In theaters now

HOLY SHIT! That’s really the best way to describe Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. It’s epic. Something that begs to be seen on the biggest screen possible (if you’re one of the lucky few like me that got to see it in IMAX 70mm). Homer's ancient Greek epic follows Odysseus (Matt Damon) on his long, perilous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Along the way, he encounters creatures like Polyphemus (Bill Irwin), sirens, Calypso (Charlize Theron), Circe (Samantha Morton), and more, who threaten to detain him from reuniting with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland). 

Of course, everyone knows the cast for this one has some of the biggest stars, and I am happy to report they are all phenomenal in their respective roles. Personally, Hathaway gives my favorite performance as Penelope. As I said in my Letterboxd review, “I love when Anne ‘Academy Award winner’ Hathaway comes to play.” She’s perfect. Himesh Patel is also very good as Eurylochus, Odysseus's second-in-command. He’s so good, I’m upset he hasn’t had more promo, considering he has almost as much screen time as Damon. Elliot Page is also deployed at the best possible moment to elevate a truly heartbreaking scene, further proving Nolan always knows how to use his closest collaborators to the best of their abilities. Again, it’s an epic film that feels perfectly fitting for such an acclaimed and studied text.

Streaming on Peacock

Obsession is easily one of the biggest movies of the year so far. Seriously, it just became the first film with a less than $1 million production budget to earn over $200 million this century, the highest-grossing non-animated original film of the past 10 years, and the only genre film in history to stay in the box office top 10 for over 40 consecutive days. Written and directed by Curry Barker (in his theatrical film debut), Obsession follows Bear (Michael Johnston), who buys a “One Wish Willow,” a supernatural toy that will grant him one wish. He uses it to wish that his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) would fall in love with him. What seems like a dream come true for him turns into a horrifying tale of consequences. 

Navarrette, who I’ve loved since Superman & Lois, is a powerhouse in this. Seriously, she gives probably one of my favorite film performances of the year. The use of her voice and body to deliver a horror performance is up there with Toni Collette in Hereditary and Florence Pugh in Midsommar. I cannot wait to rewatch this movie again and pick up on all the little details I missed the first time around, too.

Streaming on Netflix

The beloved Heartstopper series, based on Alice Oseman's graphic novels, comes to an end with a feature-length film this week. Heartstopper Forever continues Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie's (Joe Locke) love story as their time together at school comes to an end. With Nick preparing to leave for university, Charlie must find a new independence at school, all while the reality of a long-distance relationship sinks in for both of them. Can first loves really last forever? 

These graphic novels are like a warm hug for me, and I’ve loved them for so long, so to see the adaptation reach its conclusion, with the perfect cast, is so sweet. Connor and Locke were sensational as Nick and Charlie from start to finish, and I will forever be grateful for how brilliantly they brought these characters to life. If you’re a Heartstopper fan, you’ll want to watch this one as soon as possible this weekend, and maybe make sure you have some tissues handy.

Streaming on Prime Video

Ride or Die follows best friends Debbie (Octavia Spencer) and Judith (Hannah Waddingham), who thought they knew absolutely everything about each other. Except there's one catch: Judith is secretly an international assassin. When a mysterious figure emerges from Judith's past, and a hit goes terribly wrong, both Debbie and Judith's worlds are turned upside down as they're forced to go on the run together. Obviously, this show hinges on how great Spencer and Waddingham are together, which makes this one so enjoyable. It’s equal parts funny and sweet as the two BFFs learn to navigate, well, an unexpected new part of their friendship. These are two actors I have loved watching in their other projects, so seeing them come together in such a fun, easy-to-binge comedy series is so great.

Also, have a question for me? Send it to me now at [email protected], at this Google form, or let me know in the comments below.

There have been a lot of great movies so far this year, so it feels almost impossible to narrow it down to the best so far. So, if I had to choose my three favorite movies of 2026 so far, it would be: The Odyssey, Project Hail Mary, and Obsession. I have adored all three of these for various reasons. The Odyssey is a Christopher Nolan epic. Project Hail Mary was a brilliant sci-fi book adaptation. And Obsession was such a new and exciting horror project. 

All three really show the breadth of filmmaking right now and how so many different genres can be beloved by people. All three are at the top of my first watches of 2026 list on Letterboxd because I adore each of them. Of course, I know myself, and this list will vastly change once Dune: Part Three drops because if it’s as good as Dune: Part Two, I know it’ll be my favorite movie of the year.