8 Best Things I Watched and Read in September
September had some of the best movies I've seen all year!
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September was a fantastic month for movies, no surprise as we're in the midst of awards season. But in a month that saw some great contemporary releases, I also got to see some wonderful classic (or at least non-recent) features. Add to that a great history book and I was actually chock-full of suggestions for this month's diary.
Below are the eight best things I watched and read last month with mini-reviews. I'm always looking for new recommendations so be sure to drop yours in the comments.
Married to the Mob (1988)
Having recently done a Ticklish Business episode on Jonathan Demme's Swing Shift (1984) a few months ago, I realized there were still some Demme blind spots I needed to see. One of them was this delightful romantic comedy. The story of mob wife Angela de Marco (Michelle Pfeiffer) and how she rebuilds her life after her husband's death pitch perfect take on the topics Martin Scorsese usually focuses on. Barry Strugatz and Mark R. Burns's script is as hilarious as it is swoon-inducing, but it's nothing without some great performances.
The characters here are all memorable. Pfeiffer may rock a bad wig but she's so stellar as the mob widow genuinely trying to restart her life and being unable to. Like the heroine of many a screwball comedy, for as much as she tries to be done with her old life, it refuses to be done with her. This might be one of the few flicks that Matthew Modine actually works well in. But it's all about Dean Stockwell as mob kingpin Tony Russo and Mercedes Ruhl as his obsessive wife who run away with the movie. Stockwell is so charming yet frightening, while Ruhl is equally frightening (albeit in a way that's intentionally cartoonish). One of the real gems I saw for the first time this year.
Streets of Fire (1984)
Having spent the last year writing about Tales From the Crypt I'm fortunate to call Walter Hill a buddy. And yet I had to confess to him that I'm woefully behind on his movies, something I've been trying to rectify. You might have noticed that Hill's 48 Hrs. (1982) was on last month's list. But having seen Streets of Fire I might have found my favorite Walter Hill movie. Which is ironic because the movie didn't do well at the time, and Hill said during a recent screening of it at the Academy that he's surprised so many people now love it.
It's certainly a movie free of time and genre. A crime drama, film noir, musical that plays with fast cars, cool dames, and pretty bland leading men (that's a compliment). When singer Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) is kidnapped, it's up to a mercenary, and Aim's former lover, Tom Cody (Michael Pare) to save her. He and his girl Friday McCoy (an impeccable Amy Madigan) go on the hunt to save Ellen from an evil greaser, played by Willem Dafoe, as the city threatens to burn around them. Outside of that stacked cast, Streets of Fire just looks fantastic. Physical sets, period specific costumes. It feels like a movie that could comfortably exist in the 1980s as the 1940s. Now I just wish Ellen Aim were real and I could see a live concert.
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty (2026)
I initially thought Josef Kubota Wladyka's feature was a typical ballroom dance film, wherein a woman suffers tragedy and learns to dance as a method of overcoming it. And, on the surface, that is the plot of Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty. But there's something so much more kooky and fun bubbling up under the surface. It's worth reading/watching my interview Wladyka after you see it. Rinko Kikuchi is so magnetic as Haru, the protagonist mourning her husband's death while finding a new life in the arms of her dance teacher, the good-looking Fedir (Alberto Guerra).
This is a movie about female desire, whether that's sex or dancing, and how often women sublimate that in order to get along in the world. What's even more interesting is how Haru makes choices that leave the viewer cringing and wondering if she's still sympathetic through it all. It's a further testament to Kikuchi's skill that you stick with her. Also, where else can you get a dance sequence to both "Be My Baby" and "Dreams," as well as a whole divergence into a Japanese performance of Dirty Dancing on stage?
Forgotten Island (2026)
From my review: What starts out as a story of friends parting opens up an examination of memory, and how what we remember becomes a powerful talisman to bind us to the people we love. With a super voice cast led by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano, Forgotten Island is, no surprise, another home run from DreamWorks Animation and one of the best animated films of 2026.
Like The Last Wish and Wild Robot, Forgotten Island is a story of community, and the chosen family we make through experience; Jo because she's in trouble for beating up a kid who disputes Nakali's existence and Raissa for agreeing. A heartfelt montage sees them grow up, lose family members, and generally run wild through their hometown to a soundtrack that includes Journey and INXS. Every moment sees them celebrate with a charm for their charm bracelet, a literal reminder of their greatest exploits. Once they get to Nakali, that charm bracelet becomes the totem that defines their relationship and sets the plot into motion.
The Six Loves of James I by Gareth Russell
If you've been reading these recommendations long enough you've probably seen a few history-centric books on here. Just when I think I've read every book on English history I find another. Such is the case with Gareth Russell's The Six Loves of James I. I'm not that well-versed in the Jacobean period, and really only knew James I as the successor to Queen Elizabeth I. But Russell weaves a beautiful story of love, fear, death, and tragedy that proves James was far more than Lizzie's follow-up. The book is a rich blend of gossip and history, perfect for someone who doesn't read "those types of books." If you're looking for a meaty historical text, this is it.
Resident Evil (2026)
From my review: After coming out of the gate with two original features – 2022's Barbarian and 2025's Weapons – director Zach Cregger enters the franchise/IP landscape with a new take on Resident Evil. The long-running video game series has been the subject of seven movies over its lifetime, predominately starring actress Milla Jovovich and vastly ranging in quality. Cregger's take on the material is in the same landscape as his previous features, blending his awkward humor with a heavy amount of disgusting effects work.
But the script, co-written by him and Shay Hatten leans into the limitations of a video game movie, presenting a quick-paced and lean examination of fate and fatherhood that is as fun as can be. Anchored by a fantastic performance from Cregger alum Austin Abrams, what could have been a chintzy cash-grab ends up being a scary, breathless, and downright hilarious good time.
The Debut (2026)
I was far from the biggest fan of Jesse Eisenberg's film A Real Pain last year, so I went in to his new film, The Debut, with some trepidation. But apparently Eisenberg is a theater kid at heart and his latest film is a tribute to everyone who has a song in their heart. Whether anyone wants to hear it is another question. Julianne Moore, in a role that should garner her the Oscar, is Mona, a sad housewife who takes on the chance to audition for a local play. Through a technicality, she wins the role and proceeds to go full Method on her brief role as a janitor.
Kristen Lopez
Moore is utterly excellent, absolutely no notes. She's so good that she really dominates the movie. That's not to say the supporting cast, including Paul Giamatti and Halle Bailey aren't good, but they're not on the same level as Moore. Add in some songs that feel like they'd belong next to Avenue Q and this is the theater musical of the year I didn't know I needed.
Fjord (2026)
Director and screenwriter Cristian Mungiu's Fjord is a thought-provoking story of government interference and family I'm interested in more U.S. audiences seeing. The story of a Romanian family investigated in Norway for child abuse brings up questions of progressivism, religious and ethnic intolerance, and the fine line between support and suppression. Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, reuniting after A Different Man, give heartbreaking performances with ambiguity in every frame. I'm still debating this one after seeing it.
