Under the Radar Picks for 2026

We’re already a third of the way through 2026 and the movies that have made big money have been the usual suspects (“Super Mario Galaxy” and “Scream 7”) with some word-of-mouth crowdpleasers (“Project Hail Mary” and “Send Help”) and a viral micro-budget horror movie with a massive YouTube fanbase (“Iron Lung”). But several pretty great films have completely slipped under the radar this year as Hollywood and chain multiplexes are still struggling to figure out new ways to get audiences back into theaters post-pandemic.

This is what we do: We lament the death of the mid-budget original film while simultaneously ignoring the gems that actually secure theatrical releases. These films sit quietly on one or two screens while sequels, remakes or rebootquels monopolize the other 13.

With that said, let’s try to share some love with four films you likely missed while we were busy obsessing over the flesh-colored bedrooms of “Wuthering Heights” and wondering what the hell Chris Pratt is attempting with that Mario voice.

“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die:” While Gore Verbinski has made a few great movies (“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “The Ring” and “Mouse Hunt”) and some interesting misfires (“A Cure for Wellness” and “The Mexican”) and a few colossal failures (“The Lone Ranger” and “PotC: At World’s End”), even his worst film is still incredible to witness. As a filmmaker, he is constantly pushing the medium forward, testing the limits of in-camera effects and digital spectacle.

Sam Rockwell should be our go-to world saver in movies from now on. Credit: Briarcliff

Returning to the director’s chair after nearly a decade, Verbinski reconnects to his weird, playful side we got a little of in “Rango,” but with a tactile chaos that drops the jaw more than once and hits my nostalgia buttons for the early works of Terry Gilliam. “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” isn’t remotely perfect, but as far as slapstick, time-travel, sci-fi comedies focused on the dangers of AI and social media, it’s a damn hoot. Also, I will always be there, regardless of the movie, to watch Sam Rockwell try to save the world. It deserved much better than it got.

“Undertone:” A minimalist horror movie where the true terror originates in the sound design. Built as a one-woman show starring the nuanced Nina Kiri, “Undertone” follows a woman caring for her near-comatose mother in her childhood home who becomes haunted by a series of disturbing recordings she’s analyzing for her paranormal podcast.

While the movie was financially lucrative—earning $20 million on a $500K budget— I don’t think it received the respect it deserved. Building a creepy film off of a solo performance, elegantly understated camera movements, groundbreaking sound design and a perfectly calibrated tone of dread is a remarkable feat of filmmaking. This could have easily been slow and pretentious, but I found myself in a psychological vice for most of the running time. Existentially exhausting in the very best way.

“Normal:” Despite opening this weekend, the buzz is quiet around “Normal,” the new action-comedy starring Bob Odenkirk. From criminally underrated filmmaker Ben Wheatley (“A Field in England,” “Kill List”), Odenkirk plays an interim sheriff taking over in a corrupt small town where everyone has a secret.

The film combines the bone-crunching action choreography of “John Wick” with Odenkirk’s signature self-deprecating charm, but with a goofy, nonsensical storyline that allows Wheatley to ignore the plotting and make everything blow up something fierce.

Yes, it’s not always filled with classic lines of dialogue or subtle characterization, but watching Odenkirk firing a grenade launcher forced me to remove my critic hat (it’s a beanie, actually) and simply enjoy the ridiculous carnage.

“The President’s Cake:” Despite winning the Caméra d’Or at Cannes, “The President’s Cake” still struggled to find an audience on release by Sony Pictures Classics. Set in 1990s Iraq under Saddam Hussein, it follows a 9-year-old Lamia on an odyssey to find eggs and sugar for a mandatory birthday cake she must cook for the dictator’s birthday. Her journey across the Mesopotamian Marshes with her friend Saeed and her chicken Hindi is at times harrowing, life-affirming and deeply affecting, leaving me in tears for Lamia and her tribulations. An unforgettable, important masterpiece. There are so many more films than just these four that didn’t get the attention they deserved.

Here are a few more to take a look at:

“The Plague.”
“Primate.”
“OBEX.”
“Mother of Flies.”
“Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.” 
“Pillion.”
“Sirāt.”
“Peter Hujar’s Day.”

This article appears in the Source April 23, 2026.