Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 9/4/26

September 4, 2026

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TFW every day feels like Paper (CREDIT: Peacock/Screenshot)

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

Movies
–By Any Means (Theaters)
–Fall 2: Deadpoint (Theaters)
–Onslaught (Theaters)

TV
–The Paper Season 2 (September 9 on Peacock)
–Colin from Accounts Season 3 (September 10 on Paramount+) – Final Season Alert!

Music
-Dexys Midnight Runners, Love
-Ellie Goulding, I Know Too Much
-Natalie Imbruglia, Algorithm
-Kasabian, Act III

‘By Any Means’ is a Thrilling But Disturbing Chronicle of the Real-Life Pursuit of Justice

September 3, 2026

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Should you see this movie by any means? (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)

Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie, Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Lucas, David Straitharn, Ethan Embry, LisaGay Hamilton, LaChanze, Stephen Bass

Director: Elegance Bratton

Running Time: 107 Minutes

Rating: R for Unbridled Violence and Language

Release Date: September 4, 2026 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: By Any Means wades into the powder keg that was 1960s Mississippi during the civil rights struggle. The FBI took up some terrifying investigations down there, including the murder of activist Vernon Dahmer (Giancarlo Esposito) at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. Special Agent Wayne Strider (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who was close with Dahmer, is assigned to lead the investigation. But because this case is expected to be particularly violent and intractable, Strider’s superiors inform him that he will be unofficially working alongside a mysterious man named Gregory Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), who sure seems to be a mafia hitman. Scarpa has no qualms about showering fists and bullets into anyone who stonewalls the investigation. While Strider is stunned by this level of carte blanche, it seems like the only way for them to make any progress, although it doesn’t appear to be doing much to stop the cycle of violence in this crucial fight for justice.

What Made an Impression?: Consequences Be Damned: Like a lot of movies based on true events, By Any Means left me wanting to research the real story. Usually that’s because the onscreen version is so inspiring, and I want that feeling to last with more intimate knowledge. But in this case, it’s kind of the opposite. It might be satisfying in the moment to see someone like Scarpa let loose on a bunch of racists, but surely it’s only adding more fuel to the fire. It would be nice to learn that the real Scarpa was more reined in, though I’m not exactly holding out hope that that was the case.
How Do We Live With All This?: I’d love to tell you that we’re supposed to feel conflicted about the extreme titular means justifying the ends, but I’m not really sure what the filmmakers want us to feel. Director Elegance Bratton delivers it all in an unflinching package that leaves little room for reflection by any of the characters. However, there’s room for us to be reflective as audience members, at least, as we’re not directly implicated in the worst of it. You won’t feel guilty for being entertained, either. I certainly wasn’t. It just would have been nice to have a more direct acknowledgement about the discomfiting nature of it all.
At Least It Sounds Cool: One thing I’m not ambiguous about is the absolutely rousing score from Terence Blanchard. If you heard the logline for this movie and thought, “We need the same composer that they had for BlacKkKlansman,” well, that’s exactly what happened. Blanchard is your man when you need a music package that is going to give your audience’s soul an exhausting jazz workout. It’s invigorating, overpowering, and a little exhausting. So not too different from the investigation itself.

By Any Means is Recommended If You Like: Prosthetic noses

Grade: 3 out of 5 Badges

‘Fall 2: Deadpoint’ Aims Higher and Higher

September 2, 2026

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Have a nice Fall! (CREDIT: Lionsgate)

Starring: Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, Tom Brittney, Virginia Gardner, Grace Caroline Currey

Director: The Spierig Brothers

Running Time: 97 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Bloody Moments Amidst the Extreme Peril, as Well as Some Drug Material

Release Date: September 2, 2026 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Following the death of her daredevil sister Shiloh (Virginia Gardner), Jax Hunter (Harriet Slater) has been dealing with a lot of unwanted attention. Shiloh died by falling from a 2,000-foot TV tower, so maybe Jax can move on by conquering her own fears from an even greater height. At least that’s what her new friend Luce (Arsema Thomas) thinks is a brilliant idea. So they head off to Thailand to conquer a notorious mountain famous for its dragon sculpture that supposedly eats your fears. None of the locals are willing to show them the way, but they do convince one guide (Tom Brittney) that they have what it takes. So soon enough, they’re all merrily stepping along a narrow bridge on the edge of the mountain. But as you might imagine, disaster strikes, and they end up stranded on a tiny plank 3,000 feet up in the air.

What Made an Impression?: How White Were My Knuckles: Survival thrillers that toy with acrophobia succeed most obviously in terms of how well they can make viewers feel like they too could plunge to their demise, but from the safety of their recliner chairs. The first Fall managed that feat tremendously. While Fall 2 isn’t quite as consistent in this regard, it does deliver a sufficient dose of sweaty palms and adrenaline bursts, particularly one scene when Jax summons her inner gymnast. Those with severe motion sickness should respectfully decline.
It Didn’t Seem Like a Good Idea at the Time: The details of Deadpoint are unique enough that you couldn’t fairly call it “Fall Redux,” but it is animated by some of the same underlying questions. In particular: why does one of the climbers ever agree to this? Jax is in no mood to cheat death, and there are plenty of much safer options for her to deal with her struggles. So how can it be that she so readily agrees to jaunt off all the way to Thailand? It simply doesn’t make sense. But sometimes people make decisions that don’t make sense, especially when they’re grieving.
Come Again?: Like its predecessor, Fall 2 utilizes its deviously simple setup to deliver plenty of lizard brain pleasures. But then in the final act, it serves up a ludicrous reveal that had me thinking, “Yeah, I’m pretty much going to ignore that and instead focus on the first 75 minutes.” It’s a bold decision, but not exactly one I’m convinced was set up properly.

Fall 2: Deadpoint is Recommended If You Like: The first Fall, Free Solo, Nonsensical twists

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Planks

jmunney’s Top Cinematic Choices for September 2026

September 1, 2026

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From The Magic of the Cinema… A still from The History of Concrete by John Wilson, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. | photo by John Wilson

They keep making new movies, and some of them are even worth watching. Here’s what’s at the top of the slate for September 2026:

Fall 2: Deadpoint: The first Fall stuck a couple of daredevil friends on top of a 2,000-foot TV tower. The sequel maroons a new pair of friends on a plank on the side of a mountain 3,000 feet up in the air. I can’t wait to see how they survive (or don’t)!

Fall 2: Deadpoint drops into theaters on September 2.

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