Movies I Watched in October 2026 - Picks and Pans: "Practical Magic 2" and "Verity"

[I review the "Practical Magic" sequel and the psychological thriller "Verity"]

Practical Magic 2 (2026)

This sequel to "Practical Magic," carries on the story of Gillian and Sally Owens, two witches from a multi-generational family of witches that has been cursed to be loveless.

If you are a regularl reader of my reviews, you know I am not a fan of sequels. Yes, I understand when a movie is popular, it is difficult to say no to making more money on it, but as a moviegoer I am offended by ruining a perfectly good first movie with an often inferior second one.  And sometimes there is a third and fourth...So unless you are making "The Godfather Part II," I say no to sequels.

So naturally I was already in a negative space going into this sequel of "Practical Magic," and I couldn't help but ask, "Did we need a sequel to this film?" When it first came out in 1998, the first film grossed almost $100 million but it cost almost $75 million to make.  So it was hardly a blockbuster.  And it got bad reviews.  But you can't anticipate the power of cult status and supposedly that is what happened with this film which I guess is why 28 years later we have this sequel. And we have the two stars who are also 28 years older and looking for a movie to star in, which is not that easy for, ahem, women of a certain age in Hollywood.

Since it has also been 28 years since I have seen the first one and also being a woman of a certain age, I couldn't remember any of it.  So if you are like me, here are the rudiments of the first film:

Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gilllian Owens (Nicole Kidman) are part of a Massachusetts family with a witch, Maria Owens, as an ancestor, so I guess that makes them witches too and because of that the family is not popular in the town.  The family also has a curse upon it that any man who falls in love with an Owens woman will die. Sally decides to never fall in love and Gillian can't wait to fall in love. The sisters move on in their lives, but before leaving each other, they use a blood spell to swear to always be faithful to one another, grow old together, and die at the same time. There is drama with Gillian being abused by a man and needing Sally to help her get rid of him, and in so doing, Sally finds love. The sisters reunite in their hometown and with their witchy aunts, Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Frances (Stockard Channing) and the townspeople finally accept them. But is the family curse still in effect? 

And that is where we left them in the first film.

Now here we are with the sequel.  It is 28 years later and Sally and Gillian are back in their home town.  Sally's husband has died, and grief-stricken, Sally doesn't want anything to do with magic and casts a final spell to make sure her daughters Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Maisie Williams, who you may recognize from "Game of Thrones") also don't have anything to do with magic, hoping the curse - you know, that one about any man falling in love with an Owens girl will die - will not affect them.

Later, Aunt Jet has been trying to break the curse with the Book of Raven but the important pages, as in the pages called "How to Break the Curse," are sealed shut. Jet is on her last legs but leaves a note for her sister Frances to continue trying to break the curse. Jet dies on her birthday.

After Jet dies, the family holds a wake at the house. There, Sally and Gillian meet Kylie's boyfriend, Gideon (Xolo Mariduena). Kylie tells him she loves him - uh-oh- and the next morning - yep. He is hit by a car and left in a coma and that's when Kylie and Antonia find out about the curse. Angry, Kylie steals the Book of Raven and heads off to England to search for Professor Ian Wright (Lee Pace) who Aunt Frances tells her could help her break the curse. When she arrives in the town of Thornfield, Maria Owens' birthplace, Kylie meets Tom (Solly McLeod), who offers to help her.  Meanwhile, Sally and Gillian race to England and everything comes to a head and a dark family secret is revealed.

Does the curse get broken?

Well, here is a more important question.  Did we need this sequel?

If you loved the first film, then you will probably say "Yes!"  And if you have missed Sandra and Nicole on the big screen, then perhaps. They are both good actresses and they look great.  A little plastic surgery and being filmed through gauze doesn't hurt. I know, I'm bad. But you really have to want to see them to watch this because there is not much of a plot - find Kylie and overturn the curse - and the movie is too long to sustain that. And the movie is more about Kylie than Sally and Gillian. I actually felt sorry for Maisie who was left behind with Gideon and didn't have much to do in this despite her "Game of Thrones" credentials.

However, there were some things I liked.

Based on Alice Hoffman's "The Book of Magic" and adapted by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel and directed by Suzanne Bier, the movie could stand on its own without having to see the first one, which is a good thing for a sequel, though exposition could have been better and would have helped us care more about these characters. I liked that Sally was a librarian. The production values were first-rate as in the film was pretty to look at. I liked the beautiful English village and countryside. But most of all I liked the message: No magic is stronger than a sister's love.

Rosy the Reviewer says...but did I like this movie enough to recommend it? Did we need this sequel?  No. (Available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

Verity (2026)

A struggling writer is asked to ghostwrite for a best-selling author who can no longer write.

Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) is a struggling writer in New York City.  While on her way to a meeting with a publisher, a bike messenger is hit by a car and blood splashes everywhere including all over her.  A handsome stranger hustles her off to a restroom in a nearby coffee shop and gives her his shirt so she can make her meeting.  When she arrives at the meeting, wouldn't you know (huge movie cliche), there the guy is.  

Lowen is at the meeting with the publisher because they are looking for someone to finish a popular series by Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), who has been in a car accident and can no longer write. That guy who helped Lowen is Jeremy, Verity's husband (Josh Hartnett). Verity writes twisted thrillers from the perspective of villains, and Lowen has been chosen to ghostwrite because she writes in a similar style to Verity's and Verity loved one of her books. And the publisher needs a ghostwriter because they don't want fans to think the series is over. They need three more books to complete the series.  Lowen is offered $75,000 per book.  How can she say no? So she doesn't and off she goes to Jeremy and Verity's house in a remote part of Vermont. And can I ask why movies like this always take place in big houses in the middle of nowhere? 

Anyway, let the real life twisted thriller begin. 

Lowen is staying at the house with Jeremy, a paralyzed and catatonic Verity and their son Crew (Brady Wagner). Jeremy is grieving the death of their daughter, Harper, Crew's twin, who died in a canoe accident.  Lowen is there to see the notes that Verity has kept for upcoming novels, but c'mon, we know something is going to happen between Lowen and Jeremy. But before that, Lowen just happens to discover a thumb drive in a pack of cigarettes.  Huh?  Very convenient for our plot because this thumb drive is a secret autobiographical journel written by Verity where she spills her guts about her obsession with Jeremy and some horrible things she has done, all played out in flashbacks with Verity's voice as voice over while Lowen reads. Meanwhile, Lowen thinks she sees Verity looking at her and Crew tells her that Verity talks to him. Mmmm. Lowen starts to think that Verity might be faking it.

So the film started out kind of spooky, and I was giving it a chance, despite some wonky dialogue and thriller cliches.  And yes, Jeremy and Lowen get together and I thought we were going to have some kind of dark love triangle, too, but then Lowen finds a letter written by Verity that turns everything upside down and is a big twist that made absolutely no sense, and ruined everything for me, though I saw some of it coming from a mile away. 

Verity means "the quality or state of being true, real, or accurate."  And since one of our protagonists is named Verity, the film seems to be trying to make a point about truth and how it can be manipulated.  Veriry makes some wild claims about her life and about Jeremy. Is she telling the truth?  What are we to believe?

Well, you know what?  I didn't really care because this film had so many cliches, coincidences and holes in it that I lost interest. And it was slow going.  Not much happens until the last 30 minutes and even then, the film really lost me. Based on Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name and adapted by Nick Antosca and directed by Mike Showalter, the story is way over-the-top and far-fetched. It has the same feel as movies like "Gone Girl" and "The Housemaid," but not as good.  Dakota Johnson is a lovely actresss who can do a lot but doesn't have much to do here and neither does Anne Hathaway. Kind of a waste of two beautiful, talented actresses. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Verity writes twisted thrillers and I think this was supposed to be one of those. Twisted? Yes, literally. Thriller, no.  I thought it was kind of dumb, but if you like campy, soapy and sexy movies, you might enjoy it. (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

My September 2026 Movie and TV Series Picks and Pans

[I review the Anthony Bourdain biopic, "Tony" as well as the drama "The Seemingly Perfect Family" and the Netflix docuseries "The Death of the Pastor's Wife."]

Tony (2026)

Origin story about Anthony Bourdain, when he was just Tony.

I was a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain, from his ground-breaking restaurant expose book, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (2000)" to his foodie travel shows - "A Cook's Tour" on the Food Network followed by "No Reservations" and "The Layover" on the Travel Network and "Parts Unknown" on CNN. Happily, when I lived in Seattle, I was able to get some VIP tickets for his "Close to the Bone," one-man show in 2015 and met him.  He was very welcoming and humble, though he didn't like it when I said I enjoyed "The Layover," which he did NOT enjoy. 

Sadly, Anthony took his own life in 2018 at the age of 61. 

But this movie is before all of that, when Anthony was still Tony, a young guy without a clue. He said about himself during those years, "I was - to be frank - a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, and badly in need of a good ass-kicking."  And the movie begins with that quote and that guy.

Dominic Sesse ("The Holdovers") plays 19-year-old Tony Bourdain who is a student at Vassar and aspires to be a writer. When he doesn't get a fellowship to write a novel over the summer, he travels to Provincetown, Massachusetts to catch up with Nancy (Emilia Jones), a girl he is interested in, but upon arrival discovers she is dating a pizza delivery man.  He gets drunk at The Flagship, a local seafood restaurant, and afterwards is robbed, so finding himself short of money and not able to take the ferry home, he returns to The Flagship and appeals to the head chef there for a job, even though he has no restaurant experience.  The kindly chef (Antonio Banderas - always a joy to see him) takes pity on him and gives him a dishwashing job and Tony eventually works his way up to a cook, though he still engages in some clueless stuff, but that summer stint in a restaurant in Provincetown, Massachusetts, turned out to be a turning point in young Tony Bourdain's life.

Sesse is wonderful as Tony, the "young lout," and the rest of the ensemble is also excellent, espcially Banderas and the handsome Leo Woodall ("The White Lotus") as Sal, an abrasive macho guy who takes Tony under his wing. Anthony's close friend, chef Eric Ripert, who discovered Anthony's body has a poignant cameo in the film. Directed by Matt Johnson and written by Johnson, Todd Bartels, Lou Howe, and Matthew Miller, this is an atmospheric "coming of age" story about one very special summer and how Tony became Anthony.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an affectionate and very poignant tribute to a wonderful talent we lost too soon. (For rent on Apple+)

The Seemingly Perfect Family (2026)

A young woman who has just aged out of foster care, gets a nanny job under false pretenses.

I was surprised to discover this was a Lifetime movie.  I didn't really realize Netflix was in cahoots with the Lifetime movie folks. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing as I have been known to like Lifetime movies in the past (I even wrote about it - "Lifetime Movies: A Baby Boomer's Appreciation"), but that was the past.  I have become more sophisticated since then.  However, I am susceptible to movies about couples being impacted by their nannies or housemaids.  In fact, the premise and the teaser for this movie totally reminded me of "The Housemaid," a movie I enjoyed and which I favorably reviewed back in March, so I jumped but I have to say the fall wasn't pretty. I was reminded of just how bad Lifetime movies can be.

Lexi (Rylee Reagan) is a young woman leaving foster care but not sure what to do with her life.  She overhears her friend, Blair (Violet SinClair), talking about a nanny job and Lexi goes behind her back and nabs the job.  Chelsea (Anna Morgan Neugent) and Daniel Sterling (Bourke Floyd) are an affluent couple with a newborn, but it becomes clear early on that they are not a happy couple and theirs is not a perfect family.  And despite the title of this film, they don't even SEEM to be a perfect family. Chelsea is not a happy camper and is actually quite hostile to Lexi.  And let me tell you about Daniel.  He is about as pervy as an older man can get. He is forever oggling Lexi and following her around.  Let's just say he has plans for our Lexi.

As I said, I have a weakness for this kind of movie, but even I have my standards.  Remember how I always say, "I see the bad ones so you don't have to?"  Well, this one is bad. Directed by Lisa France (story by Ken Sanders and written by Amy Dawson and Daniel West), the whole film is like a cartoon and it actually made me laugh at times, but not in a good way. Everyone is overacting like crazy. Neugent always looks mad; Floyd as Daniel seems to have two expressions - a menacing grimace or big eyes as he leers at Lexi.  And speaking of Lexi, Reagan always seems either concerned or surprised.  She is probably wondering what she is doing in this movie.

Rosy the Reviewer says...you might watch this for the campy aspect to get a laugh or two, but all-in-all, I can't recommend it. If you like this genre, try "The Housemaid" instead. (Netflix)

Death of the Pastor's Wife (2026)

Can you be a murderer if you drive your wife to suicide?

This three-part docuseries makes you wonder as it recounts the true story of Mica and John-Paul Miller and the circumstances surrounding Mica's mysterious death.

John-Paul Miller was a charismatic pastor for the Solid Rock Church and young Mica Francis was one of his parishioners.  He was a 38-year-old married man with five children and she was just 16 when they met.  She worked for him as a nanny and they later began an affair when John-Paul was 35 and Mica was 20 and wed when he was 38 and she was 22.

From the outside, the Myrtle Beach-based Millers appeared to have a picture-perfect marriage. Mica sang and helped John-Paul lead the congregation but behind closed doors the two had a tumultuous relationship and Mica would ultimately be found dead at aged 30 in a state park, and it wasn't long before everyone started asking questions about Mica's death. 

Mica grew up in the chuch, dedicated her life to it and spent most of her time with John-Paul and the congregation during her young years.  She looked up to him as a pastor and as an authority figure and he had a tremendous amount of power over her. She was fully wrapped up in John-Paul's world but as time went on, the relationship soured and Mica suffered from mental health issues and it didn't help that John-Paul was controlling (he would bombard her with texts and calls whenever she left the house) and had kinky sexual proclivities, such as hiring homeless people to have sex with the both of them. She complained in her diary of being abused "emotionally, sexually, spiritually, financially and physically." 

Mica first filed for divorce just six years after they married but dismissed it and then there were several back and forth separations and dismissals.  That was a theme for them. Mica also sought a restraining order against John-Paul due to his alleged abuse. The final filing was in 2024 when Mica moved out of their home and was living on her own. She reported John-Paul for stalking her, tracking her car with surveillance devices, cutting her tires with razor blades and posting nudes of her online. But her cries for help were not answered.

She eventually purchased a firearm, called 911 to report that she was going to kill herself and wanted them to know where she was so her family could find her body.  She was later found in a state park with a bullet to the head.

On the day after her death, John-Paul held a lengthy service filled with humor and only at the very end mentioned to the congregation that Mica had died.  Nice guy.

Mica's story was a cause celebre on the Internet, and this series directed by Michael Gasparro and Julia Willoughby Nason uses John-Paul's sermons (he was quite the misogynist and talked about sex a lot), police calls, text messages, never-before-seen footage and firsthand accounts from friends and family to try to figure out what drove her to suicide.  The series also shines a light on how sometimes patriarchy in religious doctrine can facilitate abuse and that domestic abuse does not always include physical violence. And even though John-Paul had an alibi for the day Mica died, after seeing this docuseries, one can't help but feel his hand was also on that gun.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a chilling and engrossing docuseries that raises awareness about the different faces of domestic abuse. (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

Some Not-To-Be-Missed Short Films Coming to the Carmel International Film Festival October 1-4: "Something Pointless," "The Liars of Black Mountain Road," and "Redlining"

The Carmel International Film Festival is back for it's third year (October 1-October 4), once again hosted by film and television professional Annette Andersen Caton and film director/producer/writer Lawrence Roeck.

This year's jury is star-studded: Actress Francis Fisher, whose work includes roles in "Unforgiven," "Titanic," and numerous television series; Academy Award winning actor, Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People," "Taps," "The Falcon and the Snowman"); award-winning director, producer, and writer, Stephen Gyllenhaal whose career spans more than four decades in film and television; cartoonist, writer, illustrator, and co-founder of Bongo Comics, Bill Morrison, who has also worked on "The Simpsons;" and Stephen Nemeth, an accomplished producer, actor, and director of independent narrative features and award-winning documentaries and the founder of Rhino Films.

It all begins Wednesday, September 30 with a Kick-Off Party and Opening Night Gala from 6-9pm at Mission Bistro in Carmel featuring the Brews Blues Band followed by industry panels, film screenings and audience Q & A's on subsequent days and evenings through October 4th at the Golden Bough Theatre.

In the meantime, I was given a sneak peek of some of the films we can look forward to, and, you are in luck!  I am going to share my sneak peek of three narrative short films with you that are scheduled to show at the Festival. I have always been a fan of "shorts" and miss the fact that movie theatres don't routinely show them anymore along with the feature film like they used to do back when I was young. Short films often have huge impact.  So I was looking forward to seeing these...and I was not disappointed.

 Something Pointless (2026)

A sad young boy and an old man make a connection over what might be considered "something pointless."

Owen Teale ("Game of Thrones") plays Aldous Evans, an elderly man with failing health. Facing his mortality, he comes up with a theory.  To take a break from the madness that often surrounds us in everyday life, it is important to do something each day that is completely pointless, with no end in mind, and in so doing, be able to see how wonderful everything else can be.  One pointless meaningless act each day will make you appreciate the million and one other things in life just a little bit more.

So Aldous starts painting eggshells and affixing them to a desolate wall.

In the meantime, there is a young boy (Leo Harris) who is being bullied at school.  He never smiles. The Headmaster (Sule Rimi) of the school is so concerned about the boy that he calls in his parents asking them if the boy smiles at home. The parents are shocked at the question but when the Headmaster asks them what makes the boy smile, they can't think of anything.

So we have a young boy who never smiles and a dying elderly man who come together during what is supposed to be a pointless act but ends up having a big point. 

This award-winning Welsh film, written by Neil Graham and David Cormican and directed by Asa Bailey is beautifully produced, thoughtfully directed and wonderfully acted to create a lyrical reminder that sometimes the most pointless things go on to become the most point filled.

And this movie also makes a big point about filmmaking as well.  Sometimes a 14 minute film can get to the point and make a profound statement and linger in one's mind longer than many feature length films. That's why I enjoy short films so much.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a beautiful 14 minutes reminding us that we never know how our seemingly small acts can affect the lives of others.

The Liars of Black Mountain Road (2026)

When a couple run over a dog in their car, their true selves emerge.

Abbie (Millie Gibbons) and Ethan (Nolan Gould) are driving along a desolate stretch of California when Ethan hits a dog and kills it. They are traumatized but Ethan checks the dog's collar for a tag so he can call the owner.  He wants to do the right thing.  He finds the phone number and calls and Abbie notices that Ethan implies to the dog's owner that he found the dog, not that he hit the dog. Abbie calls him on it, saying he isn't taking responsibility for hitting the dog, and he disputes her, saying the owner knows he hit the dog.  But Abbie won't let up about it.  Surely he must tell the owner that he, Ethan, was the one who hit the dog. She can't let it go and takes a hoity-toity superior attitude while Ethan insists he is a good person and is doing the right thing. No one saw him hit the dog. Most people would just leave the dog on the side of the road, right?  

Based on the real life experience of director Parker Croft, who also wrote the screenplay with Gould - thank goodness the dog Croft hit didn't die - this twelve and a half minute film, asks - Is Ethan a good person even though he doesn't admit he was the one who hit the dog? Or is he a person who avoids the truth? And what does Abbie really think of Ethan if she is so quick to judge him? And is Abbie a good person to so easily throw Ethan under the bus? Is their relationship going to survive this incident? 

Excellent acting, first-rate production values and taut, thoughtful direction combine to create a "fly on the wall" feeling as we observe these two trying to navigate this incident. The tension is palpable.  I felt like I was in the car with them. And it will make you ask yourself...what would I do in a situation like that?

Oscar-nominated actress Abigail Breslin is one of the Executive Producers and the film won the Grand Prize for Short Film of the Year at the 2026 Veneto International Film Festival and that was well-deserved.

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's amazing the impact a twelve and a half minute film can have.

Redlining (2026)

The story of a white family and a black family and a house.

You may or may not know what "redlining" is. If you don't, here is the short version. It is a term coined in the 1960s by sociologist John McKnight to describe the discriminatory practice of banks that classified certain neighborhoods as "hazardous," or not worthy of investment due to the racial makeup of the residents, thus making it difficult for those residents to get mortgages. But it wasn't just a practice involving mortgages. It also involved denial of credit in general and denial of health care and insurance as well and, it wasn't just about race, either. There was also discrimination against sexual orientation and women. Redlining was a pervasive practice of systemic discrimination that had a wide-ranging impact on American society, and despite legislation against redlining ("The Fair Housing Act of 1968," and 1974's "Equal Credit Opportunity Act"), it still exists today on some levels, with discriminatory lending patterns, systemic disparities persisting in modern housing practices and basic underfunding in minority neighborhoods. Redlining has also historically contributed to the long-term decline of low-income inner-city neighborhoods and the complex issue of generational wealth.

And this 18-minute short film powerfully dramatizes this issue.

Written by actor and comedian Jason Stuart and actress Lee Garlington, who also both star (and directed by Stuart), this is the story of the Gurney family, who are white, and the Williams family, who are black, who all live together on a piece of property in Savannah, Georgia in 1974.  All seems tranquil on the outside but inside the house there is drama, and when Gloria Gurney (Alexandra Paul), the matriarch, dies in 2014, the ownership of the house is called into question.

The ensemble cast is excellent and stars some veteran actors. Jason Stuart, who plays Andrew Gurney, is a character actor and stand-up comic.  He had roles in the 2016 version of "The Birth of a Nation," "Kindergarten Cop," and other feature films. Lee Garlington, who plays Andrew's sister, Katie, is an Emmy-nominated actress who has had recurring roles in "The West Wing," "Will & Grace," and other notable series.  And Alexandra Paul has come a long way since "Bay Watch."  Here she begins as a 40-year-old chainsmoker and ends as a 75-year-old chainsmoker. Kareem Ferguson (Clayton Williams) was featured in HBO's "Winning Time" and Ryan Murphy's "Monster," and Dalilah Ali Rajah who plays Barbara "has guest-starred on every Shonda Rhimes series on TV."

Rosy the Reviewer says...a talented cast telling a story that touches on generational wealth, prejudice, homosexuality, women's rights and discrimination...all in a powerful 18 minutes.

I hope this sneak peek piqued your interest to join me at this year's Carmel International Film Festival to see these and more great movies, not to mention the opportunity to mingle with some film folks.  

For more information and tickets, visit www.ciffest.com. See you there!

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

My Movie Picks and Pans for August 2026, Part 2: "Disclosure Day," "Backrooms" and "This Time Next Year"

[I review Steven Spielberg's latest, "Disclosure Day" as well as the horror film "Backrooms" and the British rom-com "This Time Next Year."]

Disclosure Day (2026)

Another reminder that we might not be alone.

Back in 1978, Ruth Montgomery warned in her book "Strangers Among Us," that aliens had invaded human bodies as "walk ins" and lived among us. A recent HBO miniseries "Bring Me the Beauties:The Model Cult" continues that story with a documentary about a 1980's group called Eternal Values run by charismatic socialite Frederick von Mieiers who claimed to be an extraterrestrial and recruited models to his cult (he only liked pretty people). And then there has always been the whole Roswell mystery - that the U.S. government had proof that aliens had landed on earth and the government was hiding it from the American public. Well, now Steven Spielberg weighs in with this story he came up with and directed (screenplay by David Koepp) and, from his interviews about this movie, he appears to be a believer - that we are not alone and the government has been hiding that from us.

And that's what this movie is all about.

Cybersecurity specialist Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) has stolen documents and an extraterrestrial device from his employer, a secretive U.S.government contractor known as the Wardex Corporation (Waived Reporting, Development, and Extraction) run by Noah Scanlan (Colin Firth) that proves that the whole Roswell incident is true and aliens have always been with us. And the Wardex people are not happy about what Kellner has done so he is on the run with his girlfriend, Jane (Eve Hewson, Bono's daughter).

Daniel is being helped by Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), who leads a team of former Wardex employees who want to disclose the evidence to the world that extraterrestrials are here.  But Wardex and the government are going to do everything they can to keep that from happening.

Meanwhile, in Kansas City, TV meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is living with her boyfriend, Jackson (Wyatt Russell, Goldie Hawn's and Kurt Russell's son), and wondering whether she should stay in Kansas City when a cardinal flies into her home. Somehow, that incident changes Margaret and gives her a pscyhic ability to intuit people's thoughts and speak in languages she has never learned. During a live weather broadcast, Margaret unexpectedly begins speaking in an unknown language. Footage of the broadcast goes viral and draws the attention of Wardex, which identifies the language as extraterrestrial. So now, under the direction of Scanlan, Wardex is after her too. And somehow Margaret knows she needs to find Daniel - well, I guess she knows because now she is psychic - so off she goes to find him with Wardex in the guise of FBI agents after her. Turns out Daniel and Margaret discover they have a bond from the past.

Steven Spielberg knows how to make riveting movies, but there is a moment when Daniel says, "I don't understand what's happening," and I felt that way myself for the first 90 minutes of this movie. But, I was still engaged. That says something about Spielberg's movie-making abilities. I just wish he didn't take so long to tell the story. At two and a half hours, it's too long. But at least I watched it at home with a glass of wine and could take an intermission. I have a big TV so I am not as inclined to venture out to the theatre anymore. Though I want to support the movie industry, I just don't enjoy the long movies that seem to be the thing these days nor do I miss people talking behind me and the crackling of candy wrappers.

Anyway, as for the alien question, I have always wondered if there really were aliens among us and the government had proof, why would the government want to keep this a secret? What would happen if we knew the truth? Spielberg attempts to tackle that question. He seems to be saying that if we believed in aliens we would see them as supreme beings and would stop believing in God and that would divide us all further. Not sure about that. But it's a question worth asking. 

But despite my confusion and several "Huh?" moments, the all-star cast and the special effects were amazing, especially a scene with a car being dragged by a speeding train. Despite its length, the film keeps moving, is action-packed and engaging.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a long but fun ride even if I didn't know what was going on half of the time. (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

Backrooms (2026)

A San Jose furniture store contains an entryway into another dimension...and it's not nice in there.

It's 1990 and failed architect Clark (Chiwetel Ejofor) now owns a struggling furniture store in San Jose, California. He dresses up like a pirate to promote his store on TV with the help of his assistant manager, Kat (Lukita Maxwell) and her boyfriend, Bobby (Finn Bennett).  Clark is a sad character as he struggles with his alcoholism and a dissolved marriage and blames his situation on everyone and everything else besides himself.  

Having taken up residence in the store, one night Clark notices the lights flickering mysteriously and his television functioning erratically and while checking the breaker box, Clark notices a glowing slit in a wall. Approaching it, he falls through and enters a huge backroom area filled with upended furniture, empty closets filled with empty hangers, narrow passages, an endless series of abandoned office spaces. Clark also realizes he is not alone as an unseen entity appears to chase him and he narrowly escapes back into his store. There is also someone watching him from behind the scenes.

Clark has been seeing therapist Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), who has her own issues, and when he tells Mary about the Backrooms, he is met with skepticism, so to get proof, Clark brings Kat and Bobby into the Backrooms to film their discoveries. Not good. Some bad things happen.

Later, Mary receives a cryptic message from Clark, who tells her that he is staying in the Backrooms and will not return.  Concerned about Clark, Mary visits the store and enters the Backrooms herself. Not good.  More bad things happen.

Ejofor and Reinsve are wonderfully believable as flawed characters struggling with their pasts, thrown into a kind of hell. It's like the halls of "Severance" but on acid. The film also reminded me of Jean-Paul Sartre's play "No Exit," set in a single room representing Hell. Is it hell?  Is it a nightmare?  Or is it madness?

Like "Obsession," this is a first feature film by a YouTuber, this time, Kane Parsons, whose YouTube series went viral and was picked up by A24, becoming the second highest-grossing horror film of 2026 and the fifth highest-grossing independent film of all time. The concept of Backrooms is an Internet urban legend from 2019.  Parsons wrote the screemplay along with Will Soodik and directed this highly creepy and disturbing horror film that will stay in the backrooms of your brain for awhile. Who knew huge empty well-lit rooms could be so scary? Much of the movie is filmed from the characters' point of view as they explore the backrooms which adds to a "you are there" aspect, and in turn adds to the creepyness factor. But there are also some "WTH?" unexplained moments like, what the hell did the “Async Research Institute" with Phil (Mark Duplass) monitoring the Backrooms on cameras have to do with this and what the hell was that ending all about?

Rosy the Reviewer says...I mostly enjoyed this if I can say "enjoy" about a horror film. But if you like creepy, you will like this and you will never look at a furniture store the same way again.  (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime or Apple+)

This Time Next Year (2024)

Quinn (Lucien Laviscount) and Minnie (Sophie Cookson) were born only two minutes apart on New Year's Day.  They meet by chance 30 years later.  Gee, do you think they will hook up?

Minnie Cooper (yes, she knows) hates her birthday.  They have all been bad birthdays and this year is no different. She just doesn't seem to have good luck.  She goes to a New Year's Eve party with her not-very-nice boyfriend, Greg (Will Hislop), gets mistaken for a server and get locked in the bathroom all night.  The next morning she is rescured by a handsome stranger, Quinn Hamilton.  

Turns out, they were both born within minutes of each other in the same London hospital but Quinn beat her to be the first baby born in 1990, thus his mother, Tara (Golda Rosheuvel), won the money awarded to the first baby, and worse, Tara stole the name Minnie's mother, Connie (Monica Dolan), was going to name her. Connie had shared with Tara that she was going to name her baby Quinn and that it was a lucky name. But Tara beat her to it, naming her baby Quinn and winning the huge cash prize for giving birth to the first baby of the year. And thus started a series of unlucky events for Minnie and Connie's huge resentment toward Tara.

Minnie runs a food truck and has had an unlucky life but she is a kind person working with seniors. Quinn, on the other hand, is a wealthy businessman who has lived a charmed life, but he is a kind person too. One can't help but wonder if Quinn was indeed a lucky name that Minnie missed out on. 

In true rom-com fashion, the two meet cute, really like each other, then a misunderstanding occurs and then they don't like each other, yada, yada, yada.  We know how it's going to go but the Brits do a good job with romantic comedies.  Their rom-coms tend to be more original, not following the Hallmark formula as much, and include fun, quirky characters, and yes, poignancy.  I mean, does "Love Actually" ring a bell?  Or "Notting Hill?"  And... actually...director Nick Moore has been working in this rom-com genre for awhile having edited both "Love Actually" and "Notting Hill."

And...actually... this film, written by Sophie Cousens (based on her book by the same name) is just as good as those. 

Cookson and Laviscount are attractive lovers who exude warmth and who together bring out the best in each other. And there is a sweet subplot involving Connie and Tara. It all unfolds with beautiful London as a backdrop. It is one of the best rom-coms I have seen this year and I am picky about my ron-coms.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this is how you do a rom-com that's worth watching - characters with some depth and some issues to resolve; unlikely friendships, quirky characters and a good message. And it doesn't hurt that the leading man is super attractive. If you like rom-coms, you don't want to miss this one! (streaming on Amazon Prime)

 

See You Next Time!

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And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!