Artificial 2026
Neon; Luca Guadagnino on Sam Altman and OpenAI, with Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Ike Barinholtz as Musk, Monica Barbaro. New teaser leans hard on the Social Network homage; NYFF in a month, wide in early 2027.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Review · Top Five · Roundtable
The 10 Best Movies at the Telluride and Venice Film Festivals. Plus: Nathan Fielder’s Stunning Elizabeth Holmes Doc.
September 8, 2026/ 111 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Sean back from Telluride, Amanda still in Venice: dueling five-best lists from the fall festivals, plus the Nathan Fielder Elizabeth Holmes doc that took over Telluride.
21 films across 5 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
Movie news: the first look at 'Artificial'
The Social Network 2010
The film the Artificial teaser openly echoes, Eisenberg walking through Harvard Square. 'One of my favorite films of my lifetime.'
The Telluride secret screening: Nathan Fielder's Elizabeth Holmes docSean's No. 1
You Can See Everything 2026
The true-TBA that dominated every line. Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's 3-hour Holmes doc; phones bagged, Emma Stone moderating. Starts as a rehearsal-style portrait before her prison term, then breaks form entirely. 'Fucking amazing.' Out October.
Sean's 5 best at Telluride
No. 1
You Can See Everything 2026
No. 1. The secret-screening doc; detonates the authorized-portrait and true-crime modes at once. He wrote about it on Projections.
No. 2
Wild Horse Nine 2026
No. 2. Martin McDonagh's 'The American in In Bruges'; Malkovich and Rockwell as CIA men in 1970s Chile. Malkovich the presumptive Oscar lock.
No. 3
The Debut 2026
No. 3. Jesse Eisenberg's third feature; Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti in community theater, a near-standing-ovation mid-scene for Moore.
No. 4
Tender Loving Care 2026
No. 4. Reportedly Mike Leigh's last film; Kate O'Flynn and Marion Bailey. Very sad, a callback to his '70s-'80s work. Out December.
No. 5
Ink 2026
Tied at No. 5. Danny Boyle on Larry Lamb and Rupert Murdoch (Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce, Claire Foy). Engaging, cranked hard, doesn't land the plane; flagged for noticeable generative-AI inserts.
No. 6
Everest: The Other Side 2026
Tied at No. 5. Vasarhelyi and Chin's Nat Geo doc on climber Jim Morrison scaling Everest's North Face. Astonishing, wept three times, unsure it should exist.
Amanda's 5 best at Venice
No. 1
Wild Horse Nine 2026
No. 1. Premiered at Venice; the reveal drops it squarely in her comfort zone. Malkovich gives an incredible performance.
No. 2
Prime Time 2026
No. 2. Lance Oppenheim's To Catch a Predator narrative feature; Robert Pattinson, Skyler Gisondo, Merritt Wever, Phoebe Bridgers. Pattinson 'so out there in the best way.' Out September 25.
No. 3
Possible Love 2026
No. 3. Lee Chang-dong's first since Burning; South Korea's Oscar entry, loosely drawn from a Dekalog episode. Empirically excellent, but has 'the whiteboard problem.'
No. 4
Everest: The Other Side 2026
Tied at No. 4. Wept three times; got angry at everyone in it, including her husband by transitive property.
No. 5
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger 2026
Tied at No. 4. Southern and Lovelace's reunion-tour doc; Liam and Noel holding hands. Cried singing along at 8:45 a.m.
Honorable mentions seen around the fests
Picked by Sean
The Liberation 2026
Guy Nattiv; Carrie Coon joins a cult, with Tracy Letts, Bella Ramsey, Odessa Young, Lily James as the leader. Liked, not loved: it withholds how the cult started.
Picked by Both
Bucking Fastard 2026
Werner Herzog, dedicated to David Lynch; Rooney and Kate Mara as sisters. One forklift scene called triumphant.
Picked by Sean
Elsinore 2026
Simon Stone; Andrew Scott as Ian Charleson performing Hamlet through AIDS. Film weak, performance extraordinary, a lone-nomination candidate.
Picked by Amanda
Three Colors: Blue 1993
Kieslowski, seen at a Venice Letterboxd rooftop event; Golden Lion winner, tied to Possible Love's Dekalog roots.
Picked by Sean
The Disciple 2026
Netflix doc on Wu-Tang affiliate Silver Rings and Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Missed the listening party: sick, fell asleep.
Picked by Amanda
Musk 2026
Alex Gibney's 4-hour doc; comprehensive and damning, but a junky CGI Musk avatar narrates over video-game structure she hated.
Also mentioned raised along the way
Other festival titles Club KidLa Bola NegraMinotaurFjordTenzingThe Only Living PickpocketFatherlandMaking Marie AntoinetteZero Intention of Living QuietlyWe Are Made of Star Stuff
Comps and touchstones In BrugesThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriThe Wolf of Wall StreetBurningHard TruthsHappy-Go-LuckyThe RescueFree SoloNyadSome Kind of HeavenStill AliceJudyJackieNow You See Me
Jack O'Connell's recent run Sinners28 Years Later28 Years Later: The Bone TempleBack to BlackFerrari
Careers cited GandhiChariots of FireSafeBoogie NightsThe End of the Affair
Still to be seen this season DuneDiggerWerewolf
Late-summer releases Coyote vs. AcmeBuddyResident Evil
Wrong guesses for the secret screening Famous
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV Nathan for YouThe RehearsalThe CurseWidow's BayTo Catch a PredatorRen FaireDekalogThe Simpsons
Music Once Upon a Time in Shaolin
Ads State FarmAmazon Prime