So far, 2026 has been a big year for movies. There’s been the success of horror films like Backrooms and Obsession. There are movies that have been targeted by the culture wars, like The Odyssey. And there are the smaller films that have gotten critical acclaim like Campand Is God Is.

All those films are coming out in a landscape that seems hopeful for theaters. In the firsthalf of the year, films in the U.S. have earned more at the box office than in any year since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This hour, we’re talking about the year in film for our fourth annual summer movie panel.

GUESTS:


Nadira Goffe: Staff Writer at Slate


Walter Chaw: Senior Film Critic for FilmFreakCentral.net, author of A Walter Hill Film: Tragedy and Masculinity in the Films of Walter Hilland Film Instructor at the University of Colorado Denver.


James Hanley: Co-Founder of the independent movie theater Cinestudio in Hartford in 1970

Recommendations from our panelists:


Watch The Odyssey (2026) on the largest screen you can


Revisit Sinners in a theater


Camp


Night of the Living Dead


Is God Is


You, Me & Tuscany


28 Years Later: Bone Temple


Girls Like Girls


Hope


The Wailing


When you see a great film, watch the creator’s earlier films that brought them to critical acclaim

Photo Credit: Petros Giannakouris

So far, 2026 has been a big year for movies. There&rsquo;s been the success of horror films like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26657236/">Backrooms</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37287335/">Obsession</a>. There are movies that have been targeted by the culture wars, like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33764258/">The Odyssey</a>. And there are the smaller films that have gotten critical acclaim like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38226226/">Camp</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34379307/">Is God Is</a>.
All those films are coming out in a landscape that seems hopeful for theaters. In the <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/quarter/q1/?grossesOption=calendarGrosses">first</a> <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/quarter/q2/?grossesOption=calendarGrosses">half</a> of the year, films in the U.S. have earned more at the box office than in any year since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This hour, we&rsquo;re talking about the year in film for our fourth annual summer movie panel.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://slate.com/author/nadira-goffe">Nadira Goffe</a>: Staff Writer at <a href="https://slate.com/">Slate</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.walterchaw.com/">Walter Chaw</a>: Senior Film Critic for <a href="https://filmfreakcentral.net/">FilmFreakCentral.net</a>, author of <a href="https://mzs.press/A-Walter-Hill-Film-Paperback-NEW-p507350453">A Walter Hill Film: Tragedy and Masculinity in the Films of Walter Hill </a>and Film Instructor at the University of Colorado Denver.
</li>
<li>
James Hanley: Co-Founder of the independent movie theater <a href="https://cinestudio.org/">Cinestudio</a> in Hartford in 1970
</li>
</ul>
Recommendations from our panelists:
<ul>
<li>
Watch <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33764258/">The Odyssey</a> (2026) on the largest screen you can
</li>
<li>
Revisit <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31193180/">Sinners</a> in a theater
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38226226/">Camp</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063350/">Night of the Living Dead</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34379307/">Is God Is</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36352591/">You, Me &amp; Tuscany</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32141377/">28 Years Later: Bone Temple</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32432654/">Girls Like Girls</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27369017/">Hope</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5215952/">The Wailing</a>
</li>
<li>
When you see a great film, watch the creator&rsquo;s earlier films that brought them to critical acclaim
</li>
</ul>
Photo Credit: Petros Giannakouris

Disrupted is about the changes we all encounter and the forces driving those changes. Some disruptions spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. But the show isn't just about those disruptions; it’s about embracing them, exploring new perspectives, and feeling more connected to ourselves and our communities. Host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean creates a place where changemakers come together to help us see the world differently and challenge us to grow together.

Visit ctpublic.org/disrupted for more! 

Disrupted is about the changes we all encounter and the forces driving those changes. Some disruptions spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. But the show isn't just about those disruptions; it’s about embracing them, exploring new perspectives, and feeling more connected to ourselves and our communities. Host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean creates a place where changemakers come together to help us see the world differently and challenge us to grow together.
Visit <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/disrupted">ctpublic.org/disrupted</a> for more!