Practical Magic 2

My View: Practical Magic 2  (2026)  PG-13  In Practical Magic 2, the Owens sisters (Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman) face a new crisis when Sally’s daughter, Kylie (Joey King), uncovers hidden family secrets and develops her own abilities. The Owens women must unite to finally break the curse that has haunted their family line of witches for centuries. This might upset a fellow critic that I work with, but I saw Practical Magic in the theaters when it came out in 1998, mostly because of Sandra Bullock, who was at the height of her stardom, coming off of Speed, While You Were Sleeping, The Net, and A Time to Kill (we will forget, please, Speed 2). So I hated the film because it couldn’t decide if it was a film for kids or adults, with its weird mix of witches making jokes while dealing with abusive boyfriends and assault. But I also know that a lot of people have fond memories of it. So I went into this movie hopeful, but not expecting much. Practical Magic 2 is enjoyable, mostly because of Sandra Bullock, but the film has an incredible weak point: the middle of the film slows to a snail's pace, which is weird because we know what is going to happen at almost every turn and doesn’t need much setup. Bullock dominates the film, and she shines as the kooky Owen sister who has given up magic. Now, we are supposed to believe that her two daughters, played by Joey King and Maisie Williams, have been kept in the dark about their mother and her sister being witches. While Bullock dominates the plot, she even has a new love interest in Lee Pace as a warlock (I never knew exactly what he was), Kidman is there to interact with Bullock, add some humor to the plot, and be a little bit slutty. And yes, we get the whole Practical Magic gang back in Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, but they don’t come off as goofy and fun as they are in the first film. Fans of the first film and Sandra Bullock will enjoy this film, as it brings back some warm memories and a few tears. For the rest of us, it’s a light snack, kind of like the Cool Whip that the Wiest character, Jet, loves. It’s sweet, but it’s not exactly filling.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Practical Magic 2 Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: The Uprising  (2026)  R   The Uprising follows a ploughman (Andrew Garfield), who is sick and tired of the King’s tyranny and forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice and freedom. This is a strange film from writer/director Paul Greengrass, who gave us The Bourne Supremacy (2004), United 93 (2006), and Captain Phillips (2013). At the center of the story is the ploughman, played by Andrew Garfield, who is mourning his wife and children, all of whom died in the plague that wiped out half the population of England. The ploughman starts the rebellion when the tax man comes to his town to get money and goods for the war with France. He has had enough and fights back, igniting a crowd to kill the soldiers and send the tax man back to the King with the word that the common people are tired of paying for a war they didn’t ask for (sound familiar?). The Uprising is loosely based on a real peasant revolt that gathered people from across the country to march to London and demand that the King change the rules of taxation and serfdom. What should be a gripping tale gets lost in too much talk and walking. A cast that includes Katherine Waterston, Tom Hollander, Stephen Dillane, and Jamie Bell should create a captivating storyline, but instead the film feels confusing and dull. Garfield stands out only because he is in almost every scene, and we know he will be the center of the story. The ending feels too much like a fairy tale (i.e., Robin Hood), and while those closing scenes give us some of the action we needed throughout the film, they feel too classic Hollywood to have any dramatic effect. Overall, I felt like I was the cow pulling the plow at the beginning of the film, having to work a lot for every little return.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Uprising Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: Hope  (2026)  R   Hope is set in a remote South Korean village where the police chief (Hwang Jung-min) and an officer (Zo In-sung) investigate a sighting of a mysterious creature that has caused chaos. At the same time, a group of local hunters starts tracking the beast, only to realize that they are the ones being hunted. Hope is a thrill-a-minute roller coaster ride of a film about monsters that invade a small town and how a few brave citizens, along with a few really dumb ones, try to protect their town from a group of invaders that seem hell-bent on destroying everything in their wake. We first see the police chief investigating the mauling of a cow, and we see how he treats both his staff and other townspeople. The chief is one big blowhard bully. As his day goes along, he slowly realizes that it’s not a tiger that is killing the cows, especially when he is in town with buildings being destroyed, cars start flying through the air, and people being killed in gruesome ways. What is brilliant about Hope is that we don’t see what the monsters look like until nearly 50 minutes into the film, which builds tension and wonder about what kind of creature could be causing this mayhem. All the while, we have a group of hunters, led by the police chief’s cousin (Jung Ho-yeon), who leads the group to find the “tiger” but finds out that there is more than one monster. Beyond the thrills, the film has a lot of humor, including a young female officer (Zo In-sung) who drives like a seasoned NASCAR driver through the streets and is willing to take on the monsters because they pissed her off by destroying her town. Hope has a ton of twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming. The cast of characters is fun to root for, as they take on monsters that can’t be stopped. The film is a little too long (I would love to cut a couple of meaningless scenes that slow the film down a bit), but it’s such a thrill ride that you’ll forget those scenes, especially in the last third of the film, which is one nonstop ride of mayhem and killing. This was the most expensive Korean film ever made, and it looks it, with a ton of special effects. So fasten your seatbelts, make sure your guns are loaded, and join in on trying to stop some monsters from killing everyone in sight. If you love monster movies and lots of action scenes, then Hope is for you! Make sure to stick around after the first portion of the credits for a bonus scene that will set up a sequel.  My Rating: Full Price  Hope Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  American Doctor  (2026)  American Doctor is a documentary that follows three American physicians as they volunteer in a hospital in war-torn Gaza and their return to the U.S. to lobby Congress. This documentary warns you early on that it is going to be a tough watch. One of the three doctors in the film, Mark Perlmutter, argues with the director of the film, Poh Si Teng, about showing a picture that he took of dead children in a hospital in Gaza. Teng wants to digitize the picture to give the dead some respect, but Mark insists and wins the argument that if you digitize the film, the picture will not have the impact that it needs to get people to see how horrible it is in Gaza. So that picture is the first of many upsetting scenes in the film that follows three American doctors who have practiced in hospitals in Gaza during the bombing and shooting conducted by the Israeli armed services. This film follows three men who volunteer for an incredibly dangerous situation to help however they can, trying to put the injured back together in difficult circumstances, with limited medical supplies but a staff that gives each patient the care and hope they need. This film is not only about what is happening in Palestine but also the politics in the US, including how the media covers the situation. One of the doctors, who was born in America but has Palestinian parents, continually tries to go back to Gaza and is constantly refused permission to cross the border from Jordan by the Israelis, always at the last minute. This is a brutal film to watch, and you keep waiting for the hospital that the doctors are working at to be hit, because one of the doctors lists all the other hospitals that the Israelis have bombed, and you know that it is coming. When it happens, it punches us in the gut, because we have come to care for and respect the doctors and nurses who work there. It’s a horrible sight, seeing a place that is meant for healing becoming another building that bombs have hit multiple times. The scene that shows the result of the bombing of the hospital is sickening and will stay with you for a long time after leaving the theatre. As heartbreaking and brutal as this film is, it is an important film to see as it puts a face to all the utter destruction that is going on in Gaza and how children are dying at an alarming rate. Like the American doctors who have to leave Gaza and go home, when you leave the theater, you will also feel some guilt that you have left those children behind to face this destruction. Like the 15-year-old boy whom one of the American doctors worked on for hours to repair, only to be killed by an Israeli rocket they sent to hit the hospital in an effort to kill a terrorist who was being treated on the same floor. My Rating: Full Price  American Doctor Website  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest: The Salt Path  (2024)   A couple, Raynor (Gillian Anderson) and Moth (Jason Isaacs) lose their family home and find out that Moth has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. They decide to follow a travel book’s path along the coast of England, traveling 630 miles to London.  You can’t fault Anderson and Isaacs; they both give heartfelt, powerful performances, but the film drags a bit, and there are too many scenes where total strangers give them inspirational quotes. The scenery is beautiful, but how many times are we going to see the couple go down to the edge of the ocean and stare at the horizon? The film is based on a true story (though apparently there are doubts about some aspects of the book written by Raynor), but I never could figure out why they took on the trek in the first place, especially since Moth could barely move more than a few miles at a time. That’s never explained, and we never learn much about their lives beyond the fact that they have a couple of kids and made some bad investment that cost them their home. The movie also has no idea how to end the film. There is a perfect place for the film to end, where Raynor and Moth have a heartfelt talk about the first time Moth told Raynor he loved her. It’s a beautiful scene, perfectly acted, and there is a line that Gillian Anderson delivers that would have been a great place to end the film, but we keep going for another ten minutes. That sums up the film right there.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Salt Path Movie Website  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest: Filipiñana  (2026)  Filipiñana follows 17-year-old Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), who works as a “tee-girl” at an exclusive country club outside Manila. Isabel spends her day at the driving range, where she places golf balls on the tees for wealthy businessmen and tourists. Soon, Isabel discovers that the club has a dark history of exploitation and violence. This film reminded me of the work of French director Jacques Tati and his eye for creating the absurd, with vast patches of silence while something goes on in the background that you can barely make out, or things choreographed with precise timing, all while giving us incredible scenes that play out. Finlipinana has that same quality, as Isabel tries to figure out her place in this strange world she's been dropped into. Her job becomes a quest as the President’s mistress gives her a golf club to give to the President. Still, Isabel can’t find the man anywhere as she goes from one end of the golf club to another, overhearing others talking and observing how the rich live their lives, while she and the other “tee girls” are barely getting paid. This is a film not everyone will enjoy, because not much happens. That is, unless you look closely at the absurdity of it all. I loved the orchestra of blind men and women who keep getting lost in the golf course’s vastness. As the film moves along, we see some of the dark underbelly of this club and how the rich do just about anything they want to do, and the tee-girls and the caddies are at the mercy of the rich. The cinematography is brilliant, and I loved how the camera just stays in one place as things just start happening in front of us. This is a masterful satire of class and society and is a joy to watch. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film: The Mighty  (1998)  PG-13 Kevin (Kieran Culkin) is a kid who has Morquio’s syndrome, which means that his body isn’t growing, but his internal organs are, stunting his growth. Max (Elden Henson) has learning disabilities and is big for 7th grade, mostly because he's been held back a couple of times and is older than everyone else. The two meet up after Max is accused of throwing a dodgeball at Kevin, knocking his crutches out from under him. They hit it off and team up, with Kevin as the brains and Max as the muscle. Max and Kevin start reading the tales of King Arthur and begin to live by the rules of the Round Table. The film has a great supporting cast, with Sharon Stone as Kevin’s mother, who is determined to have him live as normal a life as possible for as long as he can. Max is being raised by his grandparents, played by Gena Rowlands and Harry Dean Stanton, after Max’s father, played by James Gandolfini, is sent to jail. Gillian Anderson even shows up in the film to set off the final scenes. Culkin and Henson are wonderful on screen together and make this film such a joy to watch. The Mighty reminds me of another "Forgotten Film" in My Bodyguard, which is also about two mismatched students who find friendship in their struggles to get along in school. This is a magnificent film about friendship, overcoming our weaknesses by finding our strengths, and how, working as a team, we can find success. And wait till you see the pair play basketball.  My Rating: Full Price  The Mighty Info  Available on most streaming services

Weird Credits: From the credits of Hope:  Driving Instructor

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: You Had to Be There  (2025)  You Had to Be There is a documentary about the 1972 Toronto production of the stage musical Godspell, from which many cast members would soon make their mark in comedy through projects such as The Second City, Saturday Night Live, and SCTV. The cast in the production included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, and Jayne Eastwood, with Paul Shaffer serving as musical director.   You Had to Be There Website  The film will be released in theaters starting Friday, September 18, 2026

Until Next Time!

Onslaught

My View:  Onslaught  (2026)   R   Onslaught follows Celeste (Adria Arjona), an army veteran and single mother living in a trailer park. Celeste will have to use her sniper training when a rogue squad of genetically engineered soldiers escapes from a secret military facility and starts killing everyone in sight. This film opens with a mad scientist, Hans Kammler (Dan Stevens), crawling on all fours to kiss (and lick) his wife’s feet (played by a very stoic Rebecca Hall). Has a drugged out government point man (Drew Starkey) whose bondage playtime is interrupted by a job to go cover up any mess that the mad scientist has created, and three former soldiers, who all did horrible acts during wartime, have been turned into killing machines with no conscience and you have a great start to a film that plays homage to both John Carpenter films and the Grindhouse films of the 70s. After a rousing start, the film fails to fulfill its promise by the end. My problem is twofold. First, these super soldiers don’t seem all that super. Sure, they kill a lot of people, but it’s mostly innocent people that can’t fight back. In fact, the only time that people fight back, i.e., our hero Celeste, the super soldiers get their butts kicked. My other problem is that the film builds Celeste up as a troubled former soldier who trained for exactly this kind of confrontation. However, she isn’t the killing machine I expected and depends too much on her fellow residents to do the heavy lifting. Adrian Arjona does a good job as Celeste, but I wanted more from her part in the killing of the super soldiers than there is. I will say, it is fun seeing Reginald VelJohnson on screen as the Vietnam vet, chain-smoking, shotgun-welding old man who seems to be the only one in the trailer park with any sense. I wanted more from this film, and since it seems by its ending that there will be a sequel (and more of Rebecca Hall), I hope they let Adria Arjona kick a lot more butt in that one. Be sure to stay during the credits to read all the news stories and missing reports that are posted.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Onslaught Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Mayday  (2026)  PG-13  In Mayday, U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Troy “Assassin” Kelly (Ryan Reynolds) is on a reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union, and Troy crashes in the Russian wilderness. Nikolai (Kenneth Branagh), a former KGB agent with a deep fondness for American culture, finds him. The two form an unexpected alliance to get Troy rescued, if the two don’t kill each other first. This is an old-fashioned (meaning 70s/80s) buddy comedy action film that harkens back to a day when two oddball men would team up to save the world or each other while making us have fun watching things crash and blow up. The film's co-directors/writers, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, directed Game Night (2018) and the very underappreciated Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). I had a great time with both films, and this one did not disappoint. Now, if you aren’t a fan of Ryan Reynolds, then stay away from this one, because he is cracking wise about every three minutes. I will say that at one point while watching the film I said to the screen, “Shut up already”; however, most of his jokes are pretty funny, and there are a couple of great sight gags along the way. Branagh is hilarious as the Russian with a soft spot for all things American, and having a “Top Gun” pilot crash into his life is like manna from heaven. I also loved the fact that Branagh, as the former KGB agent, does all the fighting, while Reynolds does a lot of ducking. There are some great chase sequences and a very funny escape from a train full of soldiers that keeps the action going. This is a good-time film you don’t take too seriously (Ryan speaking English all the time while trying to blend in with the Russians doesn’t make much sense), but it moves along and doesn’t dwell on much more than two guys trying to get across Russia without getting caught. So sip some beet juice alcohol and enjoy the ride.  And be sure and stay through the first portion of credits to see a funny bonus scene.    My Rating: Full Price    Mayday Info    Now playing on the Apple TV platform

My View:   Fall 2: Deadpoint  (2026)  PG-13  In Fall 2: Deadpoint, Jax Hunter (Harriet Slater) is grieving the death of her sister, Shiloh. Jax agrees to a tribute climb by Shiloh’s friend Luce (Arsema Thomas), traveling to Thailand to conquer the treacherous plank walk on Mount Kwan. It’s a climb that will push their limits, and they will have to depend on each other to stay alive. Fall was a hit with audiences who, like myself, watched about 1/3 of the film through their hands in front of their faces as we kept thinking, “That’s really a long way down.” The film had a couple of shocking twists that made it more than just a ‘don’t look’ type of film. Unfortunately, Fall 2: Deadpoint fails to capture the thrills and chills of the first film. One of the standout things about the first Fall film was that you felt the height with the characters, making your stomach churn and creating that great sense of dizziness from being so high up. I never felt those heights or the queasiness in this film. Instead, it was mostly the two women sitting around, waiting for it to be daytime or nighttime, and not doing a heck of a lot. Yes, there is a twist in the film, but it’s right there for you to see almost from the start. I didn’t like either character, and I think one fault of the film is that, in the first one, the two were best friends. In this one, they are strangers, with one of them always pushing the other to do stuff she doesn’t really want to do. Instead of the two daredevils we got for the first film, this one gives us two really stupid people doing stupid stuff they don’t know how to do. So stay off the ledge and see something else. My Rating: Cable   Fall 2: Deadpoint Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Dear You  (2026)   PG-13   Dear You follows Xiaowei, a man deep in debt, as he travels to Thailand to find his long-lost grandfather, rumored to be a billionaire. Instead, he finds that the man died years ago, and he finds decades of correspondence involving his grandmother and a man who never came back to his wife. Instead, may have found another family to love. This is a beautiful, moving, and at times funny look at a couple separated by long distance for most of their marriage. The tale unfolds through the correspondence between the husband and wife, as their lives slowly reveal themselves. This is a film about love, loss, and sacrifice, and how well intentions can hurt rather than help. The film is full of interesting characters that we slowly begin to understand and fall for. This is a film about the power of words, not only through those letters but also how reading and writing can change lives. Dear You is a powerful lesson in love and longing, and how distances, no matter how far, can be conquered with good deeds and love. Be sure to stay through the credits for actual letters written to family members during the time that the film is set in.  My Rating: Full Price  Dear You Website    Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  Safe in Hell  (1931)   After killing the man who raped her and forced her into prostitution, Gilda (Dorothy Mackaill) is rescued by her sailor boyfriend (Donald Cook). He hides her on a ship and then sets her up on an island. The island has become a home for criminals because of its non-extradition policy. There, Gilda has to try to stay good (she promises her boyfriend she will after they marry themselves in an abandoned church) while avoiding all the men on the hotel’s guest list. But trouble always follows Gilda, and she has to deal with an unwanted guest at the hotel. This very dark drama was made before Hollywood started its Hays Code of industry guidelines. That the film tells us from almost the first frame that Gilda is a prostitute is amazing. Then she kills a man, gets her boyfriend to help her escape, and then is leered at constantly by the men at the hotel. Also, the men and Gilda drink, which, under Prohibition, was illegal. Also, Gilda has to deal with a local police chief who basically wants to make her his mistress. The film is directed by William Wellman (nominated for four Academy Awards and winning one for the screenplay for the 1938 A Star Is Born), and Wellman does a great job of keeping us involved with Gilda’s life, as the storyline keeps twisting as Gilda’s life keeps getting more and more dangerous and complex. The movie works because of Dorothy Mackaill, who took over the part from Barbara Stanwyck because of a contract problem. Mackaill is perfect as a hard-as-nails woman who has had a hard life but keeps going, finding hope in the one man who loves her. It’s a role that makes us love a tough woman who has been pushed down in life but keeps trying to keep her promise to her love. It should be noted that Nina Mae McKinney and Clarence Muse play the only characters in the film that seem to have Gilda’s back, and the two actors avoid the stereotyping of servants during this time in Hollywood. Nana Mae McKinney also sings an incredible song during one of the hotel dinner scenes. The ending is quite shocking and lives up to the rest of the film by keeping us guessing about what will happen next to our unlucky Gilda.  My Rating: Full Price  Safe in Hell Info  The film is available on DVD

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Onslaught:  Working Trucks

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Practical Magic 2  (2026)  PG-13  In Practical Magic 2, the Owens sisters (Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman) face a new crisis when Sally’s daughter, Kylie (Joey King), uncovers hidden family secrets and develops her own abilities. The Owens women must unite to finally break the curse that has haunted their family line of witches for centuries. The film is set twenty-five years after the first film.  Practical Magic 2 Website    In theaters nationwide on Friday, September 11, 2026

Until Next Time!

Dragon Con 40th Anniversary Sept. 3rd - 7th

 

Dragon Con 2026: Thursday, Sept. 3 - Monday, Sept. 7

It’s Labor Day Weekend, which means it’s time for Dragon Con here in Atlanta, Georgia! Located in 5 downtown hotels at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Courtland Grand, plus AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three.

There is a fantastic lineup at this year’s Dragon Con, celebrating its 40th year, hosting some 300 authors, artists, game designers, puppeteers, scientists, engineers, and other experts to lead panels and talk with fans across 38 tracks of programming, from high fantasy to hard science.

Oscar-nominated actor Edward James Olmos will lead a Battlestar Galactica cast reunion while Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk, stars of the fan-favorite Firefly television series, anchor an only-at-Dragon Con mash-up of casts from Firefly, Castle, Resident Alien, and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil to meet fans, lead panel discussions, and sign autographs.

Also appearing at Dragon Con: The Goonies’ Sean Astin, Stargate’s Richard Dean Anderson, Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey, Smallville’s Tom Welling and Erica Durance, Wednesday’s Evie Templeton and Isaac Ordonez. Fans of the 1990s cult classic Starship Troopers will get a chance to meet Denise Richards, Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey, and Michael Ironside. Along with The Amazing Digital Circus’ Michael Kovach, Lower Decks’ Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome.

While you need a pass to get into Dragon Con, you can watch the famous Dragon Con parade on Saturday morning for free. You will see just about every cartoon, anime, and superhero character, along with a variety of other delightful cosplayers in the procession. The parade’s highlight is the legion of “Star Wars” Stormtroopers that finish the parade. The parade is a fan favorite, with the festivities starting at 10 am. Check the Dragon Con website for details of the parade route. Be sure to get to the parade site early, as the sidewalks along the parade route fill up quickly, and taking Marta to the parade is highly suggested. CBS Atlanta will televise the parade live if you can’t make it downtown. The live coverage starts at 10 am and continues through the entire parade.

The cool thing about Dragon Con is that no matter what your interest is in, there is probably a panel or even a track (panels and events that fall under one subject like Star Wars, Star Trek, or even just Space) that will peak your knowledge of your favorite Sci-Fi subjects.

The Dragon Con Dealers Hall, located in AmericasMart, is where you can buy just about anything your geeky heart desires–from Steampunk clothing to comic books and rare collectible artwork.

Cosplay is an integral part of Dragon Con, and costumes will always be out and about. There are many costume contests during Dragon Con, including the Bunny Hutch Costume Contest, the Cults of Dragon Con Contest, the Animation/Anime Costume Contest, and the ever-popular Masquerade Costume Contest.

There are a ton of panels throughout the weekend. Some are in enormous halls, while others take place in smaller conference rooms. You can find panels on almost everything you can imagine, covering the gamut of fandom, from your favorite current and past Sci-Fi shows. Gate III.

Legendary comics creator and co-founder of Valiant Comics, Bob Layton, best known for his definitive, industry-revitalizing work on Marvel’s Iron Man, plus author Matt Dinniman and voice actor Jeff Hays, the creative duo behind the massive multi-media franchise Dungeon Crawler Carl. 

Gaming runs throughout the con, with some contests running 24 hours a day. No matter what kind of gaming you are into, Dragon Con has it, including Board Games, Collectible Card Games, LAN Gaming, Live Action Role Playing, Table Top Gaming, and of course, all types of Video Gaming.

Dragon Con Dealers Hall, located in AmericasMart, is where you can buy just about anything your geeky heart desires–from Steampunk clothing to comic books and rare collectible artwork.

If art is your thing, you will want to go to the Comic and Pop Art Alley. You can talk to and buy work from comic book writers, artists, and publishers. Panels and how-to workshops on comics are held throughout the con. You'll also see live performances by bands in just about every genre, including jazz, punk, rock, and folk.

Hope Atlanta, the state’s longest-standing nonprofit committed to preventing and ending homelessness, is Dragon Con’s official 2026 charity. Combating homelessness is one of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ signature priorities, supported by $60 million in public funding to drive a historic public-private investment in dignified housing and supportive services. The city tapped Hope Atlanta to provide one-on-one assistance to individuals and families seeking housing and other basic needs.

In the spirit of the Dragon and with infinite admiration, Dragon Con has created The Dragon Award as a vessel to recognize excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy. These awards will be by the fans, for the fans, and are a chance to reward those who have made real contributions to SF, books, games, comics, and movies.

And, of course, the Walk of Fame will be ongoing throughout Dragon Con, where you can get an autograph from your favorite personality.

Dragon Con is in downtown Atlanta, GA, from Thursday, Sept. 3rd, through Monday, Sept. 7th.

For more information, go to dragoncon.org

Coyote vs Acme

My View: Coyote vs. Acme  (2026)   PG  In Coyote vs. Acme, Coyote is tired of using Acme products that blow up in his face or hit him on the head when he is trying to catch the goofy Roadrunner. So he hires a lawyer and sues Acme for all the heartache they have caused over the years. He chooses Kevin Avery (Will Forte), who has never won more than 300 dollars from Acme, to take on Buddy Crane (John Cena), a big-shot lawyer who has never lost a case. When I was a kid, I loved cartoons. I lived for Saturday morning when all the new cartoons premiered, and I studied TV Guide as if I was going to have a big test on it. While I much preferred Bugs Bunny, I still enjoyed Road Runner and the Coyote. I loved the little poof that used to appear at the bottom of some failed attempt to catch the Road Runner, where the Coyote instead fell to the desert floor below the high cliffs he was always projecting himself off of. Well, I am happy to say that there are plenty of “poofs” in Coyote vs Acme, bringing back some fun times from my childhood. Will Forte does a magical job of making us care about a down-and-out lawyer whom The Coyote hires to take on the big-city lawyers representing Acme Manufacturing. It’s a funny idea, and I loved how, even when in the city and living in a hotel room, The Coyote is still putting together machines to hopefully capture the Road Runner or, at the very least, get himself out of bed. The film does a great job of paying homage to the cartoons of the past and brings back a few cartoon characters along the way. As a big fan of the legendary character voice man Mel Blanc, there were a couple of voices of characters that I didn’t think worked, but that’s a minor quibble for a film that was a heck of a lot of fun. Kids will have fun with the film and don’t worry about the PG rating, as I think it’s mostly because of the violence, something that all the Road Runner/Coyote cartoons had. After you see this film, you will have one question: Why, oh why, did Warner Brothers not want to release this film? I have no clue, but I am glad we got to see this film bring back wonderful memories of my childhood, sitting in front of the TV on a Saturday morning.  My Rating: Full Price  Coyote vs Acme Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: The Dog Stars  (2026)  R   The Dog Stars is set after a devastating pandemic that almost wiped out humanity. The film follows Hig (Jacob Elordi), a former pilot, and Bangley (Josh Brolin), a gun-toting former Marine, as they live on an abandoned air base, constantly on watch for roaming scavengers called Reapers. After hearing a mysterious radio voice, Hig flies his plane past the “safe zone” hoping to find a better life. I enjoyed this film, mostly because of the star power of the four leads in Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce. And wait until you see the scene-stealing Allison Janney in just a bonkers role. Because the film is directed by four-time Oscar-nominated Ridley Scott (Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, The Martian), I have a feeling many critics will not like this film as much as I did. The film has some problems, including a very weird section that feels out of place with the rest of the movie (hence the bonkers role that Janney plays). The film is about a man who is suffering from grief over the loss of his wife and his simple life. All that’s left is his faithful dog, who is his constant companion. Hig flies out every day to scout the surrounding area for danger, as survivors keep trying to raid the small airport that Hig and Bangley have made their home. But Hig really flies to find a place where things are more normal. Where people live without the constant threat of attack. Hig hears someone on his airplane radio trying to contact him, and he starts to believe there might be hope out there. The film has some firefights, but it is more about how people cope with isolation, grief, and loneliness through Hig's eyes. Josh Brolin steals every scene he is in, and I kept wondering if this part was too easy a role for him, because it certainly fit his personality. If you are looking for an action film, this might not fill your quota of action pieces, but for a film that lets its actors work together on screen to develop characters you care about, it fits the bill. The Dog Stars is no way a perfect film and won’t be nominated for many awards, but I enjoyed watching the cast's performances, especially Mr. Brolin. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Dog Stars Website   Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Idiots  (2026)  R  Idiots follows two down-on-their-luck men (Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr.) hired to transport a wealthy teenager (Mason Thames) to a rehab facility. What should have been a routine job goes wildly out of control as the road trip becomes a mixture of drugs, crime, and a series of detours that put the two men in touch with some people you don’t want to make mad. Idiots is a film you'll forget as soon as you leave the theater. And maybe that’s the way it should be about a film where everyone seems to get high. Idiots starts with a simple, promising premise but soon loses momentum it never recovers from. The script lets down a talented cast, including a very funny performance by Peter Dinklage as a menacing leader of a small-town gang. The film starts to fall apart in the second half, as things get a little too complicated for extended laughs. I also felt the film slowed down as soon as Kiernan Shipka, an exotic dancer who gets involved with the trio and brings some life to the 2nd act, left the guys before the last act evolved. I will say that the audience that I saw the film with at the 2026 Atlanta Film Festival throughly enjoyed the film but I don't know if they, like the guys in the film, imbided in anything before the screening.  Idiots isn’t a bad film; it just seems to have run out of ideas by the final third of the film. Kind of like Franco’s character, who keeps forgetting what he is doing. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Idiots Website    Now playing in theaters

My View: Colony  (2026)  R   Colony is about a biotech conference in a Seoul high-rise, where a disgruntled former employee unleashes a fast-mutating, fungus-driven virus that creates zombies that are part of a hive that can adapt and communicate, allowing them to grow like an AI network. Inside the quarantined building, survivors become trapped in a high-stakes slaughterhouse. Filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho gave us one of the greatest zombie films ever to grace the silver screen with Train to Busan ten years ago (be sure to check out my review of that film here.) He decided to revisit the genre, but this time the stakes are higher: the zombies can learn and adapt, making them even better hunters and killers. Like Train to Busan, a group of people from different walks of life suddenly must band together to survive what seems like an impossible task: surviving a zombie attack in an enclosed 30-story building, with little hope of rescue. The difference between this film and Train is that this time we know and see who is solely responsible for the attack. Instead of a faceless corporation, this time it is a mad scientist who is pissed off at that faceless corporation and wants to show how smart and great he is. The zombie attacks are brilliantly done and scary as all get out, as they keep adapting to whatever tactics our survivors come up with. I loved all the different ways the zombies adapt and evolve, with coordinated attacks where all the actors playing the zombies had to mimic each other in a gruesome zombie dance. Sorry Michael Jackson, but you have been topped in the zombie move department. This is a fascinating film to watch, with a truly evil mad scientist and a motley group of heroes who are just trying to survive any way they can. While this film doesn't surpass Train to Busan, Colony is still a fun and incredibly scary rollercoaster ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering how our heroes will survive and who will be left in the end.  My Rating: Full Price  Colony Website   Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Buddy  (2026)  R  In Buddy, a group of children are trapped inside a 1990s-style children’s television show hosted by Buddy, a giant, bright-orange unicorn. Buddy doesn’t like it when they try to escape. Really doesn’t like it. Buddy is a very strange horror film that I wanted to like more, but it never delivers the scares and tries too hard to be gross. The look of the film at the start is spot on for that ‘Barney” knockoff look, with a mix of characters, from the giant stuffed animals like Buddy, to the talking household objects like a mailbox or a chair, to the human characters like a nurse or mailman. All are destined to die horrible deaths, but the film doesn’t make them scary or funny enough to make them stand out. Once the film leaves the kid-show setting, it loses whatever momentum it had. The novelty wears off about 30 minutes in, and it never strikes a chord between comedy and horror, making it a lesson not learned. As Buddy tells us, “It’s time for your hug”. No thanks, Buddy, I think I’ll pass. My Rating: Cable   Buddy Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Finding Emily  (2026)  PG-13  Finding Emily follows 23-year-old Owen (Spike Fearn), a sound engineer at a student union who meets the girl of his dreams, Emily, and, before she disappears, gets her phone number. But the next morning, he discovers the number doesn’t work, and he sets out to find his Emily. Owen is about to go on a quest to find Emily, and with the help of another college student named Emily (Angourie Rice), he is about to become famous in his search for his Emily. What we know, and Owen doesn’t, is that the new Emily has an ulterior motive. To prove that love, as the movie quotes Freud, “is a state of temporary psychosis,” she is going to use Owen to prove her thesis. I am a sucker for rom-coms, and this hit the spot. Is it predictable? Sure. However, it does a nice job of making it a modern-day romance where all forms of our online culture both help and impede finding our true love, or at least our true infatuation. Spike Fearn and Angourie Rice are perfect together as the unlikely duo that teams up to find the forewarned Owen’s Emily. The two play off each other, which makes their attraction feel real and believable. The supporting cast, in true rom-com fashion, is a group of oddball characters, along with the hunky guy who our Emily is attracted to. We know how this is going to end, and it doesn’t disappoint, though I would have loved a bit more to the reveal that our Emily does (spoiler alert, though is it really?) to win Owen back. Be sure to stay through the credits for a song Owen sings that updates where all (and I mean all) the characters are now.  My Rating: Full Price  Finding Emily Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Union County (2026)  Union County tells the story of Cody Parsons (Will Poulter), whom the county placed in a mandated drug court program during the opioid crisis in rural Ohio. The film follows Cody as he tries to put his life back together after years of being a drug addict. Cody’s foster brother, Jack (Noah Centineo), is also in the program, and the court hopes the two will support each other. Almost from the start, though, you can tell that Jack will be a bad influence, taking Cody to a party almost immediately after getting into the program. Jack drinks at the party, but Cody has a ray of hope when he meets Anna (Elise Kibler), a recovering addict, and they connect. This is a film where you cannot predict what will happen, except that the road to recovery is full of potholes. It’s how you deal with those potholes that can make the difference between failure and success. Will Poulter gives a multi-layered performance that touches your heart and soul, expressing almost every feeling through his expressions and body language. This is a film about how difficult it is to pull yourself up from the depths of drug addiction. Union County is both depressing and hopeful at the same time. Made even more real because New York-based filmmaker Adam Meeks, before he even knew he wanted to do this story, went to a meeting of an adult recovery program in Union County, Ohio. That meeting inspired the film, and over 40 of the cast are members or former members of the program, making this film even more heartfelt as we hear their stories. Union County uses real people and their views on life and addiction to help us understand their plight and how a program like this can make a difference. That use of lived experience, combined with Cody's fictional story, makes a lasting emotional impact.  My Rating: Full Price  Union County Website  Now playing in select theaters 

My View:  The Whisper Man  (2026)  R  The Whisper Man follows Tom (Adam Scott), a widowed crime writer, and his young son (Acston Luca Porto) as they move to a small, quiet town. After the boy is abducted, Tom turns to his estranged father, Pete (Robert De Niro), a retired police detective, for help. They soon discover a connection between the abduction and a decades-old case involving the serial killer known as The Whisper Man. This is another in a long line of films where the book the film is based on is probably much better than what we are watching. Even with a cast that includes Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, Michelle Monaghan, Hamish Linklater, and Michael Keaton, the film feels very one-dimensional and by the numbers. We have a widow and his kid moving to a new city where the late wife grew up, with the dad hoping that this will help the kid get over the loss of his mother, who died in front of his eyes. We have a retired cop who is tortured by a case where one kid taken by a serial killer was never found. And we have a detective who is on the case of a copycat killer mimicking the serial killer’s MO from years ago. It's a film that makes you think, “Hey, haven’t I seen this before?” De Niro is about the only thing that saves this film from being a total slog, as the father of the widower who hasn’t had contact with his son in years and now pulled back in to help with the case because of the copycat killer. It’s the type of film where actors are in parts that seem to involve little more than talking and looking over clues. The almost two-hour time length feels even longer because the film drags until the final third, when we discover who the new serial killer is (and it’s not a shock). Keaton is wasted as the original serial killer whom they keep meeting in prison, so that we see how creepy he is (not so much). The ending is unsatisfactory and predictable, much like the rest of the film.  My Rating: Cable  The Whisper Man Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform 

Forgotten Film: The Dead Girl  (2006) R  A woman (Toni Collette) finds a young woman dead in a field. The mystery of who killed the woman is told through five connected chapters, focusing on a different woman whose life changes after the body is found. The final chapter gives us the victim’s (Brittany Murphy) last day. The brilliant cast includes Rose Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Beth Hurt, Kerry Washington, James Franco, Giovanni Ribisi, Josh Brolin, Mary Steenburgen, and Piper Laurie. It’s a fascinating way to look at a mystery, and as usual, Brittany Murphy’s performance will break your heart; it’s so good. Few people saw this film, but it was nominated for several Independent Spirit Awards. My Rating: Full Price The Dead Girl Website   Available on Amazon Prime and Tubi

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Dog Stars:  Double Dog Handler

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:   Onslaught  (2026)  R   Onslaught follows Celeste (Adria Arjona), an army veteran and single mother living in a trailer park. Celeste will have to use her sniper training when a rogue squad of genetically engineered soldiers escapes from a secret military facility and starts killing everyone in sight. Adria Arjona is best known for her roles in the 2015 season of True Detective, Hit Man (2023), and Andor.   Onslaught Website   In theaters nationwide on Friday, September 4, 2026

Until Next Time!