Episode 21: 2026 Recommendations...So Far

Welcome to Watch More Movies

On today's episode, I am recommending films that got released over the course of the first 6 months of the year. I know it is late, and I could have included films from July and August...bare with me :)

Whether you’re here for recommendations, nostalgia, or to argue about what should have made the list, you’re in the right place.

📩 Drop your favorite films from the first half of 2026 below!

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SPEAKER_00 0:20

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to Watch More Movies. I'm your host, Ricky. Today we're gonna be talking about the first half of 2026 in movies. It is a little late, I understand, but as far as the first six months of the years go for film, we are off to a great start. There have been so many incredible offerings, theatrically, especially. Some of my favorites so far I feel strongly will be most likely holding in my favorite spot at the end of the year. Maybe life's been busy, or you're just wanting to catch up on some things you didn't know were out or forgot about. Today I wanted to give 15 films, give or take, to touch on briefly that I'm going to recommend. They're not my top 15 in order, or even in my top 15 for that matter. But I like these films with varying degrees and recommend them depending on what you like, so there's a bit of everything. Some of my favorites have been talked about as part of central episodes, so those won't be touched on either, which would be like the drama, obsession, or the odyssey. But these are just movies that are good or great and should be recommended to all of you. And I'm not going to recommend everything in my top 10. It's just going to be ones that I feel like you should give a shot, that probably aren't talked about or maybe overlooked to some degree. And I just want you all to give it a shot to if you haven't already. The first recommendation is The Sheep Detective. Yes, it is an odd pick from the outside, but this is a super charming movie that is a family-friendly Who-Done It that has plenty of jokes for children and adults. Nothing in it feels childish and it treats the audience with maturity rather than slapstick or goofy or gross humor. Featuring a very highly prolific star-style cast, not one feels like stunt casting. And Hugh Jackman here, in his very limited role, is every bit as excellent as you expect him to be in anything. It might sound like an odd choice, but shoot detectives, even if you don't have kids or you're not into that type of genre, it is very much worth it. And I surprised myself. It is currently streaming on Prime Video if you want to check it out. Second up is a thriller horror that came out early in the year and surprised me quite a bit. It is Primate. It revolves around a girl coming home with her friends to her father who has a chimpanzee that they've taken care of all of its life. When something happens to the chimp, it suddenly suddenly becomes ravenous and rabid. This also isn't something that I would put in any sort of hall of fame of horror thrillers. But when you pitch the phrase killer chimpanzee, it does its job. It's tense, sometimes a bit cheeky with how the chimp interacts with its characters, which is so much fun and does have a bit of a heart at the center of the movie. Not to mention, some of the violence is brutal, really adding to its effectiveness. It is streaming on Paramount and Prime video, if you want to check that one out. Third is the AI doc or how I became an apocalyptic. This is a documentary that tackles the AI boom that we are currently in. Experts for and against AI and some of the top people at these AI companies are all interviewed to get their perspective. Director Daniel Rohr is having a child and wants to find answers on whether or not to be hopeful or terrified for his kid of what's happening in the world and what's coming in our world with this AI explosion and what that means for the future of the world. What I find really fascinating is the lack of an exact answer or point of view. While I personally am against this whole AI leap that we're taking as a human race, Roward genuinely does want to try and find a silver lining. All these things that can become because of AI advancement and whether or not that outweighs the negative. I do think he's ultimately against it, but wants to give both sides sort of case to it. And that's the flaw I have with it. I wish it had more of a clear stance, but I do appreciate how it does try to, like again, both sides the argument and try to find a common ground. Right now it is streaming on Peacock and it is really fascinating, so I do hope you check this one out. Number four is The Furious. The Furious is an action film that I believe hit some small festival circuits at the beginning of the year, but when I finally got to see it without a trailer or any spoilers going into it, I was just completely blown away. If you like films like The Night Comes for Us, The Raid, or even to an extent John Wick, this is right up your alley. It follows a father who, after his daughter is kidnapped, hunts down the men that took her. Straightforward story, and it is one of the most well-choreographed and bloody knuckle versions of something like Taken that you could ever hope to see. The hand-to-hand combat is a sight to behold, and there is barely a moment to breathe. I highly recommend if action is like up your alley, and especially hand-to-hand combat versus like gunfights, which there is very, very, very little of. It is only right now available to rent or buy, but if that is up your alley, it is worth every single dollar. It is one of the best action movies in the last few years. Pillion is a film that took me by surprise because it is not usually up my alley. But of course, when you hear such strong word of mouth with the cast, you can't help but be curious. It is about a young man, Colin, who meets a handsome and stoic biker Ray, as they form a romantic sub-dom relationship. This is a really sweet and funny movie about relationships, discovering as an adult what your desires are in real time, what you don't want, and how finding compromise is a part of every relationship. Between Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgard, this duo is absolutely terrific. And Skarsgard continues to do such interesting work in his career and show his freeing nature of wanting to do different things other than being brooding or what have you. It is on HBO Max right now. If you want to stream it, go check it out immediately if you want something like a romantic comedy. Next up is The Bride. Woo, what an interesting one to talk about. While it is on this list, it is more for the effect of wanting to see what people think about it. This is a film that I had the highest of highs and some of the most incredibly low of lows. It is a retelling of the Bride of Frankenstein story as we follow the bride and Frankenstein on the run from police in 1930s Chicago. Everyone is fully committed to this very grand vision of the story, and some of the set pieces and cinematography look really great. The narration slash inner voice of the bride and some of the dialogue written from moments between either bride or Frankenstein and ordinary people at times is just really, really difficult to watch. It is such a fascinating piece because there's so much just to not like and so much to like. It is such a down the middle movie for me, and I can see why it was so polarizing. But if you watch it just to be curious, let me know what you think because I really am having a lot of fun talking to people who see this and having discussions about it. It is on HBO Max now if you do want to stream it. Next up is Mile End Kicks. This is about a music critic who moves to Montreal in hopes of finishing her delayed book about an Alanis Morissette album. What follows is a coming of age story about a woman striving for her career in a male-dominated field, falling in love with your obstacles that hold you back and navigating aimlessness in your 20s. This was really charming, and I hope that it finds a bigger home on streaming. There are a lot of really funny moments and little Easter eggs that if you're a millennial, you can spot a mile away. But more than that, it speaks to a lot of the journey people in their 20s find with wanting to have a creative career while also what that means for your personal life and how sometimes those two can collide. It is currently streaming on Netflix, so go check it out. The next one is Is Got Is. This follows two twin sisters who, at a young age, were set on fire in a bathtub by their father. When they receive a letter from their mother who they thought had died in the fire, they go to meet her and fulfill her dying wish to kill the father. Based on the description, you would think this something to be a bit of a classic revenge story, action-packed, or something along those lines. But it's about more than that. It's about how trauma affecting us and those around us and what actual justice means to those who have wronged us that isn't just about hurting back. The two twin sisters have such great chemistry and in such a limited role, Sterling K. Brown gives one of the best minimal screen time performances this entire year. If you want to check it out, it is on Prime Video now. Whisman stars Tom Blythe and David Johnson as two men in prison and their struggle to survive. While this is slower paced than some of the other titles so far based on the premise, it really was engaging for the majority of the 90-minute runtime. David Johnson continues just to cement himself as a torted force with any role he plays. And after seeing this in the recent playing clues, Tom Blyth is another up-and-coming name that everyone should be keeping their eye on. I know he was just in the last Hunger Games prequel, but these last two that I've seen him in really got me to buy into what he can bring to a role. If you are interested in checking it out, it is a gritty prison drama and it is streaming on Mubi right now. Next is Tuner. Tuner stars Leo Woodall as a piano tuner with sensory issues where he has to wear headpieces all the time to avoid loud noises, causing him to not play piano himself anymore. After one event leads to another, he finds himself turning to robbing people with some shady characters, using his disability to his advantage, as he finds it incredibly easy to crack safes. This was a really entertaining, old-fashioned, quiet, heist drama with thrilling elements in it. In a small role, Dustin Hoffman shines, but Leo Woodall is so good here, and I really hope he breaks through as a star because he has something to his charisma and his presence that a lot of seamless movie stars have. Right now it is only available on digital rental, but it is really well worth it if you are able to do that. The Christophers, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Cole. Cole stars as a young artist who is hired to finish the works of a famous painter with his impending death so that they may be a value for his children to sell. This was a lot more poignant and charming than I expected, despite the characters themselves being rough around the edges and consistently so throughout. This is a great role for McKellen at this stage in his career, playing a real person for you to care about this hearted and out-of-touch man. I really like when Soderbergh kind of stays to this ground touching level, and I really hope he goes back to this and stays away from the AI stuff. It is gonna be on a Hulu, so check it out on the 22nd. I Swear stars Robert Ramayo as John Davidson, a man who at a young age develops Tourette's syndrome and chronicles his life as he learns how to deal with it at a time where not much was known or could be done to help it. Ramayo is absolutely astounding here, really playing with such grace and never feeling like it makes the Tourette's feel as if they were a performance, but naturally a part of him. It is a sweet, endearing film that is an easy watch and a very heartwarming story. It doesn't get too serious, but when it does need to hit that beat, it really does, and it knows when to add a laugh or a gasp kind of moment to the story. I loved I Swear, and it is going to be on Netflix on the 22nd, but it is worth the rental if you can. Next is Nirvana the Band, the show the movie. It is directed by Matt Johnson, starring Matt Johnson and Jay McCarroll as two friends in Toronto who spend their entire adult lives trying to book a concert gig at this local theater, The Rivoli. Upon realizing they may never book the show, they accidentally transport themselves back to 2008. What ensues is an uproarious comedy, and I mean this is one of the most genuine and hilarious comedies I've seen in years. This also ties into a web series that they did around that time in 2008 with a lot of bits that if you watched the original series, it probably would have been very cool to witness the move in inside the movie. I did not, but I did not stop the impact of the story from hitting just as hard. It comes down to regret of not fulfilling your time while you had it, more of it, and realizing that those years were short. Even if it amounts to nothing, the ride and people you are with are what matters the most, then the goal itself. When I saw this is one of the funniest movies in a long time, and that's not hyperbole. And luckily it is streaming on Hulu now. My final film recommendation to catch up on is also so far my favorite film of the year. It is Blue Heron. Blue Heron follows a family of six moving into a new home in Vancouver Island through the eyes of the youngest daughter and how the family dynamics growing up affected her and affected her into adulthood. This is a film that has revelations or moments that have big effects later on. But what I will say is the best recent comparison I can make this to is 2022's After Sun. It is not slow pace in a boring way, it is slow paced deliberately. It feels like you are watching this person's memories of their childhood and reflecting on family, and that's what I will say about it. I don't want to talk too much about it because I would be spoiling or alluding to things that you don't expect in the movie because I knew nothing about it whatsoever going into it, aside from the critical reception to it. By the end of the year, I definitely see this being high up on my list still. So far, it is by far and away my favorite film of the year. So I do hope to that you guys check it out soon and check it out if you when you have the chance. It is on Criterion Channel now, so it is streaming if you or otherwise you can do digital digital rental as well. Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. I hope to be back on track soon. I want to crank out a lot more recommendations soon for all of you. Festival season is upon us, my favorite time of the year for film, and I'm gonna preview a lot of them for you, so stay tuned for that. If you haven't already, please like and comment on YouTube, review on Apple or Spotify, subscribe on all platforms. It really does help the show out a lot, and I'm eternally grateful if you do. So until next time, watch more movies.