Here we go again! Back with more determination than ever to watch my unwatched movies. An ok start so far; only bought 1 new one so far lol.
1. The Shop Around the Corner (1940) - Pretty enjoyable. Compared to the other versions, there was less of a focus on the whole romance plot and more just dealing with the different characters and the going ons of the shop itself. A lot of good performances, especially from Frank Morgan and William Tracy.
2. South Park: Joining the Panderverse (2023) - I was a bit worried about this one; given South Park's history on certain issues. But actually it presented a very balanced view; equally going after Disney for some of their questionable decisions and those types that like to make a huge deal out of it. It didn't have the same maturity as the last couple specials; feeling a bit more like a regular episode or just not addressing something that really mattered in our society. Except for the handyman/Randy plot. I wish that had been more of the focus; as it actually felt like it was making more important points, as well as just being overall funnier.
3. South Park (Not Suitable for Children) (2023) - Started off very weak; with the entire joke being basically nothing but showing naked Randy. Probably doesn't help that I had actually never heard of the Prime drink before. But in the second half, it actually got quite good. It had the most series message to present, at least since Post COVID. It simply did a good job of showing the desire to fit in with current trends combined with actual sincere warning about kids and social media. Actually hard for me to imagine what it would be like to be a kid today. As a parent, I don't know what things will be like in a few years, but I'm glad my son wasn't 10-12 years old a couple years ago or now.
4. South Park: The End of Obesity (2024) - Probably the weakest of the specials; feeling the most like it could have been a regular episode. It still tackled real issues, which I guess seems to be what set all 5 of these apart from the standard show (which tackles real issues sometimes, but not in the majority of episodes or anything). The problem that it was addressing just didn't seem that relatable. Although the bits about the American health care system were excellent. And I did enjoy just how far things escalated throughout, until a completely insane climax in the final act.
That's it for South Park (I haven't been watching season 27, but I've seen all other South Park stuff now).
Gendo's 2026 Movies
Re: Gendo's 2026 Movies
5. 'M*A*S*H': 30th Anniversary Reunion (2002) - Also not quote a movie... but it was as long as a movie, and basically like a documentary. It was pretty good. Been a couple years since I watched M*A*S*H, and it was nice to be reminded of a lot of what I liked about it. Also watched the A&E Biography episode about M*A*S*H which was part of the same DVD set.
Re: Gendo's 2026 Movies
R1. Anne of Green Gables (1985) - Rewatching because last time we never got around to watching the rest of the series. I don't remember my feelings about it previously, but I thought this was really good. A nice story with some strong performances, especially from Jonathan Crombie and Richard Farnsworth. The relationships between the characters were overall well-written. My only complaint might be that Anne was slightly too over-the-top in terms of her character traits being shown, but it was well-balanced by the other characters; including the setting itself basically being a character.
6. Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987) - A strong sequel for the most part. The middle of it was focused too heavily on her time at Kingsport; Avonlea and her relationships with the people there was sorely missed. But the first episode before she leaves was great, and the strongest scenes were those between Anne and Gilbert. The actors and characters both had a great chemistry, and it still just had a surprisingly good overall quality.
6. Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987) - A strong sequel for the most part. The middle of it was focused too heavily on her time at Kingsport; Avonlea and her relationships with the people there was sorely missed. But the first episode before she leaves was great, and the strongest scenes were those between Anne and Gilbert. The actors and characters both had a great chemistry, and it still just had a surprisingly good overall quality.
Re: Gendo's 2026 Movies
7. Up in the Air (2009) - I wasn't so sure about the beginning, but it got continuously better, and by the end was a pretty great film. I think as a whole I just don't like Anna Kendrick that much. . But Vera Farmiga was great, as was Clooney, even if he is just always playing himself. The writing was great, and it had a lot to say about life and love.
8. Smile 2 (2024) - Pretty average overall. An overreliance on jump scares, and not much of a fan of the whole the entire third act just wasn't even real thing. But it had a lot of well done effects and scary imagery. A bit strange how the metaphor was changed from the first one; going from being about mental health to being about drug addiction and self-consciousness I guess? Overall, not bad but probably not as good as the first one, and definitely not in the category of "great horror movie", of which there are so few.
8. Smile 2 (2024) - Pretty average overall. An overreliance on jump scares, and not much of a fan of the whole the entire third act just wasn't even real thing. But it had a lot of well done effects and scary imagery. A bit strange how the metaphor was changed from the first one; going from being about mental health to being about drug addiction and self-consciousness I guess? Overall, not bad but probably not as good as the first one, and definitely not in the category of "great horror movie", of which there are so few.
Re: Gendo's 2026 Movies
9. Nosferatu (2024) - A very well-done film, but I found myself less interested as it went on, to the point that I was mostly bored by the end. I prefer Coppola's version, despite Hault giving an obviously far superior performance to Reeves. Still, the visuals were quite impressive in all aspects, makeup, set design, camera work.
Re: Gendo's 2026 Movies
10. French Connection II (1975) - Pretty good. Gene Hackman was great, as expected. The whole kidnapping and drug sequence was super weird; like it could easily been its own separate movie. But it really gave Hackman a chance to shine. And I really liked the extreme suddenness of the ending.
R2. Field of Dreams (1989) - Sure I have a long list of new movies to watch, but sometimes you just want to watch your favorite film of all time. I love how much this entire film builds perfectly to the ending, although you don't know until the ending where it was building to.
11. The Thin Red Line (1998) - I acknowledge that this was great feat of technical filmmaking, while also just not really liking it that much. I just never really got a feel for who most of the characters were; despite the great acting they were basically interchangeable. The frequent monologues just didn't do anything for me. The overall mood was great, I will give it that. It was definitely a film that leaned heavily on emotion, and it did its job with making me feel. I just needed more of a cohesive narrative or story. Maybe I'm just not a Malick; recalling some similar thoughts about Tree of Life. Oh, also even though it was only 5.1 DTS DVD quality, it may have been the best my new sound system as sounded.
R3. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) - Figured I should rewatch these before getting to the new one, since it had been a very long time. This is a pretty great comedy for what it is. Filled with plenty of stupid moments, but it has likeable characters and an even more likeable story. The very concept is so ridiculous that you wouldn't believe a movie with that premise could exist. But it really leans into that ridiculousness in a good way.
R4. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) - A solid followup. I remember watching this multiple times as a kid before I had ever even seen the original, so it holds nostalgia for me for sure. I don't think it's as good as the first one, but I really appreciate how different it is. They took it in such a crazy new direction. William Sadler is the highlight for sure.
R2. Field of Dreams (1989) - Sure I have a long list of new movies to watch, but sometimes you just want to watch your favorite film of all time. I love how much this entire film builds perfectly to the ending, although you don't know until the ending where it was building to.
11. The Thin Red Line (1998) - I acknowledge that this was great feat of technical filmmaking, while also just not really liking it that much. I just never really got a feel for who most of the characters were; despite the great acting they were basically interchangeable. The frequent monologues just didn't do anything for me. The overall mood was great, I will give it that. It was definitely a film that leaned heavily on emotion, and it did its job with making me feel. I just needed more of a cohesive narrative or story. Maybe I'm just not a Malick; recalling some similar thoughts about Tree of Life. Oh, also even though it was only 5.1 DTS DVD quality, it may have been the best my new sound system as sounded.
R3. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) - Figured I should rewatch these before getting to the new one, since it had been a very long time. This is a pretty great comedy for what it is. Filled with plenty of stupid moments, but it has likeable characters and an even more likeable story. The very concept is so ridiculous that you wouldn't believe a movie with that premise could exist. But it really leans into that ridiculousness in a good way.
R4. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) - A solid followup. I remember watching this multiple times as a kid before I had ever even seen the original, so it holds nostalgia for me for sure. I don't think it's as good as the first one, but I really appreciate how different it is. They took it in such a crazy new direction. William Sadler is the highlight for sure.
Re: Gendo's 2026 Movies
12. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) - Surprisingly good, considering I'm fairly against this whole "nostalgia movies" trend that's been going on. It really did feel more like a project done with love and care rather than a quick cash grab. I don't think it quite lives up to either the simple silliness of the first one or the crazy strangeness of the second one, but it was its own thing, which really is what I was hoping for considering how different parts 1 and 2 are from each other. Some running jokes went on too long, and there was maybe too much runtime without Bill and Ted in it. But overall, I laughed a lot and am glad I watched it.
13. Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (2000) - Super weird. Not a bad movie really, but very much so not an Anne of Green Gables movie. Everything in it would have made more sense if it had been different characters with different names. I certainly wasn't watching the first two movies and thinking "sure this is fine, but what it really needs is more spy thriller plot lines".
13. Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (2000) - Super weird. Not a bad movie really, but very much so not an Anne of Green Gables movie. Everything in it would have made more sense if it had been different characters with different names. I certainly wasn't watching the first two movies and thinking "sure this is fine, but what it really needs is more spy thriller plot lines".
Re: Gendo's 2026 Movies
14. Elemental (2023) - Pretty good. The story at least in the first half was very basic and not that interesting, but it made up for it with really creative visuals and great music. And the story did get better in the second half. I would have liked to have seen more about other elements beyond fire and water, as well as more about the city itself, how it worked for the various types of elements living there. Zootopia did a good job of that part, but here Elemental City itself didn't seem interesting. Mamoudou Athie, whom I hadn't heard of before, was fantastic. His big "I love you" speech was particularly good. But really it was the creative animation and music that made the whole thing work.