As the air cools and the leaves get crunchy, a certain hankering for flicks featuring a cornucopia of warm hues—or a slightly spooky sensation—sets in. Some movies feel like they’re made for the season, deserving a designated viewing night complete with popcorn, an autumn-scented candle, a cozy couch and your full attention.
Consider this watchlist your anti-brainrot agenda. As a growing number of studies raises questions about what all the short-form content is doing to our brains, this is your sign to stop the scroll—and embrace the sentiment of the season sans the secondary screen in your hands.
When Harry Met Sally… 1989 | Rom-Com Watch if you like: You’ve Got Mail
It’s the archetypal autumn film, thanks to NYC foliage, Billy Crystal’s inexplicable lush sweaters and an otherworldly commitment to portraying humorous yet sincere love stories across generations. And, yes, the diner scene heard ’round the world.
Little Women 2019 | Drama Watch if you like: Atonement
“We gotta have it out, Jo.” Louisa May Alcott’s iconic novel-turned-film is a coming-of-age story in a league of its own: a near-flawless adaptation with a light modern touch, refreshingly direct in its messaging and generous enough to give viewers more than one way to grow up—all buoyed by a star-studded cast that are equal parts whimsical and poignant.
Bugonia 2025 | Sci-Fi Watch if you liked: Don’t Look Up
Consider this your token “weird flick” for fall. Emma Stone stars as a CEO fluent in laughable Linkedin-esque corporate speak alongside Jesse Plemons, a skittish conspiracy theorist, in this warm-hued social commentary that’s kind of funny—but mostly disturbing and freakishly unpredictable.
Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009 | Family Watch if you like: Ratatouille
It’s what you make of it. The Wes Anderson film can be an amiable stop-motion children’s tale with a warm palette and jaunty pace—or it can be a hard look at the internal battle between wild animal instincts and domestic life.
For The Thrill Seeker—ISO fear factor? Try these fall flicks on for some serious spook.
The Thing 1982 | Horror Watch if you like: The Mist The Thing isn’t horror’s scariest monster, but it might be the most well-crafted—paired with unsettling anticipation, claustrophobia and the gory practical effects of the ’80s. To wit, horror movies where all characters are immensely smart and make the right decisions yet still fight a losing battle are a stressful but satisfying rarity.
The Birds 1963 | Thriller Watch if you like:Sorry, Wrong Number Alfred Hitchcock’s classic flick won’t leave you utterly terrified of feathered friends, but it will have you side-eying the seemingly innocent birds perched on the power lines for the foreseeable future.
Imagine placing a big bet that you won’t go somewhere—then simply… not go and collect the winnings.
That’s essentially what former U.S. Rep. George Santos did when he wagered that he wouldn’t attend the State of the Union, then stayed home to rake in thousands of dollars. He even told followers he planned to attend, potentially influencing how others wagered.
Thanks to his eyebrow-raising bet, in August, Santos became the first person ever to be banned from betting platform Kalshi—for life. Welcome to the increasingly wild world of prediction markets, where the person placing the bet may have inside information—or even the power to prophesy.
Anyone over 18 can bet on essentially anything, from reality TV and Time’s Person of the Year to major events and the midterms unfolding as you read this. And that’s where things get darker: Markets have included everything from where forest fires will ignite to other actions bettors can conceivably cause themselves, like rushing the field at a pro sporting event. It’s insider trading meets Nightcrawler—you make the odds.
“It’s not just easy to start a fire, now there’s potentially a financial incentive,” says climate scientist Kaitlyn Trudeau. As the LA wildfires raged last January, bettors gambled on how many acres fires would consume, where they would reach and when they would be contained using Polymarket, a leading gambling app.
The potential for insider intel is just as thorny. A U.S. Special Forces soldier in NC was charged with using classified information to wager on the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro—a military operation prosecutors say he helped plan and execute. His alleged long-shot bet reportedly netted him more than $400K. And another service member reportedly raked in $1M after betting on military actions in Iran and Venezuela they were possibly involved in, raising serious questions about whether inside information or actions they themselves carried out were again at play.
Some are raising eyebrows at bets on whether neighbors’ homes will burn down or if a country will be invaded, but NCers—for the most part—continue to wager. Residents bet ~$8 billion on sports alone in fiscal year 2026, and NC became the first state to tax all prediction markets earlier this year.
While states like New York, Illinois and Kentucky have sued prediction platforms over what they allege is “unlicensed gambling,” North Carolina has taken a decidedly different route: taxing the markets and the revenue they generate.
So, as Dancing With the Stars, extreme weather and wars rage on, gamblers are staking their claim—whether they can sway the outcome or not.
The legendary opera singer brings her directorial vision to Martin Marietta.
Captivating an audience with opera for 45+ years is a feat in its own right, and turning around and teaching a new generation of performers to yield the same captivating qualities is another accolade entirely. But for opera singer Denyce Graves, it’s light work.
The mezzo-soprano’s voice has graced the world’s most esteemed opera houses and concert halls across four decades. In addition to her extensive discography, Graves has also appeared on TV shows across genres, from Sesame Street to Great Performances. Now, the legend is lending her directorial vision to NC Opera’s fall performance of Carmen at Martin Marietta.
There couldn’t be a more perfect singer for the job—Graves was the defining Carmen of her generation, says NC Opera Marketing Director Angela Grant. The opera follows a femme fatale who pulls a soldier into her orbit, which spirals into jealousy, betrayal and tragedy.
Graves’ latest role comes after she transitioned from the spotlight to behind the scenes in 2021 with her directorial debut at the Minnesota Opera.
Denyce Graves, courtesy of NC Opera
“I knew it was about time for me to really transition out of performing,” Graves tells RM. “I’ve done that for a while, and I had a wonderful time doing that, but I’d like to do other things, too, with the life that I have.”
The director of the Minnesota Opera reached out to Graves and asked her to direct Carmen in light of all her performances as the leading lady. “I said, ‘Let me think about it,’” reminisces Graves. “I called him back and said I would love to do it. It was the perfect segue to transition out of singing and into directing.”
Despite the perfect segue, it wasn’t an easy transition—Graves maintained getting others to “recognize her wearing a different hat” proved difficult. “One of the larger ones is getting people to recognize me as a director and not as a singer, and getting people to feel comfortable with my being in this new role,” she adds.
Being a person who usually flies “by the seat of her pants,” Graves says she has to prepare things more thoroughly to respect others’ time—and overall, there are a lot more things to prepare, from staging to lighting to costumes and everything in between. While looking at the story as a singer can be very myopic, directors must see the whole vision, Graves tells RM.
Take in the final performance at Martin Marietta as Graves’ production of Carmen takes the stage Oct. 16 and 18. ncopera.org
All eyes are on Flock—and Flock’s got eyes on everyone.
Flashbackto the Super Bowl: Home security camera company Ring unveiled an ad depicting a lost dog, found by his family via their popular doorbell cameras and AI identification. The ad—in partnership with surveillance company Flock—was framed as a heartwarming tale, but instead, the takeaway for many Americans felt more 1984.
The backlash was so immense that soon after, Ring and Flock canceled their agreement to combine the two surveillance systems. But, alas, the 2017-launched Flock cameras were already popping up everywhere, surveying streets and suburbs across the U.S.—including Raleigh.
Flock maintains its cameras are intended solely for public safety. According to the company, its surveillance system helped locate more than 10K missing people in 2025 alone and has aided 1M+ investigations. With the promise of keeping streets safer, jurisdictions have been buying in.
Here in Oak City, RPD began a partnership with Flock in March 2022, according to RPD Chief Rico Boyce. Today, 417 users have access to the 29 cameras* and database, with captured data retained for 30 days, he says. Boyce also firmly states that former city employees have no access to the system, and RPD does not share Flock data with ICE.
While Flock and partnering cities emphasize safety, the public is not having it. A Florida man recently made headlines for blocking a neighborhood Flock cam with a pool skimmer. Asheville City Council canceled its Flock partnership entirely after concerns from both residents and council members. Three teenagers in SC were arrested for vandalizing cameras. Texas barred state agencies from funding the cameras, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis even called the system “out of control.”
If safety is the ultimate goal, why isn’t the public on board? For starters, Americans generally aren’t wild about being watched (we see you, Fourth Amendment). Then there are mounting reports of misuse by people with access to the network—not to mention questions about cameras appearing in places that clearly aren’t roadways.
Dozens of police officers across the nation (including NC) have been charged or accused of using Flock cameras to stalk or harass individuals and exes. Georgia residents found out Flock had been using livestreams of a local children’s gymnastics room as part of a sales pitch, and in Texas, residents raised concerns about a camera pointed directly at a public swimming pool.
The evident scope of disdain is a rarity: The outcry reaches across the political spectrum. Officials have begun to probe investigations into Flock—with Congressional Republicans stating they “never authorized the system [the] industry has built.”
Locally, Boyce maintains RPD’s cameras only capture vehicle models and tag numbers. But RPD’s 29 cameras represent only a portion of the 120+ Raleigh cameras* that appear on DeFlock’s crowdsourced map, many of them privately owned—and it’s not clear who can access their data.
As Flock’s surveillance network keeps expanding, the question remains: How much privacy should we sacrifice for safety—and who gets to decide? The answer may be up to those on the other side of the camera.
Your bible for scoring vintage finds around Raleigh
What’s old is in again. While shopping for brand-new clothing is always fun, there’s no dopamine hit quite like uncovering a coveted vintage find for mere dollars—and in this economy, that matters. Not only does vintage shopping get you a better deal—plus unique, quality clothes—there’s a plethora of ways to navigate the vast vintagescape.
eBay
Vintage resellers are an easy place to start—all the work is already done, aside from picking what you like and making sure it fits. Pro tip: Sizing was not the same 30 years ago, so when in doubt, try it on.
Because the ~curating~ part is already done for you, resellers can lean pricey. While convenience can come at a premium, many resellers are open to negotiation or offer $5 or $10 bins. For curated finds around town, try The Burrow, Pallbearer, Wolfe & Porter’s monthly markets or any Vintage Bazaar event. If you’re after furniture, head to Cheshire Cat or TrunkShow.
If those price tags hurt, save some dollars and do the digging yourself. Read: Hit the thrift store. Dorcas Thrift Shop and Goodwill are good places to start, and—when in doubt—stores that require an appointment to donate are always a good bet. Racks rarely stay organized, so look in as many sections as possible—you may find a hidden gem of a tank top in the pajamas section or an oversize vintage tee shoved between dresses.
Found a contender? Check the tags for 100% wool, cashmere, cotton, silk and leather, and note where and how the garment was manufactured. “Made in the USA” labels and union tags are rarely from this century and a good indication you’re scoring a steal.
Resale sites like Vinted, eBay and Depop serve up an unrefined blend of curated and chaotic: Some resellers sport astronomical markups, while others just want items gone—for cheap. When searching, be specific and try a couple different wordings—i.e., search for both “black leather cowboy boots size 8” and “tall black leather boots Western style.”
Before you lock it down, research the seller’s ratings, read the listing carefully (bare minimum, it’s a smoke-free household) and don’t underestimate the power of the lowball: You never know what a seller will accept. Be respectful—and mindful that it’s some people’s only source of income—but never assume the listing price is final. See if the reseller will go lower, and if not, so be it. Happy hunting!
