Nate at the Movies: September 2026 Roundup 🍿

Hey, Reader! Welcome back another month of movies. Let's find you something worth watching.

🌟 This Month's Must-See Movies

Forgotten Island (2026)

One of the craziest movies of the year (animated or otherwise), Forgotten Island was powerful and fun and has been criminally underseen so far—get out there, moviegoers!

"Forgotten Island was another DreamWorks masterclass in emotional storytelling and gorgeous animation, but the passion for such under-explored source material is what may make this movie ascend past studio classics like Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon".

Read the full review

Primetime (2026)

I didn't know a ton about To Catch a Predator coming into this screening, but I was wowed by Robert Pattinson's insane performance and Lance Oppenheim's colorful, inspired direction. If Pattinson doesn't get an Oscar nomination, I riot.

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Resident Evil (2026)

Maybe the biggest surprise of the year (and definitely the biggest of the month), Resident Evil was bloody entertaining and unexpectedly hilarious. Who needs to watch the previous batch of so-so Resident Evil movies when Zach Cregger beat them all on his first try?

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💎 My Favorite First-Time Watches This Month

I wanted to watch Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) before seeing Digger in October, and while I didn't quite get to "this deserved to win Best Picture" territory, I was very impressed. A career-best outing from Michael Keaton, and some excellent oner-presenting direction and editing.

I decided to torture myself by watching United 93 (2006) on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and while it was a stressful, well-made movie, I wouldn't exactly recommend it for my next movie night. Props to all the first-time actors that crushed it, though!

The Outsiders (1983) was my Adaptation Appreciation read this month, and while the movie was good (and featured one of the all-time best ensemble casts), I was expecting a masterpiece from Coppola. The movie's lightning-fast pace didn't stop the ending from hitting like a truck, though.

🎯 Works in Progress

Adaptation Appreciation (9/12): As mentioned above, I read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton this month (for the second time, though this was the first I realized that Hinton was a woman). It was one of a select few that I enjoyed reading in high school, and it got better upon reread, and while the movie was solid, I wanted more time with the gang.

Harry Potter (6/8): September has been a busy month...but not too busy for Harry Potter! Morgan and I actually watched The Half-Blood Prince over two days (I couldn't tell you the last time I did that) and enjoyed it just like we have the rest of the franchise. I can't wait to see the two-part Deathly Hallows movies—those are the only ones I've never seen!

🎶 While I Wasn't At The Movies

This was a bit of an eleventh-hour listen, but I recently listened through Lizzy McAlpine's new album, Angel, and it's fantastic! I heard "Over country" first and immediately wanted to arrange it for my choir, but the whole album is excellent, especially if you want to cry (a lot).

🚨 Next Month's Movie Radar

Wildwood (2026) is my biggest-ticket item in October—I'm reading the book right now, and I think it could be the best (animated) movie of the year—but there's plenty to love as the awards contenders start to avail themselves.

Morgan and I are also seeing Digger (2026) on Sunday, which has proven to be divisive, and other big hitters like The Social Reckoning (2026) and a press screening of Wild Horse Nine (2026) are happening later in the month.