What I've Caught Up With, August 2026 Part 2

I did better with television shows in August. I watched the final season of Good Omens, which was really just a movie-length episode of the show. I also finally finished The Sopranos as my workout show and have moved on to 12 Monkeys, which is surprisingly intense. I watched the second season of Fallout as well. I also watched the DC animated show Harley Quinn. It was fun for four seasons and went one season too long. Last and absolutely least, I watched the Harley Quinn spin-off Kite Man, Hell Yeah, which at a single season also went one season too long.

What I’ve Caught Up With, August 2026
Film: To Die For (1995)

Based loosely on a real-world case, To Die For tells the story of Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman), a woman desperate to be on television and willing to do anything to get there, who conspired to have her husband (Matt Dillon) murdered. This is a dark comedy, the sort that isn’t laugh-out-loud funny, but definitely feels like it could easily be turned into a Coen Brothers movie. It’s a good cast all around; early roles for Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix as Suzanne’s high school-aged lover and contracted killer, plus Wayne Knight, Kurtwood Smith, Dan Hedaya, and others. Honestly, if I had known that Illeana Douglas was in this (as the murder victim’s sister), I would have watched it years ago. She’s one of those people I’ll watch in just about anything.

Film: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

It’s hard to remember a time when Star Trek wasn’t the franchise powerhouse it is, but Star Trek: The Motion Picture was somehow shocking when it showed up. It was filled with nostalgia for people who were fans of the show and people were excited to see these beloved characters and character actors on a big screen. We wouldn’t have all of the Star Trek shows and media without this movie. And so it’s easy to forget just how dull this movie really is. It’s well over two hours long and it could have been a B-story in a standard-length episode. It’s about re-establishing the Trek universe, so plenty of glamor shots of the Enterprise and making sure all of the characters get their screen time. Still, knowing what came from this makes it important and worth seeing. Just make sure you’re fully caffeinated.

Film: Happy Accidents (2000)

Vincent D’Onofrio is an underrated actor who makes everything better. He’s still one of the best casting decisions in the MCU, and he plays weirdos like Edgar in Men in Black or the savant-like Goren from Law & Order: Criminal Intent perfectly. But can he work in a rom-com? Then answer is yes, provided it’s a weird one like Happy Accidents. Sam Deed (D’Onofrio) has a meet-cute with Ruby Weaver (Marisa Tomei), but when his quirks and weirdness finally cause a confrontation between the two of them, he reveals that he is from more than 400 years in the future. This is a hard movie to dislike. Tomei is always better than people want to admit, and D’Onofrio is earnest in only the way that he can be. Oh, and if you’re politically left, look for the appearance of Sam Seder as one of Ruby’s failed boyfriends.

Film: Black Girl (1966)

Barely an hour long, this film from Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène tells the story of Diouana (Mbissine Thérèse Diop), hired to be a nanny to the young children of a French family. Eventually, the family asks her to come with them to France, and Diouana believes she will have an idyllic life looking after the kids and exploring Paris. Instead, she is turned into a cook and maid and essentially no longer allowed to leave the family apartment. Slavery may no longer be legal in its old forms, but that doesn’t mean that those with power haven’t found a way to perpetuate it in the modern world. This is dark and depressing, but important, and is one of the first films from sub-Saharan Africa to really be taken seriously in the cinematic world.

Film: Whirlpool (1950)

A classic, if underknown film noir, Ann Sutton (Gene Tierney) is the wife of a prominent psychoanalyst, and is hiding the fact that she is a kleptomaniac. Rather than go to her husband for help, she is rescued after being caught shoplifting by David Korvo (José Ferrer), who is a hypnotist and something of a quack. Korvo, now with information that can embarrass her, hypnotizes her to help her sleep. Then a few days later, Ann finds herself in the house of another woman next to that woman’s body and with no memory of how she got there. This is a fine example of the style, but it’s very much a film that is more about the story placed in front of us that it is about the characters or the performances. This is story first, everything else second, but Gene Tierney is always worth a view, and Ferrer is exactly the right sort of upsetting.

Film: Nine to Five (1980)

Newly divorced Judy (Jane Fonda), long-time divorcee career woman Violet (Lily Tomlin), and married secretary Doralee (Dolly Parton) all have gripes against their terrible boss, Franklin M. Hart (Dabney Coleman). Judy is angry because he fired a woman who talked about her salary; Violet because he gave her promotion to the man she trained; and Doralee for telling the office they were having an affair. Through a series of problems, the three end up kidnapping their boss and discovering that he has been stealing from the company. Nine to Five is over the top by design, and that’s fine. As the audience, we’re willing to root for our three heroines. It’s worth noting that Peggy Pope as the office alcoholic steals ever scene she’s in. Dolly Parton was the best of us, and it seemed right to honor her by watching one of her best performances.