Category Archives: 2026

2026

“Verity” Short on Novelty

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It takes a while in the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation for the pages to start turning, the pot to begin boiling and the bestseller to reveal its juiciest secrets. But buried within the guilty-pleasure formula of Michael Showalter’s slow-burn thriller Verity (B-) are some deliciously campy pleasures. After a confounding metropolitan meet-cute, Josh Hartnett’s character convinces a struggling novelist played by Dakota Johnson to retreat to his secluded lakeside home and finish a bestselling series written by his now-catatonic wife, the titular Verity (Anne Hathaway). Johnson takes a while to find her footing, or much believability, in this quasi-mystery despite a cavalcade of ominously charged objects ranging from nanny cams and motorized beds to canoes and PB&Js. Hathaway is saddled with a mostly thankless role told through flashbacks, but eventually gets the opportunity to lean gleefully into the unhinged. Hartnett fares best as the charismatic liaison caught between two increasingly dangerous women. There’s a lot of melodrama about manuscripts before the plot finally gets cooking, but once it does, the final act delivers some satisfyingly lurid twists and turns. Verity is never quite titillating or thrilling enough to become a trash-classic all-timer, but when the literary intrigue finally gives way to full-blown pulp, it becomes a pretty good page-turner after all.

2026

The Frill Seekers of “Digger” Can’t Plow Past Insufferable Allegory and Artifice

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Talk about a blunt instrument! Mining through the rubble of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s meta satire Digger (D+) produces a few inspired treasures while largely burying its thesis beneath too many allegorical characters and too much self-satisfied artifice. Ostensibly an arty star vehicle for Tom Cruise, playing an out-of-touch billionaire oil tycoon whose willful blindness to the consequences of his policies collides with a real-time climate crisis, the film is rarely as interesting as it thinks it is. Wisely, Iñárritu creates at least one character who registers as more than a caricature: Riz Ahmed’s science advisor, whose attempts to speak truth to power provide some of the movie’s most authentic moments. Others range from understated and underdeveloped, including Sandra Hüller as a green-minded entrepreneur, to deliriously over the top, with John Goodman cranking his agitated POTUS well past eleven. What begins at a tonal decibel barely registering soon gets amplified to merciless levels, turning Iñárritu into the Boy Who Cried Wolf in multiple milieus for two punishing hours. Buried somewhere in the permafrost of the parody is an impulse so mistrustful of its audience that virtually every trick gets hurled against the VistaVisionary wall in hopes that something will stick. Cruise, to his credit, finds flashes of subversive authenticity beneath the pancaked prosthetics, occasionally suggesting a more interesting movie struggling to burrow itself out. The film aspires to Dr. Strangelove and barely surpasses Toys. But the film’s insistent calliope condemning intentionally destructive acts against the planet loses its potency remarkably quickly. For all its potentially benevolent “save the earth” intentions, the filmmakers muddy and muddle their point with a continuous cavalcade of plot and production design conventions. Their fussy film ultimately comes up embarrassingly shallow.

2026

“In Between” a Joyful Queer Romcom About Next Level Acceptance

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The buoyant new queer dramedy world-premiering at the Out on Film Festival suggests there can be a second “coming out”: finally becoming comfortable in one’s own skin within a community that can impose its own seemingly impossible body standards. Juli-Ann De Barros and Nicholas Molencupp’s In Between (A-) plumbs the pop psychology of a “husky” gay man waiting for his prince to come while the little voices in his head, and considerably louder ones on the dating apps, broadcast decidedly mixed signals. Molencupp tells his own story as writer, co-director and extremely affable leading man, bringing brazen panache to an empowering tale that rarely gets told with this much wit, candor and romantic optimism. Consistently funny and empathetic, he plays a burly young gay man who has spent much of his dating life wondering why the perfect tens he desires aren’t exactly lining up, and a terrific soliloquy captures the exhausting marathon of succeeding at work and everywhere else only to score neutral-to-negative points in the impossible queer dating milieu. Cameron Moir is deeply effective as the primary and surprising love interest, a man forced to reconcile his genuine attraction with the entrenched expectations of his peer group, while Sachin Bhat and Elle Army are especially electric as the protagonist’s best friend and sister in an altogether winning ensemble. Krystal Joy Brown nearly walks away with the movie as a therapist who radiates such glorious self-possession that she becomes the living embodiment of self-acceptance, a personified gay anthem of self-love and the patron saint everyone deserves. Through meet-cutes, courting rituals, shame valleys and fantasy sequences, this entertaining movie cycles its characters through rejection and renewal with poignant humor and enough emotional honesty to keep its romcom buoyancy grounded. There is little time to wallow when an afternoon by the pool, a night of gay bingo or group karaoke comes calling, and the film understands that finding your people can be as essential as finding your person. De Barros and Molencupp ultimately deliver exactly what this kind of movie should: a relatable, big-hearted framework for seeing yourself differently while gently challenging a community to broaden its definition of who deserves to be desired. It’s not merely a film about acceptance; it is a joyful celebration of becoming comfortable enough in your own skin to demand love without first demanding that you become somebody else.

2026, Industry News

Out On Film Festival Has Begun in ATL, Now Through Oct. 4

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One of America’s preeminent LGBTQ+ film festivals, the Oscar®-qualifying and USA TODAY “10Best” Out On Film Festival (#OOF26), invites the community to be part of “The World We’re Making” as the nonprofit festival kicks off its 39th year of bringing the best in LGBTQ+ films, documentaries, and shorts to local, national, and international audiences – in person and via the festival’s virtual platform. The festival boasts 150+ narrative films, documentaries, shorts and special events. Presented by GILEAD, all festival screenings, Q&As and panels will take place at the historic Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Every ticket helps create spaces where LGBTQ+ stories can be seen, celebrated, and shared, and helps build “The World We’re Making.” This year’s theme reflects the power of queer cinema to not only tell our stories, but to help shape the world around us. Every screening, filmmaker, volunteer, audience member, sponsor and conversation contributes to building a more connected, visible, and inclusive future.

This 39th festival offers a diverse selection that includes 38 features (26 narrative films and 12 documentaries, four of which are streaming-only films); an episode of an upcoming TV series; 108 shorts; three music videos; and five episodics for a total of 155 films. In all, Out On Film will host 10 world premieres, five international premieres, 11 U.S. premieres and more than 20 regional premieres as part of the 2026 festival.

“Coming off of a record-breaking 2025, we are extraordinarily proud to present our largest festival ever, one that shines a spotlight on cinema and voices around the world,” said Out On Film Festival Director Jim Farmer. “It’s also wonderful to be able to offer so many Atlanta-area films and filmmakers, including some exciting world premieres.”

“’The World We’re Making’ feels especially meaningful and empowering right now,” said new Out On Film Executive Director Cindy L. Abel. “We’re not waiting for a better world to be handed to us, we’re building it, frame by frame and story by story, together. There’s something powerful about experiencing these films in a room full of people and discovering the conversations and connections that begin when the credits roll. We hope audiences leave a little more hopeful, a little more connected, and certain that the world worth making is already under construction — right here, right now.”

Out On Film continues to build on its national recognition. Earlier this year, Two People Exchanging Saliva, directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh (France/USA), which

qualified for Oscar® consideration through Out On Film in 2025, tied for the Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short.  

Seven films awarded grants from Out On Film’s Filmmaker Fund are in the line-up, including Charlene Fisk’s Call and Response and Hannah Alline’s Scissors. Reel Resistance Fellowship (a six-month in partnership with Atlanta Pride) recipient films include Carlo Velayo’s The Center and Beyond The Doors of Club 708.

Thursday, Sept. 24, opening night is the East Coast premiere of Before I Do exploring a lakeside bachelor party weekend that devolves into comedic chaos when the groom and his best man’s past romantic feelings reignite, entangling the wedding party in pre-wedding drama. The film stars Cole Doman, Michael Hsu Rosen, Nico Greetham, Robin de Jesús and Jared Reinfeldt.

The festival’s Centerpiece Film Sunday, Sept. 27, 6:15 p.m. is Give Me The Ball!  Billie Jean King is a global icon whose impact on tennis and equality resonates around the world. But the personal turmoil behind this transformational figure has in many ways remained hidden from view. The film shares the sacrifices King was forced to make behind the scenes, even as she fought high-profile battles for the professionalization of her sport and equal treatment for women. From struggling to escape an unhappy marriage and hiding her sexual orientation to facing an eating disorder and staring down misogyny at every turn, her march to triumph was a long and often lonely one. This is a woman whose saga cuts deeper than her victory in the “Battle of the Sexes” showdown, and the film showcases King like the persistent fighter she had to become. Through a trove of rarely seen archival material and powerfully honest interviews with King, this film explores the depths of agony she endured so that others might follow a less painful path. It is the story of selflessness, struggle, and triumph that shines an unforgettable light on a figure who is widely admired but, until now, never properly understood.

Additionally notable, Closing Night Sunday, Oct. 4, 6:30 p.m. is La Bola Negra. The film is a bold tapestry spanning nearly a century of Spanish history. It is last week’s TIFF People’s Choice winner and tells the story of three generations of men whose lives are intimately connected through desire, pain, and love in this celebrated film from Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. It stars Milo Quifes, Guitarricadelafuente and Carlos González with featured performances by Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close.  

Another notable special presentation is 1985’s iconic Desert Hearts with Director Donna Deitch set to appear. Based on Jane Rule’s novel, this romantic drama has become an iconic lesbian classic. While waiting for her divorce papers, repressed literature professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay (Patricia Charbonneau).

A few other anticipated highlights of the festival:

  • The world premiere of In Between, directed by Nicholas Molencupp and Juli-Ann De Barros, filmed in Atlanta with a local cast
  • The U.S. premiere of Canadian film I Come Home
  • The Southeastern premieres of Ephemera from Singapore and Out of the Woods featuring Frances Fisher
  • The Georgia premiere of Israel film A Man Walks Down the Street
  • A Rising Star Award presentation to actor/singer/director Jelani Alladin, whose short film Next Year will have its world premiere at the festival
  • The first episode of the STARZ drama “Tip Toe”
  • The Mexican films The Divine Tragedy and On The Road
  • The Brazilian film Gugu’s World
  • The Spanish film Ivan & Hadoum
  • The British film Madfabulous
  • The South African film Black Burns Fast

Passes and tickets are on sale now at festival.outonfilm.org.  

2026

Terrifying Dark Comedy Examines How the Prurient Becomes “Primetime” 

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From Network and Natural Born Killers to To Die For, Shattered Glass, Nightcrawler and this season’s Ink, cinema has long chronicled how far the fame-hungry will go to manufacture a shameless sensation; Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime (B+) earns its disturbing place in this lineage. The documentarian-turned-narrative filmmaker directs Robert Pattinson as an intense, fame-starved Chris Hansen amid the chaotic production of NBC’s mid-2000s reality phenomenon To Catch a Predator, exploring the murky intersection of public service, media exploitation and voyeuristic entertainment. Pattinson surrenders completely to the role in accent, affectations and clammy mannerisms, playing Hansen as a man who seemingly rehearses every waking hour to appear comfortable in his own skin yet still radiates a deeply creepy persona. As his long-suffering segment producer, Merritt Wever is wonderfully wry and matter-of-fact about the frankness, absurdity and eccentricity of the surreal spectacle she is helping curate. Skyler Gisondo is equally terrific as “Decoy Dan,” a newcomer to the predator-trapping troupe who briefly parlayed his reed-thin acting abilities into bait for the surveillance house. The queasy tone, ominous music and David Bolen’s hypnotic cinematography create a deeply unsettling freak-show atmosphere, skating between nostalgic dark comedy and a voyage into the heart of darkness. Oppenheim’s ability to locate flashes of humanity among people on every side of the camera only makes the enterprise more terrifying; nobody is made better by this fun house mirror being held before them. In the specifics of this story, the keen director reveals the universal. His film magnifies media malfeasance with a cynical, unforgiving lens, delivering one of cinema’s most unnerving examinations of how easily the prurient can become prime-time entertainment.

2026

Silver Screen Capture Ranks 25 Movies Reviewed at TIFF 2026

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Here are the 25 movies I saw at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, ranked by favorites. I also enjoyed the “victory lap” presentation of Obsession, conversations with Seth Rogen and Andrew Scott, mystery screenings, the new market and some incredible A24 parties. Here are the main new films I was able to see and review.

#1: Josephine⁠ (A): “Absorbing, devastating and never remotely dull, Josephine finds Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan as flawed parents searching for a way forward when innocence can no longer lead the way.”

#2: Being Heumann⁠ (A): “Siân Heder’s follow-up to her Oscar-winning CODA does not merely reclaim an essential chapter of history about the fight for disability rights; it throws open the doors and invites everyone to the party.”

#3: La Bola Negra⁠ (A): “Blending poetry, art and cinema, this is a gorgeous love letter to all three…an historic Spanish queer masterpiece.”

#4: The Debut⁠ (A-): “Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy is wise about the unexpected effects of an artistic calling, and it is wonderful watching Julianne Moore’s heroine’s growing confidence as she goes method for a musical.”

#5: Tangles⁠ (A-): “The animation allows memories to bend, disappear and spring playfully to life, transforming Alzheimer’s caregiving into something inventive, funny and deeply moving.”

#6: The Devils⁠ (A-): “Remastered from the banned 1971 original, this religious fever dream starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave remains audacious and impossible to forget.”

#7: Babies⁠ (B+): “Anna Kendrick has rarely been better as a woman contemplating not having kids.”

#8: Thirteen in Gaza⁠ (B+): “The filmmakers choose humanity over destruction and survival over despair in this poignant father and daughter tale.”

#9: Elsinore⁠ (B+): “It’s a celebration of the indomitable power of the human spirit and of theatre as a balm, buoyed by an incredible Andrew Scott in the commanding center.”

#10: Wild Horse Nine⁠ (B+): “It is talky and smart and bursting with furtive flourishes. John Malkovich is superb.”

#11: Fjord⁠ (B): “Empathy matters most when every side believes it has already won the moral debate.”

#12: Le Corset (The Iron Boy)⁠ (B): “Its lively, hand drawn watercolor style makes the adventure artistic and accessible without sanding away its idiosyncrasies.”

#13: I Play Rocky⁠ (B): “Anthony Ippolito delivers a magnetic performance that transcends his uncanny mimicry in the making of the boxing classic.”

#14: Club Kid⁠ (B): “Two lost souls find one another and create a little magic when they do in Jordan Firstman’s crowd pleaser about a nightclub promoter who inherits a 10-year-old.”

#15: Love of Your Life⁠ (B): “Margaret Qualley is captivating in a stirring story of hope and healing.”

#16: Bunker⁠ (B): “Like Eyes Wide Shut, the presence of a real life couple, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, adds another layer of intrigue to this formidable power play.”

#17: Magazine⁠ (B-): “Glossy, giddy and affectionate, the film nevertheless could have benefited from a ruthless copy editor.”

#18: The Face of Horror⁠ (B-): “Anna Biller’s Technicolor style palette is a wonder to behold, particularly the painterly red blood splashed across its brightly illuminated imagery.”

#19: Ink⁠ (B-): “Danny Boyle and charismatic star Jack O’Connell make the rise of tabloid journalism in the UK look a little too fun.”

#20: Always Lalisa⁠ (B-): “For all its polish and access, this music documentary about a legendary KPop star offers less discovery than one might hope.”

#21: Stuffed⁠ (B-): “The enjoyable songs in this macabre movie musical leave little lasting imprint, but its beautifully bizarre heart is preserved in exactly the right place.”

#22: Bucking Fastard⁠ (C+): “Although Werner Herzog’s film is an original oddity, it is never clear what motivates two eccentric sisters played by Kate and Rooney Mara.”

#23: All That She Wants⁠ (C): “The extremely game Annie Murphy is cursed with an aimless contemporary comedy.”

#24: Misty Green⁠ (C-): “Chris Rock’s film remains eminently watchable because of Rosalind Eleazar, yet its many interesting pieces never assemble into a cogent portrait.”

#25: Prima Facie⁠ (D): “Despite its vital message about the systemic bias confronting women who report sexual assault, director Susanna White’s adaptation of a hit stage play with lead Cynthia Erivo is misbegotten in nearly every dramatic respect.”

2026

TIFF Assassin Hangout Comedy “Wild Horse Nine” Gallops Into Oscars Race

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Writer/director Martin McDonagh’s darkly comic political drama Wild Horse Nine (B+) gives John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell two meaty roles as CIA officers who retreat to Easter Island after helping orchestrate Chile’s 1973 coup. When Malkovich’s terminally ill operative begins divulging incendiary secrets, the island refuge becomes a reckoning with mortality, complicity and regret and the setup for an increasingly volatile shakedown. Malkovich, back in a showcase worthy of his singular talents, is operating at the top of his game, while Rockwell proves an ideal sparring partner. Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Parker Posey are among the formidable performers enriching McDonagh’s eccentric ensemble. The humor can be blunt and conspicuously boomerish, and the screenplay remains talky, smart and bursting with furtive flourishes. Part assassin hangout comedy, part political confessional, the film gives its thoroughbreds plenty of room to run and could carry Malkovich all the way into the Oscars race.

2026

Sassy Sitcom Veteran Can’t Redeem TIFF Romcom “All That She Wants”

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The extremely game comic actress Annie Murphy is cursed with a “schitty” screenplay and “creaky” craftsmanship in Andrew Rhymer and Scarlett Bermingham’s All That She Wants (C), a pedestrian romantic comedy that squanders an appealing premise. Murphy plays a newly single Toronto woman who rebounds with the considerably younger man she once babysat, played by Cooper Raiff. What begins as a college-dorm one-night stand evolves over several years into a messier, more realistic relationship, but precious little about their journey feels new, surprising or emotionally revealing. Murphy and Raiff generate scant chemistry, while the film’s conflicts arrive fleetingly and resolve too conveniently to create much dramatic tension. Even formidable comic talents including Zosia Mamet and Christine Baranski are stranded in supporting roles that give them little of consequence to do. Of all the films vying for attention at TIFF, this agreeable but thoroughly ordinary production feels among the least deserving of a festival spotlight.

2026

Acting Angels Take Flight with Andrew Scott in “Elsinore” at TIFF

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To be an awards showcase or not to be satisfied until the whole cinema audience is sobbing? These are indeed the questions of Simon Stone’s Elsinore (B+), but it’s such a stirring celebration of the indomitable power of the human spirit and of theatre that any calculated designs quickly become inconsequential. Scott plays closeted Scottish actor Ian Charleson, best known to moviegoers for Chariots of Fire, who steps into the role of Hamlet at London’s National Theatre just as he is diagnosed with AIDS at the height of the epidemic. The film follows Charleson’s determination to deliver a defining performance during the final months of his life, even as his failing body threatens to betray him. Olivia Colman is a formidable foil as the doctor who warns him of the punishing demands Shakespeare’s great role will impose. Scott gives a magnetic, sensitive and occasionally very funny performance, lending the actor’s private struggle the same grandeur as Hamlet’s public anguish. Soaring soliloquies about life upon the stage are complemented by inspired flourishes, including a hospital-wing dance break set to techno-infused Ethel Merman. In Elsinore, show business becomes both refuge and rebellion in the face of tragedy. Fans of Shakespeare, Scott and unabashed sentimentality will want to seek out this film.

2026

“Love of Your Life” Pandemic-Set Drama Lights Up TIFF

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In Love of Your Life (B), Rachel Morrison sensitively directs Margaret Qualley as Maya, a Boston nurse whose sweeping romance with Charlie (Gabriel Basso) is shattered during the pandemic. Our protagonist’s grief carries her through Portugal, England and beyond as she attempts to rediscover a life and reconnect with herself after devastating loss. The story moves with purpose, buoyed by Qualley and Basso’s natural romantic chemistry and a fabulous music catalogue curated by Jack Antonoff. Qualley is particularly luminous against the film’s picturesque travelogue backdrop, while Basso brings an easy warmth and authenticity to their love story. Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aaron Pierre and Catherine Keener effectively round out the cast in supporting roles. Although the film follows a familiar emotional itinerary, it finds genuinely moving insights within its well-traveled formula. Ultimately, this is a stirring story of hope and healing elevated by relatable performances.

2026

TIFF’s “Club Kid” Makes the Party Scene a Family Affair

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Get your juice boxes and YA books ready, because a social life typically sponsored by generous doses of G and K is about to become surprisingly kid-friendly. Jordan Firstman writes, directs and stars in Club Kid (B), a sharp contemporary dramedy about a New York nightclub promoter whose chaotic, self-absorbed existence is interrupted by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had. In pristine 35 mm cinematography, Firstman captures the hedonism and hilarity of his after-hours Manhattan milieu while developing a genuinely affecting rapport with winning young actor Reggie Absolom. Diego Calva enjoys a plum role as both child therapist and potential adult love interest, while Miss Benny and a lively LGBTQIA+ ensemble keep the party buzzing. What distinguishes the movie most is its refusal to make its unconventional journey toward parenthood remotely saccharine. These lost souls may not resemble a traditional family, but they find a place to belong and create a prescient playlist when they do.

2026

TIFF Premiere of “I Play Rocky” Slyly Packs a Punch

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Peter Farrelly directs Anthony Ippolito as a young Sylvester Stallone, the impoverished, perpetually rejected actor who refuses to sell his Rocky screenplay unless he can play the title role himself. The aptly named behind-the-scenes drama I Play Rocky (B) offers a nostalgic, crowd-pleasing account of how Stallone’s real-life tenacity came to mirror Rocky Balboa’s. Ippolito delivers a magnetic performance that transcends his uncanny mimicry, while AnnaSophia Robb is quietly effective in the underwritten role of Stallone’s wife, Sasha Czack, and Stephan James brings confidence and charisma to co-star in the movie-within-the-movie Carl Weathers. Tracy Letts frequently steals the show with biting humor and cynicism as a representative of the studio brass. Though the film rarely strays from the familiar making-of formula, it remains a contender, fleet-footed and flying high through the final bell.