Movies Watched in 2026 (1/2)

All of these reviews are crossposted on my letterboxd. The rest of the reviews will follow at the end of the year.

Feature-length Films

1. The Worst Person in the World (2021, NO)

Bloody Millenials

3.5/5 - Letterboxd

2. Companion (2025, US)

This review may contain spoilers.

What a fool I am, I just assumed the automatic corkscrew was meant to parallel the companion bots.

But, no, it was Checkov's corkscrew. Of cource it was Chekov's corkscrew! Get it together, Kurt.

4/5 - Letterboxd

3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992, US)

A rewatch. No real rating.

4. Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007, UK)

A rewatch. No real rating.

5. The Kid Detective (2020, US)

An excellent film, what an amazing payoff and just a complete mastery of balancing comedy and dark tones to be able to pull it off.

Also, that end title card. You bastards.

4.5/5 - Letterboxd

6. See How They Run (2022, UK)

It has Agatha Christie whacking someone on the head with a shovel.

4/5 - Letterboxd

7. The Party (2017, UK)

A hell of a punchline

3/5 - Letterboxd

8. The Irishman (2019, US)

I started watching this movie last year. Now you might assume I turned it off and picked it back up later, but I'm pretty sure I watched it in real time.

It is what it is.

3.5/5 - Letterboxd

9. Gosford Park (2001, UK)

"I'm the perfect servant."

Boy, it was a long road to get there, but I do like the ending a lot. Still, I think the whole Downton Abbey thing, even with a dash of murder and some terrible, terrible, detective work on Stephen Fry's part, doesn't work for me.

The cast is fantastic and everyone does a great job, plus it does an excellent job coordinating such an ensemble. But it's just a bit too slow for me.

3.5/5 - Letterboxd

10. Plus One (2019, US)

Ten weddings? You know what they call that? Trauma bonding.

4/5 - Letterboxd

11. Last Night in Soho (2021, UK)

I loved everything about this movie. From the glitzy glamour of the '60s, over the dark horror turn, and the lost small town girl in a big city modern parts, to the explosive ending.

But Lindsey, my man, you gotta work on your approach.

5/5 - Letterboxd

12. Man Up (2015, UK)

Sweet, cutee, breezy. It has all the usual beats you expect in one of those, but it also has the needed charm to pull it off.

3.5/5 - Letterboxd

13. River (2023, JP)

Loved, loved, loved this movie.

Wrings everything it can out of the saying "time is like a river."

It's two minute shared single shot approach to the concept is a genuinely new angle on time loop. Thematically, character-wise, visually, everything is on point to serve its central conceit.

Absolutely lovely.

5/5 - Letterboxd

14. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, US)

I still don't know how I feel about Wes Anderson movies.

"It's been a rough year, dad."

I think I like it.

4/5 - Letterboxd

15. Rye Lane (2023, UK)

I want to buy that picture of the hairy ass.

3.5/5 - Letterboxd

16. Together (2025, US)

A horrifying, gross, comedic, sensual, twisted film filled with The Thing-esque levels of body horror about two people losing themselves in a relationship until they literally merge.

See now why can't I have that?

4/5 - Letterboxd

17. Death at a Funeral (2007, UK)

A bit slow to start, but it builds into a beautiful farce. That was a great speech.

3.5/5 - Letterboxd

18. The Death of Stalin (2017, UK)

The Death of Stalin was everything I expected it to be, and everything I needed it to be in the moment. Glad I kept it in my backpocket. Even though sometimes I could see the Iannucci formula very clearly, but, hey, I'll enjoy an Iannucci patented crash out any time.

4.5/5 - Letterboxd

19. Late Night with the Devil (2023, US)

This nails everything it tries to do with mood, the 70s vibe, the smokey talk show, the over the top medium, the faux James Randi, the slowly building sense that something is wrong beyond the things that are obviously wrong.

It probably gets a bit wonky around the edges if you poke at it or take a closer look, but if you just focus on what's in front of you it's a great ride.

A long episode of Inside No. 9 really.

4/5 - Letterboxd

20. Horse Girl (2020, US)

I think I liked it. I'm just not sure what to say about it.

The movie relies entirely on Alison Brie's performance and I think she did fantastic, she nailed the mental spiral into madness. This movie is both slow and fast, it lets itself sit in moments long enough, but in the second half it moves very fast and escalates. I wouldn't really say it concludes, it just sort of is and then ends.

But, I don't think this movie was trying to do anything more than portraying a character, and I think it did perfectly well in that.

3.5/5 - Letterboxd

21. Bean (1997, UK)

Rewatch, no review.

22. The Coffee Table (2022, ES)

I think this is the most uncomfortable I've ever been watching a movie. At least for a prolonged time, maybe there have been more horrible segments, but this just keeps going.

The event is terrible enough, but the anxiety of the aftermath is what made me squirm. There's an uncomfortable dark comedy in here, yes, but it doesn't let the comedy aspect give you any relief.

You have to commend it for achieving what it does, but I have no idea what to rate it.

...

Also I watched this straight after re-watching Bean, and, uh, that's not a double feature anyone would come up with, although there are... some similarities.

Letterboxd

Short Films

1. A Grand Day Out (1989, UK)

4/5 - Letterboxd

2. The Wrong Trousers (1993, UK)

I already gave the first one four stars and this one really is on a whole new level, so five stars it is.

A fun adventure, and obviously a masterpiece of stop motion, but even apart from that some of these shots are just gorgeous and cinematic.

5/5 - Letterboxd