Twelve-ish Months, Twelve-ish Movies.
General Reviews
It's December the 1st. I'm knee-deep in finals, graduating university in two weeks, and moving back home. It's a crazy time. The weather's getting bitterly cold and windy, so I've been in the movie theatre more which has been a real treat. My family and I don't really do Christmas, and always end up watching a movie together as our “thing”. We went through a superhero movie phase the past couple years—Xmas 2024 was a rewatch of the Dark Knight trilogy. I think this year we're watching Wicked: For Good, to my mom's delight.
Along with the end of the year comes Spotify Wrapped, Apple Music Wrapped; whatever you may use, whatever it may be called. Anyone remember Youtube Rewind? Let's bring that back. In the spirit of that, let me walk you through my stats:
This year wasn't as big of a movie year as I would've liked. I've seen 113 movies as of today; almost 213 hours watched, with an average of two and a half movies a week. The first movie I watched this year was Brazil, and the most recent movie I watched was Sometimes I Think About Dying. Every year, my top genre is always drama.
My most watched actor this year was Naomie Harris—I watched 28 Days Later, Black Bag, Moonlight, and a bunch of the Bond films. My top director was Bong Joon Ho, because we had a week dedicated to him in the Film and Food class I took this semester. He's also tied with Hayao Miyazaki and Mike Leigh. Can somebody say range? My top cinematographor was Roger Deakins, and my top composer was Alexandre Desplat. Boooooring.
Without further ado, here's my favourite film from each month.
JANUARY: I already wrote about Nosferatu, so for January I'm choosing The Brutalist. I sat there and ate up all four hours of it. I liked all the brass in score, the sheer power of it pairs well with all those looming and beautiful architectural shots, matching their grandeur or filling the empty space. Also, some of the ugliest damn ties I've ever seen.
FEBRUARY: My February pick is Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies. I'm a sucker for a movie set in the UK in the 90s/early 2000s. Leigh does realism so damn well, and I really admire his ability to build character. Did you know most of the movie was improvised???? I think this is the only movie where I've ever liked a Timothy Spall character.
MARCH: March—I can't pick. I was late to the About Time party, and had a good time watching Mickey 17 in theatres. It's a movie in the UK that takes place in the 2000s. Simple as that. I'm also a sucker for rpattz (as us true fans call him, of course) and Mickey 17 was a silly time despite the numerous loose ends in the plot. Needed 17 and 18 to kiss.
APRIL: Again, I struggle to pick. I continue to be late to the party, watching Y Tu Mama Tambien for the first time, and I have a soft spot in my heart for The Outrun. I don't think I have much to say about Y Tu Mama Tambien except for the fact that it's as gorgeous as it's kind of nasty. I'm a fan of the narration style and think Gael García Bernal is a beautiful, beautiful man. The Outrun is a sleeper hit, and has a fun electronic score. The story is non-linear, which I love like a fat kid loves cake. Saoirse Ronan's hair colour changes in the story depending on her character's sobriety.
MAY: I travelled in May and my movie watching occurred mainly on the plane. Being John Malkovich was my top pick. It was actually something that my thesis professor recommended I watch, time and time again. And, like, what? Imagine how bad their apartment would smell with all those animals. My goodness. I really loved Maxine's character and style and she's everything I want to be when I grow up.
JUNE: I travelled more in June and my movie watching occurred mainly on the plane. Children of Men blew me away and in some ways I'm glad I watched it on such a tiny screen. For something made in 2006, it's a super poignant watch. We all know I'm an Alfonso Cuarón truther. My favourite part by far was the cinematography, shoutout Emmanuel Lubezki—I'm addicted to the earthy toned colour-grading.
JULY: Another month, another two picks: The Player and 28 Years Later. The Player was hilarious in the way it was absurd—I love a meta movie, and Griffin, the Hollywood exec protagonist, orders a different brand of water at every luncheon he goes to. 28 Years Later was another great theatre watch, with the “bullet time” effect making the violence seem larger-than life. I really loved Ralph Fiennes in all his bright orange glory, and can't help but wonder if it stained. The sequel is one of my most anticipated movies for 2026.
AUGUST: After watching Weapons I was like, damn, this might be my movie of the year. I had that George Harrison song on repeat for a week after. I liked the format of the story a lot, with the different points of view and their slight overlaps, and was blown away by the actor who played Alex. Most importantly, I'm glad they recast most of the main characters. As much as a I love Renate Reinsve and the internet loves Pedro Pascal, I don't think they would've done as a good of a job as Julia Garner and Josh Brolin.
SEPTEMBER: I'm choosing Caught Stealing because I already wrote about One Battle After Another. I don't know if Caught Stealing actually deserves the title of favourite per se, but it was a great theatre experience. It's a fun portrait of New York that is pretty realistic, and I liked seeing all the gratuitous violence play out at that scale. Movies are so bloody these days, it sometimes seems hard to be shocked, but this one had me on the edge of my seat for each twist and turn. Kudos to the cat actor too.
OCTOBER: The Accountant 2. I hate to say it! The Accountant is a guilty-pleasure fave of mine, and somehow the second one was better than the first. Hear me out. Secretly, I love Ben Affleck and the like X-Men-esque mansion of children on the spectrum with technological super-skills. It's surprisingly wholesome for a movie of this nature, and I just adore a dad-core movie.
NOVEMBER: TOO MANY TO CHOOSE! Lurker, Sentimental Value, and Sometimes I Think About Dying are my top three. Lurker had a great ambience that brought me straight back to the aesthetic experience of being online in the late 2010s (not that they were that long ago, but whatever) full of great casting and just horrible horrible characters that you can't look away from. Lots of dark and funny jokes. Had a bit of a Mubi moment and also watched Sometimes I Think About Dying. It has the most stunning shots of small-town Oregon, and a harp-filled soundtrack that's both light, romantic, and macabre. Sentimental Value. My God. I love Joachim Trier. It was nice to see a story almost-devoid of romance, and rich enough with family relationships. The house was a character in itself. I've been turned on to Labi Siffre thanks to this movie, and personally, I would be greatful for a copy of The Piano Teacher for my birthday. Maybe hard-to-like yet somehow endearing characters were the theme of the month.
Gun to my head, the top movie from my entireeeeee year? Hm. I think I'll go with Sentimental Value because it really delivers in terms of story, acting, cinematography, soundtrack, and pulling at my heartstrings.
If you've stuck with me this long, who's on your movie “wrapped” this year?
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