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Song of the Day #6,479: ‘O Green World’ – Gorillaz

I’ve noted that the 2026 movie year is off to a great start, and I’m just as excited by the number of promising titles still to come. I’m especially heartened to see the number of large-scale blockbusters by big-name directors on the horizon — it gives me hope that box office receipts, sagging since COVID, will finally bounce back.

Following are 25 movies I’m looking forward to this year. Note that most of these are sequels and/or high-profile, star-driven projects — that’s because those titles grab release dates early for marketing purposes. Certainly many more worthy films, including indie and foreign releases, are bubbling up under the surface. So what follows is just the tip of an encouraging cinematic iceberg.

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Song of the Day #6478: ‘What Happens When You Turn the Devil Down’ – The Mystery Lights

I mentioned in Monday’s post that 2026 has been the best start to a movie year in as long as I can remember. Through the first three months — usually a dumping ground for a studio’s weakest material — I have seen more than a half dozen films I can wholeheartedly recommend and a handful more that are at the very least interesting.

Two of those movies will almost certainly make my year-end top ten list: Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. And if they don’t, that will mean the rest of the year is lights-out good.

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Song of the Day #6,477: ‘Logo Te Pate’ – Foaʻi

I’m very excited about this year in movies, both what I’ve already seen and what’s to come, but I wanted to indulge in a little negativity before I get to the good stuff.

One of the most upsetting cinematic trends of the past 15 years is the Disney live-action remake, wherein the Mouse House picks over the bones of its beloved animated classics and turns them into soulless cash grabs devoid of artistic merit.

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Song of the Day #6,476: ‘Soldier Boy’ – The Shirelles

I know I recently spent nearly two months writing about the movies of 2025, but please indulge me for one more week of film talk.

Unlike most years, which see forgettable movies dumped in the first quarter, 2026 has started off with a bang. I wanted to write a bit about the best start to a movie year in recent memory and throw out some other odds and ends while I’m at it.

I’ll start with a look back at a truly great Oscars ceremony (not the show itself, which was decent, but the results).

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Song of the Day #6,475: ‘Secret Lovers’ – Atlantic Starr

The week of March 29, 1986, found two very 80s hits atop the Billboard Hot 100 in Falco’s ‘Rock Me Amadeus‘ and Heart’s ‘These Dreams,’ both of which have already been featured on the blog.

Just behind those tracks that week was R&B band Atlantic Starr’s hit ‘Secret Lovers,’ which peaked at #3. It’s a sign of my lifelong blindspot for R&B music that I can confidently say I’ve never heard this song before.

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