2026 Movie Diary

52 Weeks = 52 Movies (Give or Take)

Current Count: 16 movies (9 New / 7 Rewatch)

Last year's movie diary ended up with 51 new movies (and 26 rewatches). Respectable, but the fact that it's not 52 new movies does really grind my gears. Man! If I could have just managed one more! That would have been perfect. But, I did technically reach my goal of 52 movies in general, and then some. I'm debating on whether to keep my 52-movie goal this year or to up it. For now I'll say 52 NEW movies this year.

Week 1

Mean Girls (2004)

Rewatch with friends. This movie occupies a similar space in my brain as like, Friends and The Office, as in everyone references it all the time which can get kind of annoying and makes it feel a bit cheap as a result. But honestly, it is a good movie, and I need to abandon my hipster-y mindset. Mainstream things are usually widely beloved for a good reason. This movie is funny and relatable. I found myself feeling kind of bad for Regina this time, though- She's subject to the same forces Cady is, after all. 4 stars.

Amadeus (1984)

Insanely long but the second half of the movie is especially goated. The final bit- the sequence where Mozart is dictating the music- is incredible. Love watching a guy go crazy and I have a special place in my heart for characters consumed and warped by hatred and envy. The death scene hits so hard. Great performances and very compelling dynamics, in the end. That laugh, bro. 4.5 stars.

Big Eden (2000)

Rewatch. I enjoyed it more this time, which is awesome because I already liked it the first time. Pike is so awkward and cute, he makes me laugh. This is suuuch a slowburn movie but I wouldn't have it any other way. And- spoilers- the scene where Sam talks to Henry about his sexuality did make me tear up this time. Oh my god, could you imagine? Ugh. Just a nice, feel-good type of movie with a happy sappy ending. 4 stars.

Week 2

Tampopo (1987)

A total love letter to food and everything it means to people. I absolutely loved all the vignettes throughout the main plot. There were some really warm and meaningful moments, and some bits that were just really funny. My favorite character was the gangster, and I thought the way he addressed the audience directly at the start of the movie was just iconic. There were a lot of shots that I really enjoyed! Notably, (spoilers!) the two shot of the old man teaching the other guy the proper way to eat ramen, and the shot of Tampopo peeking through the crack in the wall, and the shot of the oyster with a bit of blood on it, and the shot of the gangster dying in the rain with his white suit slowly turning red. The characters were all really distinct and enjoyable. The POV shots were crazy. A fun watch, I would definitely recommend! 4.5 stars.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Rewatch! I got into Mel Brooks' movies in junior high and watched them all throughout highschool. This is an absolute fave that I wanted to show my friend Fang. Gene Wilder was so insanely hot back in the day. Miss him. 4 stars.

Baby Driver (2017)

Rewatch with Ki and Ozzie. This movie is a whole lot of fun but if you think critically about it for more than 3 seconds all the problems start to crawl out of the woodwork and sour the vibe. And boy, there are a lot of problems. Especially with Debora, whose personality and decisions make zero sense at all. But if you just wanna see cool cars drive around in cool ways while fun music plays, this is a great movie for you. 2.5 stars.

Week 3

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Very endearing main character, in fact I liked all the characters, but the plot didn't quite cross over into the "compelling" territory for me. The sound design was very unique, though, and it was an interesting and memorable watch. 4 stars.

Week 4

Porco Rosso (1992)

Rewatch to show Ki! And Ozzie was there too teehee. Oh my gosh, this movie is just so lighthearted and fun to me. It just makes me so happy. It's so nostalgic, not in the sense that it makes ME nostalgic for MY memories, but in that it's "looking back" on this carefree time. None of the conflict is that real or serious, no one's going to get hurt. The villains are silly and the way that they interact with everyone else is endearing. The way that both world wars loom over the plot is truly awesome- the dark past of what happened to Porco in WWI and the rise of fascism in Italy throughout the movie that the viewer knows will come to a head in WWII.... UGH. The plane action scenes are gorgeously animated and this is just a beautiful and underrated movie. 5 stars.

Week 5

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)

Technically a rewatch I think but honestly I don't even remember watching this movie all the way through before so I'm counting it as a first watch. It honestly holds up pretty well! These characters are so iconic. I'm surprised this movie doesn't have a bigger legacy as a coming-of-age film. Also, Roderick is just great. Just purely hilarious. 3 stars.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules (2011)

All the charm of the first one and a more cohesive plot. A more heartwarming ending. The characters are maybe slightly less evil (I'm looking at you, Greg). Roderick... I love you Roderick... 3.5 stars.

Week 6

Skipped.

Week 7

Skipped! Sorry for flopping!

Week 8

Zoolander

Rewatch. Genuinely so funny, it holds up well. The sheer ridiculousness of some of the scenes really gets me. The gasoline fight... The line deliveries and facial expressions in this movie are peak. Doesn't carry on for too long. 4 stars.

Week 9

Venture Bros: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (2023)

Rewatch! Look I know I just saw it in December but I just dragged my friend Ozzie through all of Vbros too so of course I had to watch it with them. With the announcement of the end of Smiling Friends, I AM joining the conspiracy theorists in their delusions about a sudden Venture Bros revival. Season 8 here we come! 4.5 stars.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

This one had been on my watchlist for a long time, so I'm happy to have finally seen it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this somehow wasn't it. Way less of Dr. Strangelove himself than I anticipated. The first time General Ripper said fluids I went "No way." And then he expounded on it later, which is EXACTLY what I wanted. 5 stars.

Women Wearing Shoulder Pads (2025)

Technically a tv miniseries but there's a movie version so I'm putting this here even though I watched the TV cut. This show is PHENOMENAL, I really wish more people were aware of it. Funny and unique and charming. I loved all of these characters so much. They're so insane. I especially loved Espada's intensity. She was hot. I feel like this could benefit from a rewatch! 4.5 stars.

Week 10

Skipped!

Week 11

Phantom Thread (2017)

This was awesome. I'd like to rewatch it sometime. I probably will soon! I enjoyed the power dynamics at play and they way they hated each other. She could have left at any moment... He could have sent her away at any moment. Sick and twisted and awesome. The end really, really got me. I didn't expect that ending at all! 4 stars.

Week 12

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Sometimes a movie might be on your watchlist for actual years because it's four hours long and you can't bring yourself to commit that kind of time to a movie from over 60 years ago. This is YOUR SIGN to watch that movie. Spoilers ahead so beware. Gorgeous and AMAZING character work. You could write a book analyzing the relationship between Lawrence and Ali and how it shifts from the beginning of this movie to the end. The earning of Ali's respect... And the eventual loss of it. UGH. The way that Lawrence started as so kind, so intelligent, so rational... And wound up bloodthirsty, on the brink of madness. And, probably because there were 4 hours to do it, his transformation into a bloodthirsty sadist was so gradual! You almost don't realize anything's wrong, but then the things he starts saying............ Mmmmm. A very powerful message about what war does to someone, despite noble causes or any scrap of decency or intelligence. Sick. Sick. 4.5 stars (points deducted for Prince Feisel brownface)