It’s a pretty crowded September week, with a mix of films to get out of the way before real award contenders start to pile in. The write-ups here include a supernatural legacy sequel, a medieval revolution, an action-comedy, a military action heist flick, a coming-of-age story, a horror-themed documentary, a low-key comedy-drama, and an indie very much worth seeking out. The following features reviews for Practical Magic 2, The Uprising, Runner, The Fix, Sunny Dancer, Black Zombie, The Sun Never Sets, and a special mention going out to If I Go Will They Miss Me.
Practical Magic 2: 4 out of 10
The Setup: While Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) has attempted to protect her adult daughters (Joey King and Maisie Williams) by erasing their memory of magic, this multi-generational family of witches, including Sally’s sister Gillian (Nicole Kidman), cursed to be loveless for centuries, eventually attempts to break the spell by confronting dark secrets and sacrificing for each other.
Review: Arriving nearly 30 years later, these witches are out of practice. With a story far too reliant on plot progression that feels in line with a poorly conceived limited series, there’s very little here to actually enjoy. If you want to relive the chemistry between Bullock and Kidman, it comes and goes, since the film devotes so little time to the hangout vibes that made the best parts of the 1998 original. The actual dark magic plotline wasn’t a great part of the original, and that remains the same here, with the problem being how much it’s been amplified this time around. Clumping together so many characters doesn’t help either, as only so many really get to serve much of a purpose, let alone leave an impression. Williams, for example, may be well cast, but he gets far less to do than the better-utilized King.
On top of that, at over two hours, the film is dull and inert for much of the runtime. Things spring to life early on thanks to the involvement of a returning Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, who both still look great. Projected on a giant screen, the current face chosen by Bullock and amplified by director Susanne Bier and filmmakers who should have done better work serves as a central focus that doesn’t gain much from the star’s natural charisma. With a script that feels indifferent and a near-endless series of endings, I wanted this spell of boredom to be broken much sooner.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
The Uprising: 6 out of 10
The Setup: Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II (Woody Norman). Set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice.
Review: While the late-in-the-game marketing frenzy led to a reveal that The Uprising was actually meant to have ties to a certain famous (or infamous) English folk hero, it still largely works as a fairly brutal story of peasants forced to go after the King’s council, who deemed the unassailable increases in taxes to be far too much to afford. Led by Garfield, who does his best to minimize his presence despite his clear movie-star status, writer/director Paul Greengrass does a good job throwing us into the dizzying world of revolt. It can be messy, bloody, and led by snap decisions, yet Greengrass’ signature style once again shows why he’s among the best who know how to utilize it.
At over two hours, the film moves at a strong enough pace to never feel like we’re being pushed too hard into the more complex details of what matters most. At the same time, that approach could invite a universality in reception when it comes to what the story may be getting at and who should feel emboldened by it. Not that a variety of interpretations is inherently wrong, but with a severe tone that dials down any sense of pulpiness to match the action, no matter how merry some have felt at one time, the stark brutality may offer little overall guidance.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
Runner: 7 out of 10
The Setup: A former soldier-turned-delivery man (Alan Ritchson) is tasked with bringing a new healthy liver to a sick girl and is forced to escort the man (Owen Wilson) who brought it while evading ruthless mercenaries who plan to take the liver for their own benefit.
Review: Now here’s something fun to talk about. Runner works well as a buddy-comedy throwback, with enough modern touches to make the action and story even more engaging. It’s not necessarily full of surprises, but it doesn’t take what it has for granted when it comes to fully realizing its potential to capitalize on the elements established in the setup. Ritchson and Wilson make for a fun pairing (Wilson tends to have that effect on anyone), but this is still another chance to see how well suited Ritchson is to committing to his place as a newer action star. Between his size, confidence, and casual demeanor, I like how well he can push himself through otherwise ridiculous situations.
Scott Waugh, a former stunt performer with a mixed filmography, despite working with talented stunt teams and movie stars, gets a handle on his best feature yet. Whether it’s the simplicity of the premise or a chance to break free from certain demands, the film has a great sense of how to deliver on kinetic action sequences that range from functional to showy. A couple of one-ers allow Waugh to play around with the geography of a scene by way of elaborate stunts and special effects. Other sequences utilize the physicality of his performers as needed. On top of that, the balance of sincerity and humor fits the film’s stakes and the performers’ vibe. It may seem like simple stuff, but the execution makes this an exciting run.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
The Fix: 3 out of 10
The Setup: Disillusioned by the end of the war in Afghanistan, a group of war-torn CIA operators mentored by “Larry” (Liam Neeson) and led by “Tucker” (Zachary Levi) enter the heart of Tehran to earn redemption by pulling off a major score and a daring rescue.
Review: There’s a solid foundation for a story here, along with just enough talent to think some of the performers could make for an interesting unit given the chance. The problem is a real lack of tension to balance out the story. This should be an exciting plot, given the circumstances. Ex-soldiers on the path to a major heist can be quite compelling (think Triple Frontier). Still, whether it’s the direction by Guy Moshe, the choices made in the screenplay (co-written by Moshe), or the attempt to make this into a Zach Levi action movie, nothing comes together as well as it needs to to support a 140-minute thriller that comes up lacking in so many ways. It seems like the fix was truly in.
Where To Watch: Now playing in theaters.
Sunny Dancer: 7 out of 10
The Setup: As if conquering cancer wasn’t hard enough, 17-year-old Ivy’s (Bella Ramsey) parents sign her up to spend her summer at what she calls “chemo camp,” where she manages to find unexpected friends in a group of misfits and has a summer she’ll never forget.
Review: This is the sort of no-tricks-coming-of-age story that capitalizes on the strength of all of the characters involved, regardless of how well-worn the story ends up being. But no worries: this is a winning cast with the right kind of humor to handle a group of kids who all have some form of cancer. Obviously, the film pushes viewers into potentially dark territory, and a film like this wouldn’t be taken seriously if it never had any repercussions. Still, it works because it knows where to find the humor and because of the strength of this cast. Casting Ramsey in the lead only takes it further, as it gives her a chance to truly shine outside the bounds of a genre project.
Director/writer George Jaques finds what he needs in these kids, as well as the adult cast, including Neil Patrick Harris as a corny but understanding camp counselor, and Jessica Gunning and James Norton as Ivy’s parents. Letting the film function as a celebration of what it’s like to be at this part of a teenager’s life also plays well given the universality of its depiction, despite the nature of this summer camp. It all makes for a very winning feature that can traffic in emotions without feeling overly melodramatic for the sake of pushing emotions on the audience, nor does it pull its punches. Instead, the film hits right.
Where To Watch: Opening in select theaters on September 18, 2026.
Black Zombie: 8 out of 10
The Setup: A journey through cinema and history reveals how zombies evolved from Haitian spiritual traditions into Hollywood horror, exploring their deeper cultural significance as powerful symbols of resilience.
Review: For all of the ideas and tropes that are being culled together for the sake of making a greater point in this documentary, something director Maya Annik Bedward doesn’t do is try to make the viewer feel guilty for appreciating zombie movies. I’m a huge fan of zombie films, mainly because the really good ones know that they can do so much with character drama and social commentary. They are, at best, sociology studies that happen to feature ample amounts of gore. This doc goes back to before Romero essentially rooted the genre in something more specific and popular, and explores its roots in Haitian Vodou and Black history. In doing so, we get a wonderful exploration of zombie mythology and Bedward’s thoughts on how it ties directly to slavery.
With a host of interviews, including Tom Savini and hard rock guitarist Slash (who has some great things to say), we get a sense of understanding different points of view, their understandings of the genre, and what it is that can be better understood by those who may know classics like White Zombie and I Walked with a Zombie, but may not truly understand what sort of distortions took place, how they created improper understandings of a culture, and what that has since led to. And again, this is done without feeling condescending or like a lecture. Instead, here’s a well-edited commentary on something that can be expanded thanks to additional context. Interstitial shots of Black figures in zombie makeup, shot in beautiful black & white as they emerge from sugar cane fields, only add to the atmosphere.
Where To Watch: Now playing in select theaters.
The Sun Never Sets: 6 out of 10
The Setup: A woman (Dakota Fanning) and her boyfriend, a divorced single father (Jake Johnson), hit a rough patch just as her ex (Cory Michael Smith) reappears in her life, leading to messy entanglements in the Alaskan wilderness.
Review: While I don’t try to keep track, director Joe Swanberg seems like one of the filmmakers from the crew that brought on ‘mumblecore’ to be still swimming around the indie scene and enjoying it. While his films have become more focused, unlike the Duplas brothers, Greta Gerwig, Adam Wingard, and even Ti West, Swanberg seems content to make these more low-key comedies and dramas that feature notable stars but operate on a more slice-of-life level. The Sun Never Sets has a terrific cast, but it doesn’t ask much of them, beyond having them push their way through a standard relationship drama that excels by not overdoing it. Instead, we just watch a group of people having human reactions to a situation that’s a little bit far-fetched, but still entertaining.
Mileage may vary on how grown up you may think Dakota Fanning is by now, but here she plays a woman simply trying to figure out if a guy with kids makes sense for her as someone to settle down with, truly. That’s really what the story boils down to. Still, the choices made to involve a variety of characters and scenarios that bounce back and forth between being funny and chaotic make for a movie that would become tiresome if the cast wasn’t so likable. The movie is also only so long, though even going above 90 minutes seems lengthy for Swanberg. Whatever the case, it’s not all that ambitious, but having not seen a new film from the team that is Swanberg/Johnson since 2017’s highly watchable Win It All, this was a nice, simple return.
Where To Watch: Now playing in select theaters.
If I Go Will They Miss Me: 8 out of 10
The Setup: A boy (Bodhi Dell) living in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles sees ghostly figures of other boys in his neighborhood while grappling with his father’s (J. Alphonse Nicholson) distance. These visions uncover hidden connections between them and their shared heritage.
Review: While I can’t turn this into an official review, since I haven’t seen it since its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and it isn’t as fresh in my mind, I still wanted to give this fantastic drama from director Walter Thompson-Hernandez a special shout-out. This is the sort of film that could easily be a gateway to either more terrific dramas putting focus on things such as Black masculinity, gentrification, and other urban area-focused stories or something more ambitious that a producer may see in a young, talented filmmaker like this. Either way, If I Go Will They Miss Me tells a compelling story about a young man’s experiences with his father and mysterious visions, and the way it juxtaposes his reality with Greek mythology suggests a filmmaker with a lot of great ideas up his sleeve. Regardless, while this film isn’t getting nearly as much attention as other independents that received plenty of festival acclaim, it’s most certainly worth keeping an eye out for.
Where To Watch: Now playing in select theaters.
