This roundup has nothing to do with Independence Day really. But you can declare your independence from boredom by streaming these four 2026 movies that I have recently seen and didn’t tell you about yet! For the record, this is not me trying to milk a federal holiday for the sweet protein of shirked responsibility so much as it is me not wanting to find a few hundred words to say about Toy Story 17: Please Let Us Die, We Want to Die So Bad or Minions 9: At One Point, We Were Charming.

Hoppers (Disney Plus)

Unlike the aforementioned sequels, this is a Pixar original. That used to mean a guaranteed good time, but studio seals don’t quite signify what they used to, am I right AI24? A young woman discovers technology that allows her to project her consciousness into a mechanical beaver. As mecha-beav, she tries to stage an animal uprising to protect a wildlife area against being turned into a highway. It is cute-ish. It has some fun moments. It is also very derivative and seems to go out of its way to avoid saying anything of actual significance about capitalism or environmental calamity. A “fun” side effect of the “anti-woke” crusade is apparently the blandification of entertainment.

Grade = C+

Hokum (Rentable wherever you prefer to do that)

This is one of those horror movies that had truly lovely trappings and seems better when retold in aggregate than it actually felt to watch it. An American author (Adam Scott) struggling with personal demons and publishing deadlines stays at a haunted hotel in the middle of McNowhere, Ireland. A quasi-murder mystery develops, a tragic backstory is told, and some supernatural shenanigans ensue. Tiptoeing through varying tones is a genre staple. Although writer/director Damian McCarthy never outright stumbles, things feel more flat-footed than fantastic. Scott is well-deployed as a charismatic, self-hating jerk. The basement sequence is a delight. But in a year with multiple spooky standouts, this is a serviceable also-ran.

Grade = B-

Is God Is (Also on whatever VOD platform you swear allegiance to)

Now we’re talking… What a strange, savage creature this flick is. Writer/director Aleshea Harris adapts her own stage play into an odd blend of B-movie-revenge-thriller and sophisticatedly slick style. Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) were injured in a fire started by their abusive father. They are contacted by a mother they thought had died (Vivica A. Fox), who urges them to go kill that man. The result is a raucous blend of heroic journey, ghastly violence, and explicit engagement with literal generational trauma. Unfortunately, there is a limit with how interested I am in virtually any take on vengeance. Honestly, given that plot catalyst, it says an immense amount about Harris’ remarkable talent that I found this one as engaging as I did. Definitely not an easy watch, but a worthwhile one.

Grade = B+

Mother Mary (Once more, you can rent this one at whichever site you remember the password for)

I am a complete and total sucker for the films of David Lowery. I don’t know why that makes me feel basic… Although not based on a play, Mother Mary feels like one. A mega pop star (Anne Hathaway, who may as well be named Shady Mama for as close as she rhymes to a certain real-life diva, reconnects with her estranged former bestie (Michaela Coel). In flashbacks and cutaways, they vivisect their fallout while the latter designs a dress for the former. It is mostly talking. Hooray! There is a literal ghost. Yippee! It carefully considers how we are haunted by not only our regrets but by the memory poltergeists of the friends no longer in our lives. Swell? Both leads are sensational. The design is breathtaking. The music is exceptional. The pace and plot are such that most people will “nope” right out of there. If you’re cool with an atmospheric slower-than-slo-mo emotional talkfest, this is the only firework you’ll need this weekend, baby!

Grade = A-