September is here, and autumn oranges, reds, and yellows are near. We love fall, and we love the movies released between September and December. We enjoyed the summer blockbusters, and now we are ready for Spooky Season and all the movies that are making a run to collect as many nominations and wins for award season.
Today we have an indie Sundance-premiered movie, but we know The Conjuring: Last Rites is a big one also opening this weekend (Josh had to fight Eric for the scorecard this week). If you happen to catch the next installment of the Conjuring series, we (Eric) would love to hear your thoughts on it. Please send them our way.
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: Twinless
Watchlist Worthy: Valentine’s Day 2026 just got a little hotter
ICYMI Pod: The Power of Puppetry
This week’s movie - Twinless
Letterboxd Description:
Two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance.
Best Watched With
You’re favorite person and someone who laughs at a funeral.
End Credit Thoughts
Robert Patterson in Mickey 17, Michael B. Jordan in Sinners, and now Dylan O’Brien in Twinless. It really is the year of twins played by a singleton. Tough enough giving one top-notch performance, let alone two.
Patterson and Jordan crushed their roles, and did so for much bigger productions in genres that surround the performances with more than dialogue; big set pieces, excellent world-building, and otherworldly characters. We got Sci-Fi with Mickey 17, horror with Sinners, and now a dark comedy with Twinless. We imagine a small plot drama raises the stakes—relying heavily on the performances to captivate and keep our attention—but O’Brien holds his own and then some.
Rocky and Roman (Dylan O’Brien) are twins who were inseparable and best friends throughout their childhood. After drifting apart as they grow up, Rocky passes away, leaving Roman twinless. Where O’Brien shines is in his ability to portray twins with completely different demeanors, intellects, and sexualities.
The spectrum of emotions, characteristics, and mannerisms performed by O’Brien is worthy of a standing ovation. We were never taken out of the story when we’re shown either character, despite it being the same actor. Rocky is confident, playful, and full of life. We see Roman split right in front of us while he grieves his estranged identical twin, pulled apart by the loss of someone who shares the same reflection when they look at themselves in the mirror. A vulnerable character exploration of pain, identity, hurt, loss, and how one has to continue navigating life with oneself.
O’Brien is supported by James Sweeney (Dennis), who plays a character who has also lost their twin. They meet at a twin support group and form a warm, endearing friendship, one that grows out of the soil of grief, loss, and trauma. Sweeny is also the director and writer. Wearing that many hats on a production has to be weighty, but Sweeny has done triple duty before (Straight Up (2019)), and his veteran experience is on full display.
We empathized with the characters, and we laughed at the inappropriate coping dark humor, which caught us off guard at times. It lowered our walls and pulled us into their experiences, seamlessly wondering what this kind of loss would be like as the story developed and the plot thickened.
The scorecard indicates that there was a significant amount of anxiety in this watch, and much of that stems from the characters' relationship and the story taking unexpected turns. We did not expect the direction it took, but it made the story more complex and held our full attention for the hour and forty-minute run time.
Expect to be a little shocked, feel uncomfortable, and, if you have a squishy soft heart, for your emotions to be moved to possible tears. This was an independent movie that premiered at Sundance and was subsequently picked up. It’s small but yet big and powerful original stories like these that we love to see get theatrical releases. This is catnip for film folks like Josh. If this movie piques your interest, go to your local cinema and support it. However, one could enjoy this movie just as much at home as in theaters.
You can wait till streaming for this one.
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Wuthering Heights (2026) by Emerald Fennell
I was just thinking about how I’ve been wanting another movie like Saltburn, as I have been thinking for the past 657 days. And then the trailer for Wuthering Heights dropped this week.
I have not read the book, nor seen any other adaption of this story. The online discourse is in full shambles with tons of opinions. I have not indulged, nor do I care. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, I don’t know if they are the right castings for these characters, but I do know they are the right castings for me. It looks gorgeously shot and has an eerie, provocative feel to it.
Emerald Fennell has yet to not wow me with any of her movies. So naturally, I’m highly anticipating this one and will be happily sat in a theater, hopefully a Dolby auditorium, on Valentines’s Day 2026.
-Jp
Letterboxd Description:
Come undone.
A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.
Also Directed by Emerald Fennell:
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Saltburn (2023)
Jim Henson, The Muppets, and the Power of Puppetry w/ Special Guest Amerique Monagle #61
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
Josh is joined by special guest Amerique Monagle to discuss the life and legacy of Jim Henson. Amerique shares her personal connection to puppetry and storytelling, and provides an in-depth look at Henson's career, from his early days on "Sesame Street" to the creation of "The Muppet Show" and beyond.
They explore the development of iconic Muppet characters, the technical innovations Henson brought to filmmaking, and the underlying themes of creativity, collaboration, and taking care of each other that defined his work. The conversation also touches on Henson's other projects, including "The Dark Crystal" and "Fraggle Rock," as well as his lasting impact on pop culture.
Tune in next week for | The Long Walk
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