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.

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) San Francisco 49ers (6-0) Week 7 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

2.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) Week 7 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

3.(3) Minnesota Vikings (5-0) Week 7 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

4.(4) Buffalo Bills (5-1) Week 7 opponent: Bye

5.(7) Denver Broncos (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

6.(11) New England Patriots (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Chicago Bears

7.(12) Chicago Bears (4-2) Week 7 opponent: New England Patriots

8.(6) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Bye

9.(8) Baltimore Ravens (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals 

10.(10) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

11.(15) Green Bay Packers (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Detroit Lions

12.(5) Seattle Seahawks (3-3) Week 7 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

13.(13) Detroit Lions (3-2) Week 7 opponent: Green Bay Packers

14.(14) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) Week 7 opponent: New Orleans Saints

15.(16) Carolina Panthers (3-2) Week 7 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

16.(17) Cleveland Browns (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Tennessee Titans

17.(23) Houston Texans (2-4) Week 7 opponent: New York Giants

18.(9) Los Angeles Rams (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

19.(19) Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) Week 7 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

20.(18) Atlanta Falcons (2-4) Week 7 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

21.(20) New York Giants (3-2-1) Week 7 opponent: Houston Texans

22.(28) New Orleans Saints (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

23.(21) Dallas Cowboys (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

24.(24) New York Jets (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Miami Dolphins

25.(22) Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

26.(29) Arizona Cardinals (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Denver Broncos

27.(25) Indianapolis Colts (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

28.(26) Washington Commanders (1-4-1) Week 7 opponent: Bye

29.(27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5) Week 7 opponent: Carolina Panthers

30.(31) Tennessee Titans (1-5) Week 7 opponent: Cleveland Browns

31.(30) Los Angeles Chargers (0-6) Week 7 opponent: Bye

32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-5) Week 7 opponent: New York Jets

Week 6 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)

It was quite the QB duel in London between C.J Stroud and Lawrence on Sunday and while the Texans ultimately won the game on a Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal at the end of regulation, Lawrence (306 YDS, 4 TD's, INT, 11 Rushing YDS) proved to be the top dog in fantasy. The Jaguars franchise quarterback has been an up-and-down QB1 play through 6 weeks, and his owners will be hoping for a little more consistency after his Week 7 bye. 

Honorable Mentions: Tyler Shough (Saints), Drake Maye (Patriots), C.J. Stroud (Texans)

Biggest Loser: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Mahomes had a largely uneventful showing against the completely aloof and defeated Chargers, throwing for 272 scoreless YDS, an INT and picking up 16 YDS on the ground as the Chiefs cruised to victory. He'll be a questionable starting option for this week's tough road game in Seattle. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Matthew Stafford (Rams), Brock Purdy (49ers)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs)

In a shocking development coming off the bye, The Chiefs offense once again ran through Walker. Their big free agent pickup needed just 21 touches (19 carries, 2 receptions) to hang 139 scrimmage YDS and 2 rushing TD's on the Chargers abysmal defense. Walker has been unstoppable to start 2026 and his old friends on the Seahawks are going to have put together one hell of showing in order to become the first defense this season to slow him down. 

Honorable Mentions: James Cook (Bills), Bhayshul Tuten (Jaguars), D'Andre Swift (Bears)

Biggest Loser: Derrick Henry (Ravens)

The Browns defense took advantage of the Ravens banged-up offensive line and Tyler Huntley's presence under center and completely stifled Henry-holding him to 58 YDS on 17 carries and forcing him to lose a huge fumble in the 4th quarter that led to the only TD they scored in their 13-10 upset victory. Henry's weekly YPC hasn't exceeded 4.3 YDS since his Week 1 eruption over the Colts, and he could have a tough time returning to his top form this week against a Bengals defense that has been pretty stingy thus far. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Bijan Robinson (Falcons), Bucky Irving (Buccaneers), Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Tre Tucker (Raiders)

One of this week's top wire targets delivered in a big way, torching the Bills poor secondary for 97 YDS and 2 TD's on 5 receptions. While it's unlikely that he'll turn into a weekly starting option with Brock Bowers gobbling up so many targets from Kirk Cousins, Tucker's status as the Raiders de facto WR1 and explosive play ability should be enough to keep him rostered in most leagues moving forward. 

Honorable Mentions: Malik Nabers (Giants), Germie Bernard (Steelers), Matthew Golden (Packers)

Biggest Loser: A.J. Brown (Patriots)

It was an ugly return to action for Brown, who was activated from IR on Saturday morning after missing 4 games with a high ankle sprain. The Patriots wideout dropped 5 (!) passes and showed an alarming lack of chemistry with Drake Maye as he finished with just 3 catches for 27 YDS in a win over the Jets. Until Brown shows some form of life with his new team, he should be riding the bench in all leagues that have 12 teams or less. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaylen Waddle (Broncos), Michael Wilson (Cardinals), Denzel Boston (Browns)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Isaiah Likely (Giants)

An in-game QB change didn't impact Likely in the slightest as negative gamescript caused the Giants to throw the ball like crazy in the second half as they attempted to (and just fell short) off pulling a crazy comeback win over the Saints. While Malik Nabers was the top dog in both receptions and YDS, Likely found the endzone, was on the receiving end of a 2 PT-CNV and turned his 6 receptions into an excellent 99 YDS. Whether it's Jameis Winston or J.J. McCarthy under center for the Giants on Sunday against the Texans, Likely will remain a must-start TE1. 

Honorable Mentions: Kyle Pitts (Falcons), Colston Loveland (Bears), George Kittle (49ers)

Biggest Loser: Juwan Johnson (Saints)

It was an odd day for the Saints offense as Tyler Shough threw for 3 TD's but only completed 15 passes for 144 YDS and turned to their running game down the stretch as they jumped out to a 34-10 lead with 11:31 left in the game. This unique situation left Johnson completely out in the cold as he failed to catch either of the targets that came his way and put together his 2nd straight dud after being a top fantasy TE through the opening 4 weeks of the season. Johnson will look to return to fantasy relevancy in Week 7 when the Saints travel over to Paris to take on the Steelers. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns), Mark Andrews (Ravens), Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Chiefs

The Chargers anemic offense got completely picked apart by Steve Spagnuolo on Sunday, registering 4 sacks, an INT and fumble recovery in a commanding 22-6 win for the still undefeated Chiefs. This strong fantasy D/ST has another plus matchup in Week 7 against a Seahawks team that has struggled with allowing sacks and giveaways of late.

Honorable Mentions: Broncos, Steelers, Ravens

Biggest Loser: Texans

As you can safely assume, the aforementioned great play of C.J. Stroud and Trevor Lawrence were coupled with dismal showings from their respective defenses. Despite them being good enough on the last drive to help secure the win, Lawrence's status as the top fantasy QB made the Texans a slightly weaker option. They were held without a sack for the 1st time this season and a redzone INT by Calen Bullock proved to be their lone fantasy highlight in the 34-31 victory. A return to the top of the board is very much in play in Week 7 as they face a Giants team that has turned the ball over an absurd 9 times in their past 3 games. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaguars, Rams, Seahawks

Eric André 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 Eric André-whose latest project "Street Fighter" releases in theaters today.

Eric André's Filmography Ranked:

12.The Lion King (D+)

11.Balls Up (C-)

10.I Love Boosters (C-)

9.The Internship (B-)

8.Happy Gilmore 2 (B-)

7.Little Brother (B)

6.Jackass 4.5 (B+)

5.Rough Night (B+)

4.The Mitchells vs. the Machines (B+)

3.Bad Trip (A)

2.Jackass Forever (A)

1.Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (A)

Top Dog: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

The brutal commercial failure of Popstar nine years after Hot Rod faceplanted at the box office has effectively killed any chance of The Lonely Island getting the opportunity to make another movie. If Popstar does prove to be the last time the comedy trio get to make a movie together, at least they went out with a bang. Parodying the record label PR-driven music documentaries of the early-to-mid 2010's provided them with the perfect vehicle for their goofy absurdist sense of humor and it leads to some of the funniest songs/situational comedy they've ever written. Special shoutout to them for recognizing that Tim Meadows is one of the funniest people alive and handing him a role that allows him to show that off in literally every scene he's in. 

Bottom Feeder: The Lion King (2019)

Of all the Disney "live action" remakes that I've seen, this is the most soulless and useless. This film feeling like it's about 20 minutes long despite being nearly a half hour longer than the original is a magic trick so grand that it would blow Criss Angel's mind. Guess that's just the power of recreating all of the major scenes from the animated version via CGI without injecting any of the emotion or colorful visuals that made them so special in the first place. 

Most Underrated: Bad Trip (2021)

Handing André a real budget to do his chaotic hidden camera pranks and weaving in a simple but effective road trip narrative to tie them all together leads to easily one of the funniest movies released this decade. It sucks that Bad Trip ended up being a COVID streaming casualty (the pre-Amazon acquistion MGM regime sold it off to Netflix in May 2020) because this would've ripped even harder in a theater full of degenerate André fans.

Most Overrated: I Love Boosters (2026)

This isn't the fairest inclusion as the reception hasn't been particularly rapturous and it didn't even hit $10 million during its box office run this spring/summer. However, I Love Boosters has just enough cache in cinephile circles to push into this spot. I've been very vocal about my disdain for Boots Riley's debut Sorry to Bother You and while this is certainly an improvement over that obnoxious trainwreck, it's still an unfocused and mostly unfunny satire that can't parlay its good politics into a good movie. 

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 6

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) San Francisco 49ers (5-0) Week 6 opponent: Washington Commanders

2.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) Week 6 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

3.(4) Minnesota Vikings (5-0) Week 6 opponent: Bye

4.(5) Buffalo Bills (4-1) Week 6 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

5.(3) Seattle Seahawks (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Denver Broncos

6.(7) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) Week 6 opponent: Houston Texans

7.(9) Denver Broncos (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

8.(10) Baltimore Ravens (4-1) Week 6 opponent: Cleveland Browns

9.(8) Los Angeles Rams (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

10.(11) Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Bye

11.(14) New England Patriots (3-2) Week 6 opponent: New York Jets

12.(6) Chicago Bears (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

13.(19) Detroit Lions (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Bye

14.(20) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

15.(23) Green Bay Packers (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

16.(16) Carolina Panthers (2-2) Week 6 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

17.(12) Cleveland Browns (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

18.(17) Atlanta Falcons (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Chicago Bears

19.(13) Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Buffalo Bills

20.(22) New York Giants (3-1-1) Week 6 opponent: New Orleans Saints

21.(15) Dallas Cowboys (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Green Bay Packers

22.(21) Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Carolina Panthers

23.(25) Houston Texans (1-4) Week 6 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

24.(26) New York Jets (2-3) Week 6 opponent: New England Patriots

25.(18) Indianapolis Colts (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Tennessee Titans

26.(27) Washington Commanders (1-3-1) Week 6 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

27.(30) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4) Week 6 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

28.(24) New Orleans Saints (1-4) Week 6 opponent: New York Giants

29.(28) Arizona Cardinals (1-4) Week 6 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

30.(29) Los Angeles Chargers (0-5) Week 6 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

31.(31) Tennessee Titans (0-5) Week 6 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-5) Week 6 opponent: Bye

Week 5 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

 Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Drake Maye (Patriots)

Remarkably, Maye was even better in Week 5 against the Raiders than he was in Week 4 against the Bills. The Patriots quarterback was dialed in from the jump, slicing through the Raiders defense for 398 total YDS (374 passing 25 rushing) and 5 scores. Best of all, he didn't the turn ball over after logging a league-high 9 giveaways through the opening 4 games. Maye will hope to make it 3 great showings in a row when the Jets come to Gilette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Honorable Mentions: Jayden Daniels (Commanders), Jared Goff (Lions), Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals)

Biggest Loser: Tyler Shough (Saints)

Frankly, Shough didn't stand much of a chance squaring off against the Vikings ferocious defense behind a makeshift offensive line and the results were predictably awful. Being under siege all day and having to rely on sheer gunslinging desperation to try and move the ball downfield led Shough to produce one of the worst lines you'll see from a starting QB this season (96 YDS, 0 TD's, 2 INT's). He's a terrific bounceback candidate for Week 6 against a Giants defense that has had its share of struggles defending the pass so far this season.

Dishonorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Bo Nix (Broncos)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)

After a very quiet showing by his lofty standards against the Panthers last week, Gibbs returned to his normal elite form by absolutely obliterating the Cardinals defense (207 scrimmage YDS and 2 rushing TD's on 30 touches) in a blowout win for the Lions. Gibbs' owners will have to shoulder the burden of inserting a vastly inferior RB into their lineup while the dual-threat fantasy monster is on bye.

Honorable Mentions: Jaylen Warren (Steelers), Bucky Iriving (Buccaneers), Derrick Henry (Ravens)

Biggest Loser: Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals)

Gibbs' counterpart on the Cardinals offense had a much less productive outing. Love got completely stuffed on the ground, turning his 12 carries into just 22 YDS and failed to catch his only target on the day as the Cardinals pivoted to a pass-dominant attack early in the second half once the Lions blew the game wide open. Love, who is playing through the ankle injury he suffered back in training camp, will be a shaky RB2/FLEX play in Week 6 against the Rams.

Dishonorable Mentions: Chase Brown (Bengals), Omarion Hampton (Chargers), Cam Skattebo (Giants)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Puka Nacua (Rams)

While Nacua wasn't making huge splash plays against the Bills last night, Matthew Stafford was going his way on basically every other pass he threw for the entire game. The star wideout set a new career-high by hauling in 17 receptions on 24 targets, which he turned into 138 YDS and a TD as the Rams lost a heartbreaking OT shootout on their home field. Up next for Nacua is a dream matchup with the lowly Cardinals secondary. 

Honorable Mentions: Christian Watson (Packers), Parker Washington (Jaguars), Malik Nabers (Giants)

Biggest Loser: Jaylen Waddle (Broncos)

Sean Payton snatching the playcalling duties from his alleged understudy Davis Webb did nothing to help Waddle's output this week. The Broncos big offseason acquisition was once again pretty invisible despite having a favorable matchup against the Chargers, catching 2-of-5 targets for 19 YDS and gaining 9-YDS on his lone rush attempt. Waddle's next opportunity to put a stop to the incredibly underwhelming start to his Broncos career will be Thursday night against the Seahawks.  

Dishonorable Mentions: Carnell Tate (Titans), Tee Higgins (Bengals), Michael Wilson (Cardinals)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Isaiah Likely (Giants)

Likely was one of the key cogs in the Giants improbable second half comeback that led to one of the most absurd ties in NFL history against the Commanders on Sunday, hauling in a career-high 11 receptions for 94 YDS and 2 TD's. After a quiet first couple games with Jameis Winston under center, Likely has forged a strong connection with the veteran QB and it's incredibly encouraging that his target share hasn't really been impacted by Malik Nabers' return to elite form over the past couple of weeks.

Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), Tyler Warren (Colts), Sam LaPorta (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns)

Deshaun Watson went back to struggling mightily in the Browns ugly Week 6 loss to the Jets and only Denzel Boston escaped unscathed from a fantasy perspective. Fannin Jr. suffered a particularly cruel fate, catching just 1-of-4 targets for 4 YDS on the day. The talented 2nd year tight end could find himself in a tough spot once again in Week 6 if Watson struggles to get anything going against a Ravens defense that is starting gain confidence after back-to-back strong showings. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Dalton Kincaid (Bills), Colston Loveland (Bears), Juwan Johnson (Saints)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Texans

After 5 weeks, the Texans D/ST has finally showed off the elite form that made them the kings of this position a year ago. The porous Cam Ward-led Titans offense got completely stomped out by their division rivals from Southeast Texas, surrendering 4 sacks, an interception and fumble recovery in a 26-3 loss. The Texans are going to have to dig deep to put up another strong performance this week when they travel to London to take on the AFC South-leading Jaguars.

Honorable Mentions: Broncos, Vikings, Bengals

Biggest Loser: Rams

Neither defense looked particularly good -especially in the second half and OT-during the back-and-forth battle between the Rams and Bills last night, but the losing team was the only one that was owned/played by a good amount of fantasy players. While Chris Shula's group did get a sack, INT and fumble recovery, any good they did was undone by the fact that they had allowed 37 points by the time the final whistle blew. Fortunately for them, redemption could be imminent as they're set to square off with the reeling 1-4 Cardinals in Week 6. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaguars, Steelers, Cowboys

Quick Movie Reviews: Verity, Other Mommy, The Social Reckoning

Verity: There's a serious conundrum that exists at the core of Verity that largely dictated how I ended up feeling about it: It's committed enough to its trashiness to go down as a competent wine mom psychological thriller but restrained enough to make you wonder why they refused to crank up the volume of the camp. Who is the main culprit behind Verity's miscalculated timid streak? Well, it's definitely not the cast. Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett do a pretty good job of selling the slowly escalating flirtation that turns into a tryst that really puts their characters into a jam that they're going to have a hard time wiggling out of while Anne Hathaway relishes the opportunity to chew up some scenery as the titular author who brings all these crazy kids together whenever she's liberated from the catatonic state she spends most of the film in. Screenwriter Nick Antosca also deserves to be (mostly) exonerated. While his script definitely runs into some roadblocks as it lays out its absurd plot that's reverse engineered to inspire debate about the reality of what transpired in the film once the big twist is revealed, but the blueprint for fun trash never falls out of sight and it even becomes pretty fully realized when the temperature finally rises from slightly simmering to a decent boil in the final act. This narrows the suspect list down to one person and he is indeed the guilty party: director Michael Showwalter. Unlike his fellow comedy vet Paul Feig-who pretty seamlessly adapted to this world with his efforts on A Simple Favor and The Housemaid, Showalter has no feel for composing the twisty, trashy rhythms a film like this requires to thrive. His direction is far too icy and distant for such an in-your-face story, and his low energy approach bogs the movie down until the sheer ridiculousness of the material becomes so powerful that it drags his overmatched ass across the finish line despite his best efforts to halt the momentum. Seeing his name pop up in the end credits felt like watching Landry Shamet celebrate on the floor when the Knicks won the title back in June: He may have been on the floor a lot, but he didn't ultimately contribute much of anything to the winning effort. If Showalter has any interest in coming back to direct something like again, he's going to need get back in the gym and work on his jumper (and by jumper, I of course mean not being afraid to go for broke when making a movie that's designed to be a larger-than-life carnival of unapologetically silly excess). 

Grade: B-

Other Mommy: Rob Savage has made a movie that is so breathless that there's basically no time to think about its underwritten story, goofy CGI or predictable scare patterns. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that Other Mommy takes maybe five minutes to introduce its shape-shifting demonic entity that takes the form of a lonely, unhappy seven-year-old girl's (Arabella Olivia Clark) mother (Jessica Chastain) and never takes its foot off the gas until the credits roll roughly 85 minutes later. The sheer relentlessness of the entire affair paired with the solid performances from Chastain and Clark and Savage's inspired stylized shot compositions that features plenty of playful camerawork made this a nice October diversion.

Grade: B-

The Social Reckoning: Drawing constant comparisons to The Social Network was the inevitable fate that Aaron Sorkin created for himself when he elected to revisit the impact Mark Zuckerberg has made on our society for The Social Reckoning. Having to live in the shadow of a beloved, era-defining piece of cinema is a frankly a no-win game, especially when this new film that has been accurately described as more of a companion piece than an actual sequel is a telling a much drier, less cinematic story and sees Sorkin himself taking over for David Fincher in the director's chair. Despite these albatrosses looming large over the project, Sorkin is able to forge ahead and make something worthwhile.

Underneath all of the tech jargon and creative liberties Sorkin takes to push forth this narrative centered around Facebook data engineer's Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) unexpected journey to becoming a reluctant whistleblower after she contacts Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) upon discovering how the company's changes to its algorithm that were aimed to increase time spent on the platform led to a significant jump in the spread of misinformation, hate speech, etc,  The Social Reckoning paints a pretty damning picture of how much social media companies have helped erode the concept of truth in our world. While the revelations in The Social Reckoning aren't overly surprising to anyone who uses the internet and/or has experience talking to people who've been radicalized by reading fabricated ragebait/fearmongering stories masquerading as fact-based reporting online , it's still chilling to watch a movie that lays out how the people running these platforms knowingly sold out the well-being of the world just to collect bigger checks and endear themselves to politicians who would support the further deregulation of their industry. There was part of me that was concerned that Sorkin was going to paint Haugen's whistleblowing efforts as a bigger triumph than they actually were once she finally decides to go on the record late in the movie. To my surprise, he instead decided to soberly acknowledges that while she did inflict some financial/PR damage to Zuckerberg's empire, she failed to topple the behemoth of unchecked toxicity and lies that serve as the main drivers of his platforms. Framing Haugen and Horwitz's work on the story that became known as The Facebook Files as merely a small victory in a larger war that may or may not be able to be won strengthened everything that came before it and confirmed that Sorkin is much less naive about what truth actually means in today's society than some other of the AARP-aged filmmakers out there today. A solid, well-acted (in addition to Madison and White's strong work in the lead roles, Jeremy Strong's fragile, deeply pathetic take on Zuckerberg is kind of mesmerizing and Betty Glipin threatens to steal the show in her limited screen time as Horwitz's snarky hardass editor at The Wall Street Journal) journalism movie was the best-case scenario for this project and I hope that this won't be the last time that Sorkin gets the chance to sit in the director's chair. 

Grade: B

Way Too Early Oscar Predictions: 2026 Edition

Feel free to file this away and throw it in my face if it proves to be wildly inaccurate, but this year's Oscar races are looking a lot clearer than they usually do at this stage of the process. All of the acting categories save for Best Actor already appear to be down to fields of seven or eight contenders for the five nominations while Best Picture is starting to look like a two-horse race between Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Spanish epic drama La bola negra-which is aiming to become Netflix's first ever BP winner. Why does there appear to be so much certainty compared to the last few years where chaos reigned? I'm not quite sure, but so many heavy hitters either debuting at Cannes in May or releasing before the fall certainly feels like it played a role.

It needs to be noted that despite my belief that the field already feels relatively settled, there are still a handful of potential contenders out there including Dune: Part Three, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, Werwulf and The Mosquito Bowl that have yet to screen publicly that have the potential to shake up the landscape if they generate enough fanfare. With that important caveat now out of the way, here are my way too early predictions for the 2026 Oscars excluding Best Original Song and the Short Film categories. 

 *Indicates the predicted winner

Best Picture:

All of a Sudden

The Debut

Dune: Part Three

Fjord

The Invite

La bola negra

Obsession

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Wild Horse Nine

Best Director:

Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, La bola negra

Martin McDonagh, Wild Horse Nine

Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey*

Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Three

Olivia Wilde, The Invite

Best Actor:

Matt Damon, The Odyssey 

Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary

John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine* 

Robert Pattinson, Primetime

Andrew Scott, Elsinore 

Best Actress:

Virginie Efira, All of a Sudden

Sandra Hüller, Rose

Julianne Moore, The Debut*

Inde Navarrette, Obsession 

Olivia Wilde, The Invite

Best Supporting Actor:

Andrew Garfield, Artificial 

Paul Giamatti, The Debut*

Guitarricadelafuente, La bola negra

John Leguizamo, The Odyssey 

Sam Rockwell, Wild Horse Nine 

Best Supporting Actress:

Penélope Cruz, La bola negra

Mariana di Girolamo, Wild Horse Nine

Anne Hathaway, The Odyssey*

Samantha Morton, The Odyssey

Tao Okamoto, All of a Sudden

Best Adapted Screenplay:

All of a Sudden

The Invite

La bola negra*

The Odyssey

Project Hail Mary

Best Original Screenplay:

Artificial 

Fjord

The Debut

Obsession

Wild Horse Nine*

Best Animated Feature:

Forgotten Island

Ray Gunn

Tangles

Toy Story 5

Wildwood*

Best Documentary Feature:

American Doctor

NAZA

Nuisance Bear

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

You Can See Everything*

Best International Feature:

All of a Sudden

Fjord

La bola negra*

Minotaur

Possible Love

Best Casting:

The Debut

La bola negra

Obsession 

The Odyssey*

Wild Horse Nine

Best Cinematography:

Dune: Part Three

La bola negra

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Werwulf

Best Film Editing:

Dune: Part Three

La bola negra

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Wild Horse Nine

Best Original Score:

Behemoth!

Disclosure Day

Dune: Part Three

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Best Costume Design:

Dune: Part Three

The Odyssey* 

Sense and Sensibility

Werwulf 

Wuthering Heights

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Digger

Dune: Part Three

Michael

The Odyssey

Werwulf*

Best Production Design:

Backrooms

Dune: Part Three

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Werwulf

Best Sound:

Dune: Part Three

Godzilla Minus Zero

Michael

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Best Visual Effects:

Dune: Part Three

Godzilla Minus Zero

The Odyssey

Project Hail Mary*

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 5

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) San Francisco 49ers (4-0) Week 5 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

2.(3) Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) Week 5 opponent: Bye

3.(5) Seattle Seahawks (3-1) Week 5 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

4.(6) Minnesota Vikings (4-0) Week 5 opponent: New Orleans Saints

5.(2) Buffalo Bills (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

6.(7) Chicago Bears (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Green Bay Packers

7.(8) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

8.(10) Los Angeles Rams (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Buffalo Bills

9.(4) Denver Broncos (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

10.(11) Baltimore Ravens (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

11.(9) Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Miami Dolphins

12.(16) Cleveland Browns (3-1) Week 5 opponent: New York Jets

13.(12) Las Vegas Raiders (3-1) Week 5 opponent: New England Patriots

14.(18) New England Patriots (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

15.(17) Dallas Cowboys (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

16.(21) Carolina Panthers (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Bye

17.(24) Atlanta Falcons (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

18.(20) Indianapolis Colts (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

19.(13) Detroit Lions (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

20.(15) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

21.(14) Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

22.(23) New York Giants (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Washington Commanders

23.(27) Green Bay Packers (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Chicago Bears

24.(19) New Orleans Saints (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

25.(25) Houston Texans (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Tennessee Titans 

26.(26) New York Jets (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Cleveland Browns

27.(22) Washington Commanders (1-3) Week 5 opponent: New York Giants

28.(28) Arizona Cardinals (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Detroit Lions

29.(29) Los Angeles Chargers (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Denver Broncos

30.(30) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

31.(31) Tennessee Titans (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Houston Texans

32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

Week 4 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Drake Maye (Patriots)

If you remained firm in your belief in Maye this week, you were rewarded in a big way. While it wasn't a perfect showing for the Patriots QB as he added to his obscene early season turnover total with another pick and lost fumble, he looked like the guy that finished second in MVP voting last year for the first time this season as he unleashed his full arsenal of skills (269 passing YDS and 3 TD's, 54 rushing YDS on 8 carries) on the Bills defense in an arguably season-saving upset road victory for the defending AFC champions. Maye will face an interesting test in Week 5 when the Pats return home to play a frisky Raiders defense that currently leads the league in takeaways.   

Honorable Mentions: Joe Burrow (Bengals), Bryce Young (Panthers), Jared Goff (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Matthew Stafford (Rams)

Unlike Maye and Joe Burrow, Stafford wasn't able to cancel out his turnovers (2 INT's) with TD's in a crazy comeback win over the Eagles and finished the day with 327 scoreless YDS (317 passing, 10 rushing). Stafford will look to get back in the good graces of his fantasy owners in a very favorable Week 5 matchup against a weak Bills defense that is currently being further hampered by a banged up corner group.

Dishonorable Mentions: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Kyler Murray (Vikings)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Kyren Williams (Rams)

Williams proved to be the catalyst for the Rams insane second half comeback against the Eagles, ripping off 16 carries for 80 YDS and 2 TD's and catching a whopping 10 passes for 67 YDS. Even with Blake Corum continuing to cut into his workload to varying degrees on a weekly basis, Williams has been a solid low-end RB1 option to open the 2026 season and should remain on that level for this week's game against the Bills.

Honorable Mentions: Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs), Javonte Williams (Cowboys), Chuba Hubbard (Panthers)

Biggest Loser: Bucky Irving (Buccaneers)

As expected, Irving was leaned on heavily as undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels made his 1st career start in place of the injured Baker Mayfield at home against the Packers. Unfortunately, Irving only gained 61 YDS on his 16 carries, received 0 targets in the passing game and got a redzone TD vultured by Sean Tucker-who only earned 3 carries the whole game. Irving will have another chance to make a big impact against a suspect defense on Thursday night when the Bucs take on the Cowboys.

Dishonorable Mentions: D'Andre Swift (Bears), Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals), David Montgomery (Texans)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Tetairoa McMillan (Panthers)

With Jalen Coker out of the lineup with the quad injury he suffered against the Browns last week, McMillan became the overwhelming focus of the Panthers passing attack against the Lions abysmal, injury-depleted secondary. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year wasn't just dominant; he was crazy efficient-hauling in 14-of-16 targets for 192 YDS and 2 TD's. McMillan will follow up his busy night against the Lions with some well-deserved rest this week as the Panthers head on bye. He'll have a date with the Eagles when they return to action in Week 6. 

Honorable Mentions: CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys), Nico Collins (Texans), Puka Nacua (Rams)

Biggest Loser: Parker Washington (Jaguars)

Washington was abnormally quiet against the Bengals on Sunday, catching just 1-of-3 TGTS for 7 YDS and logging a single carry for 3 YDS as the Jags offense leaned heavily on Brenton Strange and Bhayshul Tuten in their hard-fought road win. There's no reason to believe that Washington won't be more involved this Sunday when the Jaguars head over to their second home in London to take on the Eagles. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Garrett Wilson (Jets), Emeka Egbuka (Buccaneers), Josh Downs (Colts)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Sam LaPorta (Lions)

The Panthers weren't the only ones eating good in Charlotte on Sunday night. The Lions passing offense had a field day of their own against a beat-up Panthers corner group and LaPorta was the second biggest beneficiary of this explosion behind Jameson Williams (6 REC, 102 YDS) as he caught 8 balls for 84 YDS and a TD in this tough shootout loss. LaPorta could be back in this spot in Week 5 as the Lions have another terrific matchup against the Cardinals.

Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), George Kittle (49ers), Tucker Kraft (Packers)

Biggest Loser: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

For the first time this season, Kelce made a minimal impact-catching just 2-of-4 targets for 15 YDS against a Raiders defense that had struggled to cover tight ends prior to this game. Kelce will have a prime opportunity to return to the TE1 ranks when the Chiefs square off against the embattled Chargers upon their return from bye in Week 6.

Dishonorable Mentions: Dalton Kincaid (Bills), Kenyon Sadiq (Jets), Dalton Schultz (Texans)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Seahawks

Speaking of the embattled Chargers, the Seahawks defense had some fun with them on Sunday. While they surprisingly allowed 23 points to Mike McDaniel's struggling offense, Mike Macdonald's group offset that damage by logging 4 sacks and 4 takeaways over the now 0-4 Bolts. The Seahawks are effectively a lock to have a much quieter day in Week 5 when they host the 4-0 49ers. 

Honorable Mentions: Vikings, Packers, Bears

Biggest Loser: Broncos

The Broncos D/ST has not gotten off to a great start this year and unsurprisingly, they weren't able to turn things around against the 49ers on the road. Their only highlight in this 24-14 loss where they failed to log any sacks or takeaways was a blocked field goal right before halftime. Despite the rash of injuries they're currently dealing with among their starters, they should be able to make some noise in Week 5 against the frequently aforementioned embattled Chargers.

Dishonorable Mentions: Texans, Bills, Chiefs

Jessica Chastain 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 Jessica Chastain-whose latest project "Other Mommy" releases in theaters on Thursday. 

Jessica Chastain's Filmography Ranked:

22.The Tree of Life (F)

21.Interstellar (D+)

20.The Debt (C-)

19.Mother's Instinct (C-)

18.It: Chapter Two (C-)

17.Miss Sloane (C-)

16.The Zookeeper's Wife (C)

15.The Forgiven (B-)

14.Ava (B-)

13.The Eyes of Tammy Faye (B-)

12.Dark Phoenix (B)

11.The 355 (B)

10.The Good Nurse (B)

9.Armageddon Time (B)

8.Zero Dark Thirty (B)

7.The Help (B)

6.A Most Violent Year (B)

5.Lawless (B+)

4.The Martian (B+)

3.Crimson Peak (B+)

2.Take Shelter (B+)

1.Molly's Game (B+)

Top Dog: Molly's Game (2017)

Aaron Sorkin receives a lot of flak for the quality of his directorial output, and the volume of that discourse will surely get turned up again later this week when his latest feature The Social Reckoning inevitably fails to reach the heights of its spiritual predecessor The Social Network. While I would never argue his work as a director is on the level of his work as a writer, I do believe that he's good at the job and gets far more shit than he deserves. His debut behind the camera Molly's Game is an absorbing, energetic film that makes for a nice addition to his collection of strong legal dramas. Chastain is in top form as Molly Bloom-a former Olympic skier who made millions running high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York City until she got tied up in an FBI investigation that (flimsily) tied her to the Russian mob, the story does a really good job of painting Bloom as a woman who maintained her integrity in the face of tremendous pressure from powerful forces that were trying to intimidate her into accepting a fate that she didn't deserve without letting her off the hook for some of the bad decisions that put her in this precarious position  and the dialogue often crackles with the biting wit that you've come to expect from a Sorkin script.

Bottom Feeder: The Tree of Life (2011)

The Tree of Life will never be anything more than me a pretentious snoozefest masquerading as a profound meditation on life. Terrence Malick is great at capturing imagery that belongs on the pages of National Geographic, but when these beautiful nature images are paired with dry voiceovers from Sean Penn, random bursts of melodrama and a whole of lot scenes where characters are just staring into the abyss, these snapshots of Earth's beautiful landscapes suddenly become hideous monuments to one man's obnoxious love affair with his own artistry.

Most Underrated: Crimson Peak (2015)

At this stage of his career, Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to glowing praise. He's got a trophy case full of awards including 3 Oscars and damn near everything he's made over the past 25 years has been beloved. If there's anything that I personally feel he deserves more credit for, it's Crimson Peak. Sandwiched in between the commercially successful kaiju blockbuster Pacific Rim and Best Picture winner The Shape of Water, this gothic horror romance has managed to become a footnote in del Toro's filmography. While it's not quite as full of wonder or heart as his finest work, it's still a great movie filled with eerie haunted house atmospherics, lush visuals/production design and fun twists that add a dash of campy madness to an otherwise classical horror tale.

Most Overrated: Interstellar (2014)

Some asshole out there has to think that Interstellar sucks and that asshole is me. Christopher Nolan completely flounders in his attempt to make a sentimental ode to fatherhood with this laughably corny, overlong and dull sci-fi epic. 

Josh Hartnett Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", 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 Josh Hartnett-whose latest project "Verity" releases in theaters today.

Josh Hartnett's Filmography Ranked:

15.Pearl Harbor (D)

14.40 Days and 40 Nights (D+)

13.Wicker Park (C-)

12.Hollywood Homicide (C)

11.Trap (C)

10.The Virgin Sucides (B-)

9.The Faculty (B-)

8.Fight or Flight (B)

7.30 Days of Night (B)

6.Oppenheimer (B)

5.Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (B)

4.Black Hawk Down (B)

3.Lucky Number Slevin (B)

2.Wrath of Man (B+)

1.Sin City (A+)

Top Dog: Sin City (2005)

Seeing Sin City at 13 years old was sincerely one of the most unbelievable experiences of my life. The meticulously crafted black-and-white visuals that feel like they're ripped from the pages of its graphic novel source material, immersive sleazy noir atmosphere and outstanding performances from the veteran actors (Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Powers Boothe are the top standouts to me) who were tasked with bringing this collection of mortally dubious characters to life will never cease to blow me away. Plus, the whole thing is just relentlessly cool and badass. 

Bottom Feeder: Pearl Harbor (2001)

Any regular reader of this blog is aware that I'm an ardent defender of the work of Michael Bay. However, there are a smattering of titles of his that I won't go to bat for and Pearl Harbor tops that list. While Bay's maximalist action proficiency come out in full force when the time comes to stage the attack, the rest of the movie is a melodramatic slog driven by a love triangle between Kate Beckinsale, Ben Affleck and Hartnett that is so relentlessly flat that it's borderline psychotic that so much of the film's attempts at building up emotional weight are centered around it.  

Most Underrated: Wrath of Man (2021)

Even Ridley Scott would be stunned by the ridiculous level of output Guy Ritchie has produced during the 2020's. Over the last 6 years, the 58-year-old British icon has released 7 movies, has another 2 that are already shot and awaiting release and is currently involved in 3 television series in some capacity. When it comes to the movie slice of this insanely large creative pie, I believe that Wrath of Man is the best of the bunch. Ritchie reuniting with Jason Statham for the first time since 2005's Revolver provided him with enough of a creative jolt to break free from his quippy crime comedy mold and make a propulsive heist movie that prioritizes meathead grit over snarky levity. 

Most Overrated: Oppenheimer (2023)

There's really not much to say here that I haven't said ad nauseum recently. Oppenheimer is a textbook example of Christopher Nolan undercutting his gift for delivering top-notch spectacle with his overly cute non-linear storytelling, questionable writing of every single major supporting character and steadfast refusal to use ADR during scenes where there's a shitload of background noise that drowns out the dialogue.