Adam and Josh take stock of the movie year with their Top 5 Films of 2026 (So Far), making picks that reflect the strength of of the year’s genre offerings, comedies, and intimate dramas. Plus: Massacre Theatre, and Best of ‘26 poll results.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.

(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00-00:03:03)

Top 5 of 2026 (00:03:04-00:32:36)

Filmspotting Family: ‘20s/’30s Madness (00:32:37-00:40:52)

Poll: Best of ‘26 (So Far) (00:40:53-00:49:36)

Top 5 of 2026, cont.(00:49:37-01:17:26)

RIP Sam Neill / Massacre Theatre (01:17:27-01:26:54)

Credits / Releases (01:26:55-01:28:56)

Links:

Alison Willmore on Blue Heron | Vulture

https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-masterful-blue-heron-uses-cinema-as-a-sance.html

Feedback:

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Adam and Josh take stock of the movie year with their Top 5 Films of 2026 (So Far), making picks that reflect the strength of of the year&rsquo;s genre offerings, comedies, and intimate dramas. Plus: Massacre Theatre, and Best of &lsquo;26 poll results.
This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits.<a href="https://experience.regmovies.com/join-unlimited?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=filmspotting"> Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.</a>
(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)
Intro (00:00:00-00:03:03)
Top 5 of 2026 (00:03:04-00:32:36)
Filmspotting Family: &lsquo;20s/&rsquo;30s Madness (00:32:37-00:40:52)
Poll: Best of &lsquo;26 (So Far) (00:40:53-00:49:36)
Top 5 of 2026, cont. (00:49:37-01:17:26)
RIP Sam Neill / Massacre Theatre (01:17:27-01:26:54)
Credits / Releases (01:26:55-01:28:56)
Links:
Alison Willmore on Blue Heron | Vulture
<a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-masterful-blue-heron-uses-cinema-as-a-sance.html">https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-masterful-blue-heron-uses-cinema-as-a-sance.html</a>
Feedback:
-Email us at <a href="mailto:feedback@filmspotting.net">feedback@filmspotting.net⁠⁠</a>
⁠⁠⁠⁠-<a href="https://forms.gle/PGVFAm4GvbmPJWqG8">⁠Ask Us Anything⁠</a>⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we might answer your question in bonus content.
Support:
-Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access.
<a href="http://filmspottingfamily.com">http://filmspottingfamily.com</a>
-Filmspotting Shop for T-shirts and more.<a href="https://www.filmspotting.net/shop">⁠ ⁠</a>
<a href="https://www.filmspotting.net/shop">⁠https://www.filmspotting.net/shop⁠</a>⁠⁠⁠
Follow:
-Watch Filmspotting on YouTube:
<a href="https://youtube.com/filmspotting">⁠https://youtube.com/filmspotting⁠</a>
-Adam/Filmspotting:
<a href="https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting/">⁠Letterboxd⁠</a> |<a href="https://instagram.com/filmspotting%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0">⁠ Instagram⁠</a> |<a href="https://facebook.com/filmspotting%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0">⁠ Facebook⁠</a> |<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/filmspotting.bsky.social"> ⁠Bluesky⁠</a>
-Josh/LarsenOnFilm:
<a href="https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0">⁠Letterboxd⁠</a> |<a href="https://www.instagram.com/larsenonfilm/"> ⁠Instagram⁠</a> |<a href="https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm">⁠ Facebook⁠</a> |<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/larsenonfilm.bsky.social"> ⁠Bluesky</a>

Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen review new and classic movies, offering "affable, insightful film analysis since 2005" (NY Times).

New and classic movie reviews and top 5 lists.

Filmspotting

A strong first half of the year in movies.

Top 5 Films of 2026 (So Far) | #1073

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ec98c24c-b424-4a03-9259-b48901326d60/transcript