REVIEW: Coyote vs. Acme (2026 Film) - Starring Will Forte and John Cena

Review by Jon Donnis

Live-action films featuring animated characters have become something of a rarity, which makes Coyote vs. Acme a welcome return to a style of filmmaking that gave us Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Directed by Dave Green, this comedy brings the Looney Tunes characters into the human world, combining their familiar antics with a story about corporate greed, justice and friendship. It is a clever use of characters who have spent decades entertaining audiences, and one that gives Wile E. Coyote a long-overdue chance to fight back.

After years of failed attempts to catch the Road Runner, Wile E. decides to take Acme Corporation to court. Its seemingly endless supply of gadgets and explosives has left him battered and bruised, and he wants the company held responsible. His lawyer, Kevin Avery, played by Will Forte, is a struggling personal injury attorney who would prefer to settle the case rather than risk taking on a corporate giant. Wile E., however, has no intention of giving up without a fight.

The premise is inspired. Treating Wile E.'s familiar misfortunes as a legitimate personal injury claim turns one of the longest-running jokes in cartoon history into the basis for a courtroom comedy. Acme has always been responsible for supplying the equipment behind his spectacular failures, so putting the company on trial feels like a natural extension of the original cartoons.

Forte is well cast as Avery, a lawyer whose professional disappointments have left him reluctant to take risks. His growing partnership with Wile E. provides much of the film's appeal. The coyote has never lacked determination, even when his plans end in disaster, while Avery needs to rediscover his confidence. Their contrasting personalities create some entertaining exchanges, but their relationship also gives the story an emotional foundation.

John Cena plays Buddy Crane, Acme's corporate lawyer and Avery's former rival from Harvard Law School. Confident and polished, Buddy represents a company with far greater resources than the small legal firm challenging it. Cena makes an effective opponent for Forte, and their professional rivalry adds some bite to the courtroom scenes.

Lana Condor plays Paige Avery, Kevin's niece and an intern at the firm, while Tone Bell and Martha Kelly appear as fellow partners Sal Maltese and Dottie Jones. The animated cast includes Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Granny and Foghorn Leghorn. These familiar faces are given proper roles in the story rather than being reduced to brief appearances designed purely to please fans.

The animation is one of the film's greatest achievements. The characters fit naturally into the live-action environment, and the contrast between cartoon logic and the human world provides much of the comedy. The film understands that Looney Tunes does not need to abandon its absurdity to tell a more substantial story. Explosions, elaborate traps and spectacular mishaps remain part of the fun, but they now have consequences that can be argued over in court.

It is arguably the best combination of live action and animation since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The effects serve the characters and the comedy, rather than becoming a distraction in their own right. For anyone who grew up watching Looney Tunes, there is plenty to enjoy, but the film does more than rely on nostalgia. It finds a fresh use for these characters while retaining the humour that made them popular.

Beyond the cartoon chaos, Coyote vs. Acme takes aim at corporate greed and the difficulties faced by those challenging powerful organisations. The legal battle gives the story a clear purpose, and the idea of a corporation avoiding responsibility for the damage caused by its products feels particularly well suited to Acme. The satire is broad, as you would expect from a Looney Tunes film, but it gives the comedy an extra layer without weighing it down.

Friendship and perseverance also feature prominently. Wile E.'s determination is central to his character, but his obsession with catching the Road Runner can complicate his relationships with others. His partnership with Avery brings that contradiction into focus. The film finds humour in Wile E.'s stubbornness while allowing room for a more thoughtful look at what keeps him going.

The main weakness is the pacing. At around 100 minutes, the film feels slightly long, and some sections of the legal proceedings and investigation could have been tightened. The story occasionally loses momentum as it moves between the comedy and its more serious themes. It is not enough to spoil the experience, but a shorter running time would have helped keep the film moving.

Nevertheless, Coyote vs. Acme delivers exactly the kind of inventive cartoon comedy its premise promises, while giving its characters a story worth following. The animation is excellent, the performances work well together, and the central idea is both funny and surprisingly effective.

I loved the film. It brings back the live-action and animation combination that made films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit so memorable, while giving Wile E. Coyote a fresh reason to be at the centre of the action. The pacing could be sharper, but this is a thoroughly enjoyable comedy with plenty of humour and heart.

I score Coyote vs. Acme a solid 9 out of 10.

Out Now on Digital

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4ejcBu4

Prime Video - https://link.amazon/B043s0eXK

PREVIEW: Butter Bandits (2026 Film) - Starring Kelly McKinney

Preview by Jon Donnis

Butter Bandits is an upcoming Canadian crime comedy from Victor Cooper, making his feature film debut. The film follows three siblings who find themselves facing a miserable Christmas and decide that an unlikely robbery could be the answer to their problems.

Kelly McKinney (Stoney Lonesome), Matthew DeMille (Stoney Lonesome) and Allisha Pelletier (Two Brothers) star as Daryl, Matt and Tammy, a down-on-their-luck family struggling with the rising cost of living and the threat of losing their home. When two of the siblings lose their jobs, their financial situation takes another turn for the worse, leaving them looking for a way out.

Unfortunately, the trio are short on common sense and have no real knowledge of how to plan a heist. Their solution is to target something they believe will be easy to steal and get away with: butter.

With Christmas approaching and their home at risk, the siblings must find out whether their unusual plan can deliver the money they need or whether their criminal ambitions will bring them to the attention of the law.

On UK digital 2 November 2026 from Miracle Media

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4yQ8HRB

PREVIEW: Semolina Pilchard (2026 Film) Starring Joe McGann & Sarah-Louise Chadwick

Preview by Jon Donnis

Semolina Pilchard is an upcoming British black comedy crime film from director Mike Clarke (A Light Through Coloured Glass), who co-writes the film with Daina Ann Smith.

Set in Liverpool, the film follows a high-ranking gangster who discovers he has not got long to live and summons his estranged eldest daughter home after five years away to discuss his legacy. However, his youngest daughter is less than impressed with the arrangements and sets out to eliminate her sister and secure the inheritance for herself.

The film explores family loyalty, legacy and the power struggles that emerge when inheritance is at stake, combining dark humour with the emotional tensions of a family feud. It also serves as a love letter to Liverpool.

The cast includes Joe McGann (Night & Day), Sarah-Louise Chadwick (Kate & Jake), Sophia Leanne Kelly (A Light Through Coloured Glass), Alina Allison (Salvable), Macaulay Cooper (Coronation Street) and Joe Egan (Fall to the Top), with Ricky Tomlinson making a cameo appearance.

On UK digital 2 November 2026 from Trinity Content Partners

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4zukdSD

REVIEW: Verity (2026 Film) - Starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett

Review by Jon Donnis

Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett find themselves caught up in a deeply dysfunctional family drama in Verity, Michael Showalter’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2018 novel. This erotic psychological thriller combines obsession, infidelity and disturbing family secrets, with a manuscript that threatens to change everything its discoverer believes about the people around her. It is often ridiculous, but there is enough twisted drama to make it an entertaining watch.

Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh, a published author struggling to find an audience for her work while grieving the death of her mother. Her fortunes appear to change when a publisher offers her the chance to finish a bestselling series written by Verity Crawford (Hathaway). Following a near-fatal car accident, Verity has supposedly been left catatonic. Her condition is being kept from the public to prevent readers from believing the series has come to an end.

Lowen accepts the assignment and moves into the Crawfords’ secluded lakeside home in Vermont. There she meets Verity’s husband, Jeremy (Hartnett), and their young son, Crew. The family is also mourning the recent drowning of Crew’s twin sister, Harper, leaving an already difficult situation charged with grief. Lowen’s job is to work through Verity’s notes and establish how to continue the series, but she soon discovers an unfinished autobiographical manuscript that proves considerably more disturbing than anything she expected to find.

The document describes Verity’s obsession with Jeremy and her growing resentment towards their children, whom she apparently viewed as rivals for his affection. Lowen is horrified by what she reads and initially abandons the manuscript, but the revelations leave her questioning the woman she has been hired to replace. She also begins to suspect that Verity, despite her apparent inability to move or speak, may be more aware of her surroundings than anyone realises.

Meanwhile, Lowen grows closer to Jeremy, and their attraction develops into an affair. Her feelings for him complicate her attempts to understand the manuscript, particularly as its contents suggest a deeply disturbing explanation for the family’s tragedy. The question of whether Verity’s account is a genuine confession or a work of fiction becomes increasingly difficult to ignore, especially when Lowen discovers that Jeremy has not been entirely honest with her himself.

The film makes good use of this uncertainty, at least initially. Verity’s profession as a novelist gives the manuscript an interesting ambiguity, since its author is accustomed to inventing stories from the perspectives of immoral characters. Lowen has to decide whether she has uncovered the truth about a deeply troubled woman or become caught up in a story designed to manipulate whoever reads it. Unfortunately, the more the film reveals, the less convincing some of its developments become.

Hathaway is the standout performer. Even when Verity is supposedly incapable of responding to those around her, she gives the character an unsettling quality that makes it difficult to dismiss her as helpless. Johnson is convincing as Lowen, a writer whose professional ambitions and growing attraction to Jeremy cloud her judgement. Hartnett completes the central trio, portraying a grieving husband whose motives become increasingly difficult to read. All three seem comfortable with the material, embracing its heightened emotions rather than attempting to make every development feel entirely realistic.

There is also considerable entertainment in watching attractive people in beautiful surroundings make such appallingly bad decisions. The secluded house and picturesque lake provide an effective contrast to the ugliness of the family’s secrets, while the relationships become increasingly tangled. The film is at its most enjoyable when it embraces the sheer unpleasantness of its characters and allows the drama to become gloriously excessive.

The trouble is that excessive drama is not the same as convincing suspense. Some of the twists are so implausible that they risk turning tension into disbelief. The film keeps raising the stakes, but the characters' behaviour becomes increasingly difficult to accept, and certain revelations feel more interested in shocking the audience than making sense. A psychological thriller can be outrageous, but it still needs a degree of credibility to make its surprises land properly.

At nearly two hours, Verity also takes too long to tell its story. The central mystery is enough to hold attention, but the repeated suspicions and confrontations begin to weigh down the pacing. A tighter edit would have helped the film maintain momentum and given its more extreme developments greater impact.

Despite these shortcomings, Verity is arguably the most entertaining of the recent Colleen Hoover adaptations, with Hathaway doing much of the work needed to keep it engaging. Fans of the novel should find plenty to enjoy, while anyone drawn to trashy psychological thrillers may appreciate its mixture of erotic tension, family secrets and increasingly outrageous behaviour.

Verity is ridiculous fun, but its implausible twists and excessive running time stop it from becoming anything particularly memorable. It is the sort of film you can enjoy on the night, then spend a little time discussing simply because some of its developments are so absurd. By the following day, however, you may struggle to remember much beyond Hathaway and the more outrageous turns of the plot.

I score Verity a deserved 7 out of 10.

Buy the book at https://link.amazon/B00prGWNa

Coming soon to Apple TV - https://apple.co/4hUPFlU

REVIEW: Digger (2026 Film) - Starring Tom Cruise

Review by Jon Donnis

Alejandro González Iñárritu's Digger is an ambitious black comedy that takes aim at corporate greed, political hypocrisy and the environmental consequences of humanity's dependence on fossil fuels. Starring Tom Cruise as an ageing oil magnate facing the consequences of his company's actions, this film has plenty of ideas, impressive visuals and a genuinely committed central performance. Unfortunately, its humour and storytelling do not always match its ambitions.

Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a wealthy businessman whose drilling operations trigger an ecological catastrophe. As the situation threatens to spiral out of control, he attempts to present himself as humanity's saviour, despite his own role in creating the crisis. It is an absurd premise with obvious satirical potential, particularly when the politicians around him appear more interested in protecting their reputations than addressing the problem.

Cruise is the film's biggest asset. Moving away from his familiar action-hero roles, he delivers an exaggerated, theatrical performance that makes full use of Digger's arrogance, desperation and delusions of grandeur. He commits wholeheartedly to the character, creating a figure who is both ridiculous and strangely compelling. It is a welcome reminder of Cruise's range, and his performance provides much of the film's energy.

The visuals are another highlight. Iñárritu makes effective use of colour, movement and scale, while the production design gives the film a distinctive appearance. The environmental catastrophe provides opportunities for striking imagery, and the craftsmanship behind the sets and carefully constructed environments is evident throughout.

The storytelling is more unconventional than the initial premise suggests. Digger explores the relationship between theatre, cinema and reality, using a stage production as a means of examining how society processes disaster and human suffering. This approach adds an interesting dimension to the film, raising questions about whether satire can genuinely challenge those in power or simply turn serious issues into entertainment.

Its environmental and political commentary is also relevant. Digger's defence of his business interests exposes the convenient arguments used to excuse corporate responsibility, while the political response highlights the dangers of prioritising public image over practical solutions. These ideas give the film substance beyond its more outrageous comic situations.

However, Digger is considerably less successful when it comes to making its audience laugh. Much of the humour feels forced, with absurd situations and exaggerated performances failing to deliver the consistent laughs the film needs. The satire occasionally feels more concerned with being provocative than being funny, leaving some potentially effective moments disappointingly flat.

There is also a tendency to overstate its message. Corporate greed and political hypocrisy are clear targets, but the film repeatedly returns to familiar points instead of allowing its ideas to speak for themselves. This heavy-handed approach, combined with a running time of over two hours, makes parts of the film feel unnecessarily drawn out.

The supporting cast includes Riz Ahmed as environmental safety chief Dr Nirav Ganesh, John Goodman as President Compson, Michael Stuhlbarg as Vice President Eddie, Sandra Hüller as Emma Rockwell and Jesse Plemons as Kenny Rockwell. The ensemble is impressive, but several characters receive limited development, leaving talented performers with less to work with than their casting might suggest.

The film's structural experimentation is intriguing, although not entirely successful. Its shifting perspective changes how the audience understands the story, but the transition does not always feel seamless. While the theatrical elements provide an opportunity to explore the limits of satire, they occasionally interrupt the momentum rather than strengthening the drama.

Pacing remains a problem throughout. Some scenes linger beyond their usefulness, while repeated commentary dilutes the impact of the film's stronger observations. A tighter edit would have given the comedy more room to breathe and helped the central ideas land with greater force.

Digger is ultimately a mixed bag, but there is more to admire than criticise. Its visual ambition, willingness to experiment and contemporary themes make it an interesting film, while Tom Cruise delivers a bold performance that lifts the material above its weaker moments.

The inconsistent humour, underdeveloped supporting characters and occasionally self-important approach prevent it from reaching its full potential. Nevertheless, there is enough here to make it an enjoyable watch, even if the finished film falls short of what its ambitions promise.

Digger could, and perhaps should, have been better, but Cruise gives it a strong centre and Iñárritu delivers a film that is difficult to dismiss outright.

I score Digger a fair 7 out of 10.

Out In Cinemas Now