Robot & Frank was my choice for the Week 45 challenge. A nice little movie that touches on aging, brain deterioration and masterminding plans to steal valuables with a companion robot. Ya know, normal near-future stuff. (the half rating is for the ending credits song).

🤖🤖🤖.5

Watched "Rockaway" for the Week 38 challenge as the bulk of the film takes place during the summer of 1994. This felt like a made-for-TV movie, but vulgar. Flat performances all around diminished the impact of the heart-wrenching real life story upon which it was based.

🏀🏀🏀

I was struggling to come up with something I wanted to watch for the Week 24 challenge, so I went with some light viewing: Street Gang - How We Got to Sesame Street. Light viewing, but the vision of this iconic show was rooted deep in equality and cultural positivity.

🍪🍪🍪.5

𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒. For the Week 21 challenge I opted for Nonnas (2025). It was relatable having grown up in a big Italian family. Biases aside, it accomplishes a straightforward comfort movie celebrating Grandmas, fam & food.

🍝🍝🍝.5

For the Week 20 challenge I went with Emily the Criminal (2022). Some relatable frustrations and tense moments, but the performance by Aubrey Plaza is the reason to watch.

💳💳💳.5

Was able to whittle my watchlist down a bit more for the Week 18 challenge as I opted for Finch (2021). Admittedly, I wasn't really feeling it for the first half as it was a little too cutesy considering the post-apocalyptic setting, but it eventually got heavier.

🐶🐶🐶

Another mainstay on my watchlist got elevated. Nightcrawler (2014) was my choice for the Week 15 challenge as an ever-present video camera was a main focus of the film (damn good pun). It wasn't as dark as I had anticipated, but a fairly squeamish watch nonetheless.

⭐⭐⭐.5

For the Week 12 challenge I went the route of time travel/theory. Synchronic (2020) bends our expectations of time and its perceived limits with the help of a legal, but questionable drug. Didn't think it was as deep as it could have been, but gets you thinking.

⭐⭐⭐

For the Week 10 #MovieChallenge I watched Blood Simple (1984) in Memoriam of both M. Emmet Walsh and Samm-Art Williams. The first film by the Cohen Brothers certainly gave an idea of what's to come in their careers. Solidly done thriller.

⭐⭐⭐.5

What did y'all read? Any one book suggestion for me? #GoodreadsYearinBooks