11.06.26
by

Being Heumann

In 1977, disability rights activist Judy Heumann led a 28-day sit-in in San Francisco’s Federal Building, together with dozens of activists fighting for equal rights and accessibility in a society that ignored and marginalized them.

Being Heumann uses that landmark moment to ask a pressing question for today: when did we stop caring about problems that aren’t strictly our own? If a movie is going to remind us to stand up for one another, to treat humanity as a collective front rather than ignore what’s inconvenient to us simply because it isn’t our problem, that movie is Being Heumann. Ruth Madeley is an instant powerhouse as Heumann, capturing her unwavering resolve and morality in the face of adversity and ignorance, as well as her insistence on looking out for her community and speaking truth to power. The ensemble cast of disabled actors around her is rich with soul and inspiration.

Dylan O’Brien is also a standout as a reporter who begins covering the demonstration and soon finds himself standing up right beside the activists for their cause. The film also doesn’t portray powerful figures as menacing bigots, but rather as people unwilling to take action to better their society simply because it’s uncomfortable and out of their way, as if to tell us as the viewer that we can look beyond our comfort zone and see where we can stand up for others whose issues may not be our own but shouldn’t matter to us any less. The film is sure to lift up any viewer with a heart and remind us about today’s greatest obstacle to societal progress: that quiet indifference may be an even more dangerous enemy than outward prejudice, and that each person has the tools to show compassion, solidarity, and integrity, all while highlighting actors and struggles within the disabled community in a trailblazing manner.

11.01.26
by

Wild Horse Nine

Martin McDonagh’s latest film focuses on two CIA operatives stationed in Santiago who head to Easter Island on vacation, a trip that reveals a darker purpose.

After delivering storytelling masterclasses like The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, McDonagh returns with another contender for his finest work. It’s one of the funniest, most emotionally contemplative, and historically resonant films in years, finding profound meaning in the kind of wicked absurdity that only McDonagh could conjure.

John Malkovich is extraordinary as a veteran agent consumed by cynicism and disillusioned with the crumbling world around him. In lesser hands, he could’ve been little more than a rabid dog biting back at the world. Instead, Malkovich finds a remarkable stillness beneath the rage, moments of clarity that reveal profound dimensions to his character. Sam Rockwell delivers one of his finest performances, bringing an irresistible warmth and humanity to the film. Their magnetic chemistry is elevated by McDonagh’s hilarious dialogue, which finds unexpected moral and historical weight beneath even its most outrageous exchanges.

Steve Buscemi is also at his most brilliant, while Parker Posey steals each of the few scenes she inhabits. Beyond its emotional heft and wicked humor, the film confronts the seemingly endless cycles of political tyranny, suggesting that humanity remains disturbingly incapable of learning from its own history. It makes for the superior pick to see in theaters, whatever your cinematic preference is: fun, thoughtful, charming, or devastating.

10.29.26
by

Sense and Sensibility (2026)

Though it isn’t much different narratively from Ang Lee’s 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, Georgia Oakley’s new adaptation shifts its soul and mood. Rather than framing marriage as the ultimate arrival point for happiness, Oakley centers the Dashwoods’ sisterly bond as the story’s true emotional core. Her direction is refreshingly far more visually tactile than the colorful and polished production design of the previous adaptation, with more uneven, realistic lighting on the characters. The score and the focus on the nature of the setting around them are the most immersive touches.

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles are the film’s greatest weapons, delivering electrifying screen presences, as well as a subtly wonderful Caitríona Balfe as the Dashwood matriarch. Across Normal People, Twisters, and now here, Edgar-Jones proves she is a rare generational talent, with an effortless, innate ability to pull audiences into her characters’ orbits without a single doubt. She physically nails the poise of an emotionally controlled older sister who is fiercely protective of others yet acutely aware of her own worth, quietly yearning for her own joy to arrive. Meanwhile, Creed-Miles beautifully portrays Marianne’s emotional openness, perfectly capturing how that same raw honesty exposes her to profound heartbreak.

Though the first half lacks momentum, the second act picks up significantly and makes us care deeply for Elinor and Marianne’s journey. Anyone familiar with the story or Jane Austen’s style knows that it’s all building up to a moment of catharsis, and when it comes, Edgar-Jones sells it so beautifully that the final act alone makes this the superior adaptation.

10.26.26
by

Wicker

When a lonely fisherwoman’s wish for a husband made out of wicker comes true, his presence and their newfound relationship threaten to upend the foundation of their small yet oppressive village.

This film takes its bizarre concept to break down the ideas of masculinity, femininity, and the family unit, with Olivia Colman delivering a performance that’s as tremendous and lovable as always. Alexander Skarsgård gives a patient and committed performance that just avoids ridiculousness by being realistically tender. Elizabeth Debicki and Peter Dinklage are also huge standouts as eccentric and integral parts. Though the story and pace sometimes slow down, the jokes never miss and the visual storytelling always works. The humor is as absurd as it is crude, digging deep into what really makes a true partner with real substance, all while poking fun at its setting and characters without end.

10.24.26
by

Wildwood

Shooting a feature-length stop-motion animated film (a process taking several years, hundreds of thousands of individual photographs, hundreds of puppet designs, and thousands of 3D-printed faces) is already a breathtaking technical feat. But with Wildwood, it’s almost impossible to wrap your head around the sheer labor, time, and relentless passion evident in every single frame. A majestic experience like no other, Wildwood pushes the boundaries of the medium and tests just how dark animated storytelling can get, all while capturing the pure, vulnerable wonder of a child navigating the frightening ways of the world beyond her familiar home.

The voice cast is stacked and completely stellar, led by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who is devoted and determined as young Prue and will go to all lengths to save her brother. Her empathy is what changes the woods she enters as much as they change her. Carey Mulligan is brilliant as Alexandra, written with such intricate layers that you understand her fragility even as her choices turn destructive. Mahershala Ali is another standout, while Jacob Tremblay gets many of the film’s funniest and sharpest lines. The rest of the ensemble, including Awkwafina, Maya Erskine, Charlie Day, Angela Bassett, and Richard E. Grant, each serve a distinct purpose in populating this world.

It’s mind-blowing just how much skill and craft it took to breathe so much life into these characters. There is something truly miraculous in how it all comes together, making us completely forget the sheer length of time it took to build frame by frame. It’s also very violent and shows the harshness of grief and war, but its reflection of loss and familial drive also makes the film incredibly poetic. It may one day have the same artistic impact that Spirited Away had on a generation of storytellers and viewers, transporting us to another world to help us make sense of our own as we grow up. Even if you thought Laika’s previous films like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings were extraordinary, prepare yourself: you’ll already be floored by the storytelling and visual achievements here by the first few minutes.

10.21.26
by

Clayface

After actor Matt Hagen is disfigured by a notorious mob boss, he volunteers for a new experiment to restore his face in an attempt to save his reputation, only to realize the procedure is much more than he bargained for.

Clayface finds its footing early with a storyline that offers a unique hook within the superhero genre (a problematic, disgraced Hollywood actor), though it eventually slips into the familiar science jargon typical of movies about ordinary guys accidentally transforming into superpowered beings. What ultimately saves the film is its immense, uninhibited gore, which delivers plenty of fun as it evolves from a standard DC villain origin into extreme body horror. While Tom Rhys Harries is well-cast in the titular role, it’s Naomi Ackie and Max Minghella who provide the most compelling work in the cast, with Minghella particularly standing out as a Gotham City police officer.

The writing occasionally stumbles into weak dialogue traps and could have used tighter execution, and certain scenes feel aesthetically underwhelming. Even so, the over-the-top action and body horror offer plenty of entertainment, even if you can see every predictable step of where the film is headed. Whether or not you’ll enjoy Clayface is fully dependent on how much you’re able to embrace its innate ridiculousness, and if you’ve got a stomach for mutilations; though if you’ve seen The Substance, you’ve already been through much of this film’s story beats.

10.10.26
by

The Social Reckoning

Aaron Sorkin returns to the playing fields of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg, only with a far more urgent and relevant call to take action on big tech’s omnipotence and its manipulation of us. Though Jeremy Strong’s turn as Zuckerberg feels inferior to Jesse Eisenberg’s performance in The Social Network, he effectively portrays the ego that comes from leading the most trusted and revered communication platform, including the lack of responsibility to anyone but himself, even its billions of users. Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White are the film’s most important dynamic, portraying a reluctant whistleblower and a journalist who’s empathetic and refreshingly clueless at times. Betty Gilpin is outstanding and a scene-stealer here as a figure of authority who’s easy to root for, even when she’s harsh on her employees. Bill Burr also has many of the film’s best scenes and lines, while Wunmi Mosaku and Anna Lambe deserve shouts as well in Sorkin’s well-rounded cast.

Sorkin’s dialogue is often strong and finds the right time for great humor, though it isn’t surprising at this point in film to depict the sheer narcissism and societal control that comes to those with unlimited resources. It may underwhelm in comparison to its predecessor, but it tells a story that feels important without losing sight of the absurdity of the power of tech giants and their abuse of it for the sake of numbers and face.

10.10.26
by

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

One of the best films ever made about a hitman, this spiritual, familial take on a life of violence is more than meets the eye, thanks to Bassam Tariq’s excellent direction. Mahershala Ali gives one of his deepest performances and commits to the character, feeling like a father first, from a decisional and instinctual perspective.

The violence is limited but visceral, and Son Lux’s score stands out powerfully. John Cho plays an astounding antagonist who feels like he could’ve emerged from today’s deepest, darkest corners of the internet, and Giancarlo Esposito continues to provide gravitas to every role he embodies. If anything is jarring, it’s the final twist that may take a moment to unpack but works well with the film’s tonal and thematic threads.

10.09.26
by

Fjord

Fjord opens in a small, isolated town in Norway, beautiful and spacious, that hides some darker secrets within its citizens’ nature. Christian Mungiu’s screenplay takes away the classic narrative trick of giving us (a) character(s) who come off as role models that we can completely see ourselves in. Instead, we are brought into an incredibly uncomfortable situation where nobody is quite “right”, but we sympathize with the majority of them, even if we can’t look at one person and declare that we’d live our lives the way they do.

Sebastian Stan is giving his best-ever work, disappearing into a hardened and charisma-free character, and Renate Reinsve is sensational as the main family’s matriarch, never allowing us for a moment to forget why we feel for and care about these characters, even if we disagree with some of their actions. Mungiu embraces long takes rather than individual coverage to create sweeping intensity and elevate the stakes beyond the personal to the societal.

Over its epic 2.5-hour runtime, the film unravels a truth integral to understanding the structure of any society, from the beginning of time to our era today. It leaves you with no solutions or answers, no clear sides, yet it’ll get deeply under your skin and spark the most important and introspective conversations that the most profound and uncomfortable films should.

10.05.26
by

Digger

Truly daring and polarizing works of narrative storytelling don’t come often at this scale. Alejandro G. Iñárritu seems to be embracing both his non-Hollywood roots and the grandeur of major studio production with Digger, a Trojan horse of a film that’s as baffling as it is thought-provoking and urgent. Tom Cruise gives a behemoth of a performance, playing a character meant to satirize the “expertise” and power our society creates around immense wealth. The surrounding cast is also excellent, including the brilliant Sandra Hüller and John Goodman in such a ridiculously angry turn as the POTUS that it actually works for how extravagant the film wants to be.

The film is also very bleak, pulling a trick on you that some viewers will love, others hate, and some won’t know whether it enhances or tanks the story. As it peels back the layers, it tests its luck as to whether the concept is truly effective or just too extravagant for the sake of it, but once it unravels the bigger picture for you, there’s a powerful statement about the depth of human selfishness and ignorance for comfort’s sake. However, it doesn’t know when to dial back the caricature of its characters and situations, even when much of it is intentional. Though I would love to rewatch it knowing what I know now, it also takes getting through a lot of more cringeworthy scenes to get to the unforgettable lightbulb moments. Though the satire is on-the-nose, it’s a film that will stick with you for a while for its ambition and completely jarring essence. Simultaneously difficult to recommend but impossible to skip, it’s got something to say about each one of us sitting in the audience, not to mention the stunning costumes, makeup work, score, and production design (the sets are out of this world).