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#2026 Challenge Watch a Movie a Day

 

 

JANUARY:

  1. Mr. Mercedes – (Netflix) – Love Brendan Gleason…but NOT in this. Turned it off after 3 episodes – disappointment 
  2. Lost Illusions (Apple) – Movie only tells only  part 2 of the book…does NOT do Balzac justice! – Bah
  3. Pluribus (Netflix) -I like Rhea Seehorn…otherwise I would have turned it off after episode 3 – boring
  4. Murder in Monaco (Netflix)- Sloppy production, boring and waste of my time.  – boring  – 01.01.2026
  5. Weapons  (Apple) –  Beyond bad…! Nothing remotely creative/intelligent …just a bunch  of zombies. Bah. o2.01.2026
  6. A Real Pain (Disney) – Not what I expected…Culkin is too crazy…..and Eisenberg too stiff. 04.01.2026
  7. His Three Daughters – (Netflix) -..It was okay…not great.  New York Times films 2024.  06.01.2026
  8. Man on the Inside (Netflix) – NOT funny…each episode felt like cringy …stopped after 5 episodes. 17.01.2026
  9. Cover-up (Netflix) – many memories about the news in 1960s  – EXCELLENT
  10. The New Yorker 100 Years (Netflix) – my favourite magazine! – EXCELLENT
  11. Sunday Best: the Untold Story of Ed Sullivan (Netflix) – EXCELLENT
  12. The Holdovers – (Netflix)  ….good feeling movie, loved it!  – EXCELLENT
  13. Evil Under the Sun (BBC 2)..love Peter Ustinov and Maggie Smith = EXCELLENT
  14. Documentary (Art History)   “Basquiet: Rages to Riches”. (53 min)
  15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23gz8pbPKOI  = WOW…just WOW!

 

Planningto watch: February

  1. Death By Lighting – (Netflix) – True story of President James Garfield, and admirer Charles Guiteau, who assassinated him. – 4 part mini series
  2. Documentary   Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie (2026 –> left audience gasping! – Sundace Film Festival
  3. Documentary Folktales (Norway) – AppleTV rent –  2025 
  4. Documentary Prime Minister (New Zealand) – HBOMax – 2025
  5. Frankenstein – (Netflix)  9 MAJOR Oscar nominations ( Best Film, Director, Supp Actor, Costumes, Screenplay and Cinematography) — MUST WATCH!

Black History Month 2026. –> FILMS:  Outstanding directors 

  1. Raoul Peck (Haiti): I Am Not Your Negro (2016) AppleTV (rent)
  2. Ava DuVerbay (USA):  When They See Us (2019)  Netflix  (mini series 4 episodes)
  3. Spike Lee (USA): Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (2025) Netflix. (mini series 3 episodes)
  4. Dee Rees (USA): Mudbound (2017) Netflix
  5. Sir Alan Parker (UK): Mississippi Burning (1988) AppleTV (rent)…(one of my favourite movies…re-watching)
  6. Chinonye Chukwu (Nigeria): Till (2022) Prime and AppleTV (rent)
  7. George C. Wolfe (USA): Rustin (2023) Netflix 
  8. Ryan Coogler (USA): Sinners  (2025)   HBOMax Southern Gothic horror  – 16 Oscar nominations!
  9. Mike Leigh (UK) (2025 – Hard Truths AppleTV (rent)
  10. Malcolm Washington (USA) (2024) Netflix – The Piano Lesson 
  11. Greg Kwedar (USA) (2023) – Sing Sing AppleTV (rent)
  12. Dawn Porter (USA) Luther: Never Too Much (2024) – AppleTV (rent)
  13. Minhal Baig (USA) (2023) – We Grown Now AppleTV (rent)

NEW FILMS – on NETFLIX (Japan and Korea)

  1. Love Through a Prism 8,3 score !!   Why?  -> MUST WATCH
  2. 700 ratings, with individual episodes scoring even higher (e.g., 9.9/10)
  3. Japanese hand drawn animation –  SE1 – 20 episodes
  4. In early-1900s London, a Japanese student who arrives to study art finds herself in the same orbit as a talented young aristocrat.
  5. As of January 30, 2026, just two weeks after Love Through a Prism premiered on Netflix on January 15, 2026, there are no official announcements for a second season from Wit Studio, Netflix, or any production partners. Fan discussions on platforms like Reddit speculate on potential renewals based on its high IMDb ratings (8.3–8.4/10) and buzz, but nothing is confirmed
  6. Can This Love be Translated (Korea) – score 8,0 IDMB and Rotten Tomatoes – -> MUST WATCH
  7. SE1   12 episodes available
  8. Joo Ho-jin, who works as a multilingual interpreter thanks to his exceptional foreign language skills, finds himself interpreting for the uniquely charismatic global superstar Cha Mu-hee, and begins to feel unfamiliar emotions.

 

 

 

BAFTAS 2026

  1. Best Film
  2. The Ballad of Wallis Island
  3. Bugonia
  4. Frankenstein
  5. Hamnet
  6. I Swear
  7. Marty Supreme
  8. Nuremberg
  9. One Battle After Another
  10. Sentimental Value
  11. Sinners 
  1. Outstanding British Film
  2. 28 Years Later
  3. Ballad of a Small Player
  4. The Ballad of Wallis Island
  5. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
  6. The Choral
  7. Die My Love
  8. Goodbye June
  9. H Is for Hawk
  10. Hamnet
  11. I Swear
  12. Mr. Burton
  13. Pillion
  14. The Roses
  15. Steve
  16. Warfare 

 

  1.  Director
  2. Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos)
  3. Die My Love (Lynne Ramsay)
  4. Hamnet (Chloé Zhao)
  5. A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow)
  6. Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie)
  7. One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  8. Rental Family (Hikari)
  9. Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier)
  10. Sinners (Ryan Coogler)
  11. The Voice of Hind Rajab (Kaouther Ben Hania) 

 

  1. Leading Actor
  2. Robert Aramayo (I Swear)
  3. Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
  4. Russell Crowe (Nuremberg)
  5. Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
  6. Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)
  7. Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
  8. Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
  9. Harry Melling (Pillion)
  10. Cillian Murphy (Steve)
  11. Jesse Plemons (Bugonia) 

 

  1. Leading Actress
  2. Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
  3. Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
  4. Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good)
  5. Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)
  6. Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)
  7. Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love)
  8. Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
  9. Andrea Riseborough (Dragonfly)
  10. Emma Stone (Bugonia)
  11. Tessa Thompson (Hedda) 

2026 Golden Globe Major Winners

Film Categories

  1. Best Actress – Drama: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)​
  2. Best Actor – Drama: Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)​
  3. Best Actress – Musical/Comedy: Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)​
  4. Best Actor – Musical/Comedy: Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)​
  5. Best Supporting Actress: Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)​
  6. Best Supporting Actor: Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)​
  7. Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)​
  8. Cinematic/Box Office Achievement: Sinners​

Television Categories

  1. Best Actress – Drama: Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus)​
  2. Best Actor – Drama: Noah Wyle (The Pitt)​
  3. Best Actress – Comedy/Musical: Jean Smart (Hacks)​
  4. Best Actor – Comedy/Musical: Seth Rogen (The Studio)​
  5. Best Limited Series Actress: Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex)​
  6. Best Limited Series Actor: Stephen Graham (Adolescence)​#MUSTSEE 
  7. Best Supporting Actress – TV: Erin Doherty (Adolescence)​ #MUSTSEE
  8. Best Supporting Actor – TV: Owen Cooper (Adolescence)​ #MUSTSEE

#MUSTSEE  – Adolescence dominated TV limited series, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s film swept technical categories. .

 

 

Best Film  Nominees – OSCARS 2024

  1. Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross’s adaptation of the reform school horrors.
  2. Anora – Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning sex worker comedy.
  3. Conclave – Edward Berger’s Vatican thriller. – DONE
  4. The Brutalist – Brady Corbet’s epic immigrant architect saga.
  5. Sing Sing – Prison theater redemption drama.
  6. A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg’s cousin road trip. (Oscar for supporting actor K. Culkin) – DONE
  7. I’m Still Here – Brazilian docudrama on dictatorship resistance. – DONE
  8. Challengers – Luca Guadagnino’s tennis romance. (strong contender context)
  9. Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic.
  10. Wicked – Jon M. Chu’s musical adaptation

Best FOREIGN Film  Nominees – OSCARS 2024

  1. I’m Still Here (Brazil, dir. Walter Salles) – Docudrama on dictatorship-era resistance; also nominated for Best Picture. – DONE
  2. The Girl with the Needle (Denmark, dir. Magnus von Horn) – Post-WWI abortion drama.
  3. Emilia Pérez (France, dir. Jacques Audiard) – Trans cartel musical; also nominated for Best Picture and 11 other categories. – DONE
  4. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany, dir. Mohammad Rasoulof) – Family thriller amid Iranian unrest.
  5. Flow (Latvia, dir. Gints Zilbalodis) – Dialogue-free animated animal survival adventure

 

Best Film  Nominees – BAFTAS  2024

  1. Anatomy of a Fall – Directed by Justine Triet.​ – DONE
  2. The Holdovers – Directed by Alexander Payne.​ – DONE
  3. Killers of the Flower Moon – Directed by Martin Scorsese.​
  4. Oppenheimer – Directed by Christopher Nolan (winner).​ – DONE
  5. Poor Things – Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.​ – DONE
  6. The Zone of Interest – Directed by Jonathan Glazer. – DONE

Best FOREIGN Film  Nominees – BAFTAS  2024

  1. The Zone of Interest (UK/Germany/Poland, dir. Jonathan Glazer) – Holocaust adjacent family drama; winner.​ – DONE
  2. 20 Days in Mariupol (Ukraine, dir. Mstyslav Chernov) – Wartime documentary.​
  3. Anatomy of a Fall (France, dir. Justine Triet) – Murder trial courtroom thriller.​ – DONE
  4. Past Lives (South Korea/US, dir. Celine Song) – Childhood sweethearts reunite.​
  5. Society of the Snow (Spain, dir. J.A. Bayona) – Andes plane crash survival. – DONE

 

Top IDMB films 2024

  1. Dune: Part Two (dir. Denis Villeneuve) – Paul Atreides battles for Arrakis.
  2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (dir. George Miller) – Young Furiosa’s survival quest
  3. Inside Out 2 (dir. Kelsey Mann) – Riley navigates teen emotions.
  4. Challengers (dir. Luca Guadagnino) – Tennis pros in a love triangle.
  5. Anora (dir. Sean Baker) – A stripper’s chaotic romance.
  6. The Fall Guy (dir. David Leitch) – Stuntman uncovers a conspiracy.
  7. Nosferatu (dir. Robert Eggers) – Gothic vampire obsession tale.
  8. Wicked (dir. Jon M. Chu) – Origins of Elphaba and Glinda.
  9. The Wild Robot (dir. Chris Sanders) – Robot adapts to island life.
  10. A Different Man (dir. Aaron Schimberg) – Identity after transformation.
  11. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (dir. Mohammad Rasoulof) – Family amid unrest.
  12. The People’s Joker (dir. Vera Drew) – Trans parody of Joker.
  13. The Room Next Door (dir. Pedro Almodóvar) – Friendship and mortality.
  14. The Count of Monte Cristo (dir. Matthieu Delaporte) – Revenge epic adaptation.
  15. Alien: Romulus (dir. Fede Álvarez) – Space horror return.
  16. Kraven the Hunter (dir. J.C. Chandor) – Origin of the Spider-Man foe.
  17. The Substance (mentioned in RT guide) – Body horror satire.
  18. Kneecap (IMDb underrated pick) – Irish rap group biopic.
  19. Flow (Reddit high rank) – Animated adventure.
  20. Love Lies Bleeding (Reddit favorite) – Intense romance thriller.
  21. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (dir. Tim Burton) – Sequel to the supernatural comedy.
  22. Deadpool & Wolverine (dir. Shawn Levy) – Merc with a mouth teams up.
  23. Joker: Folie à Deux (dir. Todd Phillips) – Musical sequel.
  24. Transformers One (dir. Josh Cooley) – Animated origin story.
  25. Smile 2 (horror entry) – Sequel to the grin-inducing terror

TOP New York Times films 2024

  1. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Prequel praised for action and world-building.
  2. A Real Pain – Kieran Culkin’s comedic family road trip. – DONE
  3. Megalopolis – Coppola’s ambitious epic, divisive yet notable.
  4. Anora – Sean Baker’s raw Palme d’Or drama.
  5. Janet Planet – Intimate coming-of-age tale.
  6. Strange Darling – Twisty indie thriller.
  7. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin – Touching documentary.
  8. Good One – Nuanced family hiking drama.
  9. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World – Satirical odyssey.
  10. Challengers – Luca Guadagnino’s steamy tennis triangle.
  11. Last Stop in Yuma County – Tense noir standoff.
  12. Dune: Part Two – Epic sci-fi continuation.
  13. The Wild Robot – Emotional animated adventure.
  14. The Substance – Body horror with Demi Moore.
  15. Nickel Boys – Adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel.
  16. Sing Sing – Prison theater redemption story.
  17. Emilia Pérez – Musical crime drama. – DONE
  18. Conclave – Papal intrigue thriller.
  19. His Three Daughters – Sibling tensions at deathbed.
  20. A Different Man – Sebastian Stan’s identity satire.
  21. The Brutalist – Epic immigration saga.
  22. Flow – Animated survival tale.
  23. Monkey Man – Dev Patel’s action revenge flick.
  24. Love Lies Bleeding – Kristen Stewart’s gritty romance.
  25. Nosferatu – Robert Eggers’ gothic remake.

TOP The New Yorker films 2024

    1. Close Your Eyes (dir. Víctor Erice) – Reflective Spanish drama.
    2. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (dir. Radu Jude) – Satirical road trip.
    3. Evil Does Not Exist (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi) – Eco-thriller in a village.
    4. Nickel Boys (dir. RaMell Ross) – Jim Crow-era reformatory tale.
    5. A Different Man (dir. Aaron Schimberg) – Identity transformation satire.
    6. La Chimera (dir. Alice Rohrwacher) – Tomb raider myth reimagined.
    7. Music (dir. Sia? – Wait, context suggests artistic narrative).
    8. No Other Land – Displacement documentary.
    9. Green Border (dir. Agnieszka Holland) – Refugee crisis portrayal.
    10. All We Imagine as Light (dir. Payal Kapadia) – Indian emotional drama.
    11. Hard Truths (dir. Mike Leigh) – Family emotional depths.
    12. Anora (dir. Sean Baker) – Gig-economy farce.
    13. Blitz (dir. Steve McQueen) – WWII child perspective.
    14. The Brutalist (dir. Brady Corbet) – Immigration epic.
    15. Dahomey (dir. Mati Diop) – Postcolonial repatriation doc.
    16. Janet Planet (dir. Annie Baker) – Mother-daughter drift.
    17. Megalopolis (dir. Francis Ford Coppola) – Futuristic Roman vision.
    18. Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point (dir. Tyler Taormina) – Holiday family mosaic.
    19. My First Film – Personal experimental work.
    20. Oh, Canada – Paul Schrader drama.
    21. Between the Temples (dir. Nathan Silver) – Quasi-romantic comedy.
    22. Juror #2 (dir. Clint Eastwood) – Courtroom moral thriller.
    23. Hit Man (dir. Richard Linklater) – Identity noir comedy.
    24. The Featherweight (dir. Robert Kolodny) – Boxer comeback docudrama.
    25. I Saw the TV Glow (dir. Jane Schoenbrun) – Trans identity via TV obsession.

TOP 25 films The Atlantic 2024

    1. Nickel Boys (dir. RaMell Ross) – Reform school horrors exposed.
    2. Hard Truths (dir. Mike Leigh) – Irritable Londoner’s emotional unraveling.
    3. Challengers (dir. Luca Guadagnino) – Tennis-fueled love rivalry.
    4. Janet Planet (dir. Annie Baker) – Mother-daughter bond in flux.
    5. Dune: Part Two (dir. Denis Villeneuve) – Epic planetary jihad.
    6. I Saw the TV Glow (dir. Jane Schoenbrun) – TV-fueled identity crisis.
    7. Anora (dir. Sean Baker) – Stripper’s oligarch marriage chaos.
    8. The Brutalist (dir. Brady Corbet) – Architect’s American dream saga.
    9. Trap (dir. M. Night Shyamalan) – Concert serial killer thriller.
    10. Sing Sing (dir. Greg Kwedar) – Prison theater redemption
    11. The Substance (dir. Coralie Fargeat) – Body horror satire.
    12. A Different Man (dir. Aaron Schimberg) – Facial transformation satire.
    13. His Three Daughters (dir. Azazel Jacobs) – Sibling deathbed clash.
    14. Conclave (dir. Edward Berger) – Vatican power struggle. – DONE
    15. Emilia Pérez (dir. Jacques Audiard) – Trans cartel musical. – DONE
    16. The Wild Robot (dir. Chris Sanders) – Robot’s island survival.
    17. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (dir. George Miller) – Vengeance in wasteland.
    18. Inside Out 2 (dir. Kelsey Mann) – Teen emotion turmoil.
    19. A Real Pain (dir. Jesse Eisenberg) – Cousin on  Holocaust tour. – DONE
    20. Flow (dir. Gints Zilbalodis) – Flood-surviving animal odyssey.
    21. Monkey Man (dir. Dev Patel) – Revenge against corrupt elite.
    22. Nosferatu (dir. Robert Eggers) – Vampire’s obsessive pursuit.
    23. Love Lies Bleeding (dir. Rose Glass) – Bodybuilder romance grit.
    24. Alien: Romulus (dir. Fede Álvarez) – Xenomorph colony terror.
    25. Longlegs (dir. Osgood Perkins) – Occult serial hunt.

NRC: TOP films 2024 (Dutch newspaper)

  1. 20. La Chimera
  2. 19. Moving
  3. 18. Robot Dreams
  4. 17. Samsara
  5. 16. Future Me
  6. 15. Anora
  7. 14. Dune: Part Two
  8. 13. Dahomey
  9. 12. Sometimes I Think About Dying
  10. 11. The Holdovers
  11. 10. Alreadymade
  12. 9. How to Have Sex
  13. 8. Linda wil kip!
  14. 7. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
  15. 6. Poor Things – DONE
  16. 5. Love Lies Bleeding
  17. 4. Green Borderd
  18. 3. Sterben
  19. 2. All of Us Strangers]
  20. 1. The Zone of Interest – DONE

ROTTEN TOMATO-meter films 2024

    1. All We Imagine as Light (100%) – Mumbai women’s struggles.
    2. LaRoy, Texas (100%) – Hitman mistaken identity comedy.
    3. Girls Will Be Girls (100%) – Indian coming-of-age drama.
    4. Nowhere Special (100%) – Dying father’s guardianship quest.
    5. Ghostlight (99%) – Grief through Shakespeare performance.
    6. The Wild Robot (98%) – Robot bonds with wildlife.
    7. His Three Daughters (98%) – Sisters face family death.
    8. Sing Sing (98%) – Prison theater healing.
    9. Thelma (98%) – Elderly woman’s action revenge.
    10. Good One (98%) – Father-daughter camping tensions.
    11. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (97%) – Buddy cop action return.
    12. Wicked (96%) – Oz witches’ origin musical.
    13. Dune: Part Two (95%) – Fremen uprising epic.
    14. Inside Out 2 (95%) – New teen emotions chaos.
    15. Deadpool & Wolverine (94%) – Multiverse mercenary team-up.
    16. Robot Dreams (94%, late 2023 US but 2024 wide) – Dog-robot friendship.
    17. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (94%, 2023 but 2024 impact).
    18. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (94%, early 2024 count).
    19. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (94%).
    20. Conclave (high Certified Fresh) – Papal election thriller. – DONE
    21. The Substance (high score) – Aging horror satire.
    22. Anora (strong RT) – Chaotic sex worker romance.
    23. Challengers (Certified Fresh) – Tennis love triangle.
    24. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Certified Fresh) – Wasteland prequel.
    25. A Different Man (Certified Fresh) – Transformation dark comedy.