What I've been watching (Jan 2026)

 Didn't watch my first film this year until Sunday LOL but I guess we all gotta start somewhere. Since then I've watched a few more so I thought there's no time like the present to do a lil' film round-up for this month. I know I'll forget but I'm gonna try and do these monthly this year ^_^

Sunday 25th January

Conclave ( Edward Berger)  

Been wanting to watch this for a while now after everyone was raving about it, and so being me I watched it just over a year later, lol. Like probably most people who have seen it, the fact that I enjoyed it so much and wasn't bored was a real surprise. Obviously, I like films about religion but didn't think I'd be so fussed on a film about the pope, but actually it was a really riveting watch, barely feeling like the two hours went by at all! The main premise of the film is quite simple: the pope dies and so they have to pick a successor. Spoiler, the options are pretty bad, and so the main guy around the place, Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) attempts to sway votes into a direction that wouldn't mean that things would go back to the dark ages. The cinematography is great and makes something possibly boring into something really interesting. It got a 4 star rating from me!

 

Winter Light (Ingmar Bergman)

Was clearly feeling a bit inspired on Sunday so thought I'd watch another clergy-based film from Ingmar Bergman. Winter Light has been on my list ever since I saw the film First Reformed, which is heavily based on it. I love First Reformed so much and have already seen Bergman's Through A Glass Darkly which I liked too so I had high hopes. And woah, this film is worth watching. The film begins in a rural church in Sweden that has a very small congregation. The priest is ill and depressed, and struggles to inspire hope in those around him seeking it. What follows is a set of highly emotional moments in which the priest attempts to find love within him for God and even the people around him whilst loosing faith in himself. I don't want to reveal too much but it really is a special film and sits nicely alongside Through A Glass Darkly which shares much of the same themes. 

“Beneath all my false pride and independent airs, I have only one wish: to be allowed to live for someone else.”

 

Monday 27th/ Tuesday 28th January 

Doubt  (John Patrick Shanley)

Had to put two dates on this film because I got half way and realised I had to get up early lol. Anyway, another film about the clergy. Your joking. Nope I really did it again. But this one has Meryl Streep in it so it's a win for everyone.

This one is about a Catholic school in NY in the 1960s and about how the principal of the school, Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) is suspicious of priest,(Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Not much else actually happens in it but the acting is great and Amy Adams plays a really sweet character so I enjoyed watching it. I found the films discussion on doubt vs religious obedience really interesting but it never really explored anything properly in depth and just kind of stayed with a pretty surface level message. 

 

 

Boy A (John Crowley)

No priests, no nuns, no popes. Finally. Instead Boy A has you screaming out of anxiety and then just straight up sobbing. Felt an urge to watch every Andrew Garfield movie after seeing Under The Banner of Heaven so here's another one. Boy A is about a man emerging from prison to start a new life after committing (possibly?) a horrific crime as a kid. I should of known this film was going to make me anxious, even the premise is fear inducing and watching it they keep teasing you with,, ooh its all gonna go wrong,,,. It's a short exploration on forgiveness a la Adolescent and really makes you question some truths about the world. Probably will never watch again because it's actually nerve-wracking but it was pretty good anyway. 

 

Here's to more movie watching! See anything good this month - let me know in the comments!

Trip to Bristol + Stationery Haul

Beginning the new year by feeding my stationery and art supply addiction.. huh. Judgements aside, yesterday I went on a day trip to the city of Bristol to meet up with my friend (Paulie Bleaker, those who know, know.). I live a couple hours away so I had to get a bus then a train and then finally a coach which was actually very stress-free :). Our first stop was this crazy 3 floor stationery, art and party supply shop - so a very dangerous location for somebody like me lol. My favourite paints are gouache paints, which are like a watercolour acrylic hybrid, so when I saw some I knew I had to get at least one tube. Unfortunately they only had the most expensive brand ever - Windsor and Newton - and the only white tubes they had were huge. So I caved and just got it anyway lol, at least it's cheaper than ordering online and paying shipping?

My version of a Gucci bag

After that we went to a cute coffee shop that we had been to before which is especially cool because its 100% vegan and also a cooperative, meaning that everyone who works there owns it! I was between buying a breakfast sandwich or cake, so I got this amazing chai cake and an oat milk cappuccino.  

Post cake and coffee demolition...

As far as cities go, Bristol is a very large one with cool shops being literally all over the place - so you have to do a lot of walking lol. Our next stop was an incredible punk and hardcore record shop, which I have actually ordered from online before. I just had to go through every CD there lol and there were so many good ones, for example, Sparta's Three and two Gameface albums! I decided on Thursday's most hated album: Common Existence, so now I'm only one album from completing my collection, yay! My friend bought Reign of Terror by Sleigh Bells, which was a cool find because it's not an album I'd expect in a punk record store. 

After more shopping we were hungry again so we went to a ramen place and were somehow lucky enough to get there lunch deal which was cool. We both got the chilli tofu ramen and some free sides of edamame beans and some mushroom gyoza. All incredibly tasty!! 

Pre-demolition this time

 Then it was time to catch our respective transport back,, sob. But I did get a seat on the coach all to myself hehe. It was completely pitch black on the way back and the coach was very dark too which was cozy. I spent most of the time listening to the audio book of Geoff Rickly's Someone Who Isn't Me - it was funny, I was listening to the parts where he is talking about being in a tour bus and I was like.. I'm on a bus.. woah. I also ate some delicious sour sweets too so the journey was really great actually. 

Haul time! (Left to right) The book Death in Her Hands and the cat patch are both Christmas gifts from my friend - the cat is soo cute. Then we got Common Existence and below that a sketchbook that I actually got with a gift card - yay!. Next to that is a journal because my other one has nearly died. At the top are these amazing stickers that look like 2000s photoshop brushes, not sure what to use them for though lol. Below that are some postcards I got, the desert one reminds me of Dune hehe. 

A good start to the year I think! But also now I have even more sketchbooks T-T. Will probably make a proper new year post maybe.. but I don't think I have any resolutions this year... Happy New Year though!! <3