- USA Network’s “Anna Pigeon” Is a Satisfying TV Throwback (August 3, 2026)
Come for the nature shots, stay for the compelling characters from Nevada Barr’s novels.
USA Network’s “Anna Pigeon” is filled with beautiful Montana vistas (even if shooting took place in neighboring Alberta, Canada) and golden-hour glows as it follows its titular park ranger. Played with charisma by Tracy Spiridakos, Anna Pigeon’s got a mystery to solve each week while delivering lines like “Littering is a gateway crime.”
Yes, this is a traditional show with pulpy intrigue, a little bit of sex, and some corny jokes thrown in for good measure. Like other TV series of yore, it centers a messy blonde with a diverse supporting cast. Of them, Paulina Jewel Alexis stands out as Ranger Zoey Bear Child, who views Anna as her mentor. Coming off the critically acclaimed “Reservation Dogs,” Alexis continues to bring warm humor and openness to her Indigenous identity. And “Anna Pigeon” does right by her, letting her wear her identity lightly but purposefully. She’s also free from the pressure of being the sole Native cast member, thanks to Crystle Lightning playing dispatcher Frieda Dierkz, who the costume department fits with spectacular spectacles.
These choices around Indigenous representation strike a strong note in a series that is primarily about white people and their preoccupations. At the center, of course, is Anna. She’s haunted by nightmares of the night her husband was murdered, even as she’s past the initial mourning period. No longer running from her New York life, she fields probing calls from her psychiatrist sister (Tricia Helfer) while finding a home and a lover (Cooper Levy) in Glacier National Park.
“Track of the Cat” — Tricia Helfer as Molly Pigeon in Anna Pigeon. Photo Credit: Michelle Faye/USA Network © VERSANT MEDIA 2025. All Rights Reserved
In the pilot, she declares herself “a cop,” explaining her particular brand of ranger and setting herself up to encounter and solve a variety of crimes. For all the show’s awareness of the need to portray Montana’s Native community, it can’t quite bring itself to imagine non-white femininity. This is a show with a fair amount of violence against women–as seen in the six episodes given to critics–but all of the murder victims are white women, despite Indigenous women experiencing much higher rates of violence.
Still, “Anna Pigeon’s” heart is in the right place. Here, the heroes are a diverse group of environmentalists, while the bad guy is greasy, greedy patriarch Jeremiah Paulson (a smarmy Kim Coates). He’s a nasty capitalist, the man who owns the most land in the state and inspires a variety of crimes Anna uncovers. If that matches your politics, then “Anna Pigeon” will be a guilt-free pleasure for you.
To the show’s credit, Jeremiah’s easy to root against, just as Anna is easy to root for. She’s a flawed woman who drinks too much and moves on instinct. But the show doesn’t judge her sleeping around or taking a circuitous path through grief. Instead, it lets her be messy in ways that only men usually get to be.
And because of that, “Anna Pigeon” doesn’t fall into the trap that so many of these shows do, of having the vanilla protagonist be the least interesting character of the ensemble. Instead, Spiridakos holds the eye whenever she’s on screen, her piercing blue eyes allowing humor and vulnerability even as she radiates strength. And the camera loves her, with the sun bouncing off her wavy locks and caressing the various scratches and bruises she gets along the way.
Some of the mysteries she uncovers are predictable, but in a comforting sort of way. This is a show that revels in traditional TV beats with their clear sense of right and wrong. The crimes are surprising enough to keep it interesting, even if the show can’t quite pull off its multi-episode arc, thanks to some nonsensical motivation and strange acting choices.
Which is to say, “Anna Pigeon” won’t leave you thinking, but it will leave you satisfied. It isn’t a challenging show–it works best if you don’t think too much about it. But it is a pleasant one.
Certainly, USA Network’s “Anna Pigeon” is an easy way to experience Montana’s natural beauty from your living room, while following a beautiful woman completing physical and mental feats to make her little corner of the world better. And that’s a satisfying way to spend an hour or so a week.
Six episodes screened for review. Premieres on USA Network on August 7, 2026.
- The Unloved, Part 152: The Milagro Beanfield War (August 3, 2026)
When Robert Redford passed, and I was asked to put together a tribute to this great man, it occurred to me that I was saying goodbye to someone, too. Someone who put his energy not into preserving the land or patronizing the arts or helping with political causes, but into his family. In his own way. Redford’s directorial career was less than respectable, on the whole, but he made a movie that spoke to a man who came from nothing and died away from the land on which he was raised, so far from whatever home might have been.
My grandfather died a few weeks ago. When I was small, I couldn’t imagine having a different relationship to him than the one I had, of course. He was our playmate, coordinator of our vacations, Santa Claus, our loudest supporter at little league sports; he believed in us. He did everything for us. That’s not the whole story, of course, and right around the time that I learned that this very generous man may have a darker side, he became my employer. I had a front row seat to the disorder I didn’t know had a name or a cause when I was younger. Just why was this man so angry?
He rarely took it out on my siblings, but certainly as we aged his disappointment at so many things became unavoidable, in his every sigh, in his response to every broken air conditioning unit or internet problem. After a while, the most jovial man I knew growing up seemed aware he’d been left behind by everything he thought he’d conquered. He wanted to be a big wheel, wherever he was, whatever he did. Unfortunately, he wasn’t born that way, and those of us who desire wealth above all will find a way to it, but once you get it, once you prove your past self wrong, what then?
I’m not sure my grandfather ever found out, as he never stopped trying to succeed, even though by most rubrics he had. Still, there was some awful poetic circuitousness to the miserable fact that when he passed, it was without his beloved wife by his side, without his friends, who he couldn’t see when he couldn’t walk to play golf or breathe in the heat of the summer, without the home he sold to afford palliative care, without much of anything. I thought about all of my memories with him, in the house that seemed so big to me as a child, watching the few VHS tapes he bought for us for nights we stayed with them while our parents were out or away.
He steered towards films about Spanish or Mexican people. He was born to abject poverty in the Southwest, and though he worked hard to rise above it and forget it, it always lived with him. For years he would tell me his favorite film was “The Milagro Beanfield War.” When I was a kid it sounded boring. When I was older, I couldn’t bring myself to watch something personal to him.
By then our relationship had changed. I knew too much about him. What if I saw the film and it didn’t reflect this man at all? What if it changed my estimation of him, after so many changes had already taken place over a long two decades from the time I sat in his office, doing the work of ten people as his business went under, learning to see his optimism as a hollow front for terror at his own powerlessness. This man thought he could reach the top of the world, but somewhere he still saw himself in the image of the dirt-poor farming community in Robert Redford’s charming character study, a gently socialist fable about direct political action. I saw everything good in him, and suddenly the year we spent watching him get sick and die hurt that much more.
He loved this movie because he wanted to love people, but he had a hard time extending the love he was denied to many other people. We got it, though. My siblings and I. The last thing he did for me was finance my next movie. He died before I could show it to him, but we did show him “The Milagro Beanfield War” one last time. I hope it made him feel less alone. I hope it meant something. Now I start a new chapter, with this movie and without him.
- A-List Cast Continues to Make “Lioness” the Queen of the Streaming Jungle (July 31, 2026)
Over the first two seasons of Taylor Sheridan’s star-powered, high-octane spy thriller series “Lioness,” certain patterns and rhythms have been established, making it easier to navigate the deep-in-the-weeds geopolitics.
1. Zoe Saldaña’s Joe McNamara, the head of the U.S. military’s special ops program known as Lioness, recruits a badass and battle-tested but emotionally scarred and combative soldier to infiltrate a target on a mission so dangerous it’s borderline suicidal. In Season One, the new lioness operative was Laysla De Oliveira’s Cruz; for the sophomore campaign, it was Genesis Rodriguez’s helicopter pilot Carillo. (Both actresses turned in fiercely captivating performances, and it’s great to see both back for Season 3.)
2. Joe and her team of wisecracking and world-weary but ferociously effective operatives regularly find themselves in the middle of chaotic, blood-spattered, rip-roaring battle sequences—some of the best action scenes rendered on any TV series this decade.
3. Because most of this stuff is supposed to stay off the grid and is borderline legal at best, Joe is regularly summoned to meetings involving her icy mentor, Kaitlyn Meade (the TV-ubiquitous Nicole Kidman); Secretary of State Edwin Mullins (who else but Morgan Freeman); NSA Chief Damian Hollar (Bruce McGill), White House Chief of Staff Mason (Jennifer Ehle); and CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield (Michael Kelly). There’s a lot of reprimanding and “You’re on thin ice!” type talk, but Joe always gets the green light to proceed.
L-R: Zoe Saldaña as Joe and Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz in Lioness season 3, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Lauren “Lo” Smith/Paramount+
4. To help us catch our breath from the harrowing, massive action set pieces, we get a steady diet of quieter domestic moments. Days or even hours after having just killed enemy combatants while suffering bruises and sometimes worse, Joe returns home to her handsome, gray-haired pediatric surgeon husband Neal (Dave Annable) and her daughters Kate and Charlie (Hannah Love Lanier and Celistina Harris). Joe and Neal survived some rocky times but now behave like heated-up teenagers whenever she comes home—but soon the phone will ring, and Neal will be left to make breakfast for the kids and take them to school while Joe gears up and leads the team on another covert mission to save the world.
We also get glimpses of the home lives of Kelly’s Westfield, who coaches his son’s Little League baseball team, and Kidman’s Meade, who lives in an enormous and chilly-looking house straight out of “The Others” with her husband Errol (Martin Donovan), a wealthy investment banker with deep and perhaps dark political connections.
It’s a winning formula, with Sheridan returning to the territory he so expertly mined in writing the feature film “Sicario,” one of the best films of the 2010s. For Season 3, “Lioness” amps up the action and increases the personal risk factor, reflecting the real-life chaos of today’s geopolitical landscape while telling fictional—if mostly plausible—stories. Instead of getting involved in admittedly large-scale and casualty-laden battles in Mexico or stateside, the team now finds itself on the front lines of a full-scale war overseas—a war described by one operative as World War I meets “Star Wars,” with soldiers literally climbing out of trenches with bayonets while a seemingly endless swarm of high-tech drones buzz overhead, raining fire on the enemy. It’s TV with the scale and sheer visceral impact of a well-budgeted war movie.
L-R: Morgan Freeman as Edwin Mullins and Michael Kelly as Byron Westfield in Lioness season 3, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Ryan Green/Paramount+
“Lioness” remains a star vehicle for Saldaña as Season 3 reminds us that Joe can’t really leave her job at the doorstep once she returns home, but the series has wisely expanded its scope to feature more of Joe’s team—which raises the dramatic stakes because we’ve come to care about this group, who in this latest assignment find themselves in WAY over their heads. Amidst all the flashy pyrotechnics—the cool, blue-tinged cinematography of extensive battles, the fog and mist and smoke of war, the drone P.O.V. shots—we’re holding our breath that Jill Wagner’s Bobby and LaMonica Garrett’s Tucker and James Jordan’s Two Cups, et al., make it back in one piece, or at least without too many pieces missing. (Taylor Sheridan also makes an indelible impression as an actor, bringing a rough-hewn edge to the veteran Delta Force operator Cody Spears, who wryly notes, “There’s a reason an old soldier is an old soldier.”)
The dialogue in “Lioness” isn’t always Sorkin-esque. It takes skilled actors to pull off lines such as, “You’d be taking Putin’s queen off the chessboard,” and “You know honeypot? I hold the jar.” Fortunately, the ensemble cast is one of the best in the business, whether we’re talking about the Oscar-winning Kidman, Saldaña and Freeman, reliable veteran hands such as Kelly, Donovan and McGill, or younger stars such as Laysla De Oliveira and Genesis Rodriguez. As much as Zoe Saldaña remains the heart of this series, carrying the load with nomination-worthy aplomb, “Lioness” has such a rich bounty of supporting characters that even if Joe decided to take a desk job and make it home for dinner with the family every night, the series could carry on for years to come.
The first three episodes of “Lioness” Season 3 were made available for review.
- Home Entertainment Guide July 2026: Obsession, The Drama, Is God Is, More (July 31, 2026)
10 NEW TO NETFLIX
“Copshop““Fall““Free Fire““Hamnet““The Hunger Games““Memento““Mile End Kicks““The Mothman Prophecies““Violent Night““Wicked: For Good“
9 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD
“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (Criterion)
This site’s relationship with early Martin Scorsese films is well-documented. Roger was one of the key supporters for Scorsese in the ’70s and ’80s, really helping to elevate the profile of one of the best American filmmakers of all time. I think he would love that Scorsese’s 1974 drama, which won a deserved Oscar for the great Ellen Burstyn, has been given the Criterion treatment 52 years later, including a 4K digital restoration supervised by the master himself. The set also includes an imported commentary with Scorsese and his incredible cast, alongside new conversations with Burstyn and the recently passed Marcia Lucas. As if that’s not enough, the brilliant Farran Smith Nehme conducts the Burstyn interview, and the great Stephanie Zacharek provides an essay. In a time when Criterion gets a lot of attention for headline-grabbing releases like the upcoming Kubrick set and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” releases like this can fall under the radar. Don’t let it.
Special Features
New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Martin Scorsese, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
Audio commentary featuring Scorsese and actors Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Kris Kristofferson, Diane Ladd, and Alfred Lutter
New conversation between Burstyn and film critic Farran Smith Nehme
New interview with editor Marcia Lucas
Making-of documentary featuring Burstyn and Kristofferson
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by film critic Stephanie Zacharek
“The Christophers“
Every Steven Soderbergh film should be a bigger deal. He’s quite simply one of the best American directors of his generation, and his latest is merely further proof of his remarkable range. Who else could go from the haunted “Presence” to the thrilling “Black Bag” to this chamber piece about art and commerce? Sir Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel prove to be a perfect partnership in this smart, engaging drama from Neon, which has given the film a relatively bare-bones physical release, but did include a new conversation about the film between two brilliant writers: Ed Solomon and Charlie Kaufman.
Special Features
Conversation with screenwriter Ed Solomon and Charlie Kaufman
Theatrical trailer
“Cold Prey Trilogy”
It’s always amazing to stumble into entire hit franchises from other countries that simply never found their way into the American pop culture consciousness. Despite being a huge horror fan, I hadn’t really heard much about (or I had heard and forgotten) this Norwegian slasher trilogy launched by the director of “The Wave” and “Troll.” Could these films really justify a massive Limited Edition box set from the excellent folks over at Second Sight, a European physical media company? (Note: You’ll need an all-region player for this one as it’s not HD.)
Regular readers of this column will know how much I love it when a company like Arrow or Second Sight goes all out for what could be called a cult classic, and that’s the case here. This gorgeously packaged set includes tons of special features, including a booklet filled with excellent essays. As for the movies themselves, there’s a captivating efficiency to the first movie: The story of five snowboarders who discover that the remote ski resort they found for shelter has a homicidal resident. And the second movie is arguably even more ambitious while also feeling like a “Halloween II” nod. They’re a reminder of how lean and mean the slasher genre can be, and it’s worth noting that future “Westworld” star Ingrid Bolsø Berdal is great in both.
Cold Prey Special Features
A new audio commentary with Director Roar Uthaug and Actor Ingrid Bolsø Berdal
This is the Vibe: a new interview with Director Roar Uthaug
Draw the Process: a new interview with Actor Ingrid Bolsø Berdal
Alternative Ending
Behind the Scenes
The Visual FX of Cold Prey
Car Scenes Bloopers
Short Film: Mountain Rose Runs Amok
Short Film: An Evening in the Green
Music Video: Bloodlights “One Eye Open”
Cold Prey II Special Features
A new audio commentary with Director Mats Stenberg
A Blessing and A Curse: a new interview with Director Mats Stenberg
Dissociation: a new interview with Actor Ingrid Bolsø Berdal
Stepping Aside: a new interview with Associate Producer Roar Uthaug
Behind the Scenes
Bloopers
Extended / Deleted Scenes
Cold Prey III Special Features
A new audio commentary by Christer Andresen and Phillip Escott
Behind the Scenes
Limited Edition Contents
Rigid slipcase with new artwork by James Neal
120-page book with new essays by Matt Donato, JA Kerswell, Justin LaLiberty, Paul Lê, Ariel Power-Schaub and Nathaniel Thompson
5 collectors’ art cards
“The Crying Game” (Criterion)
“Some movies keep you guessing. Some movies make you care. Once in a long while a movie comes along that does both things at the same time. It’s not easy.” Roger Ebert got “The Crying Game,” a masterful drama that was sadly reduced to its twist instead of appreciating it for its characters. This Criterion version should go a long way to correcting the record, especially via two of the best essays of the year from the phenomenal Tasha Robinson and Willow Catelyn Maclay. The set also includes new interviews with the great Neil Jordan and Stephen Rea, along with some excellent previously available material.
Special Features
New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Neil Jordan, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
Audio commentary featuring Jordan
New interviews with Jordan and actor Stephen Rea
Making-of documentary from 2005 featuring interviews with Jordan, Rea, and producer Stephen Woolley
Alternate ending featuring audio commentary by Jordan
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: Essays by film critics Tasha Robinson and Willow Catelyn Maclay
“The Devil Wears Prada 2“
Two decades after the release of the Oscar-nominated “The Devil Wears Prada,” audiences flocked to the sequel, making it one of the biggest films of 2026 (it’s approaching $700 million worldwide). Given how much I adore the cast, I wish I liked the final product more, but it’s an easy watch on a lazy weekend this summer, and it’s notable that Fox has gone lavish with the Blu-ray release, including a commentary and several featurettes. Even as the plot gets increasingly thin in a movie that I’m not sure really understands journalism, fashion, or big business, it’s never anything less than gorgeous. Sometimes that’s all that matters.
Special Features
AUDIO COMMENTARY BY DAVID FRANKEL, ALINE BROSH MCKENNA, AND MOLLY ROGERS – Watch the film with audio commentary by director David Frankel, writer Aline Brosh McKenna, and costume designer Molly Rogers.
Level Up: Updating the Icons: Join the cast, crew, and other notables as they look back on the iconic first film and its timelessness. Then see how the characters and their wardrobes have evolved for the sequel, and follow the shoot in New York.
Inside the Fashion Closet: Sit down with the cast, filmmakers, and lead costume designer Molly Rogers as she talks about dressing Miranda, Andy, Emily, and Nigel. Discover their of-the-moment but timeless fashion looks that shine a spotlight on each of their personalities.
Front-Row Access: Shooting in Italy: Join the cast, crew, and director David Frankel as he talks about the production in Italy and shooting during Milan’s fashion week. Hear how top design houses supported the production and how Runway’s own fashion show and concert was created.
“Runway” Music Video by Lady Gaga and Doechii: Turn it up with Lady Gaga and Doechii in their music video for the movie’s new song, “Runway.”
GAG REEL – Check out the fun on set in these outtakes from the making of the movie.
“The Drama“
Kristoffer Borgli’s A24 film is one of the most divisive of 2026, a movie that’s either a brilliant dissection of modern morals or a hollow provocation that borders on irresponsible, depending on how you’re talking to. I’m actually in the middle of those extreme camps. It’s a bit of a premise in search of a movie, and I don’t think it really has the nerve to follow through on some of its thorniest ideas, but Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, and Alana Haim are all unimpeachably great, adding nuance and believability to difficult characters. Ultimately, it’s not quite as smart as it thinks it is, but I also don’t think it’s as dumb as its detractors would have you believe. The A24 Blu-ray is expectedly great for one of their top ten movies of all time, with a commentary, featurette, wedding video, postcards, and excellent packaging.
Special Features
Commentary with Costume Designer Katina Danabassis, Production Designer Zosia Mackenzie, & Co-editor Joshua Raymond Lee
“Unpacking the Drama” Making-of Featurette
Wardrobe & Camera Test with Commentary by Katina Danabassis
“Relationship Hotline” Promo
Charlie & Emma Wedding Video
Set of six collectible postcards illustrated by Kristina Tzekova
“Hud” (Criterion)
Criterion’s Western section is one of the best in the industry, and they’ve finally gotten around to including Martin Ritt’s adaptation of genre master Larry McMurtry’s Horseman, Pass By. The title character, played by Paul Newman in one of his best performances, was more of a minor one in the source, which focuses on Lonnie Bannon (Brandon deWilde), who is trapped in a battle between his grandfather Homer (Melvyn Douglas) and uncle Hud. The new Criterion release is a beauty, including new interviews with Sally Field and Roger Deakins, two absolute legends. It also features a captivating episode of the classic “Inside the Actors Studio” with Newman, one of my favorite actors of all time.
Special Features
New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
Audio excerpts from a 1974 American Film Institute seminar with director Martin Ritt
New interview with actor Sally Field, conducted by author Isaac Butler, on Ritt and Hud
New interview with cinematographer Roger Deakins on director of photography James Wong Howe
Episode of Inside the Actors Studio, hosted by James Lipton, featuring actor Paul Newman
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by author and film scholar Gabriel Miller and a 1963 American Cinematographer interview with Howe
“Is God Is“
Amazon MGM is doing that kinda lame thing they do sometimes wherein they drop a movie on physical media … and that’s the end of it. Not only is there no digital code for this thrilling future cult classic, but nary a special feature. If writer/director Aleshea Harris has the career I suspect that she will, “Is God Is” will someday get a special edition. Until then, find a way to watch her debut, the story of twin sisters Racine (movie MVP Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), and their quest for vengeance on the awful father (Sterling K. Brown) who set them on fire. The filmmaking here is kinetic, marrying classic revenge movie tropes to a new vision. There’s a reason we put this on our list of The Best Movies of 2026 So Far. Don’t miss it.
“Obsession“
The story of “Obsession” is one of the most interesting pop culture explosions of 2026. Shot for under $1 million and picked up out of TIFF (where I first saw it) by Focus for around $15 million, it has now made almost half a billion dollars around the world. It is a true phenomenon, and more than just an announcement of a new talent in Curry Barker. It truly feels like this, and “Backrooms” (and, to a lesser extent, “Iron Lung” last year) signal a shift in the horror industry, a new wave of young talent that’s redefining the narrative in the genre, taking us from the Grief Horror era into a new one about an uncertain world. As “Obsession” continues to make money in theaters, it’s already available on Blu-ray and DVD in a relatively thin edition for a movie that proved thicker than anyone could have imagined.
Special Features
FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR/WRITER/EDITOR CURRY BARKER
OBSESSION UNLEASHED – Take the obsession further by going behind the scenes with filmmaker Curry Barker and the cast, Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson and Megan Lawless, to see them create a wild horror story out of intense performances and shocking scares. Hear the cast reflect on their most memorable scenes, get a peek at Michael and Inde’s chemistry test that sparked the film’s emotional core, and see how their collaboration shaped the film’s most unsettling moments.
- Live Long and Prosper: A Personal Journey through the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con (July 31, 2026)
60 Years of Star Trek
My first stop was The Lodge, where I wish I had more time to dance, but the night was young when we got in. We mainly went there for Star Trek, but “The Last Airbender” fans were better served. Our usual activation rounds were lighter than usual, and we especially missed Hulu/FX. FX’s “American Horror Story” opted for timed limited ice cream offerings at specific locations. For Star Trek fans, also outside the convention center was “Star Fleet Command: 60 Years of Star Trek” (The Sinclair on G Street), which displayed authentic on-set props, ship miniatures, and classic uniforms, but also offered a Holodeck VR experience, interactive claw machines, and custom personalized Star Trek trading cards.
After years of trying, I was finally given a press reservation for the Saturday Star Trek presentation in Hall H that featured remarks by Rod Roddenberry, George Takei, Michael Dorn (Worf in “The Next Generation,” “Deep Space Nine” and “Picard”), Robert Picardo (“Voyager,” “Deep Space Nine,” “Prodigy” and “Starfleet Academy”), Dominic Keating (“Enterprise”), Cirroc Lofton (“Deep Space Nine”), Doug Jones (“Discovery”), Michelle Hurd (“Picard”), Jerry O’Connell (“Lower Decks”), Christina Chong (“Strange New Worlds”) and Karim Diané (“Starfleet Academy”).
While some reporters stayed for a chance at the Marvel panel that was hours later, I met with the male panelist for round table interviews where I asked each panelist about their favorite Star Trek episode. Takei, now often seen in a wheelchair, is still sharp and on top of current events. Of course, his favorite is not an episode, but a movie: “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” where Hikaru Sulu is a captain in command of the USS Excelsior. Takei wishes that Sulu’s adventures as a captain were further explored, but he conceded that producers have to think about a lot of issues. Takei has used his Star Trek celebrity to help other causes such as spreading the knowledge of Japanese Americans’ World War II incarceration and LGBTQ concerns, and that’s part of Star Trek’s 60-year legacy.
Guillermo Del Toro and Pan’s Labyrinth
On the Thursday and Friday of SDCC, fans could participate in a special interactive scavenger hunt: “The Fetch Quest” as part of a special celebration for the 20th anniversary of Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which will be released in theaters later this year in a 4K restoration. That means that some of the excellent SDCC cosplay was professional actors dressed as Ofelia, Captain Vidal, and The Faun. You needed to encounter all three characters in order to qualify for a limited-edition anniversary poster. The first 50 players to successfully complete the quest won access to a private autograph signing session with Guillermo del Toro. Things reportedly got a little aggressive for the final 50, but once lined up at the Parq nightclub, those that got in were able to view the first two tests that launched the 3D conversion of the film. Del Toro introduced the clips, saying, “When the time came for ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’s 20th anniversary, I said, because then I saw ‘Pacific Rim’ on the IMAX 3D … it was amazing. It was like I was watching somebody else’s movie.”
He then said he decided, “I’m going to do a new transfer. I’m going to do a new mix. I’m paying for a new layer of sound for the movie, and I’m remixing it before we launch it again. We’re color correcting it again because the tools are better now than ever.”
The audience got special 3D glasses and the key to a free drink. Del Toro reminded the audience that October 9 was his birthday and that’s the day when the new conversion will be released this year. Love the film? You can record a video to submit to be part of the celebration (#PansLegacy).
His recent Netflix film, “Frankenstein,” also had a brief exhibition in Los Angeles for awards season last year. At SDCC, the visual effects team for that film had a Saturday evening panel that confirmed that working for del Toro means striving for an obsessive level of excellence. They are not only working for a director, but also someone who curates props from his film.
DC Comics Commits to Canines and Community
Ultimately, DC Comics won my heart this year, not only because two of their activations were totally committed to creating an atmosphere of serious fun (Lantern Training Headquarters for HBO Max’s “Lanterns”) and off-the-wall fun (The Comic Center of Pasadena for HBO Max’s “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe”) which were interconnected by portals and DC had an app to alert you to DC fun at SDCC, but also because of their commitment to canines and community.
At the Lantern Training Headquarters, we shot at apples instead of aliens and found a green lantern at a bar after following the clues. Ultimately, we learned to be fearless and got a cool metal (not plastic) Green Lantern ring. “Lanterns” premieres on 16 August 2026 on HBO.
At the Comic Center of Pasadena (much nicer and more spacious than the comic book store I knew in Pasadena), you are helping store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) and had three chances to fail to save the universe with challenges like:
You land in an apocalyptic universe.
Good news: the Flea Market survived.
Bad news: those are actual zombies, not hipster artisanal collectors.
You’re going to need supplies.
Which stall do you hit first?
Your choices were Dental Floss, Food, or Weapons. We headed to the Weapons stall and were faced with three more choices: a shield, a grenade, or a sword. What you’re really searching for is the quantum interference device that Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter and Howard Wolowitz (three of the main characters of “The Big Bang Theory”) made. We found it and learned how “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.” A bonus touch is that Stuart’s store and the Lantern Training Headquarters are linked via a video portal in real time.
On Thursday, DC Heroes and Villains was the focus of the Her Universe fashion show. If you didn’t want to wait in line for the show itself, there was a selfie-ready display of DC heroes and villains, but Her Universe also partnered with Best Friends Animal Society to bring Krypto’s Corner (sponsored by Milk-Bone) to the lobby of the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, and the local organization Paws for Coronado featured adoptable puppies (Thursday afternoon only).
The show was co-hosted by Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein and Broadway actor and singer Michael James Scott (currently featured as Nurse Francois Dubois in the “Scrubs” revival series), and twenty contestants strutted their stuff to win cash and a chance to design a fashion collection for Her Universe. This year the winners were Sean Quinn of Santa Clarita, CA for “Jokes on You” (Judges Winner) and Ten Wilkinson of Midlothian, VA for “The Beast Within” (Audience Winner). The show ended before 8 p.m., but the contestants stuck around to explain their craft and help inspire future costume designers.
I was already set for the “Air Bud Returns” panel, having attended the press conference on Saturday where I learned four dogs were used in the film, and when the film comes out in January of 2027, there is a chance you can buy those basketball sneakers for your own dog. Director Charles Martin Smith was attached to the 1997 original film, but the reboot is under the direction of Robert Vince, who was first attached to the 2002 “Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch.” Vince was upstaged by his furry star during the panel for the 15th film in the “Air Bud” series.
During the dog days of summer, what better way to end a long weekend? I started by walking my own dogs in cosplay, met and played with other dogs, and then came back to my own walking in the cooling air (while wearing a Green Lantern ring) before heading off for some pizza and back to Los Angeles.
