Ranking The New Movies We Saw In February 2026
Three movies in February, one new contender for the Best of the Year tournament.
Alright, so we've seen a few movies this month, not as many as I would have liked but hopefully starting in March we will get back to work on that properly. Of the three new release movies we covered, this is how they rank. Remember, number one gets an automatic bid into the end of year tournament.
3. Midwinter Break
As Midwinter Break went on, I really wanted to like it. Ciaran Hinds and Lesley Manville put on an absolute acting clinic in this story about an older couple at the beginning of the end of their marriage. The problem is that the movie is weirdly paced and elements of the plot (namely how the marriage falls apart) don't feel earned. We don't see enough of the couple before they go on the trip to make the issues that manifest on the trip really feel like they're insurmountable problems that require culmination in divorce.
2. The Moment
Don't interpret this as me not liking The Moment, I went into this film with minimal expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The reason it is so low on this list is because I wish it had grappled with the core issue a little more than it actually did, namely what does it mean to create art that takes on a life of its own, and how does a creative deal with a piece of art that becomes an entity into and of itself. It touches on it, and Charli XCX is fantastic in this movie, but it doesn't dive as deeply as I would have liked it to.
1. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
Sam Rockwell said in an interview recently that Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die was built to exist in the same space as Everything Everywhere All At Once. I wouldn't say it quite hits that level, but it does have that blend of levity and high-concept science fiction that will make it stand out. The only reason it is not higher, despite the fact that Juno Temple's segment in the middle of the film is probably one of the most interesting science fiction short concepts I've seen in quite some time.
The automatic bids for the Best of the Year tournament are H is for Hawk and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die.
