Movies I watched in 2023

1. White Noise (2022). From the trailer this looked like it would be a fun post-apoc movie with some good banter in it. Instead it was a snooze-fest of contemporary social commentary and no apocalypse in sight.

2. Life (2017). Accidentally watched this twice. The first time we chose it on Netflix and it was pretty alright as far as alien movies go. Calvin was a pretty cool "monster", but if you've seen the movie Alien you know how this one goes as well. The second time we stumbled upon it on TV at my parents' place. 

3. In the Tall Grass (2019). This is an adaptation of a Stephen King story and it shows. It's really weird. I was hoping for psychological horror, but it just ended up being weird. Not that good. 

4. Renfield (2023). I was looking forward to this movie! We watched it at the cinema and it was everything I hoped for. Dark comedy with some decent homage to various vampire interpretations. I really enjoyed it!

5. We Have A Ghost (2023). David Harbour was brilliant in this! The movie was hilarious and sad and it was such a good time to watch. Totally worth!

6. Murder Mystery 2 (2023). We watched the first one in 2022 and I wanted to watch this one as well. Not a fan of Adam Sandler overall, but in these two movies I've been alright with him. This sequel wasn't as good as the original (as per usual), but it was still a good time.

7. Population 436 (2006). This movie has been hanging around our Netflix watchlist for ages and we finally decided that it was time. It wasn't good. The entire thing felt stilted and extra theatrical like movies from the 60s or 70s sometimes seem today because acting has evolved. We both thought the movie was at least 20 years older than it was. 

8. America: The Motion Picture (2021). Extremely over the top and totally hilarious! This movie is a good time. It's about the founding of the US, but not in the way that you know it.

9. Slumberland (2022). Totally heart-warming movie about a little girl that is sent to live with her bachelor uncle after her father passes away. This movie personifies childhood hopes and dreams and adventure. 

10. Next Gen (2018). This was a really cool animated movie that gave us a bit of Big Hero 6 vibes, but very poignant and modern as well. 

11. Prey for the Devil (2022). We wanted a horror movie, and this one was really great. This was the movie that finally convinced us to dive into the Conjuring universe. See below.

12. Nightbooks (2021). A very cute adventure movie. Probably technically for kids but it was still a lot of fun about a nerdy kid saving the world by telling stories. 

13. The Conjuring (2013). Even after having watched all the other movies in the Conjuring universe this is still probably the strongest one. It had me on the edge of my seat and I was actually terrified towards the end. Strongly recommend. 

14. The Babadook (2014). I had been wanting to watch this one for years because the trailer made it seem oh so good. In reality it was a bust. Such a disappointment. The monster wasn't scary, the ending was just "wut", the characters weren't engaging... Just so disappointing.

15. Annabelle (2014). I hate dolls. I hate dolls. I hate dolls. This movie seemed very classic horror, but it was good. Really good.

16. The Conjuring 2 (2016). Pretty much the same as the first Conjuring, but in England. I really enjoyed this one as well. This movie has the first mention of Valak. 

17. Annabelle: Creation (2017). This story is incredibly sad, but I felt this movie was better than the first Annabelle movie. Very well made. 

18. The Nun (2018). Heeeeeeere's Valak! This movie was really, really good. I love how the story was told from several perspectives and you never knew which one was true until the end. Also, nice way of connecting this movie to the beginning of the original Conjuring movie. 

19. The Curse of La Llorona (2019). Easily the weakest movie in the Conjuring universe and the only obvious connection to the rest of the universe is the priest who shows up in both this one and in Annabelle. 

20. Annabelle Comes Home (2019). This one was great. Really amazing. I loved how it's about Annabelle but they incorporated all the other stuff in the Warrens' basement.

21. Lamb (2021). This one was weird. Me and my mom stumbled upon it on TV when I was visiting and it was just really strange. Based on Icelandic folklore (I believe), a lamb that's half lamb and half human is born on a farm, and things just spiral out of control. 

22. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021). While this one was cool, it was different from what they usually do. More witches and not so much demonic possession (although there was that too). 

23. Uncharted (2022). This movie got a ton of flak for its casting, but we both ended up liking it. Tom Holland did a good job as Nathan Drake. The fan movie still gets more things right, though. 

24. The Lost City (2022). I wanted to see this movie since I first saw the trailer, because it seemed like the kind of humoristic adventure movie that I enjoy, and I wasn't wrong. This movie was a riot! 

25. Love, Rosie (2014). Not the kind of movie I usually watch, but I caught this one on TV when I visited my parents and ended up actually enjoying it. Drama movie about how life happens and gets in the way of your plans, but somehow everything works out in the end anyway.