Let’s get it started! Movie Journal 2022

            Get your movie-love on and let’s kick off 2022 Movie Journal together! I am truly excited for this one. My goal is to make this Journal as personal as possible, so instead of choosing all of the concepts for you… I am giving you the freedom! I cannot wait to see in what ways you will surprise me. 

Are you ready to get into our wonderful, personal movie journey? I sure am! 

So, the idea for this year was to give you Lot the liberty of choosing your own concept. That happened in January and will happen again in July. Other than that, this year there are no other additional tasks (Marta, Gavin, Radek – please remove that D column, I totally forgot to do that…). 

What changed?

            Not much – the file is still divided into 12 months and your job is to watch one film a week. I think that the concepts (themes) are pretty challenging – but in a good way. It is supposed to be a fun challenge, right? Each year I try to make it even more personal. 

You can also get yourself to the movie theater or your home couch and score a “premiere”. As always – it can be an official premiere or… Something absolutely new to you. Rules are (only sometimes) meant to be broken. 

LET’S GET STARTED!

            Eff yeah! To tell you the truth, it’s been a hard month. For the first time in ages, movies are a true escape for me. With everything that is going on in the world and my light going out… Films keep me alive. And somehow my brain needed the extra comfort in the beginning of the year.

I hope my regulars: Marta B., Gavin J. and Radek D. will enjoy this year’s edition. As for anyone new joining the challenge, here is the link. Keep one thing in mind: this is fun. Might be a real, deep journey. Or maybe… Maybe an escape? 

            Final note: summaries will get posted every two months, so in total, there will be six posts. I can’t believe it’s our 3rd edition! I love it and big time thank you to the Three Musketeers always joining me on this ride. Love you, guys!

JANUARY – Create your own concept! Movies from… Your comfort zone. 

            What better year to get started with 2022, eh? We all could use some extra comfort. For me, January usually feels like a trampoline for the entire year. And this time, instead of moping around, I counted days till spring. And it worked! This lovely lady is just around the corner. 

I also wanted to see how the rest of the gang starts the year. For Marta, it was classics she never got to watch. Gavin chose movies that always make him laugh and Radek? Back to the 90s. And that is the true beauty of Movie Journal! 

            Movies I chose were not new to me, but they always bring extra comfort. They all come with a story but most importantly: serenity. Did not get a chance to watch anything new this month. I kind of needed a rest from the cinema, as weird as it sounds…

            Take a look at all the movies we watched in January:

Here are the Twin Peaks Café January highlights:

SWEETEST COMFORT OF THE MONTH: Jungle Cruise (2021) – last year I took myself on a date to see this movie and it’s been “the sweetest” movie ever since. It is such a fun adventure movie! Really great plot with a good cast that have amazing chemistry… I wrote a piece about it, so for more thoughts, click here.

“MEMORY LANE” OF THE MONTH: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of The Ring (2001) – I mean, don’t even get me started. Extended version of course. It is safe to say that watching the extended version of the trilogy has become a new tradition for me and M.M. We watch it on Valentine’s Day, but this year I got Covid, so. We swapped it for late V-Day Holiday screening. To the point, though – childhood intensifies. I love this trilogy. 

HIGHEST SCORE OF THE MONTH: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) – no surprise here, all straight A’s here. This animation is a whole new level and I’ve said it a million times. Part two (which will be part one for its own) is my most anticipated movie of 2022. My full review is here.

BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH: Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith (2005) – ohh, it is slowly becoming my favorite prequel movie. And it’s been a long, long way – and the more times I watch it, the more I love and appreciate it.  

FEBRUARY – Movies that… are about sport or athletes

            We never really did the “sports movies” properly, so I decided to rectify the situation. And damn, these were some good movies we watched! They could be about everything sport-related and I love how creative we all got. 

As for the premiere, only one this month – but it was my first movie on a big screen so yay! Uncharted wasn’t half bad. It served its purpose of being a brain-numbing entertainment.

            Check out movies we watched in February:

 Here are the Twin Peaks Café February highlights:

“SURPRISE” OF THE MONTH: Kung-Fu Panda (2008) – I watched it before but it was my first time in English so for sure a surprise. And it only gets better! It’s sweet and important and tells a story of great kung-fu fighters. Sport? Check! 

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE MONTH: King Richard (2021) – not a disappointment per say, because it was a really good movie. What’s disappointing for me is the Will Smith nomination situation. Would I rather see Timmy scoring this one for Dune? Absolutely. Did Will Smith deserve it? Nope. Not for this movie. 

BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH: Rocky (1976) – Memory Lane! Another series that I watch quite regularly. Or, I try to at least. Classic, a timeless story about a boxer who wants to make it big in the world. Powerful message that always picks me up when life throws painful punches at me.

BEST MOVIES OF THE MONTH: Invictus (2009) – second half, to be honest but hey. Who will stop me? If you have not seen that movie, do yourself a favor. It is a true story and it makes it even better! Matt Damon is an added bonus. But the true champ is of course… Morgan Freeman. 

What’s next?

            Second part of the summary (March and April) will be posted sometime in May. And what’s in store for us? In March we will watch movies with numbers in their titles. As for April, films directed by women! I am super excited. My March “setlist” is almost done. 

There will be a lot of new movies as well, since I am catching up with the Oscars. The big gala is coming next week! If you would like to join the fun and start your own Movie Journal, get your copy here. It’s completely free