Week 8 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

 Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Joe Burrow (Bengals)

Nothing demonstrates just how wacky the shootout between the Bengals and Titans that ended in an OT victory for Cincinnati was better than Burrow's comically busy statline (462 YDS, 5 TD's, 3 INT's, 3 CAR, 10 YDS, TD). Burrow will probably have a much less interesting performance in Week 9 when the Bengals travel to Madrid to take on the Falcons.

Honorable Mentions: Kirk Cousins (Raiders), Josh Allen (Bills), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Biggest Loser: Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals)

Brissett streamers could only watch in horror as the Cardinals journeyman QB got benched late in the 3rd quarter after struggling mightily (119 YDS, INT, 7 Rushing YDS) against the Cowboys creampuff defense and Gardner Minshew delivered everything (188 YDS, 3 TD's, 0 INT's) they were hoping for in this matchup as soon as he entered the game. Unsurprisingly, Minshew was named the Cardinals starting QB for their Week 9 contest with the Seahawks and Brissett-who also got passed by rookie Carson Beck on the depth chart-seems like a lock to get traded to the Ravens in the coming days as they try to salvage their season in the wake of Lamar Jackson's (likely) season-ending thumb injury. If/when Brissett ends up in Baltimore, he could be a sneaky decent fantasy option for anyone that is in a pickle at QB right now. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Matthew Stafford (Rams), Jayden Daniels (Commanders), Jared Goff (Lions)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Bhayshul Tuten (Jaguars)

It was a career day for Tuten against the Colts on Sunday as he ran for 104 YDS and a score on 16 carries and caught 2 passes for 55 YDS and another TD. He popped up on the injury report yesterday with ankle/foot ailments, so his status will need to be monitored ahead of the Jaguars TNF showdown with the reeling Ravens.

Honorable Mentions: Tony Pollard (Titans), D'Andre Swift (Bears), Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Jonathan Taylor (Colts)

If this ends up being the last time Taylor puts on a Colts uniform, it would be one of the worst send-offs we've seen for a star player in recent memory. Taylor only handled 12 touches (8 carries, 4 receptions) as the suddenly tanking Colts got run off the field by the AFC South-leading Jaguars and that limited workload wasn't exactly fruitful as he picked up 47 scrimmage YDS and lost a fumble. Taylor's Week 9 fate will fully depend on whether or not he's still in Indianapolis. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Javonte Williams (Cowboys), Quinshon Judkins (Browns), Omarion Hampton (Chargers)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Tee Higgins (Bengals)

Higgins slightly outproduced Ja'Marr Chase to take the crown on this massive day for the Bengals passing attack, hauling in an impressive 10-of-11 targets for 155 YDS and 2 TD's. Higgins has been on a ridiculous tear of late-clearing 145 YDS in 3 of his last 4 games and should have a solid chance to extend his hot streak against a pretty average Falcons pass D in Week 9.

Honorable Mentions: Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals), Michael Wilson (Cardinals), Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Seahawks)

Biggest Loser: Zay Flowers (Ravens)

Flowers went down with the ship on Sunday in Orchard Park as a horrendous stroke of bad luck saw Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley go down with serious injuries in the 1st half and forced undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano into action. The Ravens top wideout ended up failing to catch any of the 5 targets that came his way in the blowout loss to the Bills and with Fagnano locked into the starting role in the interim, is at serious risk of putting up another dud in this Thursday's game against the Jags.

Dishonorable Mentions: Drake London (Falcons), Parker Washington (Jaguars), DK Metcalf (Steelers)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Brock Bowers (Raiders)

Kirk Cousins got back on track in Week 8 after a couple of rough outings back-to-back and the biggest reason why was his commitment to getting Bowers the ball. The Raiders top pass-catcher showed up whenever his team needed a big play in their back-and-forth showdown in East Rutherford with the Jets, registering 7 receptions for 92 YDS and 2 TD's. Bowers could be in for a much tougher day at the office on Sunday when they head back to the West Coast to take on the 49ers.

Honorable Mentions: Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns), Trey McBride (Cardinals), Dalton Kincaid (Bills)

Biggest Loser: Kyle Pitts (Falcons)

It was a less-than-ideal day to throw the football in the relentless pouring rain in Tampa Bay as evidenced by Baker Mayfield only throwing 3 passes and not completing any of them as the Bucs relied on their rushing attack, defense and kicking game to beat the Falcons 16-0. In what is kind of a cruel joke given the weather conditions that impacted this game, Pitts is the only player from either team that ended up in this slot this week-as he caught just 2-of-5 targets for 6 YDS. Pitts will be seeking redemption this week against a Bengals defense that is coming off an ugly performance where they allowed Cam Ward to throw for a career-high 304 YDS without top WR Carnell Tate in the lineup.  

Dishonorable Mentions: Tyler Warren (Colts), Sam LaPorta (Lions), Dallas Goedert (Eagles)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Jaguars

Playing a team that is already waving the white flag on their season proved to be just what the Jaguars defense needed to return to form after a tough showing in London against the Texans in their last game 2 weeks ago. Anthony Campanile's group did a little of bit everything to terrorize the Colts, picking up 4 sacks, 2 INT's (including a pick 6 by Rayuan Lane right before halftime) and a fumble recovery in a 42-7 victory. They should be a top option once again this week when they go against the Joe Fagnano-led Ravens.

Honorable Mentions: Steelers, Rams, Commanders

Biggest Loser: Seahawks

The top scoring defense in the league heading into action this week got completely outclassed on their home field by the Bears offense last night. A lone sack and fumble recovery were the sole highlights for the "Hawks as Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson and co. found a frankly stunning level of success against them in a 34-17 loss that brought the defending champs back down to a .500 record. A matchup with the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon presents them with an excellent opportunity to shake off the shell shock from this outing and return to their typical dominant form. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Broncos, Chiefs, Bengals

Bill Hader 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 Bill Hader-whose latest project "The Cat in the Hat" releases in theaters on Thursday.

Bill Hader's Filmography Ranked:

30.Year One (D)

29.You, Me and Dupree (C-)

28.It: Chapter Two (C-)

27.The Addams Family 2 (C)

26.They Came Together (C)

25.The To Do List (C)

24.Inside Out (C)

23.Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (B-)

22.Lightyear (B-)

21.Beau is Afraid (B)

20.Monsters University (B)

19.Adventureland (B)

18.The Brothers Solomon (B)

17.Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (B)

16.Finding Dory (B)

15.Paul (B)

14.Pineapple Express (B)

13.Power Rangers (B)

12.IF (B+)

11.Men in Black III (B+)

10.Sausage Party (B+)

9.Forgetting Sarah Marshall (B+)

8.Tropic Thunder (B+)

7.The Skeleton Twins (B+)

6.Trainwreck (A-)

5.Toy Story 4 (A-)

4.Knocked Up (A)

3.Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (A)

2.Superbad (A+)

1.Hot Rod (A+)

Top Dog: Hot Rod (2007)

Hot Rod isn't just a movie that made me laugh a ton, it recalibrated my entire sense of humor. Ever since I saw this in an effectively empty theater on a rainy August afternoon 19 years ago, I've gravitated towards comedy that is offbeat, absurd and playful more than anything else. This huge revelation paired with its endless rewatchability is why Hot Rod is my favorite comedy of all time.

Bottom Feeder: Year One (2009)

Seeing a legend like the late Harold Ramis go out on a note as disastrous as Year One is a serious bummer. His Book of Genesis spoof is one of those rare comedies where the material is so weak that it drains the powers of its actors to the point where it becomes impossible for them to help improve it. What makes this particular case of this rare cinematic phenomenon so mystifying is how Ramis was able to pull it off with a cast that features a deep roster of stellar comedic performers including Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, Oliver Platt, David Cross and Hank Azaria that have been elevating projects throughout their careers. That would be like if you put Tyrese Maxey, Shai Gilegous-Alexander, Cooper Flagg, Jayson Tatum and Victor Wembanya on the floor together and they were so out of sync with each other that they lost to a group of guys who play together once a week at their local rec center. Alas, bad miracles somehow find a way to happen and Year One is among the most egregious I've ever seen. 

Most Underrated: The Skeleton Twins (2014)

One of the biggest highlights of my time watching Saturday Night Live was watching Hader and Kristen Wiig work together. It's just so rare to watch two performers have such a fundamental understanding of each other that they can make any situation feel natural. Seeing them explore the dynamic they built at 30 Rock in a dramatic piece of work made me develop an even deeper appreciation for their beautiful creative partnership. They navigate the complicated relationship between twin siblings who have become estranged as adults after being inseparable as kids with the utmost grace, and their ability to find the honesty in these character's earnest efforts to reconnect in the face of immense tragedy is the main reason The Skeleton Twins doesn't drift into clunky melodramatic territory.  

Most Overrated: Inside Out (2015)

Full disclosure: I haven't seen Inside Out since its initial release and did enjoy the sequel quite a bit, so it's very possible that my opinion on it has changed. However, my current feelings towards it are very blah. The big emotional arc involving Richard Karn's imaginary friend character Bing Bong didn't land with me at all and the volume of laughs is surprisingly low for a movie from Pete Docter.  

John Turturro 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 John Turturro-whose latest project "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York" is now playing in select theaters and expands nationwide today.

John Turturro's Filmography Ranked:

23.Exodus: Gods and Kings (D-)

22.You Don't Mess with the Zohan (D+)

21.Anger Management (D+)

20.Transformers: The Last Knight (C-)

19.Cars 2 (C-)

18.Gloria Bell (C-)

17.Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (C)

16.Fading Gigolo (B-)

15.The Room Next Door (B-)

14.Hands of Stone (B-)

13.Transformers: Dark of the Moon (B-)

12.Transformers (B-)

11.Mr. Deeds (B)

10.The Taking of Pelham 123 (B)

9.Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (B) 

8.Landline (B)

7.Quiz Show (B)

6.He Got Game (B)

5.The Big Lebowski (B+)

4.O Brother, Where Art Thou? (B+)

3.Rounders (A-)

2.The Batman (A+)

1.Do the Right Thing (A+)

Top Dog: Do the Right Thing (1989)

Spike Lee's magnum opus is one of the most blistering and potent portrayals of race relations in the United States ever committed to screen. It would be awesome if the day arrived where this movie became an artifact of a bygone era, but that's definitely wishful thinking, if not full-blown delusion at this point in time. 

Bottom Feeder: Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

It's a testament to the clout that Ridley Scott holds in the industry that his career didn't stall for a second after this gigantic piece of shit lost 20th Century Fox boatloads of money. This movie is such a listless slog that even the battle scenes play like a nursing home potluck, At least the talented but largely woefully miscast ensemble led by Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton and Turturro got a trip to Spain out of this rotten affair. 

Most Underrated: Landline (2017)

Gillian Robespierre got unfairly demoted to TV director mercenary hell after Landline failed to replicate the success of her previous feature Obvious Child and has remained there ever since. While I do slightly prefer Obvious Child, this is still a funny, smart and well-acted slice of life movie about a family (Jenny Slate, Abby Quinn, Edie Falco, Turturro) that begins to implode when they discover that the patriarch is having an affair. Hopefully, Robespierre is liberated from the TV ranks and gets to make another movie at some point in the near future.

Most Overrated: Transformers (2007)

My 15-year-old self would be absolutely disgusted with how I feel about Transformers now. A rewatch in 2023 ahead of the release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts left me stunned to discover that this movie devotes much more time to convoluted mythology/worldbuilding than robots smashing the shit out of each other. Honestly, I don't even think is notably better than Michael Bay's other "standout" Transformers entry (2011's Dark of the Moon) or the aforementioned Rise of the Beasts and the only reason I'd still say that it's the best entry outside of Bumblebee is the comedy value of this scene. Good luck with your reported new Transformers movie with Bay back at the helm Paramount... 

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 8

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(3) Minnesota Vikings (6-0) Week 8 opponent: Detroit Lions

2.(1) San Francisco 49ers (6-1) Week 8 opponent: Bye

3.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) Week 8 opponent: Denver Broncos

4.(4) Buffalo Bills (5-1) Week 8 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

5.(5) Denver Broncos (5-2) Week 8 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

6.(7) Chicago Bears (5-2) Week 8 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

7.(10) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) Week 8 opponent: Tennessee Titans

8.(8) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) Week 8 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

9.(12) Seattle Seahawks (4-3) Week 8 opponent: Chicago Bears

10.(6) New England Patriots (4-3) Week 8 opponent: Miami Dolphins

11.(13) Detroit Lions (4-2) Week 8 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

12.(14) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) Week 8 opponent: Cleveland Browns

13.(11) Green Bay Packers (4-3) Week 8 opponent: Carolina Panthers

14.(16) Cleveland Browns (5-2) Week 8 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

15.(9) Baltimore Ravens (4-3) Week 8 opponent: Buffalo Bills

16.(18) Los Angeles Rams (3-4) Week 8 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

17.(20) Atlanta Falcons (3-4) Week 8 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

18.(21) New York Giants (4-2-1) Week 8 opponent: Bye

19.(15) Carolina Panthers (3-3) Week 8 opponent: Green Bay Packers

20.(23) Dallas Cowboys (3-4) Week 8 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

21.(17) Houston Texans (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Bye

22.(19) Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) Week 8 opponent: New York Jets

23.(29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

24.(22) New Orleans Saints (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Bye

25.(24) New York Jets (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

26.(27) Indianapolis Colts (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

27.(25) Philadelphia Eagles (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Washington Commanders

28.(28) Washington Commanders (1-4-1) Week 8 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

29.(26) Arizona Cardinals (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

30.(32) Miami Dolphins (1-5) Week 8 opponent: New England Patriots

31.(30) Tennessee Titans (1-6) Week 8 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

32.(31) Los Angeles Chargers (0-6) Week 8 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

Week 7 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Joe Burrow (Bengals)

Burrow pulled off one hell of an in-game turnaround Sunday, using his passing heroics (292 YDS, 4 TD's) to help his team erase a 13-0 halftime deficit in the blink of an eye and hang 35 unanswered points on the Ravens in a huge divisional win. The Bengals star QB could be in line for another big day in Week 8 when he squares off against the Titans.

Honorable Mentions: Drake Maye (Patriots), Bo Nix (Broncos), Dak Prescott (Cowboys)

Biggest Loser: Brock Purdy (49ers)

Not having Mike Evans or Deebo Samuel out there on Sunday really screwed up Purdy's flow and it led to his most mistake-laden game (288 YDS, TD, 2 INT's) of the 2026 campaign so far in a pretty ugly road loss to the Falcons. The 49ers have a very well-timed bye in Week 8, and Purdy will definitely be crossing his fingers that Evans and/or Samuel will be good to go for their Week 9 contest with the Raiders.

Dishonorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Bryce Young (Panthers), Tyler Shough (Saints)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Tony Pollard (Titans)

Weekly RB3 Pollard going off against the Browns stingy run defense was one of the most pleasant fantasy surprises of the 2026 season so far. Early success on the ground and Cam Ward's inability to get anything going in the passing attack yet again earned Pollard his biggest workload of the season to date (28 touches), which he turned into an impressive 139 YDS and 3 rushing scores and 26 receiving YDS on 3 receptions in what ended up being a narrow loss for Robert Saleh's squad. He'll look to overcome the odd for a second straight week when he goes up against another tough run defense in the Bengals.

Honorable Mentions: Bucky Irving (Buccaneers), Quinshon Judkins (Browns), Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)

Biggest Loser: Derrick Henry (Ravens)

Even before the Bengals post-halftime scoring avalanche forced the Ravens to abandon the rushing attack late in the 3rd quarter, Henry was a complete non-factor. He was completely bottled up on nearly every carry (45 YDS on 17 rushes) and made his usual minimal contributions in the passing game (1 reception for 4 YDS) as the Ravens offense once again only found success with splash passing plays with Lamar Jackson missing a 3rd straight game with an ankle injury. A matchup with a weak Bills defense in Week 8 should give Henry a shot to right the ship after back-to-back poor showings. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs), Chase Brown (Bengals), Chuba Hubbard (Panthers)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Seahawks)

The Chiefs did everything they could to try and deter the Seahawks from throwing to JSN and it didn't really work all that well. The star wideout was all over the field making plays once again, catching 9-of-12 targets for 150 YDS and a TD as the defending Super Bowl Champs picked up a much-needed blowout win on SNF. Smith-Njigba should have no trouble slicing through the Bears shaky secondary on Monday night.

Honorable Mentions: Tee Higgins (Bengals), Zay Flowers (Ravens), Jameson Williams (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Nico Collins (Texans)

A strong showing from top corner Deonte Banks and pretty quiet day for C.J. Stroud led to Collins being a complete non-factor (2 receptions for 6 YDS on just 5 targets) versus the Giants. Collins heads into the Texans Week 8 bye with a 24/329/3 line in 5 games played and should be locked in as a high-end WR2 for the back half of the 2026 slate.

Dishonorable Mentions: Jalen Coker (Panthers), Garrett Wilson (Jets), Denzel Boston (Browns)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Trey McBride (Cardinals)

An extended garbage time run was enough to power McBride to his best game of 2026 so far against the Broncos as he hauled in 10 balls for 111 YDS and a TD. McBride could very well end up topping this stellar performance in Week 8 versus the Cowboys horrendous defense. 

Honorable Mentions: Colston Loveland (Bears), Tucker Kraft (Packers), T.J. Hockenson (Vikings)

Biggest Loser: Sam LaPorta (Lions)

LaPorta's lack of involvement (1 reception for 18 YDS on just 2 targets) in the passing attack during Sunday's win over the Packers will unquestionably fuel speculation that the Lions are punishing him for publicly saying he would go elsewhere after contract extension talks between him and the team broke down last week. It might not be a bad idea to sit LaPorta in a Week 8 matchup with a Vikings defense that left Jared Goff absolutely flummoxed in their final meeting last season. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Isaiah Likely (Giants), Juwan Johnson (Saints), Mark Andrews (Ravens)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Vikings

It was another productive day at the office for the Vikings defense as they picked up 4 sacks and an INT to help their team remain undefeated with a 16-10 victory over the Colts. Brian Flores will be hoping for a repeat of Week 17 last season when his defense ruined Jared Goff's life for 4 quarters, sacking him 5 times and forcing 5 turnovers, when they travel to Detroit on Sunday.

Honorable Mentions: Seahawks, Steelers, Bengals

Biggest Loser: 49ers

For only the 2nd time this season, the Falcons managed to finish a game without giving the ball away. To make matters for the 49ers defense, they also failed to sack Michael Penix and allowed 29 points as they suffered their 1st loss of the season on the road. This group has been pretty average on the whole this season and they'll probably only be worth playing in juicy matchups moving forward.

Dishonorable Mentions: Texans, Rams, Patriots

Quick Movie Reviews: You Can See Everything, Street Fighter, Whalefall, Clayface, Wicker

You Can See Everything: Enough people have seen You Can See Everything at this point to compromise the walls of secrecy that A24 put up around this project while Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim spent the last 3 years quietly putting it together. In the interest of not contributing to the spoiler-driven dialogue that's all over the internet right now, I'm going to avoid discussing the events of the film in any specific detail. What I will say is that I feel that what Fielder and Oppenheim did here is absolutely brilliant. Elizabeth Holmes is this figure that's really difficult to get a read on and by simply following her and her spouse Billy Evans around during the months leading up to her going to prison in 2023 then circling back in 2025 to see what's transpired since she began serving her sentence for defrauding investors in Bryan, Texas, she manages to become an even bigger enigma. The conversations/debates that can be had about perception vs reality when it comes to every single aspect of Holmes' life from the origins of Theranos to what she's doing now, whether or not Fielder has become sympathetic towards her plight after spending so much time with her and Evans' actions-particularly after she goes to jail are plentiful and there's no doubt in my mind that plenty of people have had time upon leaving the theater. On top of the fascinating conversations its producing, the movie is incredibly funny at times and gripping to the point where its epic runtime (174 minutes) absolutely flies by. The Oscars pundits believe it has a real chance to become the first documentary ever nominated for Best Picture and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it ended up happening. 

Grade: A

Street Fighter: Move over Resident Evil, another great video game adaptation has arrived on the scene. Street Fighter takes pride in being a hyperactive live action martial arts cartoon that celebrates the pervasive horniness, lowbrow comedy and self-aware ridiculousness that made 90's action movies tick without ever sinking into obnoxious meta commentary territory. As a purveyor of lizard-brained movies from all eras, it was such a joy to watch a movie that was bursting at the seams with passion and enthusiasm for this underutilized form of art. It also didn't hurt that the frequent fight scenes are playful, dynamically choreographed rippers and the technical elements are tremendous (special shoutout to Ken Seng's crazy vibrant cinematography and the stunning hand drawn animation that was used for the flashback sequences). I would be delighted if Kitao Sakurai got the chance to make 10 more of these movies.

Grade: B+

Whalefall: "Austin Abrams gets swallowed by a whale" is one of the most inherently ridiculous sales pitches of any movie released this year. Once you look past the goofy logline, Whalefall reveals itself to be a sentimental, melodramatic survival story about a young man trying to make peace with the rocky relationship he had with his late father (Josh Brolin) while simultaneously trying to escape from the belly of a whale before his oxygen tank runs out (he was looking for his diver father's remains underwater when he gets swallowed by the whale). The visceral sound design, impressive practical sets that vividly bring various parts of the whale's insides to life and tight closeups of his grimacing face do a great job of immersing the viewer in the uniquely dire form of suffering Abrams' character is experiencing and while it's unbelievably corny at points, the father/son story is coming from a sincere enough place that I didn't feel compelled to groan or roll my eyes all that much at all of the sappiness on display. I will say that I do think it'll play way better in a theater than at home, so any interested party should try to make it out to theater sometime in the next week and a half or so before it gets cast out to sea to make way for all of the high-profile November releases. 

Grade: B

Clayface: In the interim at least, James Gunn and Peter Safran will retain their jobs as the heads of DC Studios at the now Skydance-controlled Warner Brothers. This development didn't surprise me all that much as Gunn and Safran are still very much locked into the early stages of their overhauled DCU and all of the ballyhooing about the mixed bag reception and massive box office failure of Supergirl got wiped out immediately by how big of a home run Lanterns was for HBO/HBO Max. Clayface, which marks the third Gunn and Safran-backed DC movie to hit theaters, is another win for the duo that could end up helping their case to remain as the heads of the superhero brand for the foreseeable future. 

Clayface focuses on Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a young man who clawed his way out of the gutter in Gotham to become a celebrated actor, only to find himself becoming the kind of monster he grew up fearing after voluntarily signing up for an experimental procedure that he hopes will fix his face that became disfigured following an attack by a powerful mobster (David Dencik). Rhys Harries does a terrific job of capturing the subtle sadness derived from a life full of stinging betrayals that lies behind his slow but steady transformation from decent man to vengeful maniac, Naomi Ackie is her reliably great self as the kind scientist developing a potentially revolutionary nanite technology designed to rapidly restore damaged tissue in the body who Hagen's procedure then quickly grows quite fond of him at a time where not very many people want anything to do with him and having the film play out like a tragic spin on a classic vigilante tale without holding back on the gnarly R-rated body horror transformations and bloody kills the marketing teased was a great creative choice by director James Watkins that helps further establish its unique identity. 

Honestly, the only real missteps Clayface makes are in its choppy opening 20 minutes that feels like an extended montage designed to rapidly establish Hagen's success as an actor, the circumstances that led to the attack and players who he'll extract revenge on later in the movie. Whether that was a deliberate choice by Watkins to get to the true heart of the story as quickly as possible or an unintended side effect of the reshaping of the movie that took place once he decided to cut the flashback scenes involving Hagen's childhood is a mystery that we'll probably never get the answer to, but kudos to him for staging such a swift, graceful recovery and delivering a movie that is ultimately pretty great.

Grade: B+

Wicker:  Writer/director duo Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson (Save Yourselves!) clearly had a lot of fun putting together this farcical period fable about an ostracized fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who sends her entire remote seaside village into a state of disarray when she commissions the local Basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband (Alexander Skarsgård) out of wicker. There are some big laughs and quite a bit of charm present as Wicker examines how this unusual relationship completely challenges what the village knows about love, gender roles and sex and the prosthetics/VFX work that went into bringing the film's wooden humanoid creations to life are stellar, especially when you consider that this is an indie production with a budget of roughly $10 million. It's easy to see why this has been playing so well with audiences since it debuted at Sundance back in January and I fully expect this to become a cult favorite in short order.  

Grade: B

Sacha Baron Cohen 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 Sacha Baron Cohen-whose latest project "Ali G: Who Iz I?" releases in theaters for a limited 2-day engagement tomorrow and will begin streaming on Prime Video at a TBD date. 

Sacha Baron Cohen's Filmography Ranked:

12.Balls Up (C-)

11.Madagascar (B-)

10.Hugo (B-)

9.Ali G Indahouse (B-)

8.The Brothers Grimsby (B)

7.Bruno (B)

6.Luca (B)

5.The Dictator (B+)

4.Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (B+)

3.The Trial of the Chicago 7 (B+)

2.Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (B+)

1.Borat (A)

Top Dog: Borat (2006)

Seeing Borat on opening weekend was one of those cultural touchstone moments that any nerd that was lucky enough to be there will talk about for the rest of their lives. I spent 3 hours on an early November Friday night toiling around the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, Massachusetts with a couple of my friends and one of their moms waiting for the next showing after the one we intended to go to sold out before we arrived (nobody expected it to be such a hit, so it was only playing on 1 screen) and all that time we spent bored out of our skulls watching miscellaneous stock footage on 72' TV's at Best Buy ended up being well worth it once we finally entered the theater. Superbad is the only comedy I've ever seen in theaters that I can definitely say played better with the audience that I saw it with and to this day, the naked wrestling scene remains in contention for the hardest I've laughed at anything in my entire life. Do I have my doubts about how well it holds up 20 years later? Absolutely, but I'm not overly eager to find out the answer to that question and may just allow the magic of that theatrical screening be what I remember it by forever. 

Bottom Feeder: Balls Up (2026)

The funniest thing about Balls Up is that Peter Farrelly followed it up with a movie that could get nominated for Best Picture (I Play Rocky, which hits theaters less than 8 months after this debuted on Prime Video). Unlike his last joint Ricky Stanicky, Balls Up is a pretty weak attempt by Farrelly to return to his raunchy gross-out comedy glory days of the 90's/00's. Maybe he would've gotten better results if he had paired Paul Walter Hauser with John Cena instead of Mark Wahlberg, but I'm not confident that there's an actor out there who could've elevated a movie where 8 out of every 10 jokes completely miss the mark. 

Most Underrated: The Dictator (2012)

Baron Cohen's comedy is at its peak when real people are reacting to his insane bits. Despite lagging a bit behind his guerilla-style mockumentaries/satires on the whole, most of his fully scripted stuff works better than its given credit for. The Dictator stands out as the biggest gem from this portion of his filmography, largely because its protagonist General Aladeen is the closest any character he created has come to matching the endearing cartoonish ignorance that defined the trio he introduced to the world (Ali G, Borat, Bruno) on Da Ali G Show 26 years ago. 

Most Overrated: Madagascar (2005) 

As I said last month in the DreamWorks Animation piece, I think Madagascar is a minor animated movie in the grand scheme of things and don't agree with the classic status that it's picked up in recent years.