Movies Update: This one thing made Dolly Parton a great movie star
Plus, the movie you thought you might never get to see
Movies Update
August 28, 2026

Hey, movie fans!

Music and movie lovers alike are mourning the loss of Dolly Parton this week. Her impact on Hollywood was outsized even if her film output was minimal (five movies in 12 years). The critic Wesley Morris argues that there was one thing Parton maintained in each of those roles: control. What a way to make a living.

The animated-live action hybrid comedy “Coyote vs. Acme” arrives on the big screen, and it’s a critic’s pick. But the movie almost didn’t hit any screens at all. Here’s more on its winding journey.

Also out is a tiny Gen Z horror film that digs into existential anxieties, “It Ends.” We report on how $30,000 and post-grad depression led to a breakout feature debut.

Below, see what else is in theaters this week, check out some of the latest movie news and get a few solid streaming recommendations (including “9 to 5”).

Enjoy the movies!

CRITICS’ PICKS

Animated coyote with a worried expression balances on ACME-branded roller skates on a desert road, with red rock formations and cactuses in the background under a blue sky with clouds.

Ketchup Entertainment

Critic’s Pick

‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Review: A Daffy Corporate Comedy

A delightful tale that nails the tone of the Looney Tunes shorts while telling a new story, too.

By Alissa Wilkinson

MOVIE REVIEWS

Two men stand in a grassy field with mountains in the background. One wears a dark jacket and cap, holding a rifle; the other wears a leather jacket, cap, and holds a green case.

Fabio Lovino/20th Century Studios

‘The Dog Stars’ Review: Seeking Hope at the End of the World

A terrific cast led by Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley struggles to lift Ridley Scott’s contemplative dystopia out of the doldrums.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

An image from the documentary, where an audience is watching the “Exorcist” in a theater.

Triple Fire Productions/Yellow Veil Pictures

‘Boorman and the Devil’ Review: Behind a Plagued Production

A documentary looks back at what went wrong — and right — during the making of “Exorcist II: The Heretic,” the director John Boorman’s maligned 1977 sequel.

By Ben Kenigsberg

In a hallway, Robert De Niro has one arm around Adam Scott, while Michelle Monaghan holds him on the other side.

David Lee/Netflix

‘The Whisper Man’ Review: A Killer May Unlock the Crime

Robert De Niro plays a world-weary retired lawman drawn back into a horrifying case, while Adam Scott holds our attention as his estranged son.

By Glenn Kenny

An image of Fernando Valencia in the center of a group of curious students.

Alaska 88

‘Runa Simi’ Review: The Fight to Keep Quechua Alive

This Peruvian documentary follows a voice artist who wants to dub “The Lion King” into the Indigenous language. Can he succeed?

By Natalia Winkelman

A girl with braided hair and colorful beads looks scared as a large, furry, gloved hand grabs her neck against a bright, cartoon-like outdoor background.

Roadside Attractions/Saban Films

‘Buddy’ Review: Cuddle Monster

Barney but Satan: That’s the macabre world Casper Kelly posits in his horror comedy about an adorable but monstrous children’s television unicorn.

By Erik Piepenburg

Three men look tired, standing against a lunch counter with a sign that reads “HERE” in red letters above their heads.

Independent Film Company

‘Idiots’ Review: Burn After Seeing

Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson contend with guns, drugs and a SoundCloud rapper in this over-the-top, gross-out crime comedy.

By Calum Marsh

Spike Fearn, in a blue jacket, and Angourie Rice, in a jean-patched jacket, inside a university.

Focus Features

‘Finding Emily’ Review: You’ve Got Email

This Gen Z rom-com, with flashes of wit and invention, ultimately leans too heavily on the traditional formula it seems poised to subvert.

By Beandrea July

A woman with long dark hair and a small cut on her cheek looks cautiously around a cardboard box.

Well Go USA

‘Colony’ Review: Zombies Going Viral

The director Yeon Sang-ho (“Train to Busan”) returns with a new spin on zombies, created with a virus by a mad scientist to unite, search and destroy.

By Nicolas Rapold

NEWS & FEATURES

An archival image suffused with red and yellow light shows two guitarists in motion, a drum kit and a woman in a yellow dress off to the side.

Pat Blashill, via Stern Entertainment

Can a Documentary Tell ‘The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt’?

A new movie explores Butthole Surfers’ musical legacy, with layers of loss and regret. “It’s kind of vindicating,” the singer Gibby Haynes said.

By Mark Yarm

A black-and-white production still shows Tim Curry, made up with eye shadow and lipstick and an elaborate costume in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

The Walt Disney Company

As a Storyteller, Tim Curry Had the Gift

He was a blast to watch, whether playing a mad scientist in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” a butler in “Clue” or a singing King Arthur in “Spamalot.”

By Laura Collins-Hughes

People sitting and standing on grass watch a movie on an outdoor big screen.

Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times

For ‘National Treasure’ Superfans, the Secret Lies in Philadelphia

The creators of the “National Treasure Hunt” podcast bring their passion for the Nicolas Cage heist movie to the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence.

By Jennifer Schuessler

A close up of the actor Patrick Swayze in the film "Point Break."

Illustration by Leesa Allmond; Videos, via 20th Century Fox.

‘Point Break’: The Totally Tubular Ride With High-Voltage Buddy Chemistry

Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze were locked in as star-crossed rivals in Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 adrenaline-fueled, utterly earnest surf action thriller.

By Maya Salam

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

Dolly Parton, with blond hair and a yellow top, points her right index finger into the face of a man with a mustache wearing a suit.

20th Century Fox, via Alamy

Where to Stream Dolly Parton’s Best Performances

In movies like “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias,” Parton shined as a version of herself.

By Rob Tannenbaum

A woman with dark hair, bangs and sunglasses wearing a floral pattern top under a denim jacket waves while leaning against a man. The man, also wearing sunglasses, a dark graphic T-shirt, a red jacket and jeans, holds a drink with a straw and holds his other hand up.

Banner House Productions and Zapruder Films

Beyond the Algorithm

‘Mile End Kicks,’ ‘Good One’ and More Streaming Gems