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Welcome back to (re)Viewing Last Month: July 2026, my monthly recap of the movies and television series my husband and I have been watching! We took a lot of long weekend trips in July, which means we spent time watching whatever we could find on hotel TVs in the evenings. We watched more movies and less shows than usual. Works appear in the the order in which we finished them.
Title: The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
Year Released: 2004
Seen before? No
Based on a Book or Story? No, but the movie was made into a book of the same name
Have I Read the Book? No
Reason for Watching: We started The Librarians TV series then realized it was based on earlier movies
Source: Amazon Prime
We coincidentally watched this shortly after finishing the first season of The Pitt, which stars Noah Wyle in an Emmy-winning role. It was a jolt to see him as an overacting goofball in this made-for-TV movie. The cast is first-rate but the movie can best be described as a silly Indiana Jones knockoff. It is amusing though, so give it a try if you’re looking to unwind with an easy watch after a stressful day.
Title: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Year Released: 2014
Seen before? Yes
Based on a Book or Story? Yes, the Kingsman comics by Mark Millar and others
Have I Read the Book? No
Reason for Watching: It was the only thing on TV and we remembered liking it
Source: Hotel cable
Kingsman: The Secret Service is another movie that features an amazing cast but they are used to much more effect here. The violence is completely over the top and the humor can be a bit raunchy at times but it’s just a lot of fun. There’s one scene in particular where Colin Firth is a suave killing machine that is so unbelievably violent yet beautifully choreographed and filmed that I don’t know whether to hide my eyes or applaud. There’s a message here about our addiction to our phones and the divide between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the world that has only gotten more relevant since the movie was released. But that sounds serious and this film mostly wants to be an entertaining yet shocking hang. It succeeds on both fronts.
Title: Evil Under the Sun
Year Released: 1982
Seen before? No
Based on a Book or Story? Yes. Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot #23) by Agatha Christie
Have I Read the Book? Probably. I read a lot of Agatha Christie as a teen
Reason for Watching: It was the only thing on
Source: Hotel cable
We found this movie a little boring, to be honest. I fell asleep and we had to finish it at home the next night. We didn’t know who committed the murder or how but we didn’t care all that much either. We loved seeing a young Dame Maggie Smith as the hotel owner but we’ll quickly forget that we ever even watched this.
Title: The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines
Year Released: 2006
Seen before? No
Based on a Book or Story? No
Reason for Watching: Continuing the trilogy of movies
Source: Amazon Prime
This is the second movie in The Librarian trilogy. It was somehow even sillier than the first. I had a very good idea about what was going on from pretty early in the movie. It’s still a fun way to pass a couple of hours though.
Title: Resident Alien: Season 3
Year Released: 2024
Seen before? No
Based on a Book or Story? Yes. The Resident Alien graphic novels by Peter Hogan and Steven Parkhouse
Have I Read the Book? No
Reason for Watching: We loved the previous seasons
Source: Netflix
Alan Tudyk continues to crack us up in this show! The rest of the cast is hilarious too, but all in different ways. There are, surprisingly, plenty of other emotional beats in this season. I felt real sorrow with some characters and cheered for others who finally stood up for themselves. The character of D’Arcy continues to irritate us though. And we aren’t sure why General McCallister has made a complete 180 in her attitude. I’m curious to see how everything (hopefully) wraps up in season 4, which is the final one.
Title: Somewhere in Time
Year Released: 1980
Seen before? No
Based on a Book or Story? Yes. Somewhere in Time (originally Bid Time Return) by Richard Matheson
Have I Read the Book? No
Reason for Watching: We recently visited the filming location
Source: Amazon Prime
This movie was inescapable when we went to Mackinac Island, Michigan, where it was filmed. We finally gave in and watched it.
It felt overly sentimental and melodramatic to me. My husband is more tolerant of that vibe than I am but even he was pretty indifferent to it. We had a lot of obvious questions that weren’t addressed.
That said, Christopher Reeve’s performance was outstanding. There’s really not a lot of dialogue and he carries the bulk of the film. He goes from proud playwright launching a successful career, to a man obsessed by a woman he can’t have, to something of a fever dream as he tries to go back in time to her. He portrays all of this to perfection.
And, possible spoiler here…
It doesn’t exactly romanticize suicide but it doesn’t exactly NOT romanticize suicide either. We lost one of our best friends when he committed suicide in 2015. This is a deal-breaker for both of us.
Title: Project Hail Mary
Year Released: 2026
Seen before? No
Based on a Book or Story? Yes. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Have I Read the Book? Yes. I rated it 4 stars but never reviewed it
Reason for Watching: My husband and I have both read the book and we both read and liked The Martian (book and movie) by the same author
Source: Amazon Prime
I read this book when it was first released back in 2021. I only remember the very broad strokes. My husband just read the book this spring. I liked the movie more than my husband did. The differences between the two really bothered him. I felt the pacing dragged a little bit.
I like Ryan Gosling and thought his performance was fine, but maybe his character just wasn’t as charming and funny as Matt Damon’s in The Martian? I don’t know. Speaking of performances, Sandra Hüller was amazing as Eva Stratt. She is a woman who has to make some impossible decisions and you can see the weight of them on her shoulders even as she keeps relentlessly doing what has to be done.
Title: Song Sung Blue
Year Released: 2025
Seen before? No
Based on a Book or Story? No, but it is based on a documentary of the same name
Reason for Watching: My husband likes Neil Diamond’s songs and The Greatest Showman (another musical starring Hugh Jackman)
Source: Netflix
I wasn’t excited about this. The only Neil Diamond song I can name is “Sweet Caroline” so it doesn’t even have a nostalgic soundtrack in its favor as far as I’m concerned. It starts off as a joyful movie, as Mike launches his Neil Diamond tribute band and he meets Claire. But it takes a very dramatic turn about a third of the way through and suddenly we found ourselves in serious drama territory. It was like someone flipped a switch and it was completely unexpected.
I can see why Kate Hudson was nominated for an Oscar for her role. She is superb as she travels from the very highest highs to rock bottom.
Title: Schitt’s Creek: Season Two
Year Released: 2016
Seen before? No
Based on a Book or Story? No
Reason for Watching: We kind of liked season 1
Source: Disney+/Hulu
We tried the first episode of Schitt’s Creek years ago and it was not for me. I did not want to spend time with these rich people and that disgusting mayor. But I realized that most people agree that it takes at least the first half of the first season to get good. So we started over again this year.
We have had some very hard laughs, even early in the first season, but I think it took more like a season and a half to hook me. These people are terrible! Entitled family and clueless townsfolk alike! There is nothing to redeem anyone. Or is there? Cracks are appearing in their facades. I think there might be hope for everyone yet.
That’s it for us. What did you watch last month? Anything you would recommend? What do you think of our choices?
