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Welcome to Trust Me, I Watch Everything<\/strong><\/a>, a weekly guide to all the new movies out each Friday and where to find them. This week\u2019s buzziest release is Backrooms, <\/em>a movie directed by a 20-year-old YouTuber, set to become a box office sensation and A24\u2019s highest opening ever. If \u201ccreepypasta\u201d and liminal horror<\/a> aren\u2019t your thing, there\u2019s a terrific counterprogramming option in Tuner, <\/em>an old-fashioned thriller with a killer premise and fun characters.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d rather have a movie night at home, you can rent or buy a slew of new releases, including the incredibly expensive box office bomb that was the Saudi Arabian historical epic blockbuster Desert Warrior, <\/em>starring Anthony Mackie, or the lean and tense heist thriller Fuze.<\/em><\/p>\n And on streaming services you’re likely already paying for, Scream 7 <\/em>makes its way to Paramount+ after becoming a huge hit, despite its many controversies, and Gus Van Sant\u2019s underseen Dead Man\u2019s Wire <\/em>makes its debut on Netflix.<\/p>\n Intrigued? Let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: My Yahoo colleague Kelsey Weekman reviewed this one.<\/em><\/p>\n Why you should see it:<\/strong> We\u2019ve never seen anything like Backrooms<\/em> \u2014 a horror film based on a web series imagined by then-teen YouTube star Kane Parsons<\/a> (he just turned 20), who was then given the resources and budget to bring it to life. It\u2019s projected to make a ton of money at the box office, where young people are always champing at the bit to see something familiar yet fresh, like YouTuber Markiplier\u2019s Iron Lung<\/em><\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n The film follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a divorced and miserable owner of a furniture store who\u2019d much rather be an architect. He\u2019s seeing a therapist named Mary (Renate Reinsve) to address his misery and rage. She\u2019s got problems of her own, of course. But one day, Clark is drawn to one of the walls of his store, and accidentally falls into it, getting trapped inside a labyrinth of dull, pale rooms that seem to invite supernatural happenings (and jump scares).<\/p>\n The plot diverges from the original web series and abandons much of the lore that fans will be looking for \u2014 as a fan myself, I was bummed \u2014 to focus on the atmospheric dread its characters experience. But I think it shows a maturity and depth within Parsons that he\u2019d abandon the popular media adaptation playbook and rely more heavily on themes and thoughtfulness<\/a> than, say, familiar memes<\/p>\n There\u2019s just one problem: It\u2019s boring. It takes almost an hour for anything to happen. That ramps up the unsettling factor, making liminal spaces feel more tense and beige walls feel more uncanny, but it\u2019s also straight-up unpleasant at times. In a twisted way, that made me excited for the new generation that will come out in droves to see it. Iron Lung<\/em> had the same problem, which suggests to me that the nation\u2019s youth\u2019s attention spans might not be totally fried after all.<\/p>\n What other critics are saying<\/strong>: They like it for the most part. Owen Gleiberman of Variety<\/a> says, \u201cIt may alienate anyone expecting a conventional fear ride. Parsons, for all he shows you, leaves you with the sensation that the real horror may be just out of reach \u2014 which, in its way, is what makes the liminal-space aesthetic a form of cool.\u201d TheWrap\u2019s William Bibbiani<\/a> writes that \u201cthis movie doesn\u2019t seem to want to be a major motion picture. I think it just wants to be a Halloween Haunt.\u201d<\/p>\n How to watch: <\/strong>Backrooms<\/em> is now playing in theaters nationwide.<\/a><\/p>\n Get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: My Yahoo colleague Suzy Byrne reviewed this one.<\/em><\/p>\n Why you should skip it: <\/strong>Nate Bargatze is undeniably the main attraction here. His clean humor<\/a> feels safe and distinct in a comedy landscape that\u2019s so shock-based. (Did you watch the Kevin Hart roast?<\/a>) The Breadwinner<\/em> is also a PG film you can bring your family to<\/a>. No uncomfortable moments, no surprises, and you\u2019ll even have a few laughs.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s also basically 95 minutes of \u201cDad is an incompetent idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n Bargatze plays (you guessed it) Nate, a Nashville Toyota salesman whose life gets turned upside down when his stay-at-home wife, played by Mandy Moore, invents a parenting gadget (the Star Minder) that lands a Shark Tank<\/em> deal and takes her out of town for a month, leaving him to manage their three daughters. (Yes, Mr. Wonderful is in another movie<\/a>. And Lori Greiner too.)<\/p>\n Nate can\u2019t cook, clean, grocery shop, do laundry or manage the kids without the entire house collapsing around him. It\u2019s very Mr. Mom<\/em> meets The Money Pit<\/em>: slapstick, chaos, predictable emotional lessons and a happy ending.<\/p>\n While much of the comedy is silly, some of the smaller parenting moments resonated. Managing even one school-age child requires a CEO-level scheduling system. Schools constantly need something from parents \u2014 snacks, volunteers, donations, costumes, spirit days \u2014 especially at this time of year<\/a>. And if you\u2019ve ever attended a school spelling bee, you know they somehow last three hours \u2014 two more than you allotted to sneak away from work for. Those moments showcase Bargatze\u2019s observational humor far better than his crashing through walls and destroying the house.<\/p>\n My bigger issue is: Why are movie dads always morons?<\/p>\n Yes, moms often carry a lot of the mental load, but dads aren\u2019t universally helpless children. My husband may not run the family calendar,\u00a0 but he also would not destroy the house if I left town for a month \u2014 and he does plenty, from making school lunch to carpooling. Movie (and TV!) dads are constantly portrayed as idiots incapable of basic domestic life, which feels lazy.<\/p>\n The supporting cast \u2014 Colin Jost, Will Forte, Kumail Nanjiani \u2014 is solid, though they\u2019re mostly playing goofy guys. Nanjiani does get the movie\u2019s best line as Nate\u2019s superfit workplace rival: \u201cThe pecs bring in the checks.\u201d<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t care about predictability and inept dads, and you like Bargatze, this movie is easy to watch and mildly funny. But it settles for easy tropes instead of giving its main character more depth \u2014 or competence \u2014 and that doesn\u2019t exactly kill.<\/p>\n What other critics are saying<\/strong>: Most critics agree, unfortunately. Natalia Winkelman at Variety<\/a> writes that “select moments may land a laugh, but zoom out a little, and the real joke is that this movie was made in 2026.” IndieWire’s Alison Foreman<\/a> damned it with faint praise, calling it “the funniest feature-length ad you\u2019ve seen in a while.”<\/p>\n How to watch: <\/strong>The Breadwinner <\/em>is now playing in theaters nationwide.<\/a><\/p>\n Get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n But that\u2019s not all \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Tuner:<\/em><\/strong> This efficient and entertaining low-budget indie crime-drama thriller boasts a great cast and even stronger characters. Leo Woodall stars as a talented piano tuner whose life is turned upside down when he discovers that his meticulous piano-tuning skills can also be applied to cracking safes. The circumstances by which the piano tuner reluctantly falls into his life of crime are clever and engrossing, and there\u2019s also a compelling romance between Woodall and costar Havana Rose Liu. The killer sound design stands out, and it\u2019s great to see Dustin Hoffman having fun here \u2014 his character even has his own bobble head in the world of the film. The script embraces some genre clich\u00e9s by the end, but not enough to detract from all it does right. Get tickets.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Why you should watch it: <\/strong>When you think of 7th-century Arabia, surely your mind immediately goes to Anthony Mackie and Sharlto Copley, right?<\/p>\n If you’re able to put aside the inherent absurdity of the casting, Desert Warrior <\/em>is actually far more competent than it sounds on paper, mostly thanks to esteemed director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)<\/em>, who imbues the action with life and fills the movie with gorgeous desert images.<\/p>\n It’s a $150 million Saudi-backed film, and the money is, in fact, on the screen. The poster and title may lead you to believe that Mackie is the titular desert warrior, but the movie is smarter than that and has a real plot that actually makes sense.<\/p>\n In the film, Princess Hind (Aiysha Hart, the real desert warrior here) defies her fate, refusing to become a concubine to the ruthless Emperor Kisra (Sir Ben Kingsley). Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie), who has secrets of his own. Rising from fugitive to fearless warrior, Hind unites warring tribes for a final battle that will change history forever.<\/p>\n Desert Warrior <\/em>makes the absolute most of on-location filming in exotic locales; it’s beautifully photographed throughout, and the set pieces are all exciting and well put together. Surely many liberties have been taken in adapting this slice of history into an action film, but in the process, Saudi Arabia proves it can make a big-budget spectacle that largely stands up to the best Hollywood has to offer. (Largely because Hollywood doesn’t even try to make historical epics anymore.)<\/p>\n What other critics are saying: <\/strong>They were not as kind as myself. The AV Club’s Monica Castillo<\/a> writes, “While the story onscreen is dull and the performances uninspired, it\u2019s the story around Desert Warrior <\/em>that solidifies it as a strange chapter in a country\u2019s self-promotional history.”<\/p>\n How to watch:<\/strong> Desert Warrior <\/em>is now available to rent or buy on Apple TV<\/a>, Prime Video<\/a>, and other VOD platforms.<\/p>\n Rent or buy<\/a><\/p>\n Why you should watch it: <\/strong>The plot of Fuze <\/em>is simple yet also more complex than it appears at first glance.<\/p>\n It’s a tense, ticking-clock thriller about an unexploded WWII bomb that is discovered on a busy construction site in the middle of London. Chaos ensues as the military and police begin a mass evacuation, and the true nature of the situation gets revealed. Now it’s a heist movie!<\/p>\n It’s an incredibly efficient and propulsive flick that keeps you invested as more complications are revealed. Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the guy defusing the bomb, and Sam Worthington and Theo James show up as the criminals committing a robbery, using the bomb situation as cover.<\/p>\n It’s directed by David Mackenzie, who was behind the Taylor Sheridan-penned Hell or High Water. <\/em>The cross-cutting and editing here really keep things moving along; it’s a brass-tacks genre exercise and nothing more, but it succeeds within those parameters.<\/p>\n What other critics are saying: <\/strong>They like it! Amy Nicholson at the Los Angeles Times<\/a> writes, “While the outro feels tacked on, upon reflection, it\u2019s the missing piece that transforms the movie from a puzzle into a proclamation on group cohesion. Only afterward does it hit us that Mackenzie has really made a thriller about trust.” TheWrap’s Drew Taylor <\/a>dubs it “all killer, no filler.”<\/p>\n How to watch:<\/strong> Fuze <\/em>is now available to rent or buy on Apple TV<\/a>, Prime Video<\/a> and other VOD platforms.<\/p>\n Rent or buy<\/a><\/p>\n🎥 What to watch in theaters<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The biggest release:<\/span> <\/strong>Backrooms<\/em><\/h3>\n
The family-friendly release: The Breadwinner<\/em><\/h3>\n
💸 Movies newly available to rent or buy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The biggest release:<\/span><\/strong> Desert Warrior<\/em><\/h3>\n
Another solid option: Fuze<\/em><\/h3>\n
But that\u2019s not all\u2026<\/h3>\n