LIBERAL FIRST
Liberal's leading source for news and views
Throughout 2025, there were many great movies to check out either in theaters or via streaming, multiple of which ended up being reviewed on this page. With 2025 officially closed and 2026 getting started, I figured it would be fun to review some of my favorite movies for the year and mention some 2026 releases I’m particularly excited about.
Here we go!
Like many others this month, I’ve been indulging in Christmas music both at home and at the office to get myself in a merry mood. Recently, YouTube made another great recommendation that is sure to remain among my Christmas playlist for a long time with Mickey Guyton’s “Feels Like Christmas” album. The album was apparently released near the end of October and after I finished listening to it, I was left thinking “Why did it take so long for this to get recommended to me?!”
To start, Guyton’s vocals throughout the album are great. Guyton has such a sweet and fun voice, and she clearly has a lot of talent, leaving me in disbelief at having not heard more of her before now. In fact, I might even have to look up some of her non-holiday music after the start of the new year. She also clearly had a lot of fun recording this album, and I heard just so much joy in each song, which always makes for a great listening experience when I find a new album to listen to. Overall, Guyton has a great voice for Christmas music, and I loved listening to her on every song.
Back in 2019, film director Rian Johnson introduced audiences to master detective Benoit Blanc in the murder mystery “Knives Out,” which ended up being a hit and spawning a franchise, including 2022’s “Glass Onion” (which some of you may remember I also reviewed). Six years after his big screen debut, Blanc is on his third adventure in the franchise with “Wake Up Dead Man.”
The film, released on Netflix last week, follows Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he teams up with earnest young priest Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) to investigate a seemingly perfectly impossible crime at a small-town church with some dark secrets.
The 2026 Broadway in Wichita season is mere weeks from kicking off, and this year’s opening show will be brand new to Wichita and its audiences.
The Broadway in Wichita season will kick off with "Water For Elephants," which will run from Jan. 12 through 14, 2026, with all performances at 7:30 p.m. at Century II Performing Arts Center at 225 W. Douglas Ave. in Wichita. The show follows Jacob Jankowski, who, after tragically losing his parents, jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life and love beyond his wildest dreams.
Nearly a decade ago, Disney movie fans were introduced to the world of “Zootopia” and many of its inhabitants, namely sly fox Nick Wilde and energetic new bunny cop Judy Hopps. I remember seeing the movie at the theater here in town and absolutely loving it – so much so, I ended up later purchasing it on DVD.
Nearly a decade later, fans have the chance to return to the colorful world with the newly released “Zootopia 2,” which has already shattered multiple cinematic records, and for good reason. This outing reunites Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) as they find themselves on the twisting trail of Gary De’Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan), a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the city upside down. To crack the case, the duo must go undercover, and their growing partnership is tested.
 |
20°F | 18°F min | 22°F max |
 |
7:53 |  |
17:17 |
The Kansas Reflector’s Clay Wirestone’s attempt to caricature Senate President Ty Masterson says far more about the Reflector than it does about Masterson. Rather than […]
In what his office calls “a blistering open letter,” the Kansas attorney general is warning artificial intelligence companies to “implement a significant course correction or […]
Tribal Chairman Joseph Rupnick addresses the firing of Prairie Band LLC staff over the ICE contract./Youtube capture The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has picked the […]
K-State Research & Extension photo Growing up in Kansas, you learn early that agriculture is not a job. It is a life. Youvdepend on the […]
