- NYFF 2026: Bardi, Heil Jupiter! (October 2, 2026)
This year’s New York Film Festival has, for my money, had one of the strongest festival lineups in ages. Granted, I’ve only been able to sample a handful of titles from the week I spent huddling outside Walter Reade Theater in the pouring rain (amid a Nor’easter, no less) with all the other poor press and industry folks, burdened by the agony of getting to watch free movies early and write about them for money. But as our very own Godfrey Cheshire wrote last week, it kinda just feels like the movies are back, baby, and we might just be climbing out of the post-COVID haze.
That said, so many of the films in this lineup are carryovers from Cannes, or TIFF, or Venice, or Locarno, so we’ve already got some words down on all of those from our intrepid festival journeymen. Some highlights on my end: James Grey’s “Paper Tiger,” which feels like the ultimate punctuation of his semi-autobiographical family dramas set in the Queens of his childhood; Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland,” whose probing look at a post-WWII country struggling to reclaim its identity is a fitting twin to, of all things, “Godzilla Minus Zero”; and a dazzling 35mm screening of Ken Russell’s revived “The Devils,” with Russell’s widow, Lisi Tribble, offering a beautiful ode to her late husband at the top.
But a couple snuck through the cracks that stood out to me (for good and ill), both abstracted, subjective tales of the relationship between mankind and the world around them.
The first, and the far better example, is Tala Hadid’s mesmerizing “Bardi,” a striking look at the tradition of Tbourida, a centuries-old ritual that generations of Moroccan men from all walks of life have participated in. These bardi, or horse riders, train from childhood to master their relationships with their steeds; while the ritual is steeped in wartime tradition—the ritual feels, from the outside, like a thrilling combination of dressage and a military manual of arms, as groups race down a stretch of desert in formation, twirling and holding rifles aloft—many participants are working-class farmers and the like.
Hadid, who spent four years immersed in this fraternity of bardi in rural Morocco, immerses us in their daily routines in a style that blurs the line between documentary and fiction. We zero in on the concerns of a few characters: An older brother worrying about his younger brother’s skill with a horse, a father concerned about passing on his traditions to his children, a Moroccan girl who bristles against her culture’s resistance to her learning the craft. One boy, Walid, struggles with a recently discovered horse allergy. Nevertheless, these boys persist in their struggles: These traditions are too steeped in the masculine identity of Moroccan culture to shirk away from.
Hadid plays these dramas out with the intimacy and proximity of narrative film, but keeps her doc moving at a leisurely, meditative pace. It’s less sports doc than anthropology, as her ethereal style keeps us locked into the spiritual connection between man and beast. (Terrence Salt Lick?)
Sometimes, “Bardi” gets so relaxed in its presentation that it’s easy to lose the momentum a doc like this needs. Hadid luxuriates in close-ups of hands working food, tending to sick horses, in close-ups of the beasts’ eyes looking directly down the lens. That’s all well and good, but it can also leave us adrift when it comes to tracking the throughlines of each of our cast of characters. (Hadid imposes a kind of structure in the form of playing card-based chapters—”Knight of Swords: Courage is your master. Persevere at all costs”—but they often don’t feel like they correspond to a shift in tone or pace.)
That said, what is on screen is gorgeous and undeniable. Hadid captures some brilliant images here, not just of the Moroccan countryside, or of the beautiful horses and their ornate adornments for the actual competition, but of the thoughtful young men and women who live in this community. Rather than dismiss Tbourida as an archaic ritual performance of male aggression, Hadid sees the beauty and fellowship in the tradition. These men build healthy brotherhood with each other and through their animals; they learn to care for these beasts and, in turn, care for themselves. There’s a sense of pride these ordinary men feel in, just for a moment, riding mighty beasts side by side and taking pride in their beauty.
Contrast this simple grace with the deliberate vulgarity and opaqueness of Carlos Reygadas’ “Heil Jupiter!”, which finishes its first act taking a camera inside a character’s anus and, figuratively, never really escaping it for the remaining two hours. The sixth film from the acclaimed Mexican avant-garde filmmaker, “Heil Jupiter!” feels like the kind of Buñuelian provocation that aims to spark discussion through its sheer audacity, even if its ultimate points feel as dull as dishwater and just as murky to see through.
Shot across a number of continents and in many languages (including a fake version of Spanish that was fully concocted for the film), “Heil Jupiter!” spends its first minutes soaking us in flashing neon swatches of light, complete with staticky musical score, before introducing us to a foursome of two men and two women: Milu (Alexis Sánchez Alonso), Said (Alexis Said Villa de León), Lina (Neli de la Rosa), and Tzina (Flor de León), all lounging amid the crashing waves along the rocks of a sparsely populated island. It’s not long before the four are engaged in a furtive four-way sexual interlude, before the aforementioned camera shoots right up Milu’s backdoor and we’re thrown, “2001”-style, into what feels subtextually like a number of alternate dimensions in which our four characters experience maddening oppression by the state in numerous forms.
Maddening is the operative word for Reygadas’ film, which seeks for the kind of artistic abstraction folks like Andrei Tarkovsky perfected, but mostly comes across as inscrutable. Episodic segments cut us to a pair of fighter pilots shooting down a mysterious alien sound, of bodycam footage of a Polish police officer raiding Tzina’s home to try and drown her as a witch (complete with a cheering crowd), of factories where people carve up human legs with band saws. Eventually, Lina is further put on trial for witchcraft in an extended scene filmed as a multi-screen recorded courtroom procedure.
One by one, images and moods feel arresting: You get the sense that Reygadas has big things to say, or rather big things to feel, about anti-immigrant sentiment, of homophobia and transphobia (one of the film’s most arresting sights is a trans woman stripping down so a reconstructive surgeon can marvel at her body amid a request for a fourth breast augmentation), of the horrible miracle of a piglet’s birth viewed in extreme close-up. In one universe after another, various versions of our characters go through the physical and spiritual wringer, but it’s hard to find firm footing when Reygadas gets so lost in his own big ideas.
It’s tempting to grade “Heil Jupiter!” on a curve for its ambition, but at a punishing 158 minutes, these diversions feel more befuddled than profound. Plus, its emphasis on witch hunts and female sexuality is inexorably colored by the fact that Reygadas is still shaking off his own 2019 assault allegations by a former crew member on one of his productions. The director of “Post Tenebras Lux” is fond of his hazy, beveled lenses and his enigmatic provocations; this time, though, the luster is gone, replaced with bratty thumbs in the eye towards good sense and thematic cohesion.
- If AMC+’s “Kill Jackie” is a Question, We’ll Take a Stab at It (October 2, 2026)
From the creatives behind “Killing Eve,” Catherine Zeta-Jones lands on AMC+ with an assassin show that feels like it was Mad Libs-ed into existence.
In “Kill Jackie,” Jackie Price (Zeta-Jones) has spent the past 20 years living in luxury, traveling, and selling fine art in the most complex and eccentric way possible. All while sticking to the shadows. Staying under the radar is essential after escaping her past as a purveyor of the finest cocaine. But when Jackie starts to get too comfortable, life takes a deadly turn: The Seven Demons, a squad of the world’s most fearsome hitmen (apparently), have been hired to kill her.
Convinced someone from her past is behind the hit, Jackie revives her old instincts and sets out to return the favor. It’s a get-them-before-they-get-her situation. As the killers close in, Jackie discovers the biggest dangers come from the silliest sources, but the demons within are far more deadly.
That will sound lovely to lovers of the genre, but by episode three of this Technicolor vengeance romp (reminiscent of a nose candy bender), it’s clear Guy Ritchie, Quentin Tarantino, and “John Wick” must have teeth marks on them, because they’ve been bitten into. “Kill Jackie” is more derivative than a FUCCI handbag bought on Canal Street in NYC—it looks like the genuine article, but something’s not quite right.
The series is certainly visually appealing: the costuming and production design are as snappy as the stunt work. The acting is faultless as well. However, the show borrows so heavily and frequently from its predecessors that it becomes a bombardment of assassin-genre references. Ritchie’s snarky but character-rich voiceovers, John Wick’s cadre of quirky killers, and the “Kill Bill” of it all. You see it when Jackie eventually turns the tables and seeks revenge on the former colleagues who hurt her. She even has a Kill List with the names crossed out. Totally on brand.
Everything about this series is a knockoff, down to its seven assassins, The Seven Demons. The first one is meant to be Pedro Pascal. Another is a mashup of Grace Jones and Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver; a third is probably Crispin Glover because he’s bizarrely nerdy and persnickety. Then there’s a retired assassin who looks like a double for Antonio Banderas. Oh, and let’s not forget the potential final boss, an Ian McShane type but younger.
Meanwhile, the show smugly rolls along, leaving very little feeling in the wake of very big eye rolls. For example, lines like “You don’t become Jackie Price without knowing how to win.” Or the Accountant-minion (Daniel Ings) who loudly protests the Wile E. Coyote-style deaths of Jackie’s enemies while handing in receipts from the ACME store (literally). He keeps complaining but remains fully complicit.
However, in moments of clarity, “Kill Jackie” has heart, as we see in Jackie’s relationship with her assistant, Charlie (Hattie Hook). It has brains, too, like in this line from episode three: “That proves my theory: the most dangerous thing on the planet these days? A fool with way too much money.”
That said, I may be too much of a genre fan to enjoy “Kill Jackie.” Long before its final moments, I found myself wishing for a 1970s Japanese samurai movie ending. The kind where everyone dies amidst geysers of blood, including Jackie herself. Alas, my wish was not granted. What we get is an ending I’m calling: Lock, Stock, and the Whole Tarantino, complete with a setup for season two. Where’s a good assassin service when you need one? That remains to be seen.
Series streams on AMC+ October 2nd.
- Formative Action Series Comes Roaring Back with “Gears of War: E-Day” (October 1, 2026)
As a hallmark of the Xbox 360 era, “Gears of War” was a franchise that really cemented the nitty gritty third-person cover shooter genre into the cultural video game zeitgeist. The muted earth tones of the first three games set the stage for a bloody and visceral world filled with war and monsters. When the series shifted to the Xbox One, the fourth and fifth entries explored new colors and environments, with the former having a darker color palette with starker contrast and the latter introducing a new bright icy setting.
“Gears of War” doesn’t hold the same gravitas as it did 20 years ago, but “Gears of War: E-Day” is the best the series has been in a long, long time. While its campaign is fairly by-the-numbers standard for a third-person shooter, the game’s cast is engaging enough to elevate it. The pacing can be a bit of a slog sometimes, but the fantastic movement, gunplay, and visuals make all-out firefights an experience to behold.
“Gears of War: E-Day” is a prequel to the series, exploring the fated “Emergence Day” where the primary antagonists, the vile Locust, suddenly burst from underneath planet Sera and slaughtered a quarter of the global population. The story follows series protagonist Marcus Fenix once again, this time 15 years younger than he was in the first Gears game, as they come to terms with this apocalypse and try to salvage what’s left. Tagging along are his best friend Dom and two new characters in Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes. Marcus and Dom surprisingly aren’t the stars here, as they don’t get nearly as much character background exploration as they do in later entries.
Being the new kids on the block, Mags and Lucas get the spotlight. Mags is a combat veteran whose mysterious chronic cough has you worried about what her ultimate fate will be, while Lucas is the young buck who’s overly curious and loves to spit random trivia about the surroundings during the group’s journey. These two inject much needed personality between Marcus and Dom’s frequent bouts of hardheadedness and masculine bravado.
Emergence Day covers three days in the Gears universe, but there’s quite a lot that happens during them. What’s impressive is how developer The Coalition is able to stretch those three days into a fully-fledged and realized campaign. Much of it is thanks to the excellent environmental design. Mainly taking place in the city of Kalona, you’ll be scouring the ruined streets and dilapidated buildings multiple times through the game’s six chapters. But each time, the levels and routes are smartly remixed with the surroundings looking decrepit as the story progresses. There are also separate areas like a forest and an underground cave that add more variety in between exploring Kalona.
“E-Day” heavily leans into its horror aspects more than any other entry in the series in a way that’s not scary like “Resident Evil,” but more unsettling as you can see the carnage around the city. Dead civilian bodies and Locust corpses completely litter the streets, showing how devastating Emergence Day truly was.
In terms of level design, most of the missions are linear corridor shoot outs, with tight spaces and cover to duck behind, creating a sense of tension as enemies shoot from afar as well as close in on you. However, there are a few open-zone missions where you have more freedom to explore ruined Kalona. Here, you can take on secondary objectives that act like side quests, which usually involve mowing down incoming enemies. They’re worth doing though, as they reward mods that help augment weapons.
Mods and collectibles are scattered throughout these sections, which incentivizes exploration. But the issue is that it bogs down the story’s pacing. These areas aren’t so big that they require fast travel or anything like that, but a faster mode of transportation would’ve definitely been appreciated other than simply running around.
The gameplay and movement in “E-Day” is better than ever before too. The shooting feels incredible, with every shot feeling satisfying as blood pours from Locust bodies and heads. The assortment of guns include snipers, shotguns, assault rifles, and pistols, so there’s plenty to choose from. The aforementioned mods you find and equip can be customized to fit your playstyle and make every gun feel different.
Perhaps the biggest change is that players no longer “roadie-run,” where characters run stiffly in a straight line with little horizontal movement. It’s been replaced with a normal and flexible run. While the roadie-run was a staple in the Gears series, giving it a heavier feel, this change allows for more versatile movement, making it easier to jump cover or get to higher elevation. This’ll certainly be polarizing to veterans, but it makes moving around feel much less rigid.
I played much of “E-Day” by myself, but I ran a few missions in co-op with a review buddy (with up to four players). Inviting friends is mostly a seamless process, especially if you’re both playing on the same platform (Xbox or PC). But sometimes cross-platform invitations can be tricky. My buddy played the Steam version while I was on Xbox. I was able to join his sessions without any issues, but he didn’t see my invitations when I sent them to him.
Performance may vary as well. In solo play, everything ran without a hitch, but when playing in co-op, some visual and framerate hiccups can occur, especially when multiple enemies are on the screen simultaneously.
“E-Day” also has competitive multiplayer in the form of Siege Horde and Versus modes. The former has up to three squads of four survive against waves of Locusts and tackle various objectives while the latter pits players against each other in a test of skill. Unfortunately, the servers weren’t online during this review period so I can’t comment on their finished status. However, these modes provide extra content and replayability aside from the single-player campaign, something that “Halo: Campaign Evolved” couldn’t offer earlier this year.
“Gears of War: E-Day” and its campaign is one of the best, if not the absolute best in the series to date. It feels modern and slick while retaining its core gameplay mechanics and refining them. Along with phenomenal art direction and environments, it’s a beauty to watch through too. The open-zone levels feel sluggish at times, but that doesn’t stop “E-Day” from being a bloody great time.
Microsoft provided a review copy of this game. It is available on October 6 on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Those who purchase the Premium or Collector’s Editions can start playing on October 1 through Early Access.
- The Unloved, Part 154: No Pets (October 1, 2026)
I was only about 7 or 8 when I first caught a glimpse of Tony Buba as an extra wearing a sombrero in “Dawn of the Dead.” “I just wanted to be able to see myself in the movie.” Last year Alex Lei and I made a pilgrimage to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (more specifically to Braddock) to interview Tony. Not about my favorite movie since I was in 3rd grade (we saw the Monroeville Mall and the Christian Stavrakos’ bust of George Romero, before its well-publicized closure), but about Tony’s art, specifically some of the finest works of non-fiction and meta-fiction ever made in the country.
Tony was described as a regional filmmaker and given access to much of the world’s backrooms because of his talent and the eccentricities of his background (his last name alone granted him entry into a program when he was younger—evidently, someone just had to know what a “Buba” looked like). While Tony cataloged Braddock’s fortunes, his brother Pat made friends with Thelma Schoonmaker, which landed him gigs editing “Casino” and “Heat,” which in turn led to his final credits: working for Al Pacino on his Salomé project, having become the actor’s favorite editor.
Tony thus had a window into how Hollywood worked via his brother and chose to stay away. Even working for his oldest collaborator, George Romero, became more of a slog when his budgets increased. He didn’t want to just make fantasy; he wanted to apply it to the lives of everyday people, to give Braddock the fullness of cinematic empathy.
It’s doubly shameful that Tony’s sole fiction feature, “No Pets,” is not just unheralded; it’s basically unseen. Even die-hard fans of his haven’t seen it. I had to get a copy straight from the director’s hands.
I want to dedicate this work not just to Tony’s tireless efforts to help Braddock in its many hours of need, but to his lovely wife Jan, whom we had the pleasure to briefly meet on our trip to their home, and to Pat, who died of cancer in 2018, and to everyone who can’t quit their Pittsburgh accent, the sweetest sound in the world. To everyone who traded better fortunes to help out where they can make a difference.
- Home Entertainment Guide September 2026: Disclosure Day, The Secret Agent, Backrooms, Toy Story 5, More (September 30, 2026)
10 NEW TO NETFLIX
“Boyhood““The Breadwinner““The End of the Tour““Knock at the Cabin““Oculus““On Chesil Beach““The Room Next Door““The Squid and the Whale““Sundown““Top Gun: Maverick“
12 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD
“12 Angry Men” (Criterion)
People often ask me which classic films they could use to introduce their teenagers or children to movies made before this century. I think two of the best “gateway” movies for classic cinema are “Rear Window” and Sidney Lumet’s masterful 1957 debut, a movie that has lost none of its power in the almost seven decades since its release. Criterion has given this masterpiece the 4K upgrade this month with a new digital restoration, accompanied by the excellent special features from the first physical release, including the original 1954 teleplay version on which Lumet’s adaptation was based.
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
Television version from 1954 of 12 Angry Men, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner for the series Studio One, with an introduction by Ron Simon, curator at the Paley Center for Media
Production history of 12 Angry Men, from teleplay to big-screen classic
Archival interviews with director Sidney Lumet
Interview with screenwriter Walter Bernstein about Lumet
Interview with Simon about writer Reginald Rose
Tragedy in a Temporary Town (1956), a teleplay directed by Lumet and written by Rose
Interview with cinematographer John Bailey about director of photography Boris Kaufman
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by writer and law professor Thane Rosenbaum
“Backrooms“
There are two films from 2026 that people are pointing to as shifts in the industry: Curry Barker’s “Obsession” and Kane Parsons’s “Backrooms,” which got the physical media treatment from A24 this month. One of the company’s biggest hits, this horror hit stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, and Mark Duplass in the story of a liminal space found parallel to an ordinary furniture store. These movies signal a shift from the grief-driven horror of the ’10s and early ’20s to something that captures the non-stop anxiety of the current era, one in which we can never be quite sure what’s real. The Blu-ray includes some cool collectible postcards, but the real draws are the feature commentary from Parsons himself and 16 minutes of bonus footage.
Special Features
“Everything Must Go” Bonus Footage (16m)
Feature commentary with Director Kane Parsons, VFX Supervisor Edward J Douglas, Sound Designer Eugenio Battaglia, and Composer Edo Van Breemen
“Building the Backrooms” Featurette (26m)
VFX & Scene Breakdown with Kane Parsons (16m)
Prop Walkthrough with Kane Parsons (1m30s)
Two VFX Breakdowns with optional commentary (5m and 2m)
Six Collectible Postcards
“Disclosure Day“
Steven Spielberg’s latest blockbuster proved to be one of the most divisive films of the year. I stand by every word of my review linked above, but I also find the criticisms of the film fascinating in that so many of them boil down to a commentary on how cynical and hopeless people feel in the 2020s. One of the main criticisms of the film is a lack of belief that there’s anything in 2026 that could unite us, even proof of alien existence. Yes, Spielberg’s film is hopeful to an arguably illogical degree, but he’s always trafficked in hope, and no one can deny the craft on display in this film. We can fight about the screenplay, but I can’t dismiss how much this movie does well because of a few flat lines of dialogue or even a climax that plays more like movie magic than reality. The Blu-ray is a bit disappointing with some standard EPK stuff. Maybe it will get the Special Edition it deserves down the road.
Special Features
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
Encountering the Unknown: Inside Disclosure Day – Steven Spielberg, Emily Blunt, and the rest of the cast uncover the filmmaking secrets and real-life inspirations behind the movie
Spielberg and Williams: A Legendary Collaboration
Trailers
“Go” (Arrow)
In the wake of the success of “Pulp Fiction,” dozens of independent filmmakers found their funding to make similarly twisty, funny action flicks about people doing bad things. Most of them were awful, but not Doug Liman’s explosive 1999 thriller about intertwining plots on one fateful December night. Future Oscar winner Sarah Polley plays a clerk who decides to try to rip off a drug dealer (a fantastic Timothy Olyphant), starting a series of events that spirals through a great cast of characters that also includes Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr, William Fichtner, and Scott Wolf. Liman directs this with such flair that it stands out from the crowd, another entry in one of the best years of the 1990s. Arrow Home Video treats the film very well, including a new commentary, new interviews, and the multiple special features from other physical releases, including a Liman short film that stars Melissa McCarthy (who even does a commentary on it). Like almost everything Arrow has been releasing lately, this is a must-own.
Special Features
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary with critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
Archival audio commentary with director Doug Liman and editor Stephen Mirrione
From the Word Go, a brand new interview with screenwriter, co-producer and second unit director John August
A View Askew, a brand new interview with actor Desmond Askew
Archival making-of featurette
14 deleted scenes
God, John August’s 1998 short film featuring Melissa McCarthy, shot using the short ends of film stock from the production of Go with much of the same crew, presented in high definition for the first time on home video
Optional audio commentary on God with John August, Melissa McCarthy and editor Douglas Crise
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ben Beach
Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by David Michael Brown and Michelle Kisner, and original production notes
“I Love Boosters“
In retrospect, Neon dropping Boots Riley’s latest surreal comedy in the heart of the Summer Movie Season might have been a mistake. The competition just for screens for it to play on had Riley himself doing his best to promote the film all over social media. If you did miss it, you owe it to yourself to check out one of the most original comedies in years, a sharp dissection of late-stage capitalism and an ode to the hustlers and survivors. Keke Palmer leads a remarkable ensemble that includes Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, Don Cheadle, Demi Moore, and an unforgettable LaKeith Stanfield. The Neon Blu-ray also includes a commentary from the unforgettable Boots himself.
Special Features
HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Audio commentary with Boots Riley
Never before seen cast interviews
“The Making of I LOVE BOOSTERS” documentary program
Blooper reel
“Minions and Monsters“
It’s slightly tragic that the best Minions movie to date appears to be the first one that Illumination and Universal could call a commercial disappointment. Don’t get it twisted: This still made an insane half a billion dollars worldwide, but it’s still less than half of 2015’s “Minions,” and less than any of the “Despicable Me” movies. What’s the deal here? Was it because “Toy Story 5” was still dominating the family box office? Is it just fatigue with the little yellow guys? Whatever the reason, anyone who has ever liked one of these movies should check out the 7th film in the hit franchise. It’s a smart, funny ode to the history of filmmaking that works for all ages.
Special Features
MINIONS TAKE ON HOLLYWOOD – Go behind the scenes of MINIONS & MONSTERS as the filmmakers and artists at Illumination reveal the inspiration behind its early Hollywood setting, from story and casting to period research and cutting-edge animation, while introducing a new generation of Minions.
CASTING MINIONS & MONSTERS – Meet the voices behind the wide array of characters as filmmakers discuss what talent brought to their respective roles and what they hope fans of the franchise take away from the film.
HOLLYWOOD SOUND – Step into the studio with composer John Powell as he crafts a score inspired by the sweeping sound and timeless style of Hollywood’s golden age.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN IRENE BLOB MONSTER SLIME – Using simple ingredients found at home, follow along with slime influencer Snoopslimes in this step-by-step guide to make your very own Irene blob monster slime to devour anything in its path!
MOVIE-MAKING MINIONS STYLE – Take a seat in the director’s chair and make your very own Minions-inspired monster movie with this simple how-to, using hand-drawn art and flipbook animation to recreate one of the earliest forms of filmmaking.
HOW TO DRAW -Follow along with head of story Nima Azarba as he teaches you how to draw the Minions, monsters, and more!
“Nouvelle Vague” (Criterion)
The Cannes 2025 response to Richard Linklater’s ode to Jean-Luc Godard and the making of “Breathless” was a bit conflicted with some thinking its tone a bit shallow and predictable given Godard’s depth and ambition. And then it came stateside, and the reputation seemed to shift. It even made this site’s top ten of the year. And now it’s earned a place in the Criterion Collection with a new 4k digital master, a new audio commentary with Linklater, and an incredible audiovisual dossier from Farran Smith Nehme. Every time that a great streaming movie gets a physical release, it’s a reason to celebrate, and this is one of the more impressive to date in the Netflix-to-Criterion pipeline.
Special Features
New 4K digital master, supervised and approved by director Richard Linklater and director of photography David Chambille, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
New audio commentary featuring Linklater
Le making of “Nouvelle Vague” (2025), directed by Lucie Saada
Interviews with Linklater and actors Zoey Deutch, Aubry Dullin, and Guillaume Marbeck
Within the Wave, an audiovisual dossier on the real-life figures depicted in the film, by critic Farran Smith Nehme
Linklater’s prerehearsal manifesto, read by Deutch
Selection of trailers from French New Wave films
Trailer
English descriptive audio
PLUS: Essays by critic Nick James and coscreenwriter Vince Palmo and an introduction by Linklater
“The Secret Agent” (Criterion)
This is another Cannes 2025 title getting the Criterion treatment 15 months after its acclaimed international premiere. Kleber Mendonça Filho’s thriller was easily one of the best films of 2025, nominated for Oscars for Casting, International Feature Film, Actor, and even Best Picture. Wagner Moura does the best work of his increasingly promising career as Armando, a professor forced into hiding under Brazil’s dictatorship. Criterion has gone all out for this one, including another full feature by Mendonça, the excellent “Pictures of Ghosts.” It also includes deleted scenes, a documentary about the making of the film, and a new video essay. It’s a great release.
Special Features
New 4K digital master, approved by director Kleber Mendonça Filho, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
Pictures of Ghosts (2023), a companion film by Mendonça Filho
Making-of documentary featuring interviews with Mendonça Filho, actor Wagner Moura, and other members of the cast and crew
New interviews with director of photography Evgenia Alexandrova and sound mixer Cyril Holtz
New video essay featuring Mendonça Filho
Deleted scenes
Archival material that inspired the film, with commentary by Mendonça Filho
Trailer
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by film programmer and curator Dennis Lim
“Shoah” (Criterion)
I don’t usually quote the official synopsis for a film, but this wording about the essential “Shoah” caught my attention: “The intellectual yet emotionally overwhelming Shoah is not a film about excavating the past but an intensive portrait of the ways in which the past is always present, and it is inarguably one of the most important cinematic works of all time.” You can’t say that about a lot of films but it’s undeniably true about Claude Lanzmann’s stunning historical document. I’ll quote Roger on this one too, from his original review in 1985: “There is no proper response to this film. It is an enormous fact, a 550-minute howl of pain and anger in the face of genocide. It is one of the noblest films ever made.”
Special Features
2K digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Three additional films by director Claude Lanzmann: A Visitor from the Living (1999, 68 minutes); Sobibór, October 14, 1943, 4 p.m. (2001, 102 minutes); and The Karski Report (2010, 49 minutes)
Conversation between Lanzmann and critic Serge Toubiana
Interview with Lanzmann from 2003 about A Visitor from the Living and Sobibór
Interview with Caroline Champetier, assistant cameraperson on Shoah, and filmmaker Arnaud Desplechin
All I Had Was Nothingness (2025), a new film by Guillaume Ribot, edited from previously unreleased footage and recounting the production of Shoah
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by critic Kent Jones and writings by Lanzmann
“Supergirl“
What happened to “Supergirl”? Just as it looked like the James Gunn era of the DCU was going to correct for the previous era with the success of 2025’s “Superman,” the franchise came crashing to the ground with this critical and commercial flop. A major superhero movie that can’t make over $130 million worldwide? That’s a movie that people really don’t want to see. And it led people to wonder if it was superhero fatigue or gender issues that forced the failure, when it’s also possible people just didn’t like this movie. To be fair, most people judged Milly Alcock innocent, and the DCU will likely rebound with next yerar’s “Man of Tomorrow”. It’s also worth noting that “Lanterns” is doing well on HBO and the right people seem excited about “Clayface.” And that the WB Blu-ray for “Supergirl” is pretty strong, especially the HD quality and audio mix, which are always top notch from WB.
Special Features
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
The Making of Supergirl – Consider Supergirl a “Hero’s Journey” for Milly Alcock. She transformed throughout the process of leading her first feature film. We watch as a fly-on-the-wall during key moments of production.
Flying Off the Page – Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, written by Tom King with art by Bilquis Evely, was the jumping off point for DC to adapt Supergirl into a film. We follow the comic authors, screenwriter Ana Nogueira, and filmmakers, as they make the leap from page to screen.
Space is a Bad Neighborhood, Babe – Explore with Production Designer Neil Lamont, as he takes us through the many worlds that Kara Zor-El steps into on her journey to hunt down Krem of the Yellow Hills.
A Practical Legacy – There are so many aliens and unique looks in this film that are literally out of this world! Legacy Effects and Peter Swords King explain the creative process behind this diverse group of creatures.
Showdown at Evely Square – Production spent a month filming this action set-piece. From stunt training, to crashing tanks, to classic superhero flying moments, this breaks down the making of an incredible action scene.
The DC Dream: Lobo – Jason Momoa has been outspoken over wanting to play Lobo for years, and now his time has come. Go behind the scenes as he transforms into this iconic and chaotic character.
Mixtape for a Hero – What does Supergirl, as a character, sound like? Director Craig Gillespie and Composer Claudia Sarne answer this question as they discuss the score for the film.
You Are Here: A Supergirl Map of the Galaxy – If you want to know more about all the planets visited in the film, check out this piece, narrated by Ruthye herself, actress Eve Ridley, to learn some more details, and enjoy the alien aesthetic of the film up close!
Girl’s Best Friend – Krypto is Kara’s badly-behaved BFF and last connection to her home world of Krypton. We delve into their relationship and what makes it so special.
Krypto Saves the Day: Coastal Catastrophe – An animated short that tells the story of a fun day at the beach which goes sideways when some sneaky foes get between Krypto and his hot dog.
Deleted Scenes
“Tequila Sunrise” (Arrow)
Robert Towne’s 1988 thriller came along at the tail end of a wave of ’80s adult noirs, following movies like “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Body Heat,” flicks about beautiful people committing crimes when they’re not having sex with each other. The Oscar-winning writer of “Chinatown” never quite had the career as a director that he did as a writer, and this is an interesting curiosity, a movie that never quite lives up to its potential, but definitely works now as a bit of a time capsule. Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Kurt Russell star in a movie that Roger said, “weaves a tangled web, and there are times when we are not sure what is happening, or why.” Maybe new interviews with producer Thom Mount, 2nd AD Robert Roda, and actor Lala Sloatman could help answer those questions, or perhaps a brand new appreciation of Towne by Lucy Bolton. This is another case of Arrow giving a lavish treatment to a film that history has arguably forgotten, and bless them for it.
Special Features
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Original and newly restored lossless stereo and 4.0 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by producer Thom Mount
California Dreaming, a brand new interview with producer Thom Mount
From Chinatown to Manhattan Beach, a brand new appreciation of Robert Towne by Lucy Bolton
Sunrise to Sunset, a brand new interview with 2nd AD Robert Roda
Sin City, a brand new interview with actor Lala Sloatman
Image gallery
Theatrical trailer
Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Sean Hogan and Josh Nelson, and excerpts from American Cinematographer
Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
“Toy Story 5“
Two things can be true: Andrew Stanton’s Pixar sequel can be both the worst movie in this franchise and totally worth seeing. “Toy Story 5” is good; the only problem is that the other four movies are great. Still, a good Pixar movie is worth seeing at least once, and probably worth owning if you have little ones. Stanton wisely centers Joan Cusack’s Jessie this time, filling in her back story in as Bonnie becomes obsessed with the screen culture that is arguably destroying actual play time for millions of kids. It looks gorgeous, especially in 4K, and it’s undeniably sweet and clever.
Special Features
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
Audio commentary
The Toys Are Back in Town
Casting Playtime
50 Buzzes and The Great Escape
The Lost Toys
Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes
- Official Trailer for 'The Holiday Hitman' Comedy Starring Nick Sagar (October 2, 2026)
"We cannot tell your mom about this." Saban Films has revealed the main official trailer for The Holiday Hitman, a British action comedy film from filmmaker Bradley Stryker. This hunk of holiday junk is being dumped on VOD in November during the holiday season. Alas, this looks as bad as The Asylum ripping off Violent Night and Nobody, churning out an instant forgettable, entirely worthless action copycat. Hitman Hank Carter is trying to save his marriage with the perfect family Christmas, unfortunately for him, a hit has been put on his head, and a gang of festive bounty hunters will stop at nothing to collect the big payday. Starring Nick Sagar as Hank Carter. Waves of holiday-themed hitmen descend on the mansion, and Hank must fend them off using every Christmas decoration in sight. The cast also includes Montana Manning, Gabriela Ochoa Perez, Ricky Norwood, Florence Hall, Eloise Lovell Anderson, Vas Blackwood, Mark Fleischmann. I wish any of this looked remotely fun, but even the action looks lame! Skip this one. // Continue Reading ›
- First Teasers for Lulu Wilson's 'The Last Temptation of Becky' Sequel (October 1, 2026)
"Much better..." She's back... again!! Ahahaha. The third movie in this action horror movie trilogy is coming up this year. Quiver Distr. has debuted the first two teasers for the film The Last Temptation of Becky, the next sequel following Becky (2020) and The Wrath of Becky (2023) before. Now a CIA field agent, Becky goes undercover in Poland to infiltrate a family running an inn at The Wolf's Lair, one of Hitler's bunkers. When she learns the father, Wilhelm Reuss, plans to spark the Fourth Reich, Becky must stop him. Starring Lulu Wilson returning as Becky again, Kate Siegel, Brandon Flynn, Catherine Walker, with James Urbaniak and Neil Patrick Harris. This premiered at the 2026 Fantasia Film Festival already earlier this year, and will hit theaters this fall before it's at home to watch after. Are there really that many "Becky" fans out there to support an entire trilogy of these fun action movies? And will they keep making more after this? // Continue Reading ›
- Official US Trailer for 'Clarissa' - Set in Nigeria with Sophie Okonedo (October 1, 2026)
"I never thought you'd settle..." Neon has revealed the main official US trailer for a lovely indie film titled Clarissa – a modern day adaptation of the classic novel Mrs Dalloway but it's set in Lagos, Nigeria this time. The film first premiered the the 2026 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and also recently played at the Toronto & Zurich Film Fests as well. Made by the brothers Arie Esiri & Chuko Esiri as their second feature so far. The story follows a Lagos society wife preparing for a party while reflecting on her youth and the choices that led her to marry a respected man instead of her poet boyfriend. The exceptional main cast features Sophie Okonedo, India Amarteifio, David Oyelowo, Ayo Edebiri, Toheeb Jimoh, Nikki Amuka-Bird. Via TIFF: "Abetted by Jonathan Bloom's magnificent 35mm cinematography and meticulous attention to detail... [The Esiris' take on] Clarissa immerses us in a suspended moment in time—a time of introspection, existential crisis, and re-examination of the past. By choosing to focus on individual destinies rather than collective ones, the Esiri brothers offer us precious portraits in a unique and impressive style." It looks very tender and charming, and the cinematography appears so light and lovely. Quite curious to see it. // Continue Reading ›
- Full Trailer for 'Gentle Monster' Weird Thriller Starring Léa Seydoux (October 1, 2026)
"I love you so much it hurts!" Netflix debuted the main official trailer for Gentle Monster, an unsettling thriller film ready to view starting in November in the fall. Not one of my favorites from this year - Gentle Monster first premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. From Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer, this disconcerting child abuse drama is about a pianist whose life unravels when the police come to arrest her husband. When a police raid shatters her life, a concert pianist must protect her son and confront how little she knows her husband after he is arrested for an unspeakable crime – yep he is actually a pedophile. She uncovers this life-shattering truth that forces her to confront the complexities of love, trust, and deception. Léa Seydoux stars as Lucy Weiss, along with Laurence Rupp, Jella Haase, and Catherine Deneuve. Featuring music by Camille. The film switches between German, French, and English conversations all the time, which doesn't really work well, but so be it. I wish this was better at exploring any of the tricky topics it wants to get into, but this really fails at discussing anything. An extra empty, meaningless movie to ignore. // Continue Reading ›
- Trailer #2 for Marvel's 'VisionQuest' Sci-Fi Series with Paul Bettany (October 1, 2026)
"Free me. And save your son." Who's ready for this? Disney launched a thrilling second trailer for the next MCU spin-off series VisionQuest, a continuation of the acclaimed Marvel series WandaVision a few years back. The series is debuting to watch streaming on Disney+ in just a few weeks for viewing in the fall. This series follows vibranium android The Vision, played by Paul Bettany, trying to regain his memory and humanity (despite being a robot). He's now in hiding, but when a bounty is placed on his head, Vision is forced to forge real connections and embrace found family if he's to survive. The series cast includes Bettany as Vision, James Spader as Ultron returning with sneaky some tricks up his sleeves, Todd Stashwick as Paladin, Ruaridh Mollica as Tommy Maximoff, T'Nia Miller as Jocasta, plus a new cast of AI characters: Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H., Orla Brady as F.R.I.D.A.Y., Henry Lewis as D.U.M.-E, Jonathan Sayer as U, and of course James D'Arcy as J.A.R.V.I.S. I admire how full-on sci-fi and technological this spin-off series is, along with keeping it emotional and visually vibrant. Seems like it'll be worth the watch. 📺 // Continue Reading ›
