). Seeing my two cousins jump in unison while dancing to the weekend’s concluding song Two Step (video here). Sharing so many laughs and amazement of the talents of this band with my son, his fiancée and their friends, who thankfully put up with the “older folks” in the group. We truly made so many great memories.
As we finished up another exhausting weekend at the Gorge, my wife and I flew down to California to visit our daughter, who just moved into a new apartment with her girlfriend. Once we got over the change in temperature (60 degrees in Washington to 107 in California!), we had a wonderful time. We are so proud of her decision to take this next step in her life, even if it means having to see her on FaceTime a lot more than in person these days. I know we will have a chat tonight as today is her birthday!
We also had a great dinner at her girlfriend’s family’s house, sharing many laughs, and delicious food. We are so fortunate that they have taken her in as another daughter. It definitely helps us sleep easier at night, knowing that even though she is 3,000 miles away, she has another support system close by. Plus, it gives us more opportunities to head out west to visit her and see other areas of the country that are relatively close by. Grand Canyon? Utah? Vancouver? Another visit to Yellowstone? A return trip to the Gorge? Time will tell, but for now I’m going to bask in the memories of this outstanding trip. Let’s get back to some movie talk.
He’s Done It Again – Resident Evil
One of my favorite experiences in a theater was four years ago when I sat down to watch a movie I knew very little about, except the brief synopsis I saw online. Barbarian was the textbook definition of “Go in knowing as little as possible” and writer-director Zach Cregger delivered a fantastic horror-thriller with several “WTF” moments. Last year’s brilliant Weapons showed that we may have a new talented filmmaker on our hands and now with the release of Resident Evil, Cregger is officially an “appointment” director, alongside Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig, and Damien Chazelle. When they announce a new movie, I will be there on opening day.
Some in Hollywood were surprised that Cregger would tackle a video-game adaptation as his follow-up to Weapons, especially one that has had several iterations already hit the big screen, mostly to less-than-stellar results. But Cregger had an original idea, wanted to craft it around the world of the zombie-monster video game, and the studio quickly said yes.
Austin Abrams, who played the junkie in Weapons, stars as Bryan, a deliveryman tasked with bringing urgent medical items from one hospital to another. One night he is out in a blinding snowstorm and runs over a woman who stumbles out into the road in front of his car. The incident sets off a chain reaction in which Bryan is suddenly thrust into the middle of a zombie-monster apocalypse that recently broke out.
With Resident Evil, Cregger has delivered a fun comedy-horror movie that is equally terrifying, funny, and downright gross (in a good way). The film is a relentless thrill ride, coming in at a brisk 90 minutes, and we barely have time to catch our breath as we watch Bryan face challenge after challenge. Which brings up an interesting point. At times, it feels like you are watching Bryan in a video game as he faces tasks to complete and obstacles to overcome, but that’s not derogatory – it’s more a subtlety that Cregger brings to the filmmaking choices, and I loved it.
Abrams is magnificent, pretty much carrying the whole movie on his back, displaying a wide range of emotions. He has to act terrified, execute some clever action sequences, all while delivering perfectly timed jokes that let the audience breathe and have a laugh after being terrified. I give Cregger a lot of credit for creating a perfect balance throughout the film. Had someone like Ryan Reynolds been cast in this role, with his smarmy delivery of jokes, it would have been a disaster. Kind of like Reynolds’ new movie on Apple. If you haven’t watched Mayday yet, please don’t. And if you have, I’m sorry you wasted two hours of your life you won’t get back. I rarely like to shit on a movie, but that one downright sucked.
Throughout Resident Evil, I found myself covering my eyes several times (I cannot overstate how gnarly some of these scenes are, but in a hilarious way), jumping out of my seat a few times, and laughing my ass off at our hopeless protagonist, who is just trying to figure shit out and deliver his precious cargo. If you love horror movies and are not afraid of some gross sequences, Resident Evil is your must-see choice for Scary Movie Season. Cregger is now three-for-three in my book, and his next film (The Flood, coming in 2028) has been described as a cross between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Aliens. Sign me up. Resident Evil is now playing in theaters.
A Charming Romcom – Finding Emily
We often lament the lack of quality romantic comedies these days. Sure, there are dozens of them released on your average streaming services each year, but do any of them actually resonate after you watch them? Last month, I wrote about my disappointment with One Night Only that featured a plot device so outrageous that it was a distraction from the two hot leading actors doing the “will they or won’t they” dance that we usually like in these movies. So, I was hopeful about a new entrant in the genre, which had strong reviews upon its release in England earlier this year. I’m happy to report that Finding Emily is a winning story that works primarily due to the chemistry and likability of the two leading actors.
In the opening sequence of Finding Emily, our protagonist Owen meets the love of his life, while working at a London club near a university. He gets her first name (Emily), but only a partial phone number, and sets out to find her anyway that he can. He soon befriends another Emily, a psychology student desperate to find a topic for her thesis so she can graduate. She decides that Owen’s dedication to the concept of “true love” would be a good subject, so she helps him with his mission, but doesn’t tell him her true intentions.
Now, Finding Emily has a number of romantic-comedy tropes that you can see coming a mile away, and normally I find that annoying while watching a new film. But I genuinely enjoyed this one, and I think that’s primarily due to the charming performances from Spike Fearn (as Owen) and Angourie Rice (as Emily). They play two characters who begin with a certain set of beliefs, but are challenged to think differently as they become closer, and the actors have great chemistry together. The film also features a few fun subplots, including one where Owen accidentally emails every woman named Emily at the university, setting off a hysterical chain reaction of offended students. The story perfectly captures the tone of today’s Gen Z culture of dating and social media. In addition to Fearn and Rice, the film features a number of terrific supporting actors to round out the cast. If you are looking for a charming romantic comedy, I give this one a strong recommendation. Finding Emily is now available to rent on demand.
The Best Movie You (Probably) Haven’t Heard About – The Weight
I frequently write that I think Leonardo DiCaprio, as much as he is recognized as a megawatt movie star, is actually underrated as an actor. I think it’s fair to say that Ethan Hawke is right up there with Leo in the talent department, and someone we take for granted. Regardless of the type of role he takes, and he works a lot, Hawke is always interesting in the projects he chooses. And that is certainly the case with his newest picture, the action-adventure, The Weight, co-starring Russell Crowe.
As the Depression-era film opens, we see Samuel (Hawke) struggling to raise his young daughter. He can’t find a job, has no money, and they are evicted from their apartment. While looking for work, he is accosted by a group of men, and is arrested for assaulting an officer. His daughter is taken away from him and he is sent to work in a prison work group, run by Crowe’s character. He takes a liking to Samuel and thinks he could help him with a scheme he is cooking up. He wants a group of prisoners to rob a Federal Reserve gold storage facility, but it’s not an easy job. They must traverse a dangerous jungle to escape and as the plot unfolds, we see many obstacles in their path. Samuel agrees to the scheme, as long as he can be released and regain custody of his daughter, once their job is finished.
The Weight is the directorial debut of Padraic McKinley, and is a terrific thriller with excellent acting performances. Hawke portrays the introverted Samuel, who is forced to take on a leadership role in the heist, with grit and determination. He has only one thing on his mind – getting his daughter back. Everything else is secondary. Crowe plays a nice counterbalance as the crooked warden, out to earn some money off of the robbery. The film is also littered with a number of character actors portraying the other prisoners and guards. The story is a good combination of thrills in the Oregon woods and a working-class story of men trying to get a better life in the middle of the Depression.
The most important aspect of The Weight that grabbed my attention was the incredible cinematography. The film was shot on location in Germany, standing in for Oregon. Sidebar: This happens more and more these days because it is so much cheaper to shoot in Europe than the U.S. But the locations still look terrific and it’s a good reminder of how wonderful a movie can look when it is filmed outside and not in a soundstage or in front of a green screen.
It’s unlikely you will hear about The Weight, but this is why I’m here – to bring your attention to terrific movies that are worth watching. The Weight is now playing in limited theaters and should be available to rent on demand in October. Speaking of great movies you might not have heard of, one of my favorites of 2026 is now streaming on Paramount+, and also available to rent on demand. Tuner is a great heist movie starring Leo Woodall as a piano tuner who starts using his strong hearing skills to get into safe-cracking that I covered here. So, there you go – you get two recommendations for the price of one.
A Generational Actor – Primetime
There are two clear acting MVPs of 2026 cinema – Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson. The two co-starred in my favorite movie of 2026, The Odyssey. She also starred in the monster hit The Devil Wears Prada 2, the indie drama Mother Mary, and has the domestic thriller Verity coming next weekend. He was brilliant in The Drama opposite Zendaya, and will play another villain in Dune: Part Three later this year. This weekend, Pattinson demonstrates why he is one of our best actors working today with his leading performance in Primetime.
Pattinson plays Chris Hansen, the host of Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator series in the early 2000s. The film is focused on the time period when Hansen was on a roll and given a primetime slot on NBC’s schedule as his investigative show became more popular. In case you aren’t familiar with the premise, the show set up sting operations where predatory adults were recruited online to come to a house in the guise of meeting an underage boy or girl for sexual activities. Just when the individual was getting comfortable in the house, Hansen would appear, alongside cameramen to film their arrest by nearby police officers. On the one hand, the show was getting criminal deviants off the street, but it was also the kind of show that made you feel like you needed a shower if you watched it. Just truly the worst of mankind on display.
The story of To Catch a Predator was covered in the excellent 2025 documentary Predators, which included interviews with Hansen himself. That film demonstrated how the public fascination with true-crime stories has increased exponentially in the two decades since Hansen appeared every week on NBC. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the most popular shows and movies on Netflix – it’s a glut of true-crime programs. I’ve never been interested in these stories as I find them too depressing and exploitative. Despite those feelings, I had no hesitation in seeing Primetime earlier today when it debuted in theaters, primarily because of the actor at the center of the film.
Pattinson is just incredible in this role, depicting Hansen as someone who is obsessed with what he views as his mission to rid the world of monsters targeting children. Oh, and getting a sweet primetime slot to potentially take down Lost is certainly an added bonus. He neglects his family, tries to keep his mistress from going off the deep end, and desperately attempts to maintain the show’s momentum. He is supported by two terrific performances in Merritt Wever as his producer, and Skyler Gisondo as one of the decoys used to entice the predators to come to the sting house.
The story of To Catch a Predator has several layers, including the ethics of the methods used by Hansen and the show’s producers, which are probably covered in the documentary better, which is just fine. Director Lance Oppenheim chose to focus the story of Primetime on Hansen himself, his motivations, his ego, and the destructive descent in which he spirals. He demonstrates the dinginess of this world in a perfect way, with his use of grainy film, dark colors, and extreme close-ups of his characters. The look also allows Oppenheim to seamlessly transition from the real world scenes to sequences airing on NBC. Primetime is his first narrative feature film, after directing several documentaries. He also partnered with Nathan Fielder on directing You Can See Everything, which makes me even more excited to see that one. You’re not meant to feel happy in the world Oppenheim has created for Primetime. You’re meant to experience the disgusting nature of the world of child predators and a group of television employees chasing what they feel is a noble mission, along with higher television ratings. Magnificent performances from Pattinson, Wever, and Gisondo, along with top-notch filmmaking makes Primetime a must-see for fans of great cinema. Primetime is now playing in theaters.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next month for a look at more new movie releases, including The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin’s follow up to The Social Network, Tom Cruise in Digger (of course), the Colleen Hoover book adaptation Verity with Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, and a report from the Philadelphia Film Festival. Thanks for reading and if you would like to be notified about future posts, you can subscribe below.