With just over 150 movies under my belt thus far as 2026 hits its halfway point, I thought I would offer up five of my favorites for your perusal. There is no specific order in which I am rating them. Rather, consider this post a place to get a few suggestions.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Wow, this one was not received well at all, but guess what? I loved it. I am one of those people who came to the whole 28 Days/Months/Years universe later than most, watching the first two in 2025 in preparation for seeing “28 Years Later” in theaters. I came away from those two films with the belief that the infected are not as much what the story is about as is the non-infected’s response to them.
I have enjoyed what the 28 Years Later films have brought to this universe, especially the idea that the infected may not be the biggest problem those who have survived are encountering, that there are many evils to be found in a world where someone is always trying to gain the upper hand and use it to control and hurt others. This particular installment drives home that point quite well and as a bonus has a Ralph Fiennes performance for the ages. Yes, the infected are still there and still feared, but thanks to this film we have a whole new way of looking at them. I can’t wait for the next and final one.
The Drama
Have you ever seen a film called “Sick of Myself?” Most people haven’t, but it is easily one of my favorite films of the past ten years with its shocking portrayal of a woman who will do anything for attention. When I saw that its writer/director Kristoffer Borgli was coming out with a film starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as a soon-to-be-married couple I was more than ready. Or maybe I wasn’t, because this film went places I did not expect as it chronicles the time leading up to their wedding when their loyalties are put to the test after revelations are made. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Trust me, it is anything but, but revealing too much ruins the ride.
Disarmingly funny and downright jaw dropping at times, the story goes to uncomfortable places and almost begs you to judge these people (not unlike “Sick of Myself”). In fact, many of the people at the screening I attended could be heard groaning and arguing about it even before the credits rolled. I love a film that surprises me and offers no easy answers and ultimately, even more questions. Drama, indeed.
Hokum
This may be my favorite horror film of the year thus far, but I expected nothing less from director Damian McCarthy who has already gifted us “Caveat” and “Oddity.” He knows how to make a good old fashioned ghost story where all the jump scares are not just there to move you, but to stay with you long after.
What exactly is going on at this old inn In Ireland, and why is there a big scary bunny-like creature lurking about? The viewer finds out all of this and more as the story progresses, and you are glued to every last minute of it. How scary is this film? Well, everyone gets frightened by different things, of course, but I can tell you this: more people jumped and screamed during the trailer of this film when I first saw it than the horror film that we were all actually there to see.
Is God Is
A play that became a film that became one of the biggest and most enjoyable surprises of the year for me, I knew next to nothing about it except that the trailer pulled me all the way in. A gritty 70s looking first feature from Aleshea Harris that follows two sisters on a quest to do right by their mother for all the wrongs done to the three of them by their father, I was taken in from frame one by its meditations on faith, family, and revenge.
Top notch acting, cinematography, music, and dialogue make this one most likely to end up in my top ten for the entire year. Please find it, watch it, and share it with others. It was barely in theaters for two weeks and deserves everyone’s attention.
I Love Boosters
My best in theater experience of the year thus far, I went with a friend and we laughed nearly nonstop. Yes, it was quite shocking at times – a few people even walked out - but oh my, what a ride. No one is doing it like Boots Riley. No one. The women in this film are front and center, behaving boldly, badly, brazenly, and with a big message (and even bigger laughs) as their practice of “boosting” designer clothing takes on new meaning the further they get involved with it and those who are affected by it. Mixed media art to the Nth degree, I think about the look of it and the sound of it all the time since that screening. Even the soundtrack plays in my head on most days.
This is another film that did not last long in theaters but was glorious to experience on the big screen. That being said, watch it ASAP and multiple times wherever you can. Many rewatches are definitively in my future.
These are not exhaustive reviews by any means, but I hope they encourage you to check out films you may have missed the first time around. I am also on Letterboxd (kptheword) if you are interested in following me there, and you will also find me occasionally writing more in-depth reviews at the New Haven Independent.
See films in theaters when you can!