10 Most Anticipated Albums of Fall 2026

10.Judiciary-Stalagmite Angels (Release Date: September 4)

9.Darkest Hour-Suffer Divine (Release Date: October 30)

8.Queens of the Stone Age-Perfecth (Release Date: October 30)

7.Anthrax-Cursum Perficio (Release Date: September 18)

6.Hatebreed-Fatal Paradox (Release Date: November 6)

5.Amon Amarth-The Allfather Awakens (Release Date: October 2)

4.Frontierer-Ultraviolet Parasite (Release Date: October 23)

3.Tove Lo-Estrus (Release Date: September 18)

2.Carly Rae Jepsen-Day and Night (Release Date: September 18)

1.Remi Wolf-Mud (Release Date: October 9)

Also Intend to Listen to:

156/Silence-From a Distance (Release Date: September 4)

Behemoth-I, Scvlptor (Release Date: September 4)

Chat Pile-Who Loves the Sun (Release Date: September 4)

Harrison Gordon-BLISS (Release Date: September 4)

PRESIDENT-Blood of Your Empire (Release Date: September 4)

Brat-Manslayer (Release Date: September 25)

The Ocean-Solaris (Release Date: September 25)

Pain of Truth-Pain of Truth (Release Date: September 25)

Victoria Monét-Frequency of Love (Release Date: October 2)

The Number Twelve Looks Like You-Howls from the Holographic Heart (Release Date: October 16)

Anderson. Paak and Cordae-Heavy is the Crown (Release Date: October 23)

Mental Cruelty-Echoes of a Forlorn Land (Release Date: October 23)

Entheos-Empty on the Inside (Release Date: October 23)

Polyphia-Be Not Afraid (Release Date: October 23)

Northlane-Anemoia (Release Date: October 30)

Carnifex-More Than Misery (Release Date: November 6)

Royal Blood-Dead Company (Release Date: November 13)

10 Most Anticipated Movies of Fall 2026

Unlike damn near everything else in the world right now, the summer of 2026 went very well for the movies. Not only did the box office build upon the positive momentum that materialized during the inaugural portion of the calendar to the point where it's still actively challenging to unseat 2013 as the highest grossing summer slate in history, but there was a steady stream of movies released over the past four months that really resonated with people. 

The fall slate is in an excellent position to keep the good times rolling. Cinephiles can delight in things like the conclusion of Denis Villleneuve's Dune trilogy, finally getting the chance to see the biggest titles that lit up Cannes back in May (Fjord, Club Kid, The Black Ball) and the latest original projects (Wild Horse Nine, Werwulf, Digger) from some of the most beloved auteurs of this century while Avengers: Doomsday alone will be enough to ensure that domestic exhibition clears the $10 billion mark for the first time since 2019. Here are the 10 moves from this exciting multi-faceted September-December slate that I'm most excited to watch.

10.The Debut (December 11):

Jesse Eisenberg's follow-up to the great A Real Pain applies the destructive egomaniacal attitudes of artists to the typically low-stakes world of community theater. Casting a pair of acting titans in Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti to play the roles of the theater's hardo actor and director respectively is an excellent choice that could lead to something really special.

9.Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (September 25):

The MCU Blade movie may have fallen apart, but it didn't hinder the creative partnership between Mahershala Ali and that aborted film's first attached director Bassam Tariq. Their movie that came together after Tariq exited Blade is a character study surrounding a widowed hitman (Ali) raising three kids including an infant who's really struggling to maintain the balance between his personal and professional life. Ali was made for complex roles like this and the balancing act between the dramatic, philosophical and action elements appear to have a lot of potential to be melded into something uniquely compelling.

8.Primetime (September 25)

Playing To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen in a biopic about that now-infamous show that aired on NBC from 2004 to 2007 that looks like it has shades of Nightcrawler to it could be yet another home run for Robert Pattinson and the combination of fearlessness, versatility and commitment that makes him one of the most interesting actors working today. 

7.Street Fighter (October 16)

I've consistently been in awe of how the trailers for Street Fighter have teased a colorful, endearingly campy take on the iconic fighting video game franchise. I remain bullish that Kitao Sakurai (The Eric Andre Show, Bad Trip) is nutty enough to pull this off and will be very bummed if it ends up not being as fun as the marketing has made it seem to be.  

6.Werwulf (December 25)

A Robert Eggers werewolf movie sounds sick as hell and the teaser trailer that came out in late June only further solidified this belief. There are just all sorts of gnarly directions he could take this in, and I can't wait to see just how crazy he goes. 

5.Onslaught (September 4)

Pumping out a pair of successful Godzilla x Kong movies back-to-back earned Adam Wingard the industry cache to return to his scuzzy genre movie roots. Onslaught appears to be operating in a similar tonal territory as The Guest, which is music to my ears as that movie is pure B-movie sicko bliss. Bringing alongside a cast that includes rising stars (Adria Arjona, Drew Starkey), his frequent collaborators (Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall) and some heavyweights from action movies of yesteryear (Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn) only heightens the appeal of this 80's exploitation throwback. 

4.Wild Horse Nine (November 6)

While I'm not confident that Wild Horse Nine will be able to match the brilliance of The Banshees of Inisherin, a new Martin McDonagh movie is always grounds for celebration in my book. Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich are a great oddball buddy pairing and its heavy presence on the festival circuit starting later this week at Venice and Telluride indicates that McDonagh probably has another winner on his hands.   

3.Resident Evil (September 18)

Depending on who you to talk to, Zach Cregger's take on Resident Evil is either on track to be the most exciting or blasphemous big screen adaptation of the popular survival horror/zombie video game franchise to date. Given what Cregger has done since reinventing himself as an excellent horror filmmaker during this decade and his sales pitch of delivering a movie that's basically a real-time mission in the world of the video game that doesn't strictly adhere to any specific narrative or lore, I'm firmly in the former camp. There are some rumblings going around right now that Cregger succeeded in making the movie he set out to make and I'm very excited to discover it for myself in a couple of weeks. 

2.How to Rob a Bank (November 13)

A heist movie falls squarely into the wheelhouse of David Leitch and having the antihero protagonists (Nicholas Hoult, Pete Davidson, Anna Sawai, Rhenzy Feliz) be social media stars who livestream their robberies is an inspired wrinkle that could lead to some dynamic setpieces.  

1.The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth (November 25 theaters/December 23 streaming)

Look, I'm under no delusions that this is a lock to be great. Quentin Tarantino very well could've just sold this script off to add some $$$ to his bank account since he's too much of a coward to direct another movie. That being said, the prospect of David Fincher directing a Tarantino script that also happens to be a spin-off of the excellent Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... is just too damn appealing to me as a fan to put this anywhere but the top spot on this list. 

Also Plan on Seeing:

Fall 2: Deadpoint (September 2)

By Any Means (September 4)

Hope (September 9)

Runner (September 11)

The Uprising (September 11)

The Weight (September 18)

Charlie Harper (September 25)

Forgotten Island (September 25)

Heart of the Beast (September 25)

Beware Boiúna (October 2)                     

Digger (October 2)

Verity (October 2)

Love of Your Life (October 7 theaters/October 14 streaming)

Animals (October 9)

California Schemin' (October 9)

Fjord (October 9)

Misty Green (October 9)

Other Mommy (October 9)

The Social Reckoning (October 9)

The Black Ball (October 16 theaters/December 2 streaming)

Sacrifice (October 16)

Whalefall (October 16)

Ali G: Who Iz I? (October 23)

Clayface (October 23)

Klara and the Sun (October 23)

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (October 23)

Wicker (October 23)

The Mosquito Bowl (October 30 theaters/November 25 streaming)

Club Kid (November 6)

Godzilla Minus Zero (November 6)

I Play Rocky (November 6)

Paper Tiger (November 13)

Victorian Psycho (November 13)

Madden (November 18)

Elsinore (November 20)

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (November 20)

Josephine (November 20)

Focker-in-Law (November 25)

Hexed (November 25)

Behemoth! (December 4)

Violent Night 2 (December 4)

Clarissa (December 11)

Ink (December 11 theaters/January 8 streaming)

Avengers: Doomsday (December 18)

Dune: Part Three (December 18)

Ray Gunn (December 18)

Jumanji: Open World (December 25)

Artificial (TBD) 

A Long Winter (TBD)

Fantasy Football 2026: Most Overvalued Players

Quarterback: Jayden Daniels (Commanders) (ADP:  Yahoo: 54 ESPN: 50.9)

Last season confirmed every fear that people had about Daniels coming into the draft. He simply invites too much contact for a guy that has too slight of a frame to endure the grueling punishment that comes from it and his reckless playing style caused him to miss 10 games with a variety of ailments (knee sprain, dislocated elbow, hamstring strain). In addition to being absent for over half of the 2025 season, Daniels struggled when he was out there, particularly on the accuracy front where his numbers dipped nearly 9% from his standout rookie year (69 to 60.6%). Could Daniels turn it around if he's able to stay healthy this season? Absolutely, but investing a top 50-60 pick on a guy with this many medical red flags that's coming off a very underwhelming season is just bad business. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaxson Dart (Giants), Brock Purdy (49ers), Aaron Rodgers (Steelers)

Running Back: Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals) (ADP: Yahoo: 28.3 ESPN: 22.8)

Outside of Bijan Robinson, Love is my favorite RB prospect of the 2020' thus far. The fluidity in space, vision/patience/burst combo and dual-threat polish that was all over his tape from Notre Dame has me very optimistic that he'll be a force in the NFL for many years to come. With all of that being said, I don't like Love's odds of contributing much as a rookie. The 2026 Cardinals are not looking to win many games as they launch their rebuilding efforts, which likely means they'll be saddled with a whole lot of negative game scripts where running the football becomes frowned upon and there's the very credible threat of him being stuck in an even committee with productive vets James Conner and Tyler Allegier whenever all three backs are healthy. On top of that, Love has lost out on a ton of valuable early reps after suffering a sprained ankle in the first preseason game and may even been in danger of missing their Week 1 game against the Chargers. Unless his ADP drops off a bit over the next week or so due to his ill-timed injury, it's hard to justify coveting him as an RB2 on draft day.

Dishonorable Mentions: Ashton Jeanty (Raiders), Josh Jacobs (Packers), David Montgomery (Texans)

Wide Receiver: Drake London (Falcons) (Yahoo: 19.1 ESPN: 18.5)

The Falcons rewarded London with the big extension (4 years/$141 mil/$100 mil guaranteed) he deserved in early June. Those rewards aren't likely to carry over to the field this season as London and all of his cohorts are stuck with one of the ugliest QB situations in the league heading into this season. Whether it's the rapidly diminishing Tua Tagovailoa or erratic Michael Penix Jr.-who is coming off yet another major injury-under center, it's hard to feel good about London's odds of being in a position to consistently contribute the low-end WR1/high-end WR2 numbers that he's been putting up over the bulk of the past 3 seasons and that makes him a very shaky option for the 2nd round of the draft. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Puka Nacua (Rams), Malik Nabers (Giants), Ladd McConkey (Chargers)

Tight End: Kyle Pitts (Falcons) (Yahoo: 72.9 ESPN: 64.8)

This is a runaway choice for me as it's easy to envision a scenario where all of the tight ends that are going in the top 55 or so (Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren) are the #1 pass-catchers are on their respective offenses this season. Pitts doesn't have that luxury as the aforementioned London and Robinson are clearly ahead of him in the receiving pecking order. The biggest concern surrounding Pitts isn't how many targets will come his way or even the Falcons ugly QB situation, it's the grim reality that he could fall back to earth after an excellent 2025 campaign now that's he secured the payday he was seeking There's really not much difference between taking a chance on Pitts' ability to replicate his 2025 success or waiting a couple of rounds to bet on whether George Kittle or Travis Kelce still have enough left in the tank to put up solid numbers, so why not just spend your 6th or 7th round pick on a QB, RB or WR instead? 

Dishonorable Mentions: Mark Andrews (Ravens), Dallas Goedert (Eagles), Greg Dulcich (Dolphins)

Defense/Special Teams: Patriots (ADP: Yahoo: 127.4 ESPN: 150.4)

The Patriots defense was stout last season, ranking 4th in scoring defense, 9th against the pass and 6th against the run. However, there are a few elephants in the room that need to be pointed out. Their redzone defense was actually the 3rd worst in the league-conceding a TD 67.5% of the time that their opponent got the ball to their 20-YD line, neither their sack (34) or takeaway totals (19) are overly impressive and it's impossible to dispute that their creampuff schedule didn't contribute to their strong YDS/PTS allowed totals. With a much more difficult schedule on paper and very little in the way of meaningful on-field personnel change during the offseason, I believe that they will regress enough in 2026 that their standing as a strong weekly D/ST play will be at risk. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Bears, Lions, Cowboys

Fantasy Football 2026: Most Undervalued Players

Quarterback: Kyler Murray (Vikings) (Yahoo: 111.8 ESPN: 146.5)

One of the most polarizing issues heading into the 2026 NFL season is whether or not the Vikings are going to be good. Arguably the biggest reason why this has become such a fierce topic of debate amongst football fans and media is Murray. The 29-year-old has arrived in Minneapolis with the hopes of revitalizing his career after a largely underwhelming tenure with the Cardinals that got particularly ugly over the past 4 seasons. Given what this piece is all about, you can figure out where I stand on this issue. Kevin O'Connell's track record at maximizing QB productivity since becoming the Vikings HC in 2022 is impeccable. It was just last season that he brought Carson Wentz off the street and guided him to his best stretch of football in 5 years. Before that, he made journeyman backup Josh Dobbs a topic of national conversation for about a month. Compared to these two guys, Murray is elite and he's never been in a situation as good as this at any point of his career. He has the accuracy to be an efficient passer at all levels of the field, the offensive line to prevent him from getting killed and an arsenal of weapons that can make explosive plays with ease if you can get the ball into their hands. If he can stay healthy and get his rushing numbers back into at least the same vicinity that they were in 2024 (572 YDS/5 TD's), Murray is a threat to be a weekly QB1 play. 

Honorable Mentions: Sam Darnold (Seahawks), Jordan Love (Packers), Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers)

Running Back: Bucky Irving (Buccaneers) (Yahoo: 55.2 ESPN: 53.6)

2025 was really the perfect storm of nightmares for Irving. He missed 7 games with shoulder/ankle aliments, the Bucs had a consistently banged up offensive line that saw just 1 of their Week 1 starters play in more than 12 games (center Graham Barton, who started all 17) and a low wattage passing attack that couldn't take any pressure off their struggling run game during the second half of the season. Assuming things don't snowball out of control once again, I like Irving's odds of bouncing back in 2026. New OC Zac Robinson runs a system that mirrors the one he thrived in under Liam Coen in 2024, Baker Mayfield is in full chip-on-the-shoulder mode after the Bucs refused to give him a contract extension in the offseason and most importantly, he has a clean bill of health after never looking quite right upon returning to action last season-which should do wonders for the explosiveness and shiftiness that made him so dangerous during his rookie campaign.  

Honorable Mentions: Jaylen Warren (Steelers), R.J. Harvey (Broncos) Jordan Mason (Vikings)

Wide Receiver: Parker Washington (Jaguars) (Yahoo: 82.1 ESPN: 95.0)

Washington was a revelation for the Jaguars down the stretch last year, hauling in 26 receptions for 454 YDS and 3 TD's over the final 4 games of the regular season. As small as this sample size is, I feel very good about Washington's role in the Jaguars offensive moving forward. The connection between him and Trevor Lawrence in training camp has reportedly been excellent and with Brian Thomas Jr. having such an uneven sophomore campaign, there's a WR1 gap here that Washington is well-positioned to fill. A 70+REC/1,000+ YD/6+ TD season is well within reach for the Penn State product and if he hits those marks, he'll be an incredible value pick. 

Honorable Mentions: Carnell Tate (Titans), Michael Wilson (Cardinals), Jayden Reed (Packers)

Tight End: Isaiah Likely (Giants) (Yahoo: 109.2 ESPN: 127.7)

With Malik Nabers slowly working his way back from a pair of knee surgeries after sustaining a torn ACL last September and Wan'Dale Robinson departing for the Titans in free agency, there's a lack of healthy, experienced veteran pass-catchers on the Giants roster. Enter Likely. John Harbaugh brought Likely with him to East Rutherford for a reason and without having to compete with Mark Andrews for playing time, he should get the targets that largely alluded him during his time with the Ravens. Likely's athleticism allows him to be deployed in a number of ways across the field, and his vertical leaping ability gives Jaxson Dart the redzone threat he lacked last season. His shaky hands and blocking ability could limit his snap count, but the breakout potential remains very real and that's enough for me to justify using a pretty low pick on an intriguing dice roll option at this comically top-heavy position.

Honorable Mentions: Dalton Schultz (Texans), A.J. Barner (Seahawks), Terrance Ferguson (Rams)

Defense/Special Teams: Vikings (Yahoo: 130.7 ESPN: 168.7)

Frankly, I'm beside myself at how low the Vikings D/ST is rated on all of the major fantasy sites. Their defense ranked 7th in points allowed and put up solid sack (49) and takeaway totals (21) in 2025 despite having one of the worst offenses in the league for most of the season and the great Brian Flores is back as DC. A lot would have to go wrong for them to be worse than the solid option they were a year ago and for those who want to wait until the last few rounds to take a D/ST, this is the type of high floor/high ceiling pick you're looking to make. 

Honorable Mentions: Ravens, Jaguars, Chiefs

Movie Review: Mutiny

Jason Statham is the last action star of his ilk still standing. All of his former peers (Stallone Schwarnzegger, Wesley Snipes) have aged out of ass-kicking mode and unlike when he first ventured down this career path with The Transporter 24 years ago, there's no pipeline of younger stars who show up on the big screen twice a year to crack the skulls of various goons set to take the mantle from him when he steps aside. As Statham just turned 59, it's hard to imagine that retirement isn't on the horizon for him. With this mind, I'm going to cherish every moment of Statham's final act as an action star, and his latest Mutiny is no exception. 

As the specifics of the plot are pretty much interchangeable at this point, what really differentiates Statham movies from each other is the tone. Mutiny isn't as stoic as his last effort Shelter or as off-the-wall as The Beekeeper, instead operating in something that resembles a middle ground where its revenge plot is played straight but has a playful streak that becomes pronounced in the final act when the action really picks up. It's a fitting tonal choice for a movie that doesn't waste its time focusing on any plot threads or character motivations that don't directly impact the action that people showed up to see.

Speaking of the action, it sufficiently pops. While its confined container ship setting and much of the plot revolving around a shipping vessel that's being secretly used for human trafficking trying to locate Statham and the one crew member (Annabelle Wallis) who wasn't privy to their operation leads to frequent pauses in the actual combat, director Jean-François-Richet (Plane) steps up big time when it's time for the bodies to start dropping. The close-quarters fighting is really precise and bone crunching and there are some fun moments where Statham reassembles a slasher villain stalking his prey before dispatching in them a brutal manner without them even knowing he was ever there. On top of this, Statham gets to deliver a badass walkoff line before the credits roll that had me grinning on the way out of the theater. In a world where consistency is hard to find, the reliability of Statham is something that I will always admire and it deserves to be remembered as a huge part of his legacy whenever Father Time declares that he's put his last fire axe through the head of a henchman. 

Grade: B
 

Ridley Scott Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Ridley Scott-whose latest project "The Dog Stars" releases in theaters on Thursday. 

Ridley Scott's Filmography Ranked:

21.Exodus: Gods and Kings (D-)

20.Blade Runner (D)

19.Kingdom of Heaven (C-)

18.Hannibal (C-)

17.The Counselor (C-)

16.Alien: Covenant (C-)

15.Body of Lies (B-)

14.Robin Hood (B-)

13.Napoleon (B-)

12.Matchstick Men (B-)

11.House of Gucci (B-)

10.Prometheus (B-)

9.Gladiator II (B)

8.All the Money in the World (B)

7.Black Hawk Down (B)

6.Thelma & Louise (B)

5.The Martian (B+)

4.The Last Duel (B+)

3.Alien (B+)

2.American Gangster (A-)

1.Gladiator (A)

Top Dog: Gladiator (2000)

Through its electrifying, brutal combat sequences and excellent scenery-chewing performances, Gladiator becomes a crowning achievement of macho soap opera cinema. While I'm not as low on it as some other people out there, it's pretty disappointing that Scott could only occasionally recapture this maximalist melodramatic magic on Gladiator II. 

Bottom Feeder: Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

Given all of Scott's experience and success making historical epics across multiple decades, it's hard to fathom how Exodus: Gods and Kings managed to be such a colossal failure. Beyond the horrific castings of Christan Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Ramses, it's easily one of the tedious, aggressively dull movies I've ever watched. Honestly, the only thing about this foul slog that remains in my brain today is the hilarious CGI crocodile attack scene. As erratic as the quality of Scott's movies have been throughout his career, I'm very confident that he won't be able to match this turd for as long as he continues to be able to work.

Most Underrated: The Last Duel (2021)

I've talked extensively in recent years about Scott's ridiculously high output this decade and how the bulk of these movies are uneven projects with flashes of greatness peeking through that probably would've benefited from having more time in the editing room. The lone great movie from this group is The Last Duel. The script from Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Nicole Holfcener sharply weaves together its multi-perspective narrative into a really haunting human drama, Jodie Comer gives an astounding performance as a woman who has to battle through the pain of being a victim of sexual assault in a world full of people who don't believe or care that she was violated and while not exactly subtle in its execution, Scott does a really good job of hammering home just how little has changed between the 14th century and today when it comes to believing a woman when she demonstrates the courage to share with the world that she's been raped. The Last Duel is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+ in the US to coincide with the release of The Dog Stars and if you have the stomach to watch something that deals with such a heavy subject matter, I'd strongly urge you to check it out.  

Most Overrated: Blade Runner (1982)

Before I continue, it needs to be noted that I've only seen the theatrical cut as that was the version that my film studies professor in college elected to show to the class. At some point, I'll watch whichever of the 18 cuts that have been released publicly that people respond to the most and maybe that will change my tune. But for now, I'll continue to be vehemently anti-Blade Runner. All of the god damn voiceover grinds the pacing to a halt, Harrison Ford left all of his charisma at the door for his flat turn as robot-hunting human cop protagonist Rick Deckard and frankly, my interest level in its primary philosophical question of whether or not a machine could ever become human in mind, heart or soul is borderline nonexistent.  

Quick Movie Reviews: Tony, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, The Rivals of Amziah King, The Wrong Girls

Tony: An Anthony Bourdain biopic was inevitable. He was just too famous, compelling and beloved of a figure for Hollywood to not want to dramatize his life. Fortunately, Matt Johnson (Blackberry, Nirvanna the Band the Movie the Show) was the one who got hired to make it and under his guidance, Tony eschews the genre's standard life-to-death formula for a much more meaningful, thoughtful portrait of the late chef/writer/television personality. Set in Provincetown, Massachusetts in the summer of 1973, Tony is part hangout movie, part earnest coming-of-age story centered around a young man struggling to find his way in the world whose punkish behavior unwittingly sends him down the path he was always supposed to take in life. Dominic Sessa does a sensational job of playing the shitbag 20-year-old version of Bourdain who is a charming, thoughtful guy when he's not too busy being an arrogant compulsive liar who's desperate to impress everyone he meets, Antoino Banderas does his best work since Pain & Glory as the compassionate veteran chef/restaurant owner who takes it upon himself to nurture Bourdain's love of food and Leo Woodall often runs away with the whole damn movie as the irredeemable 30-something dirtbag who the young Bourdain idolizes until he realizes just how self-destructive he is. It loses its way a bit whenever it's focusing on the romantic subplot involving Bourdain's crush/eventual first wife Nancy (Emilia Jones) as its narrative framing device that puts the viewer in the shoes of its young adult male protagonist limits her to being not much more than an object for him to lust over despite Jones' best efforts to add some depth to the character, but this is such a small piece of the puzzle in the grand scheme of the movie that the damage ends up being pretty minimal. Tony expands nationwide today and I'd urge anyone that loves Bourdain or just wants to see a good summertime movie to check it out ASAP.

Grade: B+

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: After I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun became a filmmaker that I immediately bought a shitload of stock in. That movie was the product of someone who has a completely singular vision and the utmost confidence in how to bring it to life. Schoenbrun's third feature Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is another wholly unique project that also happens to represent a sharp turn from TV Glow's hypnotic, melancholic surrealist psychological drama. Where TV Glow examined the lives of two high school friends who took divergent paths when confronted with the choice of embracing their true identity, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a story that traffics in the joy of discovering pleasure. As this is a Schoenbrun joint, that pleasure is sexual liberation and it's explored by using the tropes, imagery and fandom of slasher movies. Sound crazy? Well, it very much is and that craziness is a big part of its appeal. Schoenbrun is having a blast using the love/hate relationship they have with the slasher genre and the entire Hollywood horror franchise/legacy sequel machine that they've gained more intimate knowledge of as their upward career trajectory has allowed them to gain access to those rooms as key ingredients in another really personal story about a young filmmaker (Hannah Einbinder) hired to make a reboot of the Camp Miasma slasher franchise (it's basically Friday the 13th-meets-Sleepaway Camp movie that features an androgenous killer with a spear and giant cube-shaped box on their head named "Little Death" who rises from the lake that they were forcibly drowned in years prior to kill any horny idiot that aggress to be a counselor at the adjacent summer camp) who develops an unexpected romantic connection with the elusive star of the original film (Gillian Anderson)-who lives at the abandoned camp where the original film was shot-when she goes to meet with her about the possibility of reprising her role in the new movie. Einbinder and Anderson are terrific at portraying a relationship that evolves from awkward to beautiful over the course of a few days, the slasher aesthetics from the secluded sets to the grainy visuals to the ridiculous kills from the in-universe movie are spectacular homages to the genre's 80's heyday and Schoenbrun is so good at deploying humor that it's hard to believe they hadn't really dabbled with comedy in their previous films. It's so fucking cool that Schoenbrun made something so radically different from TV Glow without losing the specificity of their voice and I can't wait to see what direction they choose to go in for their next movie.    

Grade: B+

The Rivals of Amziah King: Despite being warmly received at its world premiere at SXSW in March of 2025, The Rivals of Amziah King struggled to find a buyer and ended up on the initial slate of the company (Black Bear) that produced it when they launched their US distribution arm late last year. After seeing it, it's just as easy for me to understand why it was warmly received by audiences at SXSW as it is the lack of interest it received from prospective buyers.  Andrew Patterson (The Vast of Night) made something that is character-driven, full of heart, deeply odd and relentlessly unwieldly in ways that are both endearing and aggravating. At its most basic level, it's a movie about a beekeeper/musician/pillar of his rural Oklahoma community named Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) who begins to mentor his former foster daughter (Angelina LookingGlass) after having a surprise reunion with her at the diner she's working at. McConaughey is completely in his element as this eccentric, kind and wise man whose zest for life despite all of the hardships he's endured is contagious. Not since The Beach Bum has a film better utilized the easygoing charisma and open heart that makes McConaughey such a magnetic screen presence. When the narrative shifts from loose episodic drama to crime/heist territory in the second half, the film's shaggy appeal dampens a bit as these previously very likable characters kind of clumsily morph into morally ambiguous entities at the drop of a hat and LookingGlass is too stoic of a screen presence to shoulder the emotional weight that she's asked to carry. While I'm not confident there's any version of this movie that would be truly great given how messy and silly the storytelling is on a structural level, it definitely could've improved a bit if Patterson took some more care in mapping out the abrupt evolution of its main characters and picked a more capable actor to join McConaughey in the co-leading role.

Grade: B

The Wrong Girls: Bookending this piece with pure hangout movies is a fun little coincidence that is perfect for this stretch of the calendar. The Wrong Girls is a true throwback stoner comedy that revels in the power of friendship and being silly. Writer/director Dylan Meyer establishes a really laid-back atmosphere that perfectly mirrors the attitudes of its slacker protagonists (Kristen Stewart, Alia Shawkat) as a case of mistaken identity and misplaced curiosity about the contents of the briefcase they were handed as a result leads to these chill gals suddenly finding themselves in the crosshairs of some very powerful people. Stewart and Shawkat are absolutely delightful together as they bumble their way through being pursued by dangerous forces with a whole lot of effervescent idiocy and (platonic) love, the revolving door of famous faces (LaKeith Stanfield, Zack Fox, Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, Kate McKinnon, Tony Hale) who show up or lend their voices to portray the supporting characters all manage to get some laughs off in their limited time on screen and Todd Banhazi's warm kaleidoscopic cinematography is sneakily some of the best I've seen all year long. The worst thing I can say about The Wrong Girls is that it's more of a consistent smirk and chuckle movie than a truly laugh-out-loud one. Alas, it was still a good time at the movies and I'm glad that Meyer was able to get a stoner comedy to the big screen in 2026. 

Grade: B