Week 3 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Brock Purdy (49ers)

While the 49ers certainly weren't in top form in their win over the Cardinals, their QB sure was. Purdy erupted for 297 YDS and 4 TD's through the air and gained an impressive 34 YDS on the ground on just 2 carries. The Brockstar is off to a good start to 2026 and is probably worth starting in most leagues against the Broncos in Week 4.

Honorable Mentions: Tyler Shough (Saints), Bo Nix (Broncos), Matthew Stafford (Rams)

Biggest Loser: Drake Maye (Patriots)

If you weren't already panicking about Maye, now is the time to start. The reigning MVP runner up outdid his poor showings in the opening pair of games with an absolutely dreadful performance down in Jacksonville (199 YDS, 0 TD's, 2 INT, 18 Rushing YDS, FUM Lost) as the Patriots got run over by the Jaguars. Maye's odds of finally getting out of the gutter in Week 4 aren't overly high as the struggling Patriots have the misfortune of having to play the 3-0 Bills on the road. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Justin Herbert (Chargers), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)

As expected, Gibbs' transition to being a workhorse back is going very well. The Lions superstar held down an even larger share of touches (27) than usual versus the Jets as Amon-Ra St.Brown had a very quiet game by his standards (4/19/1) and was able to turn that slightly increased workload into 164 scrimmage YDS (99 rushing, 65 receiving) and 3 scores. Gibbs is a real threat to clear 200 scrimmage YDS for the 1st time this season this week when he goes up against a Panthers defense that has had zero answers for running backs so far. 

Honorable Mentions: Bijan Robinson (Falcons), Derrick Henry (Ravens), Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs)

Biggest Loser: Omarion Hampton (Chargers)

For the first time this season, Hampton didn't find the endzone. Without a touchdown to boost his line, Hampton's lack of passing game productivity (0 receptions on just 1 target) and inefficient running (56 YDS on 15 carries) that's at least partially brought on by his woeful offensive line play landed him in this unfavorable spot as the Bolts dropped to 0-3 with a loss to the Bills. Things won't get any easier for Hampton this week as he'll be tasked with trying to find rushing room against the Seahawks stout front.

Dishonorable Mentions: TreVeyon Henderson (Patriots), David Montgomery (Texans), Bucky Irving (Buccaneers) 

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Seahawks)

JSN's blazing hot start to 2026 continued in Week 3 as he caught 10-of-14 targets for 128 YDS and 2 TD's in what was otherwise a surprisingly ugly performance for the Seahawks in an upset road loss to the Marcus Mariota-led Commanders. Assuming he can remain healthy and the Seahawks rushing game continues to struggle, he's going to have a good chance of repeating as the #1 fantasy WR in 2026.

Honorable Mentions: Drake London (Falcons), Garrett Wilson (Jets), Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)

Biggest Loser: Tetairoa McMillan (Panthers)

It was a very weird afternoon for the Panthers top pass-catchers as both McMillan and Jalen Coker were held under 20 YDS (McMillan caught 2 balls for 17 YDS) on a day where Bryce Young threw for 291 YDS and they suffered a shocking 21-18 loss to the Browns. McMillan should be back in business against the Lions porous secondary this Sunday night, especially if Coker is forced to sit out with the quad strain he sustained against the Browns that knocked him out of the game in the 3rd quarter.

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaylen Waddle (Broncos), Malik Nabers (Giants), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: George Kittle (49ers)

Kittle was the top beneficiary of Purdy's big day against the Cardinals, hauling in 6 receptions for 82 YDS and 2 TD's. After back-to-back strong performances, the 32 going on 33-year-old star looks to have fully recovered from the Achillies tear he suffered back in January and can be comfortably fired up as a weekly TE1 in all leagues.  

Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns), Juwan Johnson (Saints)

Biggest Loser: Dalton Kincaid (Bills)

It was a pretty ugly showing for the entire Bills offense as they turned the ball over a whopping 5 times against the Chargers. Unlike James Cook and Josh Allen, Kincaid wasn't able to redeem himself with a TD after losing a fumble in the 3rd quarter and ended up here in fantasy purgatory thanks to his modest 2 reception/38 YD output. Kincaid will look to get back to the elite form he showed in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Patriots on Sunday afternoon.

Dishonorable Mentions: Isaiah Likely (Giants), Tucker Kraft (Packers), Kyle Pitts (Falcons)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Vikings

What a glorious day for the Vikings D/ST in Tampa. Their 6 sack/2 INT/punt return TD effort was ultimately the difference in a 23-16 victory that kept the Vikes unbeaten on the year. The Vikings defensive talent, Brian Flores' motivation to embarrass his former employers and the Dolphins lack of talent/interest in winning football games seems like the perfect recipe for this group to end up in this very spot for a second straight week.

Honorable Mentions: Jaguars, Broncos, Texans

Biggest Loser: Eagles

Being on the receiving end of Case Keenum's stunningly productive return to NFL action is a tough pill to swallow. This talented group didn't log a single sack or takeaway as the 38-year-old journeyman who was standing on the sideline with an earpiece a week ago punched them in the mouth for 4 quarters and led the Bears to a stunning 27-7 blowout victory. Despite their issues with turnovers so far, playing them this week against the Rams doesn't seem like the best idea.

Dishonorable Mentions: Seahawks, Patriots, 49ers

Movie Review: Primetime

NBC's To Catch a Predator only ran from November 2004-December 2007. For a show that only aired for a little over three years, it left behind quite a legacy. Host Chris Hansen is a pop culture icon who spawned multiple catchphrases ("Why don't you take a seat?", "You see how this looks right?") that remain in the lexicon today and the show's questionable ethics have become an even hotter topic of debate in recent years as several copycat shows have emerged on social media platforms like TikTok. 

It was just last year that a documentary examining the show's history and legacy entitled Predators received a limited theatrical release before heading onto Paramount+. Now, a dramatized look at the show and Hansen himself from director Lance Oppenheim- who is ironically a documentarian making his narrative feature debut-entitled Primetime has arrived to reignite conversations about To Catch a Predator among a much wider audience. 

Primetime is adapted from a 2007 Esquire article Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die" by Luke Dittrich. The entirety of the film is set in 2006 right after To Catch a Predator had been moved to a primetime slot (Wednesday nights at 9 EST) and largely deals with how Hansen and his team become obsessed with the idea of luring somebody of a higher societal status like a politician, celebrity or law enforcement official with the hopes of further boosting their ratings now that the show is airing in a slot where it's commanding more eyeballs than it was in its previous time slot on Friday nights at 10 PM EST. They got their wish when they entrapped an assistant district attorney from Dallas/FortWorth named Bill Conradt and caused him to commit suicide on camera when the show's crew arrived alongside local police at his home in Terrell, Texas to serve him multiple warrants that stemmed from the conversations he had with the people from the show that were posing as a underage boy. This incident proved to be the beginning of the end for the controversial show and Conradt's estate later successfully sued NBC for damages related to his suicide (the settlement took place outside of court, so it's not known about how much Condradt's estate received) 

To Catch a Predator is not a series that I saw much of when it was on. My parents weren't watching much Dateline before, during or after its run and ironically, I was spending my Wednesday nights watching Lost when it shifted to the Wednesday at 9 PM slot in the fall of 2006. Most of the knowledge that I have of the show is from watching miscellaneous clips online and seeing the flurry of memes that have been blasted all over the internet in the years after it went off the air. 

My take on the show isn't a particularly novel one: I view it as a very entertaining product on the surface that becomes very insidious once you think about all of the actions that go into its creation. As much Hansen tried to build himself up as this noble guy who had dedicate his whole life to taking pedophiles off the street, neither him nor anyone on were concerned about anything else other than getting good footage that would help boost their ratings. Nobody who was serious about stopping pedophilia would go about it in such an exploitative, public facing way that shows a deep disrespect for the people out there who've been legitimately preyed upon online. Not to mention, this shows produced an easily mimicked playbook for baiting prospective predators that has been used by people with even sketchier moral compasses than Hansen. Many of the aforementioned social media shows are just guys luring men to a location, so they can beat the shit out of them on camera. Nothing says "I empathize   with the plight of victims of child sexual abuse" quite like making videos where five guys pop out of the bushes and start wailing on the guy who thinks he's about to meet the 13-year-old he's been flirting with online for the past week or two. I'm sure the people who make and consume this content are similarly mad about The Epstein Files and the powerful people that are implicated in them. 

While Singh's script certainly would've benefited from digging a bit deeper into its subject matter, Primetime still make for an awfully haunting, absorbing snapshot into the legacy of the show and the people that made it possible. Entrusting Robert Pattinson to play Hansen provides Oppenheim with the unshakable foundation he needed to bring the rest of his vision into place. Pattinson is such an intuitive, committed performer that he knows when to lean into the theatrical showmanship that defined Hansen's television persona and when to be the pathetic, insecure coward that is gutted that the entire world doesn't view him as the benevolent hero that he views himself to be. It's yet another incredible performance that shows off a completely different side of him as an actor and as of today at least, it looks there's a pretty good chance that this effort will propel him to his first career Oscar nomination. 

Playing Hansen rightfully makes Pattinson the face and driving force of Primetime. What proved to be the most pleasantly surprising element of the movie for me seeing Merrit Wever and Skyler Gisondo do incredible work that is crucial to the film's examination of how this machine was run. Wever makes for the perfectly ruthless, self-absorbed partner to Hansen as the show's lead producer while Gisondo gives the most endearingly nuanced performance of his career as a struggling young actor who hopes that appearing on the show as a decoy will help him achieve his dream of becoming a working actor in Hollywood but isn't quite prepared to reckon with what the job actually entails or how his work is being viewed by his peers or audiences. Without this duo showing up and bringing plenty of additional depth to these characters, this movie wouldn't landed with the same force that it does-particularly during the pivotal final scenes where their characters are forced to directly confront the consequences of their actions and whether or not they can live with them in the name of keeping their popular television show afloat. 

Where Oppenheim goes as a feature director after this will be fascinating to watch. His understanding of the power of performance, knowing when to go big and when to let something breathe and coming up with creative visual compositions (cinematographer David Bolen does some seriously excellent work here, particularly in the surrealist moments where the lighting changes mid-scene) are incredible for someone coming from the world of documentary filmmaking. If his confidence, skill and visual eye are able to be combined with a sharper script, he could make something really incredible in the near future. 

Grade: B+

DreamWorks Animation 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 ranking the DreamWorks Animation filmography in honor of the release of their latest project "Forgotten Island"-which hits theaters today. 

DreamWorks Animation's Filmography Ranked:

27.Shark Tale (F)

26.Antz (D)

25.Monsters vs. Aliens (C-)

24.The Prince of Egypt (C)

23.The Road to El Dorado (C+)

22.Home (C+)

21.Dog Man (B-)

20.The Croods: A New Age (B-)

19.Madagascar (B-)

18.Kung Fu Panda 4 (B-)

17.Megamind (B-)

16.The Croods (B-)

15.Kung Fu Panda 3 (B-)

14.Shrek 2 (B-)

13.Puss in Boots (B)

12.Chicken Run (B)

11.Kung Fu Panda 2 (B)

10.Over the Hedge (B)

9.Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (B)

8.Rise of the Guardians (B)

7.The Bad Guys 2 (B)

6.How to Train Your Dragon (B)

5.The Bad Guys (B)

4.Kung Fu Panda (B)

3.The Wild Robot (B+)

2.Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (B+)

1.Shrek (B+)

Top Dog: Shrek (2001)

Shrek is one of the last animated movies that really hit for me as a kid. It was definitely the VHS tape that played the most at my house for the next couple of years after its initial release (Donkey was pretty much the pinnacle of comedy for me at that time) and the enthusiasm for the green ogre and co. remained high in my household until Shrek 2 was released and neither me nor my brother was overly impressed by it. As you can see from the above list, I didn't even bother to watch another Shrek-related movie until 2011's Puss in Boots and still haven't seen either of the latter two sequels in the main series. If I were to rewatch Shrek now, I'm confident that I'd be more appreciative of how it goes about satirizing and subverting traditional fairy tale tropes and go into a bit of a nostalgia haze watching something that brought me so much joy during a few years of my childhood. 

Bottom Feeder: Shark Tale (2004)

On Columbus Day weekend in 2004, I successfully convinced my friend to accompany his dad and 4-year-old sister to a showing of Shark Tale over going to see Ladder 49 by ourselves as I was concerned that the trailer for Seed of Chucky could play ahead of the PG-13-rated firefighter drama and didn't want to freak the fuck out in the theater. This proved to be a costly decision on my part as sitting through Shark Tale was one of the most miserable experiences I've ever had in a movie theater. In a shocking development, the whole application of mob movie tropes went clean over my head at the time, but that didn't stop me from finding the whole movie to be deeply grating, dull and unfunny. While it's certainly possible that I would view it more favorably today, my eagerness to give it another shot is very low. 

Most Underrated: The Bad Guys (2022)

Honestly, either installment of this franchise could be placed here. The animation is vivid, the titular band of bank robbing animals that pretend to become "good guys" for a gig, only for their leader (Sam Rockwell) to earnestly begin to experience a change of heart in the process of pulling off the con are a funny bunch with an entertaining buddy dynamic and above all, it unironically serves as a good introduction to the fun of heist/crime movies for younger audiences. 

Most Overrated: Madagascar (2005)

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with Madagascar. It's really as simple as Madagascar is burdened by the existence of so many talking animal movies existing in the American animated movie space and it doesn't have enough personality, laughs or heart to stand out from the pack.

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 3

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) Seattle Seahawks (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Washington Commanders

2.(2) San Francisco 49ers (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

3.(3) Buffalo Bills (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

4.(9) Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Miami Dolphins

5.(13) Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

6.(12) Los Angeles Rams (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Denver Broncos

7.(7) New England Patriots (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars 

8.(11) Minnesota Vikings (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9.(8) Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Chicago Bears

10.(14) Denver Broncos (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

11.(10) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) Week 3 opponent: New England Patriots

12.(4) Chicago Bears (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

13.(5) Baltimore Ravens (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

14.(24) New Orleans Saints (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

15.(23) Carolina Panthers (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Cleveland Browns

16.(22) Dallas Cowboys (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

17.(18) Green Bay Packers (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

18.(27) Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) Week 3 opponent: New Orleans Saints

19.(6) Houston Texans (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

20.(15) Detroit Lions (1-1) Week 3 opponent: New York Jets

21.(20) New York Jets (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Detroit Lions

22.(16) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

23.(17) New York Giants (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Tennessee Titans

24.(28) Indianapolis Colts (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Houston Texans

25.(32) Cleveland Browns (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Carolina Panthers

26.(19) Arizona Cardinals (1-1) Week 3 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

27.(21) Los Angeles Chargers (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Buffalo Bills

28.(25) Washington Commanders (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

29.(26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

30.(30) Tennessee Titans (0-2) Week 3 opponent: New York Giants

31.(29) Atlanta Falcons (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Green Bay Packers

32.(31) Miami Dolphins (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

Week 2 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Josh Allen (Bills)

Week 2 kicked off with Allen putting together one of the vintage stat sheet-stuffing performances that has made him the most coveted fantasy quarterback in the league over last few seasons. The Bills signalcaller lit up the Lions limp defense from the opening whistle until they took their foot off the gas early in the 4th quarter once a victory was guaranteed, throwing for 248 YDS and 3 TD's and rushing for 69 YDS and 2 TD's on 14 carries. Through 2 games, Allen looks like he's going to be in the thick of the MVP race once again and could very well be in line to win the league's top honor for the 2nd time in the last 3 years. He gets handed the gift of playing a Chargers team that has looked like complete shit out of the gate and could be on the verge of full-blown implosion in Week 3.

Honorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Jared Goff (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)

After playing lights out in the opener against the Browns, Lawrence crashed back to Earth in a big way in Week 2 with a pretty poor performance (189 YDS/0 TD's/1 INT, 2 CAR/6 YDS) against a Broncos defense that returned to form after a horrid showing against the Chiefs in Week 1. Lawrence will be on the QB1/QB2 borderline for their Week 3 matchup with the Patriots. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Drake Maye (Patriots), Justin Herbert (Chargers), Lamar Jackson (Ravens)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Jonathan Taylor (Colts)

While Taylor wasn't consistently effective against the Chiefs on Sunday night, he was once again the focal point of the Colts offense and made enough plays to be a top-tier RB1 play by turning his 24 carries into 92 YDS and 2 TD's. As an added bonus, he also managed to be more involved with the passing game than usual-hauling in 4 receptions for 40 YDS. Taylor could be in line for tougher sledding this week when the Colts take on a Texans defense that has been very good against the run so far. 

Honorable Mentions: Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs), Christian McCaffery (49ers), James Cook III (Bills)

Biggest Loser: David Montgomery (Texans)

After an impressive debut against the Bills, Montgomery completely flopped in his second game with the Texans. The veteran RB was a complete afterthought as the Bengals dismantled Houston's offense on their home field. securing just 8 touches (6 carries, 2 receptions) for 24 YDS. What made this performance particularly alarming is that Montgomery got out snapped and out touched by Woody Marks, although the second year back also didn't fare well (40 scrimmage YDS on 10 touches) against this suddenly excellent Bengals defense. Montgomery should be able to bounce back against a Colts defense that has gotten killed by the rush in both games this season.

Dishonorable Mentions: Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals), Travis Etienne (Saints), Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Seahawks)

JSN casually annihilated an overmatched Cardinals defense on Sunday, securing 9 receptions for 155 YDS and 3 TD's. The reigning Offense Player of the Year is off to another incredible start and will look to keep rolling against a Commanders defense that CeeDee Lamb torched this past week. 

Honorable Mentions: Davante Adams (Rams), CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys), Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Malik Nabers (Giants)

Nabers' much anticipated return to action in 2026 produced another dud as he struggled to deal with a physical Rams secondary that was hellbent on proving their embarrassing Week 1 loss to the 49ers in Melbourne was mostly a product of jet lag and a completely out of rhythm Jameis Winston. He ended up catching just 1-of-4 targets for 1 YD in what was a really horrendous MNF loss for the Giants that erased all of the excitement that was surrounding them after their nice Week 1 win over the Cowboys.  About the only positive that stemmed from this game was that Nabers shook off a shoulder injury that looked serious when it initially happened and returned to action after missing only one drive. With Winston locked in as the starter for the next 4-6 weeks while Jaxson Dart is sidelined with what is believed to be an MCL sprain, Nabers will be facing an uphill battle to return to weekly fantasy relevance. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Luther Burden III (Bears), Ladd McConkey (Chargers), DK Metcalf (Steelers)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

Sunday night produced a host of horrific sights for the people that believed the Chiefs reign of terror was finally over after their below average 2025 campaign as not only did Patrick Mahomes look like his old self, but the nearly 37-year-old Kelce turned back the clock with a vintage dominant performance as the Chiefs clear top receiving threat (9/101/1) in an OT win over the Colts. Kelce is now firmly back on the weekly TE1 radar and could be in line for another big day against the Dolphins sorry ass defense in Week 3.

Honorable Mentions: Dalton Schultz (Texans), Dalton Kincaid (Bills), Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)

Biggest Loser: Colston Loveland (Bears)

Good news, Loveland made his first catch of the season against the Vikings. Bad news, it was the only reception he made on the day, and it was for 3 YDS. It's been an alarmingly slow start to 2026 for Loveland as he's only managed 5 targets and the aforementioned lone reception through 2 games. With Tyson Bagnet presumably starting for at least a game or two while Caleb Williams recovers from the hamstring injury he suffered on Sunday, Loveland might not be able to imminently turn things around. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Tucker Kraft (Packers), Kyle Pitts (Falcons), Brenton Strange (Jaguars)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Patriots

On a day where the Patriots offense didn't look all that great overall, the defense showed up in a big way and allowed them to cruise to a 20-3 victory over the Steelers. Zak Kuhr's group made life miserable for the Steelers offensive line, running backs and ancient QB, registering 4 sacks, an INT and a fumble recovery TD from Elijah Ponder that came off a strip sack by Christan Barmore. The current number 1 scoring defense in the NFL has a date with the Jaguars this week. 

Honorable Mentions: Vikings, Rams, Seahawks

Biggest Loser: Buccaneers

Typically, streaming a defense against the Browns is a surefire way to secure a lot of fantasy points. This week, that plan backfired spectacularly as the Buccaneers got embarrassed by a Browns offense that could barely even move the ball until garbage time against the Jaguars in Week 1. While it was bad enough that the Buccaneers logged 2 sacks and 0 takeaways and surrendered 23 points in the loss, the most embarrassing aspect of their performance was allowing the league's premier washed up sex pest Deshaun Watson to have his best game (24/30, 238 YDS and 2 TD's, 6 carries for 23 yards) in years. There's no danger of anyone hanging onto the Bucs D/ST heading into this week and anybody that got burned by them here will probably think twice before electing to play them as a streaming option later in the season. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Ravens, Eagles, Jaguars

Movie Review: Resident Evil (2026)

 

No video game property has garnered more attention from the film/television industry this century than Resident Evil. The original Mila Jovovich-led movie franchise from Paul W.S. Anderson spawned a whopping six entries from March 2002-January 2017 and since the start of the 2020's, there's been both an ill-fated movie (2021's Welcome to Racoon City) and television series reboot (the 2022 Netflix series that was so widely panned that it got some people to retroactively be kinder to Welcome to Racoon City)  True to the cliche phrase, the third time was the charm when it came to reinvigorating Resident Evil as a film brand as the rights holders over at Constantin Film and Sony brought in Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) to handle the latest big screen adaptation of the classic survival horror/zombie franchise.  

What's particularly cool about Cregger's Resident Evil is its simplicity. He completely eschews the expectations placed upon those who are brave and/or foolish enough to take on the responsibility of turning a popular video game into a movie by refusing to recreate a specific game or digging into the franchise's lore. Instead of forging down the comfortable fan service path, he elected to build a movie around dropping an original character named Bryan (Austin Abrams, who somehow manages to be even more magnetic and hilarious here than he was in Weapons) into a real time survival situation as he tries to transport an important mystery medical package into Racoon City mere hours after the heinous virus that mutates humans into bloodthirsty zombies accidently made its way out of a lab at the Umbrella Corporation. 

Without having to strictly adhere to any characters or events from the franchise, Cregger gets to focus on something much more important: Accurately recreating how it feels to blindly step into a Resident Evil game. Every new place you encounter is a new opportunity to be greeted with the sight of some unholy monstrosity that's trying to kill you and through a combination of traditional movie photography and video game-inspired POV shots, he frames every scene in a way where Bryan is scanning every inch of his immediate surroundings to see where something could pop out from before deciding where to move. Unleashing a bumbling regular guy protagonist into such an unknown world of immense, horrifying danger only adds to the authenticity of this approach as he's doing shit on screen like dropping a flurry of f-bombs every time a threat announces its presence, frantically running around in circles trying to evade whatever nasty creature is chasing him and quickly pivoting from jubilation to panic when he discovers the thing he just shot in the head isn't actually dead mimics how the player behind the controller would be reacting to being confronted with these horrific scenarios. Constructing the movie in a manner that is centered around the sights, sounds and feelings that drive the experience of playing the game is great way to show reverence for the source material without shamelessly pandering to the fans with recreations of the scenes they like the most from the series (although from what I've read online from people in the know, there are plenty of easter eggs for them throughout). As much as I liked the trashy stylized action horror aesthetic of Anderson's movies, this movie's uniquely unqualified hero, visceral intensity and vile creature design/VFX made it an even more fun ride.

The cherry on top of this whole ordeal is that Cregger wraps things up on a definitive note that gives him the freedom to not return for a potential sequel. After all of the shit he's gotten from a vocal group of hardo fanboys online for being a "tourist" in the world of Resident Evil, he deserves to return to the solace of making original movies while quietly reflecting on the success his first IP-driven movie has enjoyed.   

Grade: B+

Paul Walter Hauser 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 Paul Walter Hauser-whose latest project "Resident Evil" releases in theaters today. 

Paul Walter Hauser's Filmography Ranked:

16.Songbird (D)

15.Balls Up (C-)

14.Queenpins (C)

13.Late Night (B-)

12.The Luckiest Man in America (B-)

11.Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (B-)

10.Americana (B)

9.Super Troopers 2 (B)

8.Da 5 Bloods (B)

7.The Fantastic Four: First Steps (B)

6.Cruella (B)

5.Inside Out 2 (B)

4.Richard Jewell (B+)

3.BlacKkKlansman (B+)

2.The Naked Gun (A-)

1.I, Tonya (A)

Top Dog: I, Tonya (2017)

As this year's edition of the Toronto International Film Festival enters its final stretch, it's fitting that the opportunity to look back at one of the biggest independent movies to debut there in the last decade has presented itself. Not only did I, Tonya earn Allison Janney an Oscar, introduce the world to Hauser and contribute to Margot Robbie and Sebastian Stan being more taken more seriously as actors in subsequent years, it was one of the earliest signs that Neon was going to become a juggernaut in the American indie film space as this became the biggest acquisition they made during their first year of operations following its TIFF premiere. I, Tonya does such a great job of being both a chaotic, darkly comedic look at Tonya Harding's tumultuous life and painting a deeply sympathetic portrait of a woman who was vilified in the media for the actions of the people that surrounded her. It's kind of a shame that it only managed to earn 3 Oscar nominations (Robbie and editor Nicole Karakatsansis received the other nominations) in the very competitive 2017 field, but in my eyes at least, its legacy is far richer than many of the films that were competing for the big prizes that year.   

Bottom Feeder: Songbird (2020)

Rushing a COVID-themed pandemic movie into production and releasing it before the end of 2020 was a scummy move by everybody that was involved with Songbird. That being said, being in bad taste isn't even close to the biggest problem with this awful dystopian romance. How quickly Songbird came together is particularly felt in its nonsensical mess of a script that can't decide if it's trying to be gritty or fun, deeply unconvincing central romance (the lack of chemistry between K.J. Apa and Sofia Carson is so immediately apparent that it's almost impressive) and its veteran supporting cast that features the likes of Demi Moore, Bradley Whitford and Alexandra Daddrio seemingly only accepted their roles because the opportunity to leave their Los Angeles-area homes for a bit presented itself.  Honestly, the only redeeming element of the movie is Peter Stromare doing the cartoony villain schtick that he's so reliably good at and he doesn't have enough screen time to provide a meaningful jolt in the arm to this otherwise sleepy, stupid affair. 

Most Underrated: Richard Jewell (2019)

Now that's he 96 years old, it's safe to assume that Clint Eastwood has retired from directing and acting for good this time. With this in mind, I'm going to declare that Richard Jewell is the last great film he made. It actually serves as a great companion piece to I, Tonya as Eastwood delivers a compelling, thoughtful look at the unholy beast that is our sensationalism-driven media ecosystem that values scandalous headlines over humanity and how that reckless style of journalism contributed to ruining the life of security guard Richard Jewell (Hauser) after he was baselessly accused of staging the planting of an explosive device at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta after being hailed as a hero in the immediate aftermath for alerting the authorities and helping evacuate the area before it detonated. Hauser gives a heartbreaking turn as a man trying to cope with having his name dragged through the mud in the front of the whole world, Sam Rockwell and Kathy Bates further add to this story's rich emotional core with their fiery, vulnerable performance as Jewell's lawyer and mother respectively and Eastwood does a great job of delivering a bittersweet ending that argues that Jewell's eventual exoneration didn't free him from the deep emotional burden of being subjected to such a harrowing witch hunt. 

Most Overrated: None

Hauser is the epitome of a modern character actor. With that mantle comes a wide variety of work that spans across many different genres, budgets and release platforms. One thing he hasn't amassed across his impressively dynamic filmography is a film that I consider to be overrated. The heaviest of hitters he's appeared in (I, Tonya, BlacKkKlansman, The Naked Gun, Inside Out 2, Cruella, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) are all movies that I like to varying degrees while the rest are either too small or not broadly liked enough to pick up such a distinction. By the looks of the critical reviews so far, Resident Evil would certainly qualify for overrated status, but I would be stunned and disappointed if that ended up being the case.