I’ve been a movie buff my whole life, but I’ll be honest — summer 2026 felt like a gamble. After last year’s strikes and reshuffles, I walked into every screening with low expectations. But somewhere between the overpriced popcorn and the hundredth trailer for a sequel nobody asked for, I found something surprising: joy. Real, uncynical joy.
So I’ve spent the past two weeks catching up on everything from blockbusters to obscure documentaries. Here are the ten things that genuinely blew me away — in no particular order, because ranking art feels wrong, but I’m doing it anyway.
1. ‘The Dark Star’ Finally Delivers on Its Promise
Let’s get the big one out of the way. I was skeptical of yet another space epic. But director Amara Singh — whose last film ‘Echoes of Dust’ I loved — somehow made a three-hour runtime feel like ninety minutes. The visual effects are stunning, sure, but what got me was the script. Real human conversations between astronauts who feel like actual people, not cardboard heroes. I cried twice.
2. A24’s ‘The Quiet House’ Is Horror Done Right
I’m not a huge horror fan. I jump at my own shadow. But ‘The Quiet House’ — which premiered at Sundance last January and hit theaters June 12th — doesn’t rely on jump scares. It’s about a family whose house starts whispering their secrets. The sound design is so immersive I had to pause halfway through to catch my breath. It’s the kind of horror that stays with you.
3. The Return of Practical Effects in ‘Iron Tide’
Remember when movies felt tangible? ‘Iron Tide’, a WWII thriller released June 5th, uses almost no CGI. Explosions are real. Tanks are real. The mud on the soldiers’ faces is real. It’s gritty and raw and I loved every second. Director Kenji Matsuda said in a recent interview that he wanted audiences to “feel the weight of history.” Mission accomplished.
4. Pixar’s ‘Skyward’ Hits Different as an Adult
Okay, yes, I cried at a kids’ movie. ‘Skyward’ is about a young girl who builds a flying machine to find her missing father. The animation is gorgeous — especially the cloud sequences — but the emotional core is what got me. It’s about grief and hope and the crazy things we do for the people we love. My 8-year-old nephew loved it too, but he didn’t sob. I did.
5. The Documentary ‘Plastic Oceans: The Truth’
I almost skipped this one because I thought it’d be a depressing slog. And sure, it’s sobering. But the filmmakers followed a team of scientists as they developed a new enzyme that breaks down PET plastic in hours instead of centuries. It’s hopeful without being naive. It made me want to actually do something, not just feel guilty.