The Reel
Movie news, reviews, and rankings, every week
Fresh writing on what to watch now, what is coming next, and how the Shortlist community is ranking it all. New every Tuesday.
What to Expect From Dune: Part Three, the Other Movie Opening on December 18
Denis Villeneuve closes his trilogy with Dune Messiah: a 17 year time jump, Robert Pattinson as the villain, and a head to head release against Avengers: Doomsday.
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The Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Just Hit D23. Here Is Everything It Tells Us.
Marvel closed out its D23 showcase with a new look at the biggest movie of 2026: Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, a grieving villain, and an army of Sentinels.
The Biggest Movie You Didn't Argue About Is Now Streaming: Michael, Reviewed
While the summer discourse fought over The Odyssey and Spider-Man, Antoine Fuqua's Michael Jackson biopic quietly became the highest-grossing music biopic ever made. It hit Starz on August 10. Here is what you actually get at home.
What to Watch This Weekend: Four New Movies, Four Completely Different Moods
A high-concept rom-com, an Eli Roth slasher, a Broken Lizard reunion, and A24's young Anthony Bourdain movie all hit theaters on the same Friday. Here's how to pick your lane.
The Big Screen Comes Home: 4 Movies Worth Streaming in August 2026
A billion-dollar biopic, an A24 fever dream, a body-horror hit, and a James Cameron concert film all land on streaming this month. Here is what to queue and when.
The Fall Movie Season Starts at Venice. This Year, Hollywood Isn't Coming.
The 83rd Venice Film Festival runs September 2 to 12 with new films from Martin McDonagh, Werner Herzog, Lee Chang-dong and Hirokazu Kore-eda. Not one of the twenty movies in competition comes from a major studio.
A Filmed Broadway Show Just Outgrossed Toy Story 5. Hollywood Should Be Taking Notes.
Hadestown: The Musical opened to $10.2 million from 1,949 screens, took Hamilton's live capture record, and finished third for the weekend. The proshot is not a streaming afterthought anymore.
Project Hail Mary Is Now Free With Prime: The Year's Biggest Crowd-Pleaser, Reviewed
Ryan Gosling's space odyssey broke Amazon MGM's records in theaters and landed a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now that it is streaming on Prime Video, here is what holds up on the couch (almost everything).
The Odyssey Is Here: Nolan's IMAX Epic Just Posted the Biggest Numbers of the Year
Christopher Nolan's $250 million Homer adaptation opened Friday to the best previews of 2026 and the best reviews of his career. Here is what the opening weekend actually means, and how to watch it right.
What to Expect From Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Peter Parker is a stranger to everyone he loves, the Punisher is in the cast, and Scorpion is finally cashing a check written nine years ago. Here is everything we know before July 31.
What to Watch This Weekend: The Horror Movie Is the Safe Bet
Live-action Moana landed with a thud and a shrug, Evil Dead Burn is the weekend's real surprise, and there are three genuine events waiting at home. Here is how to spend your July 11 weekend.
Toy Story 5 vs. the Minions: What the July 4th Box Office Really Told Us
America's 250th birthday weekend delivered a franchise-low opening for Minions & Monsters while Toy Story 5 kept rolling. Here is what the numbers actually mean for animation.
Avatar: Fire and Ash Hits Disney+: Is the Third Pandora Trip Worth 3 Hours?
James Cameron's $1.49 billion sequel just landed on streaming. Here is whether the darkest, longest Avatar yet earns its runtime at home.
What to Expect From Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey
Nolan follows up Oppenheimer with Homer's epic, shot entirely on IMAX film cameras and led by Matt Damon. Here is everything we know before it opens July 17.
The Hottest Movies in Theaters This Summer (2026)
From Toy Story 5 to Nolan's Odyssey, the 2026 summer slate is loaded. Here is what is playing now and what is still to come, with dates worth circling.
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