JANUARY

1 Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) ★★★☆☆ - i remember spending the first day of my 2016 watching 1989. taylor skipped PH in her tour, so i could only vicariously live the concert through my screen and redoing it this year just felt right. i did something bad and all too well were definitely my favorites here. rep was not my fave album of hers and honestly not her best, but any album she makes, i always hold dear to my heart anyway.

2 Burning dir. Lee Chang-Dok (2018) ★★★★☆ - haunting and eerie. watching it was uncomfortable and the whole film giving the audience the freedom to assume things was liberating but it also left me with a ton of questions. steven yeun was just so goooood and watching his character made me feel something was off but i also couldn't pinpoint what. ugh beautiful film.

3 Whisper of the Heart dir. Yoshifumi Kondō (1995) ★★★☆☆ - i'd catch myself smiling at the relationship between the two characters all through out the film. just really liked the idea of growing and pushing yourself, and them allowing each other to live their lives apart but also grow further is sooo ideal. it's a young love where love is said probably not in the deepest way there is but felt sincere. shizuku trying to understand what she really wants in life was us at one point in our young lives, which, oddly may still ring true up to this moment. country road was also such a nice addition to it, making it a melodic coming-of-age film with the music stirring something in you heart everytime it plays. kinda felt bad at the end bc i think i was kind of distracted at the beginning bc of how much i was trying to find memories of my recent trip to it

4 The 5th Wave dir. J Blakeson (2016) ★★★☆☆ - always enjoyed apocalypse movies, and although there were scenes that i questioned because certainly, something dreadful would have happened in the span of time they were trying to profess their love for each other, other than that, the concept of the end of the world coming in different waves was an interesting idea to me. felt like there was a big disconnect to how it started and the rest of the film but i still enjoyed it nonetheless. but the aliens in form of gigantic robots of some sort and with the apocalypyse happening at the same time may have looked a bit of a stretch at some point

FEBRUARY

5 Elise dir. Joel Ferrer (2019) ★★★★★ - i usually go in a film with some sort of expectation already if i'll watch it in the cinemas, and this lived up to everything i read. if a word could describe Elise, it was lovely. i loved the narration, the humor was not forced and its something I could relate with. it reminded me of my own moments, of memories where i felt like my heart was broken, and people who left my heart beating faster than usual, and even pain for experiences i haven't found myself in. also got me reflecting about life and the next choices I'll be making for my future. it left me scared and anxious. i didn't like how it ended, but life works that way sometimes. another bit that endeared me more was my favorite fur elise would play in certain scenes, and although i've always associated it with horror films, it was a nice touch all throughout. this was so good and i still think about it.

6 Never Not Love You dir. Antoinette Jadaone (2018) ★★★★★ - i haven't cried that many tears in a film in so long. the characters felt like they were straight out of reality and probably why their situations and feelings affected me so much. gio's emotions and love for joanne broke me repeatedly. centered in ambition and reckless young love that was hit by the reality of life, nothing else can be more real.

MARCH

7 Alone/Together dir. Antoinette Jadaone (2019)★★★☆☆ - this actually disappointed me. i was expecting so much from this film because of the hype and reviews, but it felt so underwhelming. of course, there were moments that hit me, mostly with tin and the actualization of her dream, scenes that made me feel happy for her as well, and scenes that were given so much detail and where the third person POV was broken, but overall, it was just okay. liza's growth felt like it depended on the men she had around him, but i guess life don't rly work the way you imagined it to be and things you don't expect will happen, does. NNLY is still my fave of jadaone's work, but i also really appreciate how well thought out the details in this film were.

8 Searching dir. Aneesh Chaganty (2018) ★★★★☆ - really enjoyed watching this film. made me curious of how they would be able to pull off the whole film with everything happening in the screens, also made me nostalgic of the internet during those dial-up days circa YM. definitely was unpredictable but the end kind of felt like, it just happened too fittingly?? but it was still great. enjoyed that the leads were asians and just the overall execution of it.

9 Relaks, It's Just Pag-Ibig dir. Jadaone and Villamor (2014) ★★★☆☆ - not bad i guess but felt like they could've intertwined more elias and salome's story to the main plot, but the characters were great and seemed like actual HS-ers buta more risk-takers. not much thought. it's a good film to watch as background while i'm busy doing things. i'd probably enjoy it more if i was still in hs.

APRIL

10 Shoplifters dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (2018) ★★★★☆ - their relationship as a family despite having no blood relation works because of the comfort and safety bubble it gives them, and as an audience, it didn't feel wrong in my point of view as choosing your own family may be the best option for some. beautiful cinematography where they played a lot with shadows. the ending had a barrage of surprises which have been subtly hinted here and there. it's a glimpse of poverty and crime in japan.

MAY

11 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse dir. Ramsey, Persichetti, and Rothman (2018) ★★★★★ - MASTERPIECE !!!! i absolutely loved this with every fiber of my heart. the visual graphics was such a breath of fresh air, and i was so drawn towards the comic effects. the different spiderman uniting in one universe while staying true to their characters in their respective films was amazing as well. wtf i do not know how to review films but gaaah i'd rewatch without skipping a beat. also THE SOUNDTRACK can we just talk about how nice lofi music is !!!! and idk but my appreciation for great cinematography for animated films is probably 10x more

12 Hintayan ng Langit dir. Dan Villegas (2018) ★★★☆☆ - wanted to love it but i didn't. appreciated the concept of having the in between between heaven and hell and how businessy everything seems. eddie garcia was v endearing and honestly could feel the pain and longing he still had towards gina pareno's character, and vice-versa.

JUNE

13 Us dir. Jordan Peele (2019) ★★★☆☆ - should've watched this alone ugh. get out > us. just like with get out, this had so many layers but this had a lot more vagueness. when the protagonist started explaining what she did, it went on way too long and probably would've done well without the narration. so many easter eggs which is common to his films but wished i wouldn't need reddit to understand them all. it was scary esp at the first scenes because of their doubles and when they started killing the white family!!! the way to the underground seemed like my childhood dream of having an entirely new dimension i can play in

14 Crazy Rich Asians dir. John Chu (2018) ★★★★☆ - it really is refreshing to see a predominantly asian cast in an american film, and why i understand more the gravity of representation in movies. wish this was based from a true story bc rly digging how nick young was able to hide his wealth and how he's willing to sacrifice it for this woman. loved the scenes because its the kind of extravagance i only see in movies and also the parts leading up to rachel finding out about his crazy rich bf's bg. LOVE awkwafina!!! didn't expect that proposal scene in the plane ride, thought it'd be another generic i'll run after u kind of scene. astrid letting go of his husband and her final line to him was gold.

JULY

15 Spider-Man: Homecoming dir. Jon Watts (2017)★★★★☆ - i GET IT. i get the tom holland fascination on the internet now. really appreciate the new storylines on new superhero movies and how being a superhero isn't as discreet as it was on the earlier days of superhero films. loved his suit!!! kinda feels like totally spies but in a movie. i love how it's usually always about a hero overestimating their capabilities after just finding out they have powers when in reality it takes so much more realization of what you can do and who you should be doing it for than just a simple saving the world kind of thinking. excited to see the next one!!

16 Murder Mystery dir. Kyle Newacheck (2019) ★★★☆☆ - there's something about films top billed by A-listers that makes it more endearing than it actually is. not too funny but entertaining bc it feels like a movie straight out of an episode of detective conan except that the couple aren't rly detectives. generally just a feel good movie.

AUGUST

17 Ferris Bueller's Day Off dir. John Hughes (1986)★★★☆☆ - this has been sitting on my files for the longest time probably around 8 years now, and i finally got to watch it. there's something comedic about 80s film but maybe it's a hughes thing. found ferris to be a dick at the early parts of the movie, but rooted for him when he wanted his best friend to grow and stand up for himself. fave part would be when he joined the march lip-syncing to entertain his friend and girlfriend. can't help but feel amazed by how he seems to had his plan all figured out and how their telephone tricks work back then.