Art vs. Commerce

So far, our fall movie season has delivered a few genuine surprises in terms of quality, with even more promising releases looming on the horizon. Usually at this point in the year, theatrical releases are a hodgepodge of quality, as studios continue to prove they rarely know how to market their own movies, let alone understand the creative caliber of what is sitting on their shelves.

Foghorn Leghorn as a politician is pretty perfect. Credit: Ketchup Entertainment

Two of the best movies I’ve seen all year have had very different paths to our eyeballs — none more high-profile than the new Looney Tunes film, “Coyote vs. Acme.” Here’s a truly great concept: Wile E. Coyote is finally tired of every single trap he purchases from Acme not failing to capture the Road Runner. Worse, they seriously injure him at every turn. From faulty TNT to exploding rocket shoes, the Coyote decides he’s done with Acme taking his money and selling him garbage. He’s starving and the Road Runner is no closer to getting in his belly. So, Wile E. Coyote hires a lazy, down-on-his-luck lawyer (played by the always entertaining Will Forte) to sue Acme for all damages.

With perfectly timed appearances by Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and just about every other classic Looney Tune you can think of, it’s a high-concept family caper that blends live-action and animation so beautifully that I was instantly swept back into the breathless wonder of seeing “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” for the first time. From the film’s boundless energy and constantly clever sight gags to the timely message about late-stage capitalism and corporate untouchability, “Coyote vs. Acme” proves that the Looney Tunes can be as relevant in 2026 as ever.

But we almost didn’t get to see it.

Warner Bros. Discovery watched an early cut of the film and just didn’t get it. They had no idea they were sitting on a modern animated classic. So, along with the Warner Bros movies, “Batgirl” and “Scoob! Holiday Haunt,” the executive suits decided to shelve the film for a $30 million tax write-off. We probably never would have seen it, but a much smaller distributor, Ketchup Entertainment, paid Warner a cool $50 million for the rights and released it in theaters last weekend. The irony is palpable.

While it might not become a massive box office smash, the film boasts a 96% critic score and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the few movies this year that almost everyone agrees is fantastic.

Two incels bonding over violence. Credit: WG Pictures

Another one of the best movies I’ve seen all year is at turns a quietly devastating and bleakly hilarious drama called “Our Hero, Balthazar.” Hauntingly co-written and directed by Oscar Boyson and co-written by Ricky Camilleri, the film follows Balthazar (a perfectly cast Jaeden Martell), a sociopathic rich kid who makes online content of himself histrionically crying over school shootings or whatever tragic horror is currently trending. When he meets a passionate activist girl he wants to impress, he connects with Solomon (Asa Butterfield, completely reinvented here), a troubled young man threatening to carry out a school shooting. Balthazar heads from NYC to Texas to meet Solomon to try and convince him not to pull the trigger. He does this not because he suddenly cares about human life, but strictly to impress the girl and farm for clicks.

“Our Hero, Balthazar” packs more thematic depth and more humanist insight in its 96-minute runtime than most studio movies can summon in three hours. Boyson and Camilleri fearlessly take on the culture wars, masculine identity, generational racism, education, poverty and about a dozen other hot-button issues. Incredibly, they do so with a pitch-black humor, nail-biting intensity and compassionate grace. This is the only movie I can imagine that could pull off a character who owns a Pride flag displayed next to Nazi paraphernalia and a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, making it feel entirely authentic, heartbreaking and blisteringly funny all at once. I’ve never seen such a delicate tightrope walk from a film quite like this.

While the subject matter is obviously not going to be for everyone, viewers who venture into this one with an open mind will find a lot of their judgements challenged and recontextualized. The film hasn’t had a large theatrical release; “Our Hero, Balthazar” is available to rent now on Letterboxd’s video store and is worth your time. It’s an unforgettable piece of filmmaking.

Also apparently being misunderstood by its studio is “The Uprising,” a film centered on a Ploughman leading a rebellion against King Richard II. For months, the movie has been advertised as a gritty, 14th-Century historical war drama starring Andrew Garfield. Then last week, the trailers tacked on “The Rise of Robin Hood” as a subtitle and now no one knows what the hell is happening. Is Andrew Garfield Robin Hood? Does a studio really think audiences won’t go see a movie unless it’s attached to existing IP? Do we even care? For me, Paul Greengrass as writer/director has me in the seat, Robin Hood or not.

Fortunately, more exciting options are coming out this fall that I’m hoping find their audience. Specifically, Portland animation studio Laika’s new stop-motion animated dark fantasy, “Wildwood,” based on the lovely novel by The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy. The trailers look transportive and breathtaking. Because Laika doesn’t miss, keep your plans open for when the film releases on Oct. 23. They should be the biggest animation studio in the world just based on “Coraline” alone. Let’s help them get there.

What are you looking forward to catching this fall?

Coyote Vs. Acme

Dir. Dave Green

Grade: A-

Now Playing at Regal Old Mill, Sisters Movie House, Madras Cinema 5

Our Hero, Balthazar

Dir. Oscar Boyson

Grade: A

Now available to rent on Letterboxd

This article appears in the Source September 3, 2026.