Criterion Challenge 2026 - Film #4

There's nothing I can say to convey how touching this film was. We were all children once, with big thoughts and big feelings. Every single one of us.

Ate nothing while watching this.

"You're the real monster" was such an eye-rolling line 😭

Ate popcorn while watching this.

France has got the animated tech dystopia thing locked down. I grew up obsessed with the Garage Kids pilot and the series that spawned from it, Code Lyoko. This hit the same spot in my brain as Code Lyoko used to. This is much more in line with contemporary cyberpunk plots, but the world stands so well on its own that it made for a great watch.

And echoing my sentiments from my review of Ne Zha, I'm always excited to watch non-American and non-Japanese animation.

Ate nothing while watching this.

Criterion Challenge 2026 - Film #3

Surprisingly vibrant for a movie from the 50s. A movie portraying Carnaval must be this vibrant, I suppose. The dubbing / ADR was so noticeably bad that it detracted from the film a lot.

I'm not familiar at all with the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, so I can't comment on whether this portrayal does it justice, but Orpheus's and Eurydice's love could be felt. If not in their dialogue and acting, which were both clunky, then in the music and dancing they shared with one another.

Ate chocolate and drank water while watching this.

DIVORCE HIM!!!

Drinking wine while watching this.

This was a bit slow and boring for a movie about such an intense sport, but I liked it! It's quite endearing watching someone who is deeply passionate about what they do put so much work into it.

Ate chocolate while watching this.

Hot DAM Ralph Fiennes you're amazing 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Ate grapes while watching this.

Criterion Challenge 2026 - Film #2

God, I can't watch these films. An hour of a lynch mob chasing this poor man for the crime of being Mexican. It's too much. All made more anxiety-inducing by the very John Carpenter-esque soundtrack during the horse chase.

Ate cereal while watching this.

Don't let Mr. Beast see this!

Phew that was intense. There's no subtlety in El Hoyo, but that was made obvious by the premise alone: what if you put people in a (seemingly) never-ending pit and sent a platform with food down floor by floor? The intended message couldn't be more clear, and the character's dialogue only adds to that.

This made for a fairly weak first half that is helped by the mystery of the situation and by the intriguing interactions between Goreng and his roommates. The second half is where things hit their stride and you see the beginnings of a rebellion, but then the ending throws that away for a message.

La panna cotta es el mensaje.

Ate cereal while watching this.

Dam dude close your eyes!!!

Undoubtedly a fun watch. Hits the classic rom com beats, but the dynamic between Poppy and Alex was very one-sided. Alex was just bland and hardly opened up.

Ate coconut curry with rice, snacked on popcorn and pretzels, and drank a rosé from Hilltop Orchards in the Berkshires while watching this.

Criterion Challenge 2026 - Film #1

A world of sin and a world of sinners. Shiro's status as a sinner is, to some degree, self-imposed, but that is what makes it all the more real. From the very start of the film, Shiro is in his own personal hell, one which he tries to drown out with sex, caring for his mother, and slowly falling for his dead fiance's döppelganger.

But none of that is enough to stop the chaos and death that follows him, personified as Tamura.

Tamura was one of my favorite parts of this movie. He had such an eerie, haunting presence throughout his scenes, but also had the melodramatic acting of a theater kid. And that damn evil laugh!! Loved it.

This film was oppressively dark and pessimistic. Downright depressing. Shiro's constant defeat and his tendency to fall to the floor reminded me a lot of Shinji in Neon Genesis Evangelion. I wouldn't be surprised if NGE was inspired by Jigoku, but me connecting these two pieces of media may just be due to my ignorance about Japanese film.

Watching Jigoku as my first movie of 2026 is tough because of its pessimism, but I'm choosing to believe the ending was positive and that Shiro grew past the guilt of his personal hell and of the real Hell.

Ate and drank nothing while watching this.

This is what I was expecting the Wild Robot to be. No words spoken, just the beauty of the environment and the animals treading it. The occasional meow, squeak, bark, or whatever the heck noise that capybara was making, were all enough to carry this wonderful film.

Ate plantain chips and drank water while watching this.

The similarity to the second film can be somewhat forgiven since this is clearly meant as a direct continuation of that film, but this really needed something to set it apart.

Thankfully, the world is still so alive that this blockbuster pulls you straight in. The matriarch Tulkun, the return of Turuk Makto, and the terrifying volcano tribe all work so dam well!!

Ate chocolate-covered blueberries and lentil chips while watching this.

I'm INSUFFERABLE when watching this. "Omg I know where that is!" "I walked by there the other day!" My dad hates me 😭

Ate nothing while watching this.

Not gonna lie I didn't pay much attention. That scene where Jackie dressed himself was kinda awesome.

Oh crap this was my 100th movie of the year 😭😭😭

Ate nothing while watching this.

Matthew Mcconaughey at his lowest...

Ate nothing while watching this.

This movies gets better each time I watch it. The suspense in the final courtroom scene holds you hostage and then BAM you get so much satisfaction.

I LOVE Mona Lisa

Ate plantain chips and drank sprite zero while watching this.

Not the genre I expected, but that just made me enjoy it even more!!

Animals can afford a home but most Americans can't 😔

Ate clementines while watching this.

They had MONEY for this one! The boys are back!!

Ate mini crackers while watching this.

A self-aware whodunnit that acknowledges we're all chasing the high of the reveal😩

I know Josh O'Connor is a good actor but this has me taking him more seriously. Him as Father Judd was my favorite part of the movie.

Drank a polar seltzer while watching this.

Slapstick in purest sense of the term. This had me HOWLING.

Drank a lavendar milk tea while watching this.

The music was too loud and drowned out Cynthia Erivo's and Ariana Grande's singing. That's literally what we're here for! None of the songs or performances were as good as any from the first one. "Wonderful" was solid, but I wanted more performances like the library scene from the first one!

This was way too long for how little happens in it. Big disappointment.

Kinda crazy how gleeful Dorothy was after murdering someone 😭

Ate chocolate and pistachios while watching this.

Watched Roger Sayer play a truncated version of the score in Boston. An incredible experience even though I had never watched Interstellar before. I watched it that same night and get the hype now.

Ate pringles with pickle de gallo and drank sprite zero while watching this.

Okay okay it's better than I remembered but the first one is still better!!

Ate popcorn, trader joe's takis, saltines, chocolate, and drank water while watching this.

Before the car has a major presence in the story, the highlight is Arnie and Dennis's relationship. The stereotypical movie high school setting with jocks, nerds, greaser type bullies, and the freaky math girl sets you up to expect a stilted, maybe one-way friendship between the two. But what you get instead is Dennis being unafraid of expressing that he cares for his friend Arnie. The two being so close makes Arnie's obsession that much more unsettling. What if your best friend was unraveling in front of your very eyes?

Once Christine is fully in the picture, Carpenter goes all out with his classic synth soundtrack and some astounding practical effects that are present much more liberally throughout the film than I expected. Yet each practical effects scene was as good as the last.

Christine on fire has to be the highlight. So fucking cool!!!!

Drank water while watching this.

Still better than the second one.

Got high and ate a ton of snacks while watching this.

After finally having watched The Fly, seeing the references to it in this movie was fun. The use of color was better than I remember, and the nasty sound design is still a banger.

Not a fan of how past audio would repeat during pivotal scenes to hammer in the messaging. Seems disrespectful to the audience.

Ate nothing while watching this.

The baby was honestly kinda cute...until the end. I wanted to cower in the corner as much as Henry

Ate popcorn while watching this.

Sorry for doubting you, Evil Dead. I finally understand you. It just took a 5 minute retelling plus an hour+ of Ash getting his ass handed to him for me to get it.

Ate popcorn while watching this.

This on during peak Autumn with your friends while you eat pumpkin cookies, craft, and gossip 🧡

Ate pumpkin cookies while watching this.

First a romance, then a body horror, but ultimately a tragedy. May all of our inner insects awaken.

Ate guac while watching this.

Had a high school production vibe to it that was as fun as it was meh. It could've done with more thoughtful lighting, but the general aesthetic was perfect for a spooky season movie. Your Monster did this story better.

Ate chocolate while watching this.

As much as Leo did a good job, there's no way I can believe he's any sort of revolutionary.

The middle section of this movie focusing on Lockjaw's attack on the city and the response by the community was phenomenal. Potentially my favorite part of any movie from this year.

I'm Mexican!!!! I'm a MEXICAN!!!!! 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽

Drank water while watching this.

I remember watching this when I was 12 and it hit so hard. I don't think a rewatch will ever hit as hard as the first time, but still so fun.

Jesse Williams should've talked more!!!

Ate dill pickle pretzels while watching this.

You can sort of look past the lack of chemistry for the first 30 min when the movie's fun, but wow it gets boring real quick.

Ate dill pickle pretzel sticks while watching this.

An overly simple film that should've just leaned into that simplicity. Instead, the film is insecure about itself, especially as it goes on. It's a shame because the visuals are engaging and the sound design is so good at moments. It's just not enough.

I'm so over cult movies.

Drank cherry sprite while watching this.

Wow such a great movie to go into blind! Genuinely hilarious.

Ate chips while watching this.

The most suspenseful, tense, paranoid movie I have seen or will ever see. I will never tire of watching this masterpiece.

Ate a cookie while watching this.

Felt like 2 vaguely related movies randomly stitched together. Did this movie even have an ending? Am I just stupid??

Ate nerds and drank sprite zero while watching this.

Genuinely may be one of the worst movies ever made. I was high and still could barely find any entertainment to it. There's only so much you can laugh at a movie before it just becomes kinda pathetic.

Ate trader joe's takis and vegan pesto dip while watching this.

I’ve almost certainly watched Jaws countless times in Spanish on Telemundo, Telefutura, Univision, or Unimas, but I can’t remember any of this movie. Wow thank goodness because it was a master class of suspense.

The real villains of this movie are the petty bourgeoisie small business owners! So educational. Justice for the shark!

Ate nothing while watching this.

So glad I got to watch this in theaters. This and Flow (still gotta watch that 😭) have got me excited about the future of non-US and non-Japanese animation.

Ne Zha II was a step up from the first one in every way possible, which is crazy to think when the scale of the first one was already so massive. I can’t even imagine how big the third one will be, but I can’t wait to watch it so the dragons can get justice!!

Ate and drank nothing while watching this. Wish I had some water

The exposition dump dialogue can easily be forgiven with just how FUN this was. Seriously a blast. The pig being「Moody Blues」hit me by surprise, the painting world was gorgeous, the fight for the paint brush was hilarious, and the entire third act fight scene was jaw-dropping. Can’t wait to watch the sequel.

Ate dill pickle chips and drank a Poppi while watching this.

The trailers made this out to be highly comedic, but what we got was as equally sad and romantic as it was funny. I can’t believe how much they hated each other 😢

Ate pecans while watching this.

Vanessa Kirby: 😗+🤨

Ate nothing while watching this.

BURN-E has no one to blame but themselves!!

Drank water while watching this.

Give the bunny a dang carrot 😡

Drank water while watching this.