What I've Caught Up With, January 2026 Part 1

My stated goal—usually one that I fall very short on—is to watch 400 movies every year. That sounds like a lot, but it’s a movie a day plus three movies per month (2 in February). That being the case, I need to watch 34 movies in January to be on pace. I watched 31, so I’m a touch behind, but not terribly so, and it feels like something easily surmountable. I did watch a ton of movies off the big list of stuff to catch up on, so that’s a help.

What I’ve Caught Up With, January 2026 Part 1
Film: Paddington in Peru (2024)

The Paddington films are charmers. There tends to be a dip in quality with the third film in a series, and that’s certainly the case here; Paddington in Peru is not as good as the previous two films, but make no mistake—it’s still a lot of fun. The new cast includes Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas as a nun and Amazon riverboat captain respectively. The biggest change in casting is Emily Mortimer replacing Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown, and while she’s fine, Hawkins is irreplaceable. The whole film centers around finding Paddington’s missing Aunt Lucy, who has wandered off into the Amazon. If you’ve seen the first two, you’re definitely going to watch this eventually, and it’s worth your time.

Film: The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)

A classic of the Cold War and atomic fears, The Day the Earth Caught Fire is just crazy enough to hit the paranoia button for the average filmgoer. We’re going to start with what looks like a terrible heat wave with the bulk of the story being told in flashback. Weather anomalies cause a London newspaper reporter (Edward Judd) to do some investigative work. He discovers that both the U.S. and the Soviet Union conducted massive atomic bomb tests at the same time, which has knocked the Earth off its trajectory. Thanks to the explosions, the Earth is now spiraling into the sun. The premise is nonsense, of course, but feels just plausible enough to be scary for Cold War Europe.

Film: Cowboy (1958)

When a cattle rancher (Glenn Ford) loses most of his money after a cattle drive, he’s forced to take a partner in a hotel clerk (Jack Lemmon) who is desperate to be a cattleman. He’s also desperate to get down to Mexico where his girlfriend has been taken by her father, who doesn’t approve of him. Cowboy is a pretty straightforward premise, but not a straightforward film. This goes in directions that are really unexpected, which is surprising for a film of this vintage. I like Glenn Ford in general and Jack Lemmon is always worth watching, especially when he’s the fish out of water. Dick York as one of the cowhands is an unexpected bonus.

Film: Born in Flames (1983)

The more things change, the more they stay the same, and Born in Flames is a good example of this. Taking place in a mythical future after a second American revolution puts a socialist/democratic power structure in place. In this new order, women and minorities still find themselves on the wrong side of authority. Women are still expected to be subservient and many are released from their jobs to give the positions to men. The women, led by other women on pirate radio start rebelling after the mysterious death of political activist in police custody. This is the film version of an old-school ‘zine, a film that clearly took the torch from the lo-fi stylings of Melvin Van Peebles, and it’s just as incendiary. Think of this as Lysistrata with teeth. It’s also the on-screen debuts of both Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Bogosian.

Film: Rocky IV (1985)

I realize that the Rocky franchise dipped lower than this (Rocky V exists), but in a lot of ways, this film is the height of 1980s Reagan-era ridiculousness. This is a 90-minute film that is somehow 50% montage and includes a full performance of James Brown’s Living in America. I’m actually surprised that it didn’t include a bald eagle screech at some point (honestly, it might have). Watching this, it’s hard to remember that this followed a literal Best Picture winner, and that Stallone, Burt Young, and Talia Shire are all Oscar-nominated actors. Sure, it’s meme-able, but this is so cheesy you could grate it over spaghetti. Also, as is often the case with Rocky films, the boxing sucks.

Film: Jesus’ Son (1999)

Based on a series of short stories by Denis Johnson, Jesus’ Son follows the life of F.H. (Billy Crudup) as he deals with various addictions, problematic friends, an on-again/off-again/high again relationship. This feels like a series of interconnected short vignettes because essentially that’s what it is. F.H. (which stands for “Fuckhead”) is the only constant through all of the tales. Crudup is quite good in this, but the film is most notable for the deep supporting cast, which includes Samantha Morton, Dennis Hopper, Jack Black, Michael Shannon, Denis Leary, Will Patton, and Holly Hunter. I’m not sure if I liked it or not, although it definitely has its moments. It reminded me a bit of Slacker if it had followed one person.

Film: The Duchess (2008)

There are few actresses who are so perfectly suited for period pieces as Kiera Knightley. I’m not precisely sure what it is about her—face, manner, diction—that makes this so, but a sumptuous period piece like The Duchess filled as it is with wigs and huge dresses feels like the natural place for her. This is the story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (and the county of the ancient Honeywell family farm), and her controversial life in the 18th century, especially in terms of her affairs and dabbling in politics. Knightley, as usual for this type of film, is radiant, but she is ably assisted by Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Ralph Fiennes as her abusive husband, and especially Charlotte Rampling, who is in it for a few minutes, but is nearly perfect, as always.

Film: The Infinite Man (2014)

Time travel movies often make my brain hurt, but when they actually do something more than just “Oooh! Time travel!” I am happy to give them a chance. The Infinite Man is one I am happy to have given a chance to. Nerdy inventor Dean (Josh McConville) tries to recreate an anniversary with his girlfriend Lana (Hannah Marshall), only to discover that she is still being pursued by her ex, Terry (Alex Dimitriades). Frustrated, Dean works for a year to perfect time travel to bring him and Lana back to the exact day when things went wrong, but this ends up creating a nearly endless supply of Deans, Lanas, and Terrys interacting with each other in new and different ways. It’s insanely complicated and it works surprisingly well.